"You don't understand," Mrs. Xie contradicted him. "Jing Ling is so sensible; how could she not be aware of the stakes? She knelt and begged you to arrange a job for Zhang Haoyuan simply because she wanted to see how you would react. And the truth is, you disappointed her."
Mr. Xie was at a loss for words. He had disappointed Jing Ling, yes, but Jing Ling had nearly driven him to despair.
"Yan Qiu, the situation is serious. I can't..."
"Can't what?" Mrs. Xie cut him off. "Stop making such high-and-mighty excuses. Jing Ling is your daughter. For her sake, you can afford to be a little less rational. You can try to risk it all for once."
"Risk it all?" Mr. Xie gave a self-mocking laugh. "She's not my only child. I also have four sons, Jing Er among them, and another daughter, Jing Qi. I have my parents, and my brothers and sisters. I can't indulge Jing Ling just because I feel I've wronged her. I have to think about them, too."
"And I don't?" Mrs. Xie demanded.
