*********

CHAPTER 225

"Ah!" Ding Jiaying clasped her hands together as a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you. It was nothing. Li Jing is a sweetheart."

"Notwithstanding, here." He brought out something from his suit pocket and handed it over to Li Chun. "Here is a cheque of ten million yuan. This is my little thank you for all you have done for Li Jing."

Rather than feel happy or blessed about receiving such money, Ding Jiaying's facial expression changed. She had been expecting a bigger sum of money but the got that.

What was he thinking? Did he think that ten million yuan was enough for anything? Those were the thoughts running through Ding Jiaying's mind and she did not fail to show her displeasure facially.

"Anyways, I would hear from my granddaughter and depending on what she tells me, I can give more."

"What? Why are you determining what you want to give to the people that took care of your grandchild as their own based on a word from a child?" Ding Jiaying felt her head begin to pound.

She had never thought that even with Li Jing's absence, she would still not be able to enjoy anything.

"I am sorry but I believe, Li Jing is not a child anymore. It is as you said, she is a grown-up adult now and that is why she is living on her own. Besides, you have nothing to fear considering my Li Jing grew up well. I bet she would have good things to say about you."

For the first time in a long time, and the first time that year, Ding Jiaying met her match. She had thought that with the way she related with Mr Lin, she would be able to convince him to drop some more money for them but now, things did not go according to how she had thought it to be.

"However, if I do get a bad report or she said what I do not like, I regret to inform you that you would be refunding the money back."

"What!"

"Are you insulting us?" Li Chun who had been quietly listening to them since suddenly felt the need to voice out his opinion.

"No. I am not." Unknown to them, Mr Lin had done a little research on the Li family and given his granddaughter's capabilities, the Li Group isn't supposed to be suffering now.

It was obvious something was at play and they were trying to hide the ugly truth. Although he hadn't had enough time to speak about such with Li Jing due to the presence of Tang Zixin and Ye Cheng, regardless, he was going to ask her about it.

Peradventure he found out they were useless, he would make sure they get nothing from him. This money he was giving them was more or less like a trap.

Even from what he had said, he could see that they were greedy people in search of whom they could extort, especially the so-called adoptive mother of Li Jing.

"Then if you are not insulting us, why say such a thing. We do not want your money. You can take it," Li Chun spat sharply at Mr Lin.

"You think taking care of another man's child is easy?" Ding Jiaying retaliated. All these while she kept mute, it was as though the cat got her tongue but after hearing her husband say that, she woke up from whatever slumber she sent her mind to and went on the offensive.

"Give me." She wasted no time in snatching the check from Mr Lin and keeping it in her trouser pocket. "Let us hear what Li Jing has to say. Let me see if she is an ungrateful child."

"Jiaying!"

"Save it, Li Chun. Mr Lin is just speaking. After all, he was the one who said it is an appreciation gift. This alone is not even enough for all the twenty years of taking care of her. So I do not care what you two have to say, but this is a gift."

She wasted no time in showing just how shameless she was. And this was as a result of the fact that she noticed she was probably not going to get any money from Li Jing's grandfather other than the ten million. At the very least, half bread is better than none.

It was better she had this than she had none at all. And that to her was more devastating. Nevertheless, she took solace in the fact that she would try and manipulate Li Jing to get some more money from her grandfather.

'Okay. I would be taking my leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, truly." None of them had anything to say to him. Ding Jiaying was busy concocting her plan in her head to be bothered about his greetings and Li Chun had his own thoughts running through his mind.

Just when he was going to get Li Jing back, by all means, he got this. Her grandfather wanted to take her away.

Up till that moment, no one knew the main reason why Li Chun refused to let Li Jing leave. Perhaps it was the arrangement he had with her mother or something, regardless, he remained mute about the whole thing and only kept her by his side.

Unfortunately, the Li Jing he knew before was gone. No longer was she that little naïve girl who obeyed every single thing without question. Now, she was the boss of herself.

Without further ado, Mr Lin stood to his feet and took his leave from their house.

***

By the time Li Jing and Ye Cheng woke up, it was way into the morning as both of them had stressed themselves a bit the previous day and decided to relax.

Li Jing's eyes pried open to the bright morning sun seeping into the room through her curtains. She finally sat up but soon enough noticed that someone who should be by her bedside wasn't by her side at all.

'Now where did that young man run off to this early in the morning?" She asked herself in her mind while rubbing off whatever sleep that remained from her eyes.

By the time she was fully awake, she let out a yawn and pulled the covers from herself, then stood up from the bed to search for that naughty CEO of hers.

RING! RING!

Li Jing turned to her side and saw her phone began to ring. Quickly she strode off to where she had left the phone by her bedside and went to pick the call. It was Yin Lifen who was calling her.

"Li Jing! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

She immediately removed the phone from her ears before Yin Lifen destroyed her eardrums for her. After she was sure that her friend won't be screaming nonsense into her eardrums, she brought the phone back and responded.

"Happy new year, Fen Fen."

"I did not want to call you earlier on when it clocked twelve because i assumed you would be busy with you know who." Tell me how in heaven's name she guessed that?

A faint blush appeared on Li Jing's cheeks at her friend's remark. It was true she was with Ye Cheng but well, it was nothing much, was it?

"I was, thanks for being considerate."

"Oh please, you know I am good. But it comes with a price." From the tone of her voice, Li Jing already knew where her friend was going with all these.

"What price, Fen Fen? If it is for gossip you know I won't be telling."

"Oh come on, do not be such a killjoy, Jing. You know I wanna know."

"No, this is the new year and it equals, new me."

"I like the sound of that."

"I mean new me in all ramifications. Meaning no spilling and definitely no telling. But I do have news for you though."

Yin Lifen's ears stood at attention at the mention of news that Li Jing said. "Really? Heh hee… tell me."

"Hold your horses, wild cat. I need to first figure out where that young man is."

"What? Ye Cheng slept over? Oh my God! Last festive, you slept over at his and this time he slept over at yours. Heh hee my baby has become a naughty girl." Li Jing rolled her eyes at her friend's way of putting things together but did not bother countering her words.

"You really like Ye Cheng, you know."

"I do."

"Wow, a straight-up answer. I guess you are changing. I am proud of you girl. I am proud. Now you can give that stupid sister of yours a taste of her own medicine and make her pay for all the wrong she has done."

"How?"

"I am not quite sure if I should say this. Left for me, I would say, burn Duan Tian's house and then beat Li Xiu till her beauty becomes ruined then cause them to break up but then you would say that is too wicked of me. So oh well."