Chapter Thirty-Four: The Truth Is

Rachel Liu actually trusted Jin Yuan very much, but in her heart, she always felt she was too young to help him or share his burdens, so she couldn't help but worry. And ex-girlfriends, well, they were definitely a formidable weapon.

Rachel Liu felt restless. When Esther went out to meet Yin Zaigao, she reminded Rachel to take the initiative with Jin Yuan, or to send him thoughtful messages when he was busy. Rachel smiled as she saw her mother off, but the smile faded as soon as she closed the door.

She didn't want to call Jin Yuan right away, perhaps still clinging to a sense of avoidance. She turned on the TV and watched some entertainment news. The second episode of "We Got Married" had been postponed for a week due to Uhey's illness. Li Yingzai and Han Zhien had a fake marriage... What? A fake marriage??

Han Zhien had never told Rachel Liu about this. Although she’d mentioned their marriage had other reasons, a fake marriage was just too outrageous!

With this news broadcast, Rachel Liu lost interest in Jin Yuan and immediately called Han Zhien. Unsurprisingly, Han Zhien's phone was off, and she didn’t have Li Yingzai's number, so she called Jin Yuan instead.

This time, the phone was picked up quickly, Jin Yuan's voice light and cheerful, "I was just about to call you, and you called."

Rachel Liu found herself softening just from that sentence, and she almost wanted to mock herself.

"Brother Yuan, I saw the news about Zhien..."

"Yes, Li Yingzai is here with me. Do you want to come over?"

Rachel Liu hesitated. She felt she couldn't be too proactive, and besides... she was a little annoyed that Jin Yuan clearly knew about this but hadn't told her!

Jin Yuan thought she had something to do and said, "If you're busy, don't come. I'll come find you later."

Men aren't as sensitive as women; he assumed Rachel's hesitation was because she was busy. Finals were coming up, and as the second-ranked student, she was determined to surpass Yin Canrong, especially since Yin Canrong was about to become her brother. She was striving for first place, and her recent studiousness had startled many.

But even so, it couldn't stop her from being angry at her boyfriend now. Couldn't he sense a little grievance from his girlfriend?

"Wait for me, I'll be right over."

Jin Yuan laughed, "Okay, be careful on the way, watch out for traffic." — The dad mode was on again.

Rachel hung up, changed into comfortable clothes, and went out. She really paid extra attention to the traffic lights on the way. Jin Yuan was no longer living at the Jin family home or at a hotel. He had bought a luxury apartment recently, which had just finished renovations, and he moved in.

When Rachel arrived, Jin Yuan was waiting downstairs. This high-end apartment only had two households per building, and Jin Yuan had bought the whole building, taking both units and a large lawn. Still, he preferred Han Zhien's room; there was a beautiful lake behind it. But now Li Yingzai and Han Zhien couldn't return, with reporters everywhere around their home.

Jin Yuan held Rachel as they walked upstairs. She had been here before, but it hadn’t been fully renovated yet. Jin Yuan had been overseeing it, so progress was fast.

"Is it safe to live here? The paint just went on, right?"

Jin Yuan had chosen the best paint, but it was still potentially harmful.

He said, "It's actually been done for almost a week, but I've been busy and forgot to tell you."

In the elevator, Jin Yuan looked at Rachel and noticed she seemed thinner. "You haven't been eating properly, have you? No matter how intense your studies, you need to keep up your nutrition."

"I know, you’re so naggy." She used to think Jin Yuan was cold and quiet, but now she realized he was no less naggy than her mother.

Jin Yuan watched her slight complaints, rubbed her hair, and when the elevator arrived, took her hand straight into the apartment.

Li Yingzai and Han Zhien hadn’t seen Rachel Liu for a while, but given the situation, no one was in good spirits, not even the naturally optimistic Han Zhien.

Li Yingzai and Han Zhien were staying in the apartment below Jin Yuan's, temporarily hiding from reporters. His agent had a plan: to have Li Yingzai and Han Zhien show affection in front of the media. But Li Yingzai wasn’t keen; he wasn’t someone who wanted to use such tactics to entertain the public, and he had his own private reasons.

"Yingzai's favorite sister has just returned to the country." The men chatted in the living room, while Rachel was pulled into the bedroom by Han Zhien, who then said this with a pitiful expression.

Rachel asked, "You mean you two were fake married all along?"

Han Zhien finally explained everything. Truthfully, she could have refused, but she liked Li Yingzai very much, and she wanted the apartment, so she agreed to the fake marriage. Though it was only a fake marriage, they had actually registered it.

Rachel was speechless. A twenty-two-year-old woman, already married, was at a disadvantage in the marriage market, yet she went through with a fake marriage so easily.

But for men, even if Li Yingzai divorced several times, it wouldn’t stop him from finding someone younger and prettier. Rachel didn’t have much opinion about Li Yingzai, but she didn’t think he was serious about Han Zhien.

Han Zhien fretted, "What should I do?"

Rachel was silent for a long time. "Don't you plan to go out to work? Maybe a change of environment would help."

Han Zhien agreed. Her life now was cooking for Li Yingzai, cleaning the apartment, her novel writing hadn’t progressed, and her monthly royalties were negligible compared to her inheritance. Now she was caught in this predicament, and Li Yingzai worried her presence would affect Jiang Huiyuan’s opinion of him.

After all, they’d agreed it would be a fake marriage, a fair exchange. After a year she’d get the apartment, and Li Yingzai’s grandmother’s health was stable.

But now, she’d broken the rules and fallen for Li Yingzai first.

Han Zhien said pitifully to Rachel, "I really miss the days we spent together in Beijing, carefree and happy."

Even in Seoul, Rachel and Jin Yuan were still the model couple in Han Zhien’s eyes.

Rachel asked, "Does he still love that woman?"

Han Zhien gave a bitter smile, "He’s always loved her."

She had long known and prepared herself mentally, but now that the day had come, she couldn’t accept it. Still, Han Zhien felt that loving this man made everything worthwhile. Now the time was up, and her dream was ending, but she had no regrets.

"I hope I can be stronger, to persist for the one I love. If the result is good, I’ll be grateful. If it’s destined I can’t have it, I won’t complain."

Before leaving that night, Han Zhien said this. She knew Rachel wouldn’t agree with her, thinking she lived too aggrievedly, but Han Zhien had her own perspective. As a novelist, the male leads in her stories were always perfect, but in reality, how many could achieve that?

Rachel looked at her smile and felt a bit moved.

That evening, Jin Yuan drove Rachel home. She was silent the whole way, and he knew Han Zhien must have told her something. Jin Yuan didn’t ask, and only when they reached her building did he say, "Go on up, get some rest, you have class tomorrow."

He glanced at the car’s calendar. "Christmas is in a week. If things are busy, we can meet then."

The company was at a critical point, and the internal turmoil had people anxious. Jin Yuan had been working nonstop, pulling two all-nighters, and today was the first day off for him and Yin Zaigao.

Of course, Rachel knew none of this, and Jin Yuan didn’t want to trouble her with it.

But hearing this, Rachel asked, "Are you very busy?"

Jin Yuan nodded, feeling tired. "Yes, I haven’t rested properly for two days."

Rachel saw his dark circles and his weary face, lacking its usual vitality.

It seemed petty to question him now.

"Are you heading back now?"

Jin Yuan looked at his watch, "I’ll go to the company."

Rachel was a little angry, "You’re already so tired, and you still plan to drive? You’re the one always saying to pay attention to traffic safety!"

Jin Yuan chuckled softly, "It’s fine."

"No!" Rachel was firm. If she’d noticed Jin Yuan’s exhaustion earlier, she wouldn’t have let him drive her.

Her expression was worried, and she gently held Jin Yuan’s hand. "Brother, if you’re tired, why didn’t you tell me?" Her voice was soft and gentle, and Jin Yuan’s heart melted.

"Even if I can’t help you, I can at least share the burden. If you talk about what makes you unhappy, it’ll hurt less."

Jin Yuan said nothing, only pulled her into his arms.

Quan Xianzhu was someone who rarely expressed emotions, and so was he. Their relationship had always lacked intimacy, and he was used to it. Now, Rachel’s words made Jin Yuan realize what was missing between them.

"Sorry for making you worry." The familiar scent lingered at his nose, and the warm body in his arms was the girl he adored.

Rachel shook her head sullenly.

Jin Yuan said, "It was my oversight. If I miss something in the future, just tell me directly."

Rachel gently pushed him away, wrinkling her nose, her finger poking his chest in a mock interrogation. "Alright, I wasn’t going to ask, but now it seems I might as well. Why did Quan Xianzhu become my teacher? Why did she call you?"

Back to the afternoon.

When Jin Yuan received Quan Xianzhu’s call, he was discussing the next step with Yin Zaigao. Their plan was nearly complete; Jin Tan never had much fighting power. If not for a few small shareholders stirring things up behind him, he would have been no threat. But Jin Yuan didn’t want to completely suppress Jin Tan. The family business involved more than just the two of them; many branches had infiltrated, and Jin Yuan needed many people. Jin Tan might be useful, and Jin Yuan was touched by Jin Tan’s attitude after all these years. Jin Yuan thought of letting go of old grudges and giving it a try.

So as he and Yin Zaigao were discussing Jin Tan’s role in the real estate division of Empire Group, Quan Xianzhu called.

"Brother Jin Yuan, I found my mother."

She cried to Jin Yuan.

At that moment, she had no one else to confide in, and few knew her past. She called Jin Yuan not to disrupt his life, but because she had nowhere else to vent her overflowing emotions. She hadn’t expected that after finding her mother, her mother would be hospitalized due to poor health. For years, her mother survived by scavenging, always in poor health. Quan Xianzhu had found a job, but the salary wasn’t good. Normally she wouldn’t ask for help, but this time she asked Jin Yuan to arrange work for her mother.

Author's Note: I suddenly realized Han Zhien is the link connecting all the other female supporting characters in the story, haha, I love her =3=

Han Zhien and Li Yingzai won’t be split up, but I won’t describe them much~

Also, I think Quan Xianzhu is pretty great~

I see so many girls keep leaving comments, it makes me so happy, love you all =333=

Tomorrow or the day after, I’ll start "The Mermaid Miss," writing about Yin Ruiying and Ya Liying =333= Hope everyone continues to support~~