Chapter 694: Different Perspectives
Chapter 694: Different Perspectives
Nie Jingwen specially increased the wages of the nanny and babysitter to ensure his children would receive the best care. However, the biggest challenge with kids was not their basic needs but their fragile health. That evening, Nina had a fever that spiked to 39 degrees Celsius. The babysitter gave her fever medication, but unfortunately, the fever persisted. The situation warranted a trip to the hospital.
At his advanced age, it would be taxing for Nie Laoyazi to make a late-night trip to the hospital. Unfortunately, Nie Jingwen's younger son was also feeling a bit under the weather, so Zhang Lanlan naturally prioritized her own child. Left with no other choice, Nie Jingwen had to take his child to the hospital himself.
The next day, Nie Laoyazi called Nie Zhan and informed him about Nina's illness. "Over the next few days, you and your eldest brother should take turns visiting Nina in the hospital and looking after her."
Nie Manlin had been back in Hong Kong City for quite some time, yet Lu Jiaxin had not once visited the old mansion. It was clear that she was not welcome there.
Nie Zhan replied curtly with three words: "No time."
Nie Laoyazi was furious. "Fine, ignore her the rest of the time if you must. But now that your sister is sick, won't you step up and take care of her? If not you, then who?"
Nie Zhan scoffed. "The one who gave birth to her should take responsibility."
Nie Laoyazi was livid. "If I had followed your logic and left you to fend for yourself back then, would you be where you are today?"
Nie Zhan fell silent for a moment before responding. "Grandfather, you raised me, and even though I didn't want to return to Hong Kong City, I did so at your request. I didn't want to get involved with Mom's matters, but at your insistence, I helped out. But after all these years, I'm truly exhausted."
Nie Laoyazi's tone softened. "But Nina is still so young. She needs someone to take care of her."
Nie Zhan countered, "I can go take care of her this time, but what about in the future? I'm getting married next month, and I'll have my own baby soon. Where will I find the time and energy to care for another child?"
"I'm just asking you to take care of her while she's sick. You don't need to worry about her on a daily basis," Nie Laoyazi said.
It was unreasonable to expect his eldest son and daughter-in-law to take on the responsibility, especially since Nie Laoyazi himself required assistance at his age. If Nie Zhan refused to help this time, Nina would be his responsibility from then on.
"Let's hire another babysitter and nanny. They can take turns caring for her," Nie Zhan suggested.
It was out of the question for him to go to the hospital and care for his niece; he had neither the time nor the inclination. However, he was willing to contribute financially by pitching in to hire additional help.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to persuade Nie Zhan, Nie Laoyazi angrily hung up the phone.
Nie Zhan didn't mention this incident to Lu Jiaxin. Instead, Xiao Xiao stumbled upon the news while browsing a gossip magazine and brought it to her attention. Pointing at the headline, Xiao Xiao fumed, "How dare they call you a hypocrite, Mr. Nie, and insinuate that Nina's illness is none of your concern? These tabloid scumbags are just making stuff up!"
Lu Jiaxin took the magazine and quickly scanned the article. It claimed that despite Nina's hospitalization, no one from the Nie family seemed to care. The article oozed sympathy for Nina, criticized Nie Manlin for being an irresponsible mother, implied that the Nie family was cold-hearted, and subtly mocked Lu Jiaxin's supposed fake compassion. If she truly had a heart, why wasn't she visiting her niece in the hospital?
Tossing the magazine onto the table, Lu Jiaxin maintained a calm expression and said, "Let them say what they want. As long as we know we've done nothing wrong, that's all that matters."
There was no reason for her brother and sister-in-law to take on the responsibility when their own mother had abandoned her child to live a carefree life. Raising a child wasn't like taking care of a cat or a dog—you couldn't just feed and house them; they needed education and guidance. Even if she wasn't already preparing for her own pregnancy, she still wouldn't have taken on the task of raising Nina. However, they could hire more caregivers to ensure she was well looked after.
When Lu Jiaxin returned home that evening, she brought up the topic herself since Nie Zhan still hadn't mentioned Nina's hospitalization. "You know about Nina being in the hospital, right?"
Nie Zhan replied, "Yes, I hired another top childcare expert and a gold-medal nanny to take turns caring for her with the original two. She had pneumonia, but she's fine now and will be discharged tomorrow."
Lu Jiaxin chose not to bring up the gossip magazine incident as it wasn't necessary. "Where is your mother now?"
Nie Zhan shook his head, indicating he didn't know. "She'll come back when she runs out of money. I've spoken to Grandpa, and he agreed to only give her a monthly allowance of ten thousand dollars for miscellaneous expenses, and she's not allowed to buy any jewelry. Otherwise, she'll just take off with the jewelry again. Those pieces could be worth several million, enough to sustain her for a year or two."
There was no reasoning with such a self-centered mother.
"Whether she comes back or not, the child will still be in the care of the childcare experts and nannies. It's better for her to stay away from Hong Kong City and avoid embarrassing herself than to be here," Lu Jiaxin said.
Given Nie Manlin's obsession with romance, Lu Jiaxin estimated that it wouldn't be long before she found a new love interest. If she stayed in Hong Kong City, Lu Jiaxin would also continue to be featured in the gossip magazines from time to time. Moreover, for the child, having such a mother was no different from not having one at all.
Nie Zhan was somewhat surprised, thinking that Lu Jiaxin would support his decision.
Lu Jiaxin asked, "Don't the child's needs suffice with the childcare experts and nannies for now? When she's older, we can find good teachers to educate her. Neither your mother nor your aunt knows how to raise a child. It's a good thing you weren't influenced by them, thanks to your father's superior genes."
Leaving the child in the care of childcare experts and nannies was far better than having Nie Manlin and Nie Manlin take care of her. Nie Manlin had been poisoned by male chauvinist ideas and was extremely self-centered. The sisters were lucky that Grandpa Nie had protected them and that their sons had grown up to be successful. However, not everyone was blessed with such good fortune.
Nie Zhan thought her words made sense.
Speaking of his father, Lu Jiaxin asked, "Your father didn't come to our engagement party last time. Do you think he'll come to our wedding?"
Nie Zhan smiled and said, "I called him, and he said he would definitely come to my wedding."
"Do you look like your father?" Lu Jiaxin asked curiously.
Nie Zhan's face lit up as he replied, "I have his eyes and nose, and my face shape resembles the typical Nie family features. They all say I'll grow up to be tall."
He had inherited the best features from both his parents. When he was a child, the wives and young ladies of the family would often touch his face, praising his good looks and charm. He used to be afraid of those strange aunts and ladies.
Lu Jiaxin said expectantly, "I hope our children will inherit the best traits from both of us. They're sure to be very good-looking."
Nie Zhan was confident that their children would turn out attractive, given the combination of their genes.
Lu Jiaxin hesitated for a moment before asking, "Don't you have any relatives on your father's side? We've been together for seven years, but I've never heard you mention them."
Nie Zhan explained, "My father is from a very ancient family in the UK. Those people consider themselves noble descendants and are extremely arrogant. They look down on me because I'm a mixed-race child. When I was ten, my father took me to visit them once, and after that, I never wanted to go back."
"Haven't you been in touch with them at all these years?" Lu Jiaxin inquired.
Nie Zhan gave a soft laugh and said, "A couple of years ago, my father's brother contacted me and asked me to change back to his father's surname, but I refused as I had no interest in doing so. However, I do have a cousin whom I met during that visit. He's also in finance, and we've been in touch quite a bit over the years. I've invited him to the wedding, and he'll be coming as a friend."
Lu Jiaxin now had a better understanding of the situation.
(End of Chapter)
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