Chapter 357: The Groundbreaking Ceremony Ends Successfully

"If you’re trying to get me to return to France with you, I can tell you right now that I won’t."

She didn’t return to the Xia Family back then, and she wouldn’t return to the Situ family now.

When she needed them, they were nowhere to be found. Now that she had everything, they had all shown up.

This made Yun Zijin feel as if the suffering she endured for the first twenty years of her life was some kind of joke.

"Zijin, I know what I did back then was wrong, but please try to understand your mother. I was only twenty at the time!"

She had been spoiled by her family growing up. It was only natural that she would panic after suddenly having a child when she knew nothing about the world. Her actions, in that light, were understandable, weren’t they?

"Then did I deserve to suffer for twenty years? If you didn’t want to raise me, you shouldn’t have given birth to me in the first place.

You gave birth to me but didn’t raise me. What right do you have now to ask me to go back to France with you?

Even though you’re French, I’m from Hua Country. When you abandoned me at the orphanage gates, you committed the crime of abandonment. Tell me..."

Situ Yunliang looked up, her face filled with disbelief as she stared at Yun Zijin.

’She... she’s actually thinking of taking me to court?’

Even though she had French citizenship, committing a crime in Hua Country still carried a price.

"Yun Zijin, she’s your mother!"

Situ Wenze had walked over at some point, just in time to hear Yun Zijin’s words, "crime of abandonment." He couldn’t take it anymore and immediately rebuked her.

"Oh, a mother who threw me at an orphanage’s gates on the day I was born."

Yun Zijin’s face was devoid of expression as she spoke, her tone flat, yet her words made Situ Yunliang feel as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Situ Wenze wanted to say something to refute Yun Zijin, but he struggled for a long moment, unable to find the words to argue.

Because... it was the truth.

"Alright, since Zijin has already made her choice, I think we should respect her decision. Mr. Situ, and you, Miss Situ, what do you think?"

Even the bystanders found the situation outrageous, to say nothing of Yun Zijin, who had experienced it all firsthand.

In this whole affair, Yun Zijin was the most innocent party. No matter what decision she made, Situ Yunliang, her biological mother, was the one with the least right to speak.

"If you came here today just to say all this, then I’d advise you not to waste your time."

No matter how heart-wrenchingly Situ Yunliang cried, Yun Zijin’s resolve did not waver.

"Fine! Since you’ve made your decision, so be it. I hope you won’t regret today’s choice in the future."

After being repeatedly rejected by Yun Zijin, which had also made Situ Yunliang cry several times, Situ Wenze found Yun Zijin more and more disagreeable.

So when Yun Zijin rejected them again, Situ Wenze went along with it and agreed.

He thought, ’She’s just taking advantage of my aunt’s guilt toward her, that’s why she’s being so shameless.’

’Give her the cold shoulder for a few days. Once she realizes the Situ Family doesn’t have to acknowledge her, she’ll know what choice to make.’

However, Situ Yunliang clearly didn’t think so. She tried to interrupt Situ Wenze several times, but he stopped her with a look.

Watching the silent battle of looks between the two, Yun Zijin sneered inwardly. ’Trying to achieve your goal by pretending to retreat?’

’They’re in for a disappointment, then.’

After the Situ aunt and nephew left, everyone else glanced cautiously at Yun Zijin.

They hadn’t expected Situ Wenze to speak so definitively in public.

They were worried that if Yun Zijin ever wanted to return to the Situ Family, Situ Wenze would use today’s events to block her.

"Don’t look at me like that. You’re making me think I just went through some major life-or-death parting."

Yun Zijin herself didn’t feel much of anything; in fact, the people around her were reacting more strongly than she was.

Hearing Yun Zijin’s tone, which was no different than usual, Su Mengyao and the others finally relaxed a little.

Still, the recent appearance of Situ Wenze and Situ Yunliang had affected their cheerful, chatty atmosphere, and the group broke up not long after.

The groundbreaking ceremony was officially over after the ribbon-cutting. The free time afterward was just to give those who wanted to use the banquet to network some time to communicate.

Those who disliked the banquet atmosphere could leave after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, while those who wanted to use the opportunity to network and talk business could stay.

After her "sisters’ tea party" with Su Mengyao and the others ended, many people came over to say goodbye to Yun Zijin.

Seeing so many people leaving one after another, Yun Zijin no longer felt like staying either.

She quickly found Lu Yunque. Seeing that he was still surrounded by a number of people, Yun Zijin took out her phone and sent him a message.

To ensure he never missed any of Yun Zijin’s calls or messages, Lu Yunque had set a special notification sound for her.

The moment Yun Zijin’s message went out, Lu Yunque made an apologetic gesture to the others, then took out his phone to check it.

Seeing that Yun Zijin wanted to leave, Lu Yunque replied with a quick "On my way," then put his phone away, said a word to the people around him, and walked over to her.

"I saw you having such a lively chat with my mom and the others earlier. Why the sudden desire to leave?"

If he hadn’t seen so many people surrounding Yun Zijin, Lu Yunque wouldn’t have chatted with those people for so long.

"The Situ family people came to find me. I’m in a bad mood."

Hearing Yun Zijin’s words, Lu Yunque frowned slightly. The Situ family again.

"It’s still early. Want to go out and have some fun?"

If she went home in a bad mood, being alone might just make her brood. Lu Yunque didn’t want the Situ family to drive Yun Zijin to depression.

"Where are we going?"

The last time she was in a bad mood, Lu Yunque had taken her to Hua Hai.

Yun Zijin was a little curious where he would take her this time.

"Get in the car first."

Before leaving, Yun Zijin sent a message to Mei Lin, then left with her seven bodyguards.

With Mei Lin there, Yun Zijin was confident that the rest of the banquet would conclude perfectly.

Li Yuexing and the others watched Lu Yunque leave with Yun Zijin and couldn’t help but roast him. He was done for, completely fallen in love.

Qin Sitong watched Yun Zijin’s retreating figure, her hands twisting together nervously without her realizing it.

A large part of the reason she had come was that Yun Zijin would be there.

But now that Yun Zijin had left with Lu Yunque, she felt her sense of security vanish in an instant.

Although she also got along well with Su Mengyao and Tu Tutu, Yun Zijin meant something different to her.

Fu Ze’s attention had been on Qin Sitong the whole time. The moment she started wringing her hands, he could tell how nervous she was.

"If you feel uncomfortable here, shall I take you away?"

Fu Ze bent down slightly, leaned close to Qin Sitong’s ear, and whispered.

Qin Sitong felt the back of her ears instantly grow hot, and she subconsciously took a step to the side.