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Novel Catalog
Chapter 18
Back at home, Lin Yuzhen was gently applying ointment to her mother’s face, her heart aching for her. The slap Sumei had received must have been painful, and Lin Yuzhen couldn’t help but let tears fall as she carefully treated the wound.
“Don’t cry, silly girl. I’m fine,” Sumei reassured her, wiping away the tears from Lin Yuzhen’s cheeks.
If they hadn’t arrived just in time, Sumei feared that she might have been arrested by the police. Even with ten mouths, she wouldn’t have been able to explain herself.
“Jiang Ning, come inside. I need to ask you something.”
Sumei walked into her room, and Jiang Ning followed. The door closed behind them, and for a moment, it was just the two of them.
“I’m sorry, Mum. This is all my fault,” Jiang Ning said, standing still and offering a sincere apology.
Sumei looked at him carefully. The card that had caused all this confusion required a minimum of one billion in the bank. She knew Jiang Ning was wealthy, but never expected him to be this wealthy.
Jiang Ning wasn’t just a rich man; he was someone extraordinary. But that left her wondering—what was his real motive in coming here?
“Who are you, really?” she asked again, her voice heavy with concern.
Jiang Ning realized it was time to be open. He reached into his pocket and took out an old, carefully preserved sweet wrapper.
“This is…” Sumei’s eyes widened as she recognized it instantly.
When the Lin family had just started out, they ran a small sweet shop. She had wrapped countless sweets with this same paper.
“Fifteen years ago,” Jiang Ning began, taking a deep breath, “I was left alone on the streets and was on the verge of ending my life. But a little girl gave me this sweet and told me that if I ate it, my life would become sweeter.”
Sumei’s heart softened as Jiang Ning continued, “That little girl was incredibly kind, and she saved me more than once.”
Sumei immediately understood. The kind girl Jiang Ning spoke of was Lin Yuzhen. This man had come into their lives to repay the kindness she had shown him all those years ago.
“I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I just want to protect her,” Jiang Ning said, his voice filled with resolve.
Sumei paused for a moment, taking in his words. She understood his intent now. Jiang Ning had come into their lives, not out of selfishness, but out of gratitude. He had promised Sumei he would never harm Lin Yuzhen, and seeing his sincerity, she began to believe him.
“Mum, I know you still don’t fully trust me, but I will work hard to earn your approval. I may not be your son-in-law just yet, but I will always consider you my mother,” Jiang Ning said seriously. “I’ll always call you Mum.”
Sumei’s heart stirred as she recalled what happened at the bank earlier. Jiang Ning’s words, full of anger and protectiveness, had made her feel something she hadn’t felt in years. He had stood up for her with such fierce loyalty.
Nobody had ever protected her like that—not even Lin Wen.
“I’m really sorry about today,” Jiang Ning continued, “It was my fault that you were hurt.”
Sumei shook her head, her face softening. “It’s not your fault. I made the mistake by picking the wrong card.”
She understood that this whole situation had spiraled out of control because of her error. If she hadn’t taken the wrong card, none of this would have happened.
“Let’s go out,” Sumei said, trying to calm the situation. “I won’t tell anyone about what you’ve said.”
When they rejoined the others, Lin Wen was visibly upset.
“It’s just a card. Did they really have to treat Mum like that?” he raged, his eyes bloodshot with anger. He was furious with the bank, with himself, and with his inability to protect his wife.
Lin Yuzhen also felt confused. How could something as trivial as a card lead to such chaos? She knew Jiang Ning’s card had to have significant value, but even so, the situation seemed extreme.
Jiang Ning, unsure how to explain, sighed deeply. His black card came from a global bank union, and there were only about a hundred in existence, with just ten issued to him personally.
“Dad, Mum, I apologize for what happened today,” Jiang Ning said, his voice steady. “I’ll treat everyone to dinner so that Mum can relax after all this.”
Sumei, who had lost her appetite from the stress, shook her head. “It’s too expensive to eat out.”
She didn’t want to burden Jiang Ning with any more unnecessary spending, especially now that she knew how wealthy he really was. Lin Yuzhen, too, didn’t want to impose on him.
“Nonsense,” Jiang Ning replied, smiling warmly. “As long as it makes Mum happy, money is no issue.”
He led them all to the car, where Sumei and Lin Wen took their seats in the back, and Lin Yuzhen rode up front with Jiang Ning as he started the car.
But just as they reached the estate’s exit, a Porsche pulled up, blocking their way.
“Stop the car!” a pudgy man with a smug grin on his face called out from the Porsche.
“Dad, this is the exit. If we park here, we’ll be blocking others,” his son protested, but the father waved him off.
“Don’t be stupid. Luxury cars are for showing off! If you block the exit, people will curse you, but they’ll secretly envy your car.”
The two men got out, ignoring the growing inconvenience they were causing, while Zhang Rong smugly ensured his car was perfectly positioned to block the exit.
As Jiang Ning’s car approached, he honked twice. The security guard quickly approached, frustration clear on his face.
“The driver has gone inside,” the guard said, barely able to contain his irritation.
Jiang Ning frowned. “Call him and tell him to move his car.”
The guard made the call, and soon enough, he came back with an awkward expression. “He says to wait. He’ll be back soon.”
Jiang Ning’s frown deepened. It was unbelievable that a man with such a high-end car would act so entitled.
“What should we do? Maybe we could just take a cab?” Lin Yuzhen suggested, visibly frustrated.
Sumei, too, hesitated. “Or we could just go back home and cook something. It’s no big deal.”
But Jiang Ning wasn’t having it. “I’ve already made a reservation at the restaurant. Mum, you need to relax. No cooking tonight.”
Without another word, he revved the engine. Lin Yuzhen looked at him in confusion.
“Jiang Ning, what are you doing?” she asked nervously.
Before she could finish, Jiang Ning slammed the car forward—BOOM! The brand-new BMW crashed straight into the Porsche, the front of the Porsche crumpling under the impact.
“Jiang Ning, are you crazy?!” Lin Yuzhen cried out, her voice filled with disbelief.
“This is a new car!” she thought, heart sinking. The repairs would cost a fortune.
But Jiang Ning remained unfazed. “Today is the first time I’m taking Mum out for dinner. I won’t let anyone ruin this moment.”
He reversed the car and slammed it into the Porsche again—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three times, until the Porsche was pushed aside and out of their way.
The security guard was in utter shock. He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. A brand-new BMW had crashed into a Porsche, and the owner of the BMW didn’t even flinch.
Passersby stared in awe, some even pulling out their phones to record the incident, which quickly went viral.
“Did you see that? A new car, and he wrecked it like that?” one person commented.
“That Porsche owner got what he deserved for parking like that,” another added. “I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes what happened!”
Meanwhile, the Lin family was left speechless.
“Jiang Ning, that car was brand new!” Lin Wen exclaimed, his voice pained.
“It’s going to cost a fortune to repair, right?” Sumei asked, her concern evident.
Lin Yuzhen, too, felt the weight of the situation. This man was from an entirely different world, one where a few hundred thousand was nothing. Was he truly willing to marry into their family?
At that very moment, Zhang Rong and his sister, Zhang Cui, walked toward the exit. Zhang Rong was in high spirits, proud of his new Porsche. But when he reached the exit, he realized with horror that his car was no longer there.
He pressed the button to unlock it, but only one headlight flickered in response. The car had been damaged beyond recognition.
“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR?!” Zhang Rong screamed, collapsing in shock.
