"That room has nothing to do with you anymore," Qin Mei cut in, correcting him.

Jie Jingjue waved his hand. "That’s not the point. The point is, Grandpa and Granny want to move in, but my Fourth Brother disagrees."

"So?" Qin Mei folded her arms and eyed Jie Jingjue with suspicion. ’As if I can’t see what this guy is up to.’

"Heh." Jie Jingjue rubbed his nose, a wide grin on his face. "Grandpa and Granny are our elders, after all, and they’re getting on in years. That room of yours is empty, and if you stubbornly refuse to let them stay, it’ll look bad if word gets out."

"So?" A hint of mockery surfaced in Qin Mei’s eyes as she stared at Jie Jingjue.

"Let me move back in," Jie Jingjue said. "I’ll move out once Grandpa and Granny are gone."

Qin Mei smirked. ’After all that buildup, he finally gets to the point.’

"Sister-in-law, I used to live in that room," Jie Jingjue said. "If I move back in, no one can say a thing. And even if they do, they’ll just say I’m the unfilial one for taking a room from Grandpa and Granny. No one will breathe a word of criticism about you or Fourth Brother, I guarantee it."

Qin Mei slowly lifted her gaze to meet Jie Jingjue’s. "Do I look like the kind of person who’s afraid of a little gossip?"

"Sister-in-law, gossip isn’t the scary part," Jie Jingjue argued. "What’s scary is being labeled unfilial."

Qin Mei shrugged and spread her hands. "I really don’t care."

Seeing he couldn’t convince Qin Mei, Jie Jingjue gave up. ’It’s fine,’ he thought. ’If I can’t persuade my sister-in-law, I’ll just talk to Fourth Brother when he gets off work. I might be able to convince him.’

’Desperate times call for desperate measures. And dealing with Granny definitely called for desperate measures.’

Jie Jingjue wasn’t afraid of Granny. In fact, it was the other way around. He had once lost control and nearly killed her, and Granny still had a lingering fear of him to this day.

Afterward, his father had beaten him black and blue and forced him to kneel and apologize to Granny. He’d done as his father commanded, but he didn’t regret his actions. If it were to happen all over again, he’d do the exact same thing.

Jing Qi’s crippled legs were his trigger. And Granny had insisted on using them to attack Jing Qi. It was utterly intolerable.

"Sister-in-law, I’m going back to my room for a nap. Don’t bother calling me for lunch," Jie Jingjue said to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei ignored him. ’He’s getting ahead of himself,’ she thought. ’Call him for lunch? Jing Qi and I don’t even have our own lunch figured out yet.’

Jie Jingjue gave Qin Mei one last look, his eyes filled with a deep, unspoken gratitude.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Qin Mei knocked on Jie Jingshan’s door.

"Jing Qi," Qin Mei called out.

"Sister-in-law, the door’s not bolted!" Jie Jingshan’s voice rang out, unable to conceal her delight.

Qin Mei pushed the door open and saw Jie Jingshan beaming. "Did you clear the air?"

"Yes." Jie Jingshan nodded with a smile and thanked her sincerely. "Sister-in-law, thank you."

Qin Mei simply smiled, walked over to Jie Jingshan, and ruffled her short hair. She recalled their first meeting—it had been a disaster for both her and Jing Qi.

"Sister-in-law, you didn’t just save me, you saved Fifth Brother too." Jie Jingshan looked up at Qin Mei. If she’d been crippled for life, she would have never recovered, and Fifth Brother would have been weighed down by guilt and self-blame forever. Neither he nor she would have ever been able to live a happy life.

"Saved?" Qin Mei flicked Jie Jingshan lightly on the forehead. "That’s an exaggeration. I’m no savior, so don’t put me on a pedestal like that."

"Sister-in-law, you don’t understand what it was like for Fifth Brother and me..." Jie Jingshan’s voice caught, and she couldn’t finish her sentence.

"Silly girl." Qin Mei’s heart ached a little. She pulled Jing Qi’s head to her chest. ’Even without me, Jing Qi would have met someone to pull her out of this abyss. Even with crippled legs, she would have lived a brilliant life and fulfilled her potential. Under her leadership, the Qiao Family would have reached even greater heights.’

Jie Jingshan cried tears of joy—for herself and for Fifth Brother. She was so thankful that Fourth Brother had married Qin Mei. Without Qin Mei, there would have been no hope for her legs, and no hope for her future.

"Jing Qi, do you like long hair?" Qin Mei changed the subject.

Jie Jingshan paused for a moment, then took a deep breath to compose herself. ’My sister-in-law doesn’t like this kind of heavy atmosphere,’ she realized, ’so I shouldn’t let it continue.’ "I do," she said. "I never cut my hair before I was ten."

Qin Mei lowered her eyes to Jie Jingshan’s short hair, a pang of sadness in her heart. ’It wasn’t "before I was ten,"’ she thought. ’It was "before the accident."’

"Who cut it short for you?" Qin Mei asked, tenderly stroking Jie Jingshan’s short hair. Jing Qi’s hair was surprisingly soft.

Jie Jingshan hesitated for a few seconds, a look of resignation, disappointment, and pain crossing her face. "Aunt Zhang."