208 Jinhai's warning
Jinhai quietly stepped into Jin’s room and saw him rubbing his cheek as he was seated on the bed.
“It has become quite purple,” Jinhai commented. First Ai had slapped him, and now Nian hit him too. But Jin seemed unfazed and unaffected even though blood trickled down his wound, a proof of Nian’s violence.
Jin raised his head and narrowed his eyes.
“Was that Nian who slapped you?”
Jin smiled. “I expected that. Bro Jian and Bro Nian don’t like it when somebody is too stubborn not to listen to them.”
“Why did he hit you?”
He glanced at his father. “Is it so difficult to understand or trust me when I say that I am interested in Zhou Ai?”
“It is because you don’t like her.”
Jin paused his movements. “So you will say the same thing as him?” He then spoke, slightly rattled and agitated, “What? Is everyone an expert on what goes on in my heart?”
Jinhai tilted his head and stated in a crisp voice, “You don’t like Zhou Ai. You only said that to provoke Jun.”
“I have no use for provoking him.”
“You have and that’s why you did and that’s why Nian hit you. He wanted you to say the truth but you didn’t, and it short-circuited his fuse.”
Jin asked, “How are you so sure? Grandpa introduced us with the intention of us dating. Can I not get interested in her?”
Jinhai sat on a chair opposite the and propped his arm on the armrest. “You can, but you didn’t. You don’t look like someone who is in love. Definitely not with Zhou Ai.”
He wasn’t saying this because he knew about the past life from Jun and that Jin and Shui held feelings for each other. Even without having that knowledge, Jinhai could gauge that he didn’t like Zhou Ai as a woman.
For that matter…
Jinhai was in deep thought about something. Questions seemed to be swirling in his jet black irises as he gazed at Jin.
“Your smile, your expression, your eyes when you confessed your interest in Zhou Ai…they weren’t genuine at all,” Jinhai said, “Jun’s eyes were sincere about her. What Jun showed was genuine. Not you. You only did that to rile up Jun. Why?”
“I did nothing of that sort.”
He fixed his gaze at Jin. “Do you like Shui?”
Jin squinted his eyes. “You won’t believe when I say that I like Zhou Ai, but you will believe her words if she says that I like Shui? I don’t think you know her that well.”
“But I know you well. That’s why I am asking you. Do you like Shui?”
He smiled and stated. “I don’t like Shui. I don’t have any feelings for her.”
Jinhai quietly scrutinized his gaze and ever so slowly nodded. “I see.”
He got up and got ready to leave. “So you still won’t say why you lied?”
“I didn’t lie,” Jin remained firm.
“And if you didn’t lie, then what are you planning to do next? Even if it’s the ‘truth’, it’s beyond your control because Jun and Zhou Ai are together. Your feelings have nowhere to go. That is, if they are even there in the first place.”
Jin looked away. “What can I do? Bro Jun had Shui, but he broke up with her. And the next woman he found had to be Zhou Ai unfortunately. I am helpless. Guess I have to let her go.”
Jinhai’s icy voice rang in the air dangerously. “It better be that way. Don’t come in between Jun and Zhou Ai. You will hurt a lot of people with that. You have already hurt Jun quite a lot today and frankly, I would have slapped you myself if not for Nian. Not only Jun, you implied Zhou Ai to be a homewrecker. She is a good and respectful woman, and that’s not how men in our family treat women like her. So I am warning you, Liu Jin. Stay within your limits.”
He said nothing.
“A long time back, I hurt a lot of people to get what I wanted at any cost. I don’t want you to repeat history,” Jinhai tilted his head, “If you remain stubborn and cause discord in Jun’s life, then you will have it from me. Take it as my warning or threat, whatever you wish.”
Jin smiled at him though his fists were silently clenched.
When Jinhai left, he took a deep breath as his eyes showed a hint of anger and cruelty. “Hurt…I am not hurting anybody here, Dad. I am only doing what is right.”
—
Where Jinhai had a conversation with Jin, a similar situation was going on in the Han villa too.
Shui was seated on the couch with her parents and brother surrounding her on either side with a grim expression on their faces.
Xinyi said, “Shui, something like this has been happening for a while now, and you didn’t tell us anything?”
Siying saw his mother getting agitated. “Mom, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? It’s not a small issue, Siying. We suddenly came to know this today. If there were problems going on between you and Jun, why didn’t you tell us?”
Shui trembled. She was listening to Xinyi’s questions but at the same time, there were a lot of questions of her own about what had happened today.
Jun’s relationship with Ai did come as a shock to her. But she didn’t believe it even for a moment that he broke up with her because of Ai or that he cheated on her. Jun wasn’t that kind of a man. Since they had broken up, she didn’t feel it was wrong of Jun to find someone else either.
As much as Jun’s relationship shocked her, so did Jin’s declaration that he was interested in Ai. When Jin expressed his interest in Ai, that was when Shui truly felt herself going blank. She had felt her heart stop and shatter into pieces.
“Shui? Are you listening to me?” Xinyi shook her shoulder.
Shui snapped out of her daze and stared at her. “Huh?”
“I am asking you. Why…why were you holding these things in your heart?”
“I…I don’t know!” She exclaimed, making the trio jolt with her outburst. “I don’t have to give you any answers, Mom! What should I have told you when it was hard figuring things out for myself!? I thought things would go well between Jun and me because that’s how it was supposed to be, right? But I don’t know when and why we started fighting. I don’t know why I didn’t like being with Jun like I always thought it would be…” her eyes reddened, and tears slipped on her cheeks.
Zhiyuan widened his eyes and quickly held her hand. “Shui, it’s alright dear-“
“No! It’s not alright! Nothing is alright, Dad…Nothing is fine…”