Qiao Nian's right arm hung loosely at his side, his eyes lowered, and his drooping eyelashes left a shadow under his eyelids.
She didn't speak.
Anyone could feel the irritability and impatience that she was trying hard to control.
Jiang Zongjim stood beside her, also with an undisguised look of anger on his face. He stared in the direction of Jiang Zongnan and stood in front of Qiao Nian without leaving a trace.
Jiang Zongnan felt uncomfortable when he saw his elder brother's reaction, and he became more and more speechless: "I..."
"enough!"
The person who stepped forward to stop him from going on was Mr. Jiang.
Old Master Jiang sat in a wheelchair, holding onto the armrests with his hands. His gray hair seemed to have turned completely white in just a few days. His brows were tightly furrowed, but his eyes were still bright but he could not hide the disappointment in them.
"I thought you always had some affection for Nian Nian. Even if it's not as good as your own daughter, it's at least better than for outsiders."
It would have been fine if Mr. Jiang didn't say anything, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Jiang Zongnan lowered his head in shame, clenched his hands, and explained in a dry voice: "Dad, I don't mean that, and it's not that I don't care about Nian Nian, I..."
He really didn't know how to explain his behavior.
Mr. Jiang just shook his head and said to him: "You don't have to explain to me, you disappoint me so much!"
Jiang Zongnan raised his head and saw the undisguised disappointment in his father's eyes. He felt tormented in his heart.
"never mind."
Old Master Jiang just looked at him disappointedly, his eyes were quite gentle, and his attitude was as gentle as ever, but his words only represented his true attitude.
"I don't expect you to act like a second uncle. It's okay if you don't care about Nian Nian. I won't force you. If you don't want to come in the future, don't come. Just pretend that you don't have this niece, and Nian Nian should also pretend that you don't have this second uncle. You don't need to put on airs of an elder in front of her to put pressure on her. She is not unloved."
"It's right that you feel sorry for your daughter. I didn't say it's wrong for you to feel sorry for your daughter, but don't forget that Nian Nian is also your eldest brother's daughter. She got in a car accident, which is such a big thing, and you accepted someone else's favor and came to tell Nian Nian to stop caring about it... I don't bother to say anything else to you. You are an adult, think about whether you did the right thing."
Jiang Zongnan was already so ashamed that he couldn't even raise his head.
He stammered a few words, but was too embarrassed to stay any longer, so he left the ward.
Jiang Li looked at his father's distraught back as he left, sighed, and turned to Qiao Nian and said, "Niannian, I apologize to you on behalf of my father. I'm sorry. He is too rigid and doesn't have any bad intentions. He actually always loved you very much, but too many things happened during this period of time, and he got into a dead end. I... I'm sorry..."
"I know."
Qiao Nian raised his uninjured hand angrily and pulled the brim of his cap, revealing his snow-white chin. His face was delicate and beautiful, and his eyes were dark and bright, reflecting a small cluster of light. "You didn't do anything wrong, you don't have to apologize to me."
Jiang Li could tell that she didn't sound angry, so he nodded and said, "Don't take his words to heart. He might regret it once he gets out of here."
Qiao Nian did not comment on what he said.
Well, you can see that she is not that angry.
Jiang Li turned around and apologized to Old Man Jiang and Jiang Zongjin one by one: "Grandpa, uncle, don't be angry. I will have a good talk with my dad later."
"What happened just now..." He bowed down in front of Jiang Zongjin very seriously and politely, and apologized: "Uncle, I'm sorry."
(End of this chapter)