Playing by Your Own Rules

Jiang Yuan forced a smile and said, "It does seem like quite a coincidence. I do have a sister named Jiang Guo. If it weren't the fact that you two look so different, I might have mistaken you for her."

When Jiang Yuan heard Jiang Guo's name earlier, she had briefly suspected her identity. However, the woman in front of her bore no resemblance to the Jiang Guo she remembered, which made her drop her suspicions. After all, with all the things she had done to Jiang Guo, the real Jiang Guo would have reacted differently.

"Is that so? We do seem to have quite a connection," Jiang Guo said, her smile holding an enigmatic quality. "It's my first time meeting someone with the same name as me. I'd love to meet your sister someday."

"Miss Caroline, I'm sorry, but my sister passed away in a tragic fire six years ago," Jiang Yuan replied with a bitter smile. "We were very close, and I've missed her all these years. But fate separated us, and now I can only see her in my dreams."

Jiang Guo watched Jiang Yuan's pretentious display with disgust. She had been the one who had set the fire in an attempt to kill her, and now she was pretending to be longing for her? It made Jiang Guo sick.

Jiang Guo clenched her fists, allowing her nails to dig into her palms, bringing her back from her anger-induced haze. She responded with a faint, "I see. That's indeed very unfortunate."

With that, she lowered her gaze to Ji Ming again and spoke softly, "Ji Ming, I need to go now. If there's anything, just send me a message. I'll always be here."

She needed to leave this place quickly. If she kept looking at Jiang Yuan's fake concerns, she was afraid she might do something illegal in a fit of rage.

"Goodbye, Auntie Jiang!" Ji Ming waved.

"Goodbye!"

"Wait!"

Just as Jiang Guo was about to leave, Jiang Yuan suddenly spoke up. She quickly walked over to Jiang Guo and said softly, "Miss Caroline, where are you going? Let me give you a ride."

"No need, I have a car."

Ji Yunchen knew that Jiang Guo didn't like Jiang Yuan, so he also chimed in, "Jiang Yuan, you..."

"Yunchen!"

For the first time, Jiang Yuan interrupted Ji Yunchen's words. Her voice was soft but carried an unprecedented firmness. "Through this incident, I've realized that as a mother, I still have a lot to learn. So, I'd like to learn from Miss Caroline."

"I want to become a mother that Ji Ming can be proud of, and by my side. I'm sure Miss Caroline can help me with it," Jiang Yuan explained.

Ji Yunchen frowned, "If you really want to learn about taking care of children, you can hire a specialized childcare teacher for guidance."

"But those people only have theoretical knowledge and can't provide practical advice. In this regard, only Miss Caroline has this ability," Jiang Yuan said, looking pitifully at Jiang Guo. "Miss Caroline, could you please help me? I can pay for it..."

Jiang Guo didn't believe that Jiang Yuan was asking her for help because of Ji Ming. Ji Ming's true identity was unknown to others, but as a mother, she knew it well. From the beginning, Ji Ming had been destined to be nothing more than a tool to Jiang Yuan. How could anyone go to such lengths for a mere tool? Unless there was an ulterior motive. As the saying goes, "Flattery is the first step to theft."

Jiang Guo glanced deeply at Jiang Yuan and then smiled, "Since Miss Jiang is so eager to learn, and I'm not a stingy person, of course, I can help. But I need to go home now, so you might need to take a taxi back later."

"That's okay. Miss Jiang's willingness to teach me already means a lot. As for other matters, you don't need to worry," Jiang Yuan replied.

"In that case, let's go," Jiang Guo said.

"Miss Jiang."

Ji Yunchen frowned, feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed. He wanted to say something, but Jiang Guo interrupted him, "Mr. Ji, there's no need to worry. I'm just sharing some of my insights with Miss Jiang. I won't take advantage of her."

Jiang Yuan also chimed in, "Yes, Yunchen, I genuinely want to learn from Miss Caroline. You can rest assured; this time, I won't do anything to upset her."

Ji Yunchen sighed inwardly but decided not to insist. Both parties seemed determined, so he let them go.

As the car disappeared from view, Ji Ming looked up at Ji Yunchen with concern and asked, "Daddy, is Mommy okay with Beautiful Auntie?"

Ji Yunchen reached out and gently patted Ji Ming's head. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. Right now, you're the most important."

Ji Ming looked at Ji Yunchen in confusion and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Ji Yunchen's expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice, "I've told you before, you're growing up now. Becoming a big boy means there are many things you can decide for yourself. However, there's one big condition for all this, you must ensure your own safety."

"I don't want you to get yourself all beaten up just to prove something. That would worry me greatly."

Ji Ming felt a warm feeling in his heart and solemnly promised, "I won't do that anymore, I promise!"

Ji Yunchen's face softened with a hint of a smile. "Let's go home then."

Ji Ming grinned mischievously. "Daddy, I want sweet and sour fish. Can you make it for me?"

Ji Yunchen sighed, "Alright, let's go home."

In contrast to the joyful atmosphere between the father and son, there was some awkward tension between Jiang Guo and Jiang Yuan.

"Miss Caroline, can you share some of your child-rearing experiences with me now?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Jiang Guo blinked and replied casually, "Actually, there's no secret. You just need to be dedicated, and that will solve all problems."

"Miss Jiang, don't you think that's a bit vague? After all, every mother is very dedicated to caring for their children. But we are all different individuals, and sometimes we may not perceive our child's true thoughts. Doing too much might even make them dislike us, don't you think?"

Jiang Guo gave Jiang Yuan a wry smile. "Miss Jiang, it seems like you have a misunderstanding about being dedicated. What I mean is that you should carefully observe your child's every move, understand their likes and dislikes, and avoid touching their sore spots. How could they dislike you if you do that?"

"Of course, if you insist on showing your affection in a self-centered way, you'll never gain their trust."

Jiang Yuan was left speechless.

"All right, I've said what I wanted to say. If you don't have any other matters to discuss, we should part here," Jiang Guo said. Then she stopped the car by the roadside. "Here you are."

Jiang Yuan's face contorted with frustration, but she remained seated in the passenger seat, refusing to move. "Miss Caroline, I..."

Jiang Guo couldn't help but click her tongue and directly cut her off. "Enough already. If you want to say something, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush."

"Miss Caroline, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Jiang Yuan continued to play coy, but Jiang Guo had no patience to keep dealing with her evasiveness. She said indifferently, "I've said what I needed to say. If you don't have any business, please get out of the car. I have some private matters to attend to and don't want to chat with you any longer."

"Wait!"

Seeing that Jiang Guo was really going to kick her out of the car, Jiang Yuan hurriedly held onto the car door, getting a bit annoyed. This was not how things were supposed to go!