He wasn’t projecting his shortcomings on them, he simply cared about them.

From Jing Yaorong’s eyes, Gu Ning could see what he was thinking, so she said, “She knows and she blamed herself, but it actually has nothing to do with her. Besides, I had conflicts with Jing Yaorong before as well.”

Gu Ning said that to make them think that Jing Yuelan smashed her stores not only because of Jing Yunyao. She didn’t want them to feel guilty.

Seeing that Gu Ning wasn’t mad at Jing Yunyao at all, they were relieved.

Shen Yiling glanced at Jing Jining once in a while, but Jing Jining never paid attention to her. He didn’t hate her glances, but he felt slightly uneasy.

When Jing Yaorong and Junior Mrs. Jing looked at Shen Yiling, they were obviously very satisfied, but when they turned to look at Jing Jining, they had a resigned look.

“Jining, you’re not young now. Yunyao’s son is already over twenty years old, but you’re still single. Your father and I can’t wait to see a grandkid. Do you plan to stay single forever? We don’t care whether you have a son or daughter, but you must have a kid,” said Junior Mrs. Jing seriously. Although she purposely said that at this moment, she really wanted to see Jing Jining get married. They had talked about it before, but Jing Jining never took it seriously.

Hearing Junior Mrs. Jing’s words, Shen Yiling lowered her head and flushed. Jing Jining was very nervous and said, “Can’t we talk about it in private? There is a guest.”

In fact, Jing Jining understood his parents’ worries and he felt a little guilty for worrying them for so many years. He agreed that it was time for him to get married, but he didn’t know how to accept Shen Yiling.

He didn’t hate Shen Yiling. He actually had a good impression of her, but there was a huge gap between them. To be frank, he was old enough to be her father.

Although Shen Yiling didn’t care about it, he cared!

“You didn’t listen to me when I talked to you in private,” said Junior Mrs. Jing. She had spoken to Jing Jining about it privately countless times, but he wouldn’t listen.

“Right, Uncle Jing, you’re not young now. I think you should have gotten married long ago. Don’t delay it any longer.” Gu Ning chimed in.

“Do you have to say that?” Jing Jining gave Gu Ning a glare. She was adding fuel to flames!

When Junior Mrs. Jing heard Gu Ning’s reply, she felt sure that she was right. “Hear that? Gu Ning agrees with me. How long do you plan to delay it? Do you plan to stay single forever?”

Shen Yiling got a bit worried and looked upset. Would Jing Jining be single forever? Or did he just not have feelings for her?

She understood why Jing Jining was avoiding her, because he told her that they weren’t suitable for each other. The age gap between them was too big, but she didn’t care about that. As long as there was love, an age gap was nothing.

She was also aware that Jing Jining didn’t love her, so he thought the age gap was a problem, but she could feel that Jing Jining didn’t hate her even though he didn’t love her.

If Jing Jining hated her, she wouldn’t be able to step into the Jing family’s home. She knew Jing Jining to some extent and she knew that he would never tolerate people he disliked.

Therefore, she had always believed that they could end up together one day. As long as she persisted, he would be touched.

However, if Jing Jining had no interest in getting married, it would be meaningless no matter how hard she tried to win his heart.

Therefore, if Jing Jining told her that he planned to stay single forever, she might give up.

Even though she liked Jing Jining, she didn’t want to make it difficult for him.

“I just need some time. I just took over the Jing family, and there are a lot of things for me to deal with. I have no time to be in a romantic relationship,” said Jing Jining in a resigned tone. It wasn’t an excuse. He just took over the Jing family, and there was a lot for him to learn.

As for getting married and raising a family, he was a normal man and had also thought about it, but he was very busy currently.

“Well…” Junior Mrs. Jing didn’t know what to say, because she didn’t want to exhaust her son.

Although Jing Jining said he didn’t have enough time to think about a romantic relationship and it disappointed Shen Yiling, he also implied that he intended to have a family in the future. Shen Yiling was relieved, because that meant she still had a chance.

She was a smart girl, and she wouldn’t bother Jing Jining all the time. It would only leave a bad impression on him. She knew where to stop.

Before long, dishes were placed on the table, and Shen Yiling stayed to share a meal with them.

Although she was filled with disappointment, Shen Yiling didn’t show anything on the surface.

After the meal, Gu Ning left. Shen Yiling didn’t stay either and left with Gu Ning.

Jing Jining wanted to send someone to walk Gu Ning out of the city, but Gu Ning declined. However, Shen Yiling said that she could walk Gu Ning out before she went home, so Jing Jining and the others didn’t insist.

There was a long distance between the Jing family’s house and the gate of the city, so Gu Ning didn’t actually plan to let Shen Yiling really walk her out. After all, it was their first meeting.

Therefore, after leaving the Jing family, Gu Ning said, “Miss Shen, you can go home now. I’ll walk out on my own.”

“Miss Gu, it’s not a big deal. I have nothing else to deal with right now. Just allow me to walk you out. We can have a walk together after having dinner,” said Shen Yiling. She really didn’t mind.

If so, Gu Ning didn’t turn her down again, otherwise it would displease Shen Yiling.

Along the way, Shen Yiling chatted with Gu Ning casually, but neither of them mentioned their personal affairs.

“Miss Gu, if you don’t mind, can we exchange numbers? I know this is our first meeting and it might be a little rude, but I really hope we can be friends,” said Shen Yiling.