Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 326 - 295: Acting (Third Update)

Here is the translation:

Ai Ni opened the door, and Shi Qing walked in with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, I saw you earlier but didn’t get a chance to talk before you left. I brought this set of cosmetics back for you," Shi Qing said as she handed a delicate gift box to Ai Ni.

Ai Ni smiled faintly, "I still have a few unopened sets. You should keep them for yourself."

Shi Qing’s eyes reddened slightly. "Sister-in-law, I know none of you like me, but I truly want to be someone whom everyone likes. You’re my sister-in-law, we’re family. If even you don’t like me, how will I ever be able to enter the palace in the future?"

Ai Ni stared at her intently. Shi Qing suddenly seemed like a different person, and Ai Ni wasn’t quite used to her demeanor.

"Sister-in-law..." Shi Qing gazed at her pitifully.

Only Shi Qing’s eyes still held some resemblance to the person she used to be. Ai Ni finally snapped out of her thoughts and decided to take the gift, thinking it was for Aunt Ni Lu’s sake. Even if Shi Qing wanted to harm her, it wouldn’t amount to much.

Ai Ni reached out to accept the gift box. Shi Qing smiled and handed the box toward her, but before Ai Ni could take it, Shi Qing let go prematurely, and the box fell to the floor with a loud "thud."

Instantly, the box was soaked by the spilled cosmetic liquid. Shi Qing froze, and tears streamed down her face. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry..."

Clarissa and Ni Lu rushed in upon hearing the noise. Ni Lu glanced at the dropped cosmetics and furrowed her brows slightly.

Clarissa’s expression also darkened a bit.

Shi Qing turned to look at them and, holding back her tears, said, "Mom, Aunt, this has nothing to do with my sister-in-law. It was my fault for not holding onto it properly."

Ai Ni shot her an intense look before turning to Clarissa and Ni Lu. Seeing their unpleasant expressions, Ai Ni stubbornly stood in the center of the room without saying a word.

Shi Qing grabbed Ai Ni’s hand and cried, "Sister-in-law, don’t be angry. I have more at home, I’ll send someone to deliver them to you later."

"Am I even angry?" Ai Ni coldly shook her hand loose, finally seeing through Shi Qing’s plan. She wasn’t here to deliver cosmetics today; she was here to cause trouble.

Clarissa gave her a displeased look. "Ai Ni, no matter what Shi Qing may have done in the past, she knows her mistakes now and is actively changing. We should turn over a new leaf. After all, you’re older than her by a few years. When things happen, you should show some tolerance."

Ni Lu saw Ai Ni furrow her brow and quickly pulled Clarissa toward the door. "Sister-in-law, don’t blame Ai Ni. In my opinion, today’s mishap is definitely Shi Qing’s fault."

"Aunt, it really was my fault!" Shi Qing chased after them, explaining as she walked alongside Clarissa.

Shi Qing’s current behavior portrayed her as a gracious and understanding victim—someone who was wronged yet still spoke kindly of the person who bullied her.

Clarissa patted Shi Qing’s hand affectionately. "Everyone says Shi Qing is a spoiled princess, but I think she’s the most considerate one!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Ni Lu glanced back at Ai Ni, who still stood angrily in the middle of the room, and muttered, "Sister-in-law, compared to Ai Ni, Shi Qing is nowhere near her level."

Clarissa shook her head helplessly. "It’s not that Ai Ni is bad—I can’t find fault with her—but her temper..."

Ni Lu laughed. "Of the three in their family, Ai Ni has the best temper by far."

"Ah..." Clarissa sighed. "Her temper might be better than her two brothers, but compared to her mother, it’s far worse. I’m just afraid You Jia might suffer in the future. You don’t see it, but You Jia is so devoted to her right now, he’d give her the moon if she demanded the stars instead."

Ni Lu burst out laughing. "Sister-in-law, your daughter-in-law hasn’t even entered the house yet and you’re already getting jealous. Your son is yours—no one can take him away!"

After Ni Lu and Shi Qing left, Clarissa went straight to Carlos’s office with a sour expression. Seeing You Jia was also there, she glared at him in irritation.

You Jia smiled and asked, "Mom, who upset you?"

Carlos glanced at his wife and grinned. "The boy and I haven’t even stepped out of this room all morning; don’t pin this on us."

"It is you two! You insisted on marrying her, and now look—we’ve brought home a queen. I barely said two words to her and she’s showing me attitude already."

You Jia froze and wanted to help his mother sit down.

Clarissa pushed her son’s hand aside. Seeing him hesitate, she snorted coldly. "Your wonderful wife just shoved Shi Qing away like that! You can’t tolerate me brushing you off, but can Shi Qing handle it? That girl wants to change. As her family, we should give her a chance. Are we going to corner her until she strays down the wrong path?"

You Jia smiled softly, "Mom, Ai Ni would never shove Shi Qing for no reason."

Clarissa glared at her son. "I knew it! You’d definitely side with her! Shi Qing brought her a set of cosmetics, but by the time I entered with your aunt, those cosmetics were already on the floor. Shi Qing kept apologizing, yet your wife ignored her completely. Then she even pushed Shi Qing away. Your aunt was there—I couldn’t say much at the time. I had to stand up for our own family, though. I told Ai Ni she should be more understanding toward Shi Qing, but just look at the glare she gave me! If your aunt hadn’t stepped in to smooth things over, I wouldn’t have been able to leave the room without embarrassment."

You Jia’s face darkened immediately. "That’s too much! She dared to glare at you? I’ll go deal with her right now and have her apologize to you."

As he spoke, You Jia was about to leave.

Clarissa quickly pulled her son back. "I’m only venting to you and your father—don’t escalate things. If you two start fighting over this, you’ll be the one to suffer in front of her grandfather and father!"

"I can’t let this go! I must stand up for you!" You Jia broke free from his mother’s grasp and quickly left the room.

Clarissa was about to chase after him when Carlos stopped her. "Don’t make things worse! If you don’t interfere, the two of them will sort it out. If you do, they’ll end up fighting."

"I just don’t want him to scare Ai Ni away. Where will I find another daughter-in-law as good as her!" Clarissa said regretfully. "From now on, I won’t tell You Jia about anything anymore. That child seems mild-mannered, but when he gets angry, it’s terrifying."

Carlos chuckled. "Isn’t this what you wanted? You always say your son doesn’t care about you, but look—just a bit of grievance from you, and he’s already going to avenge you."

"That boy!" Clarissa gave Carlos a look. "You think you should go take a look?"

"I’m not going. She bullied my wife—why should I help her?" Carlos lowered his head with a chuckle, confident he knew how things would end. If Carlos went to Ai Ni now and dared to utter even one criticism, You Jia would cease to call him ’Father.’

You Jia arrived at Ai Ni’s chamber and found her still standing in the center of the room, pouting in anger as she stared at the fallen box of cosmetics.

You Jia strode forward, kicked the gift box aside without a word.

Ai Ni slowly raised her head to look at him, her lips trembling slightly as though she wanted to cry but abruptly suppressed her tears.

You Jia pulled her into his arms tenderly. "Don’t be angry anymore. I’ll write a sign saying ’Dogs and Shi Qing not allowed inside’ and hang it outside your chamber."

Ai Ni sniffled. "You already know? Did your mom tell you or did Shi Qing come to you to complain?"

"If Shi Qing dared to say anything to me, I’d swat her away! Mom told me, but she didn’t give me the details. She just asked me to come and comfort you. She said she knows you were right but had to stand up for her own family in public. She feels bad for the grievance you suffered today."

Ai Ni looked up at him in surprise. "Mom really said that?"

"Yes, if you don’t believe me, go ask Dad." You Jia pinched her cheek playfully. "Don’t be angry anymore. Tell me what happened so I can help you vent."

"I lost my temper earlier. I’ll go apologize to Mom later. I wasn’t mad at her—I was mad at myself for being soft-hearted and letting Shi Qing plot against me again..." Ai Ni, still upset, recounted the events that had transpired.

You Jia furrowed his brows and asked, "What benefit does Shi Qing gain from behaving like this?"

Ai Ni explained seriously, "It doesn’t benefit her at all, but it does damage the relationship between me and Mom."

You Jia suppressed a smile but feigned confusion. "How does that work?"

"Shi Qing knows how I am—when I get angry, I lose control. Then she fans the flames, and Mom naturally lectures me. If I argue back, Shi Qing will have more fuel for her schemes. Luckily Aunt Ni Lu was here today; otherwise, it would’ve been hard to clean this up."

Ai Ni finished her explanation and looked at You Jia with a hint of lingering fear. "Where’s Mom? I want to apologize to her."

You Jia winked at her. As Ai Ni looked at him suspiciously, his expression suddenly darkened. "It’s fortunate you realized your mistake in time; I was planning to teach you a harsh lesson so you wouldn’t dare make such a mistake again!"

Ai Ni paused for a moment.

You Jia gestured toward the door with his lips.

Ai Ni glanced toward the doorway and caught sight of a bit of fabric. Realizing what was happening, she pouted and said, "I was just upset by Shi Qing and lost control. In the future, no matter how she provokes me, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it. You Jia, where is Mom? Take me to her—I need to apologize."

"I’ll take you in a bit. First, you need to remember what I’m about to say! From now on, just avoid Shi Qing. Don’t judge her by her age; she’s deeply cunning, and one of her schemes could outmatch a hundred of yours. Ever since my brother and sister-in-law got engaged, she’s held a grudge against your entire family. You’re the closest target, so she’ll continuously give you trouble. I can protect you, but if she keeps stirring things up and someday causes you and Mom to have a big fight, Ai Ni, I’ll have no choice but to stand by my mom, even if you’re entirely in the right."

Ai Ni suppressed her laughter and nodded.

"Did you hear me?" You Jia kept signaling her with his eyes.

Afraid she’d laugh aloud, Ai Ni buried her head in You Jia’s chest and mumbled. "Yes, I heard you... sob, sob..."

You Jia, you shouldn’t talk to Ai Ni like that!" Clarissa hurried in when she saw her daughter-in-law crying.