She didn't know what to say to Zhu Zhen, so she busied herself by bringing out fruit and cooking. Since neither of them needed to eat, there wasn't much food at home. She wanted to ask Father Jiang to go out and buy groceries.
Jiang Chongyan immediately said, "Mom, I'll go. Azhen can come with me."
Zhu Zhen pushed his hand away. "You go by yourself. I want to chat with Auntie."
Jiang Chongyan had no choice but to leave alone.
With the only person who could break the ice gone, the atmosphere in the house became even more awkward. Mother Jiang didn't know what to say to her and couldn't just leave the guest alone in the living room. Father Jiang found even fewer words and made an excuse to go into his room.
"Auntie, you don't need to be nervous," Zhu Zhen comforted her. "I'm Ayan's girlfriend. You are my elder."
"I..." She fidgeted with her apron. "You said you know about our... And Ayan, you know him, he..."
"I know everything."
"Then you're still with him?" Mother Jiang's eyes widened in surprise. "Girl, if Ayan could have lived to this day and had a beautiful girlfriend like you, his father and I would have been overjoyed. But now, you, a living person, are with him. Aren't you afraid?"
Zhu Zhen smiled. "What am I afraid of? He won't hurt me." And he couldn't.
Mother Jiang was momentarily speechless.
"He won't. My Ayan has always had this personality since he was a child. He wouldn't bully anyone and was good to everyone. It's a pity, it's all our fault. If his father and I had been more firm, we wouldn't have caused him..."
But it was just talk. They used to depend on the Jiang family for their living. Father Jiang had a chronic illness and couldn't do strenuous work. Mother Jiang had to earn money to support the family and take care of him, and life had long since worn down her edges. She couldn't resist and was powerless to resist.
"Auntie, it's all in the past."
Mother Jiang wiped away tears. "Yes, it's all in the past. Although things are like this now, at least he can stand up again, and Ayan doesn't have to be bullied anymore. If we had known that people could really become ghosts after death, our family of three might as well have... Forget it, let's not say such disheartening things. Girl, how did you and Ayan meet? How long have you been together?"
"We met at the academy. At the time, he was possessing someone else, and I saw through it. We ended up together after a while. It hasn't been long, only a little over a month."
Mother Jiang thought about it. Jiang Chongyan had returned to them just over a month ago.
Thinking that her influence might have played a part in it, she felt both touched and complex emotions.
Of course, she didn't know that Jiang Chongyan had jumped to his death and was trapped in his original spot for a long time. He was able to break free not because of deep resentment, but because his soul was powerful, and with Zhu Zhen's arrival, the soul fragments he had collected earlier merged with him, allowing him to escape his restraints.
Later, he followed Zhu Zhen, slowly growing stronger, and only then dared to return to see them.
Then he saw the Jiang family using their physical bodies to raise evil spirits, and even wanting to feed their souls to the evil spirits.
Mother Jiang suddenly thought of something and asked, "You saw him possessing someone else, so you... do you know those things?"
Zhu Zhen nodded. "I learned some things unintentionally before. Auntie, there's something I'd like to ask your advice on."
"What is it?"
"Did Ayan run into anyone yesterday when he came back? Or did someone say something to him?"
That little fellow had been quite normal before. Their third date yesterday had also ended perfectly. It wasn't until they got home that he said he had lied to her. After she suggested meeting his parents, he had been acting strange.
He seemed to be constantly worried about something.
When Mother Jiang heard her mention Jiang Chongyan's return, she assumed Jiang Chongyan had told her everything and didn't think too deeply. "Yes, enemies came looking for trouble, wanting to capture his father and me. They fought. Among the people who came was a young man, incredibly powerful. They fought for a long time, and then, for some reason, after the young man said something, he let them go."
"Do you remember what that young man looked like?"
As the male protagonist of the story, he had countless distinctive features. His face alone was enough to fill thousands of words. Mother Jiang's brief description was enough for Zhu Zhen to guess who it was.
What would Qin Xiuran say to him?
"Do you know that person too?"
"I've met him before. Auntie, Ayan came back yesterday without telling me, and I promised not to pry too much into his affairs. Today's matter, please don't tell him, can you?"
Mother Jiang immediately felt like she had been tricked.
However, she didn't want them to have any conflict. "Alright, I won't tell him."
"Tell you what?"
Jiang Chongyan pushed open the door, carrying vegetables and meat. "Mom, how long have you and Azhen known each other, and you already have secrets."
Mother Jiang smiled. "Don't interfere with girls' matters."
Jiang Chongyan happily agreed not to pry into their little secrets.
He had been very anxious about meeting his parents before. Now that he saw Zhu Zhen getting along so well with his parents, he was very happy.
But there was still a thorn in his heart.
Every time he felt happy, that thorn would unexpectedly stab him, making him bitter.
Why now?
If only it had been sooner!