Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“In fact, the only thing that really irks me is Miss Liang. Time and again, she has insulted and harassed Song Yu both verbally and physically. Nothing seems to give her peace, and nothing can stop her either. She’d turn into a complete lunatic once she goes insane.” Qi Chengzhi ambled over mindlessly to Yu Zidong. “Speaking of which, if your wife was a reasonable person to begin with, it wouldn’t have to come to this, Director Yu. She not only goes around accusing people; she has even offended her own little sister. She’s now willing to throw away her self-respect by begging for forgiveness, but what need is there for all this? If you knew that all these things would happen, wouldn’t you have prevented it before it did?”
“If Liang Lihua wasn’t your wife, then…” Qi Chengzhi left his sentence hanging and merely looked intently at Yu Zidong.
There was a sudden change in Yu Zidong’s expression, and when he finally understood Qi Chengzhi’s insinuation, his face grew red.
“You…” Yu Zidong was so furious that he seemed unable to draw in a proper breath.
Qi Chengzhi was hinting for Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua to get a divorce!
It was a choice between the two—Liang Lihua, or the company.
He had never expected Qi Chengzhi to be so ruthless as to prevent him from having a way out!
He had to toil for years and years to build up the company to its current state, and he would never be willing to give up on it.
Liang Lihua, however, was his wife, and no matter how questionable her character was, the both of them could get along with each other’s temper. Furthermore, their daughter was already an adult, so there was no way he could divorce Liang Lihua for the sake of the company.
He did not have the heart to cast aside his wife of nearly thirty-years.
Furthermore, it would be undoubtedly unpleasant for people to know that he discarded his wife for the sake of protecting his company.
Qi Chengzhi was not one to wait for his answer. He calmly said, “Think long and hard, Director Yu. Dongge, send our guest away.”
Once he finished talking, he left the parlor.
Yu Zidong gnashed his teeth and looked at Cheng Dongge as if the latter was Qi Chengzhi.
As Qi Chengzhi’s assistant, Cheng Dongge was also the subject of Yu Zidong’s intense hatred.
“No need to send me off,” Yu Zidong told him coldly and walked out of Qilin with a burning-red face.
He got into the back seat of a black Mercedes-Benz that was parked at the side of the road. Then, he asked his assistant, who was driving the car, “How’s the situation at the company?”
“The protestors are increasing. Most of them are small clients, but because they come in large numbers, it’s creating a big effect. Some of the bigger clients have even set an ultimatum and gave us a deadline,” the assistant explained.
Yu Zidong closed his eyes. A quiver briefly came over his entire body, and he took a deep breath.
…
…
When Saturday came, Qi Chengzhi had to work overtime at the office, so Song Yu went to her parents’ place alone.
She had the key, but after opening the door and entering, she saw a nicely-dressed Yu Qianying clutching a bag and urging Song Donglin. “Come on, be quick! You’re wasting time!”
“Dad, Mom, where are you going?” Song Yu was startled.
“Mm? Why did you come home so suddenly?” Yu Qianying tossed her bag onto the dining table and took off her jacket.
“Mom, don’t take off your jacket just yet. Where are you planning on going?” Song Yu stopped them and asked.
“Isn’t the department store having some sort of event? It’s Members Day, and most of the things have really huge discounts. It just so happens that I want to get some thinner fabric shirts that I can wear in times like this. I was going to go have a look,” Yu Qianying explained. “But since you’re back, I won’t be going. Oh yes, why are you here alone? Where’s Chengzhi?”
“He needs to be at the company, and since I have nothing to do at home, I decided to come here by myself,” Song Yu said, and then took Yu Qianying’s bag from the table. “Since we don’t have anything to do, I’ll follow you there. Now that I think about it, I haven’t been to the department store in a long time.”
With his jacket still on, Song Donglin came out and responded extremely happily, “Then why not follow your mother. I really don’t enjoy walking around in there, especially when they have those events. There’ll definitely be plenty of people and I’m already getting a headache just thinking about it.”
“I knew it! You were being tardy on purpose because you didn’t want to go with me,” Yu Qianying remarked unhappily. “You stay at home alone then. You’ll probably be really comfortable without me nagging at you.”
She held Song Yu’s wrist and said, “Let’s go.”
Song Yu smiled, said goodbye to Song Donglin, then made her way to the department store with Yu Qianying.
…
…
Such events were held on the regular at that particular department store, with massive discounts being the norm. People went there by the bucketload, and because it was a weekend, it was even more packed with people.
On one floor, there were shelves of cosmetics, jewelry, and leather goods. In addition, there was a large empty space just for the special price sale. Every brand in the space displayed their cut-price goods there.
Yu Qianying just wanted to check out if there were any cheap clothes that she could snag, but Song Yu dragged her away.
“Mom, since we’re here, why not buy a few good clothes. Don’t forget, I’m a rich woman after you gave me that big dowry,” Song Yu said as she dragged her mother up the escalator. They went to the third floor, which was solely devoted to high-quality women’s clothes.
“Mom, do you like this one?” Song Yu took out a knit cardigan, then a thin windbreaker. “This one too. If you like it, we’ll get it.”
Yu Qianying was busy scrutinizing the clothes when she heard a familiar voice. “Xiaolin, what do you think?
“Auntie, it looks too perfect on you! It’s beautiful. You look younger and the color’s nice too. It also gives you character when you wear it.”
“That’s right!” The store attendant chimed in as well. “In our line of clothing, only two pieces of each size are available. If you wear it out in public, you won’t need to worry about your outfit clashing with someone else, since we only sell a limited number. This suits you really well too, so even if you did bump into someone else who wore the same thing, they would not be able to wear it to the same effect as you.
“Madam, I’m sure your family is involved in some big business, right? I think you look exactly like a wealthy man’s wife, and I don’t mean just any kind of rich, I’m talking about the kind of rich that lands you in the Forbes list. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have such a naturally luxurious character. My guess is, your family is one of the rich and powerful, and you yourself came from a scholarly family, am I right?” The store attendant was flattering the lady rather enthusiastically.
Yu Qianying was able to make out that the voice belonged to Jian Yi’s mother, Zhou Mingyan.
She shook her head, smiled, then whispered to Song Yu, “This store attendant’s having a hard time trying to earn that commission. Zhou Mingyan’s only graduated from junior high, yet she’s already being called a scholarly person. Tough job.”
Song Yu looked over as well. She heard Zhou Mingyan call out Xiaolin, and before that, the woman who was talking to Zhou Mingyan did indeed sound like Guan Xiaolin.
Yu Qianying saw them too and expressed shock. “Eh? Isn’t that Guan Xiaolin? Why is she with Zhou Mingyan and acting like she’s trying to get into Zhou Mingyan’s good books?”
Song Yu kept quiet and observed them from behind the clothes rack. They were standing just outside the fitting room, looking at the mirror.
The store attendant then said, “This must be your daughter! She’s already all grown-up, but you don’t look like someone whose daughter is already so grown-up.”
Zhou Mingyan smiled even more jubilantly than before, but she tried hard to keep it in. She pursed her lips tight to prevent herself from chuckling.
“You do have a way with words, but she’s not my daughter,” Zhou Mingyan said.
“She’s not? Then she must be your daughter-in-law? Wow, how lucky of you to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law. She’s a good one too, since she’s here to accompany you while you shop! Most mothers-in-law have pretty tensed-up relationships with their daughters-in-law, unlike yours. Your mother-daughter relationship is a rare one,” the store attendant said again, with the exaggerations getting more and more out of hand.
Zhou Mingyan smiled and neither admitted nor denied it. Her attitude leaned toward ambiguity.
Yu Qianying frowned and mumbled softly, “Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin are not involved, are they? Jian Yi’s character is a bit shady. Even when he had a girlfriend back then, he still never made it clear to you. Don’t tell me that his hanky-panky old habits die hard even though he’s already married to Qi Chengyue? Well, if that isn’t the case, then why is Guan Xiaolin trying so hard to win over Zhou Mingyan?”
Song Yu’s expression tensed up. Yu Qianying knew nothing, but was able to figure it out with a single guess—Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin had a past together ever since their high school days, but they both kept it hidden from Song Yu.
If it were not for Song Yu chancing upon Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin’s exchange that fateful night, Song Yu might have still been kept in the dark about it.
However, Song Yu had never once mentioned a word of it to Yu Qianying.
In a similar manner, Song Yu began to suspect that there was still something going on between Guan Xiaolin and Jian Yi. If not, then perhaps Guan Xiaolin found it hard to forget her old flame. There would be no reason otherwise for Guan Xiaolin to exert so much effort in trying to curry favor with Zhou Mingyan—the way she acted was as though Zhou Mingyan was going to become her future mother-in-law.
Although Song Yu disliked Qi Chengyue, she felt pity for the latter because Qi Chengyue loved Jian Yi blindly. It was a difficult situation, and one that Qi Chengyue was completely unable to extricate herself from.
Qi Chengyue really downgraded herself when she married Jian Yi. She was able to disregard sectarian bias, ignore the disparity between their family backgrounds, and be patient with having Zhou Mingyan as her mother-in-law. In that regard, Song Yu held Qi Chengyue in high respect, despite the fact that she was headstrong and riddled with flaws.
If a woman could make such a big sacrifice out of sheer love, then that woman was not inherently a bad person.
There was also the fact that Qi Chengyue’s animosity had watered down significantly in recent times. Although they still did not speak much when they bumped into each other at the Qi family home, Qi Chengyue would not target her as much as before.
Letting bygones be bygones, Qi Chengyue was still Qi Chengzhi’s younger cousin and the younger sister of Qi Chenglin, whom Song Yu was on rather good terms with.
Having married into the Qi family, Song Yu was willing to treat Qi Chengyue as her own family. She did not wish that Qi Chengyue would be lied to.
As she was thinking of all that, a store attendant came over and remarked politely. “If these two items are to your liking, you may try them on.”
Song Yu smiled and temporarily placed the clothes back on the rack, saying, “Mom, would you like to go over and take a look?”
She then tilted her head over to Zhou Mingyan’s direction.
“Yes, let’s,” Yu Qianying replied happily.
Her temper was especially thin when it came to things that were clearly loathsome. Homewreckers were among the things that she hated with a passion.
Song Donglin was still young when they got married. He was rather dashing then as well, for Song Yu inherited her good looks from him.
Add that to his riches and elegance, he became the fancy of many women—those who liked him genuinely were equally as plentiful as those who loved his money more.
Song Donglin however, had never done something that would disappoint Yu Qianying, He did not even give those other women a chance. He remained untouched. Although he did not seduce other women, other women came voluntarily to him. He simply could not hide from them, and many a time it made Yu Qianying absolutely furious. It was from there that she abhorred women who purposefully tried to wreck a happy family.
The two of them walked over, but neither Zhou Mingyan nor Guan Xiaolin saw them. Yu Qianying put on a smile and called out with much friendliness, “Sister Zhou, what a coincidence! You’re here to buy clothes too?”
Yu Qianying and Song Yu came from behind Zhou Mingyan, and their reflection appeared in the mirror. Nevertheless, Zhou Mingyan was caught unprepared by Yu Qianying’s greeting. She did not even notice the reflection in the mirror, as her first reaction was to turn around abruptly.
When Zhou Mingyan saw that Song Yu was right beside Yu Qianying, a sudden glimmer of shock flashed through her eyes—she was bewildered, but she hurriedly made an attempt to conceal it.
She exerted some effort in order to smile. “Hehe, Qianying, Song Yu, such a coincidence. Are you here to buy some clothes?”
“Auntie,” Song Yu greeted.
“Why yes, we came to buy clothes. We were looking at some over there when we heard your voices. Then we realized you were here too.” Yu Qianying turned her head. “Xiaolin, how coincidental!”
Guan Xiaolin got up from the sofa. “Auntie, Song Yu.”
“Sister Zhou, why did you come here with Xiaolin? It’s a Saturday. Shouldn’t you be going shopping with your daughter-in-law?” Yu Qianying sported a look of shock and curiosity.
Upon hearing Yu Qianying’s words, the store attendant—the one who was previously flattering Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin—had her eyes opened wide in disbelief. Though she remained silent at one side, she exchanged incredulous looks with her colleague.
She thought that Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin were mother- and daughter-in-law, or at the very least, future in-laws. When she asked them, Guan Xiaolin was not the only one who did not deny it: Zhou Mingyan’s expression seemed to suggest a cryptic and silent approval notwithstanding the fact that she did not explicitly dispel that notion.
Who knew that the daughter-in-law was another person altogether!
Was the young lady in front of them a so-called mistress?!
The store attendant despised Guan Xiaolin immediately, but for the sake of the business, she did not show it outright.
Zhou Mingyan was a weirdo as well, since she seemed to approve of the mistress.
It was such a pity for the absent daughter-in-law.
“Er…” Zhou Mingyan’s lips twitched awkwardly and she let out a hollow laugh. “Chengyue’s always busy, and she doesn’t have too many weekends, so it’s best to let her rest. Let Jian Yi enjoy the weekend with her. It would be pointless for them to accompany an old lady like me for a walk in the mall.
“I actually came here alone today, and it was also a coincidence that I met with Xiaolin. She saw that I was alone so she accompanied me. It’s nice that she can also give me some fashion advice.” As Zhou Mingyan spoke, her expression turned natural gradually.
“Oh, I see.” Yu Qianying nodded understandably. “We heard your voices when we were choosing clothes over there. We turned to look, thinking that you went shopping with Chengyue. The both of you really do look like mother- and daughter-in-law.”
“Hehehehe, you’re so good at kidding,” Zhou Mingyan smiled insincerely. She then turned to Song Yu, wanting to change the topic as fast as possible. “Song Yu, I heard you and Qi Chengzhi have registered your marriage. Congratulations!”
“Thanks. Chengyue and I will be family very soon.” Song Yu smiled calmly and gave a slight nod. “In that way, the relationship between both our families will become stronger.”
Zhou Mingyan’s expression went blank for a moment. After another dry chuckle, she said, “We’ll talk more when I visit your house next time. We’ll get going now, Lao Jian is waiting for me to go home and cook for him! He doesn’t even know how to cook a simple bowl of noodles, and he needs me to make his meals. Take your time here, we’ll talk some other time.”
“Sure, sure.” Yu Qianying waved at them. “You should get busy.”
Zhou Mingyan hurriedly dragged Guan Xiaolin out, but the stupefied store attendant ran after them. “Miss! Miss! Do you still want this piece of clothing? You haven’t paid for it yet!”
After being called and seeing the awkward look from the store attendant, Zhou Mingyan finally noticed that she had yet to take off the piece of clothing that she tried on earlier.
Yu Qianying was ashamed to take it off and say no, not after she gave the impression of being a wealthy woman when the store attendant praised her exaggeratedly earlier. Moreover, Yu Qianying and Song Yu were both standing right there.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. Yes, I want this. No need to pack it up, I’ll wear it out.” Zhou Mingyan took out the credit card that Qi Chengyue had given her and footed the bill. Then, she said another goodbye to Yu Qianying and Song Yu, before bolting out the door with Guan Xiaolin.
After they were a considerable distance away, Zhou Mingyan tugged awkwardly on Guan Xiaolin’s hand. “Xiaolin, I’m sorry about just now. It’s not that I purposely wanted to say that I am not connected to you in any way. You know the relationship between Song Yu and the Qi family. If she knew something and told them about it, they’ll definitely treat my Jian Yi badly.”
Guan Xiaolin pursed her lips tightly. There seemed to be some displeasure in her eyes and her expression was rather stiff, “I understand. I only want the best for Jian Yi and wouldn’t want to cause him any trouble.”
“Sigh!” Zhou Mingyan patted the back of Guan Xiaolin’s hand lightly. “A girl like you who likes him is truly hard to find. You’re much better than Qi Chengyue. She’s too spoiled and has too bad of a temper, unlike you. You’re gentle and you always put Jian Yi first. Jian Yi has been married to her for so long already, but she’s never helped him with anything, not even to get a better position or to come out and start his own business. Jian Yi’s never even in her thoughts.”
“To tell you the truth, if Jian Yi and I were together, our family’s company will belong to him sooner or later.” Guan Xiaolin lowered her head in desolation. “I’m the only child, and my dad’s company was supposed to be inherited by his son-in-law. Even though my dad is still able to put his energy into the company, if Jian Yi came in, it won’t be a problem for him to become the general manager right away. My family’s company isn’t as big as Qilin and our status is far behind that of the Qi family, but as the saying goes, it’s better to be the cock’s head than to be the phoenix’s tail, isn’t it?
“The Qi family has plenty of children. His chance of getting those truly important positions will never come, let alone the privilege to make his own decisions. But if it was our company, he will have the final say in everything, and whatever the Guan family owns will be his in the future.” Guan Xiaolin smiled warmly and glanced emotively at Zhou Mingyan.
Having heard all those words, Zhou Mingyan became even friendlier. “Oh, Xiaolin. Don’t worry, Jian Yi won’t treat you unfairly. You won’t be wronged if you’re with him. I too, will not let him drag this on too long. I have long disliked Qi Chengyue being my daughter-in-law.”
“Auntie, I feel reassured when you say that,” Guan Xiaolin said. She fished out her purse from her bag and took our two thousand in cash. “Auntie, this is for the clothes.”
“Oh no, this won’t do.” Zhou Mingyan rejected it and pushed away Guan Xiaolin’s money-filled hand. “It’s just a piece of clothing, it’s not like I can’t pay for it.”
“I know that you have sufficient money to pay for it, but this is coming from my heart. Didn’t I say so earlier? Let me pay for all of today’s expenses. I followed you today because I wanted to show my filial respect toward you. Please give me a chance to do just that.” Guan Xiaolin then stuffed the money into Zhou Mingyan’s hands.
“Sigh!” Zhou Mingyan narrowed her eyes. Her originally round face became even rounder, like the wrinkles on a Goubuli 1steamed bun. “If you put it like that, I’ll accept it.”
Zhou Mingyan smiled happily and stuffed the money into her bag.
Guan Xiaolin wrapped her arm around Zhou Mingyan’s like happy in-laws. They continued going about their day, but they did not dare to do so in the department store for fear of bumping into Song Yu again.
…
…
Yu Qianying went and retried the two clothes that Song Yu chose for her earlier. They looked quite nice and were quite comfortable, so she bought them.
They left and continued walking about in the department store. Yu Qianying remarked, “What do you think is going on between Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin? The two of them are so close, I can hardly believe that it was a chance encounter!”
Song Yu frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “I found it weird as well, but actually, Jian Yi was in a relationship with Guan Xiaolin during high school.”
“WHAT?” Yu Qianying eyes were wide open in shock. She looked abruptly in Song Yu’s direction and the volume of her voice became louder as well.
Once she noticed that everyone was looking at her, Yu Qianying kept her voice low. “How did that happen? Wasn’t Guan Xiaolin on good terms with you then? You were in the same high school, weren’t you? And Jian Yi was also in the same high school even though he was older than you both by one year. The three of you were always together. Did Jian Yi get together with Guan Xiaolin at that time?”
“I found out much, much later, and in fact, the three of us weren’t always together,” Song Yu said. “Back in high school, I was also working at Yangzi’s store, wasn’t I? I was always gone after school ended, and to be honest I didn’t have the chance to interact with them too much. So, if at that time, they became lovers in secret, they were perfectly capable of hiding it from me.
“Back then, Jian Yi’s living expenses and school fees were all paid for by Guan Xiaolin, but he broke up with her after getting to know Qi Chengyue.”
Yu Qianying scoffed in disdain. “I’ve never thought that Jian Yi was that kind of person! He has such terrible morals, and to think I was blinded into setting the both of you up!”
A sudden thought then occurred to Yu Qianying. “Before the Song family went bankrupt, I saw the three of you together and I’ve always believed that Jian Yi liked you. It was so obvious from the way he looked at you. Even your dad could see it.”
“You all knew? That he always liked me?” Song Yu looked at Yu Qianying in bewilderment. She did not expect her parents to know of it since early on.
Yu Qianying then nodded awkwardly, and her voice became slightly feebler than before. “Actually, we both knew that you liked Jian Yi, but we still decided for you be engaged with Qi Chengji. It came as a result of our considerations as parents. We wanted you to live a happy life. After all, if the woman is in a stronger position than the man, it’s rare for the marriage to be a happy one, especially if it’s someone with as much pride as Jian Yi. At that time at least, we thought that Jian Yi was a very proud person. We were afraid that he was proud enough that he did not want to use a single cent of our money, choosing instead to use his own wages in order to spend his days with you. It will be hard on you, and because of the differences in your ways of living, it’ll end up in lots of arguments.
“During that period, we made a lot of considerations. Love is not simply about you loving me and me loving you. That isn’t enough. Everyday life lends a certain reality to the love. It doesn’t matter how deep the love is at the start. When it comes to living together, both sides must complement each other. Youngsters nowadays divorce after being married for less than a year. Surely you can’t say that they don’t love each other before the marriage. They got married because they loved each other in the first place! The differences in living practices will always lead to moments of disharmony.
“As parents, we want our daughter to live the best life possible after marriage. I admit, I was in fact, biased against Jian Yi, but the bankruptcy has brought about many changes in my mentality. It’s like I’m reset. Back then I was not very mature, and perhaps I didn’t have the right to blame Xia Wenna for any of it.”
Yu Qianying held Song Yu’s hand. Yu Qianying once had silky-soft hands because she did not do any housework, but after doing all the chores herself at home, they had become coarse—Song Yu could feel that change in her mother’s hand.
A soft knead of the hand and Yu Qianying said, “But I’m glad that I did not allow you to be with Jian Yi last time. You could have been much better off with Qi Chengji. But, I’m also glad that I wasn’t able to successfully set you up with Chengji, because it gave you a chance to be with Qi Chengzhi.”
“I’m glad too,” Song Yu replied and smiled. “I don’t blame you and dad.”
Yu Qianying smiled and brought Song Yu into a different shop. They did not necessarily have to buy something there. Going to the department store was a rare occasion, and rarer still was the chance to do it with Song Yu. They were in no hurry to rush back, so they decided to stroll around just for the heck of it.
“We strayed too far from our original conversation.” Yu Qianying took a shirt from the rack and tried measuring it to Song Yu’s body. Then, she placed it back. “What do you think of Guan Xiaolin and Zhou Mingyan being together today?”
“I don’t really believe Zhou Mingyan’s words,” Song Yu frowned as she rummaged through the selection of clothes on the hanger. “But it’s not good to say stuff without properly ascertaining the facts. It’ll be a sin for us to accuse someone wrongly and ruin a marriage.”
“You’re right, too. Since you said that Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin had been in a relationship previously, it may be that Guan Xiaolin still can’t get over him, so she’s trying to pursue him by sucking up to Zhou Mingyan,” Yu Qianying opined.
Song Yu nodded. “I’ll bring this up with Chengzhi.”
Speak of the devil—Song Yu received a call from him as soon as she mentioned his name.
The first thing she heard when she picked up was Qi Chengzhi asking her, “Where are you? You weren’t at home when I came back.”
“I went shopping with my mom.” Song Yu found it a little awkward to talk through the phone in front of her mother, so she walked a few steps away. “You’re done?”
“Mm,” came the reply, and in an irrefutable tone he said, “I’ll come pick you both up.”
Song Yu could not help but smile. The man was often busy and his character was usually very dignified, yet he seemed to particularly enjoy being her driver. Regardless of where she went, he insisted on sending her and picking her up personally.
Touched that he would run over to her even though he had just finished work, she said to him, “Since you just reached home, why don’t you rest for a bit. We’ll finish our stroll soon, then we’ll take a cab home.”
“…” Qi Chengzhi was momentarily silent on the other end of the phone.
His silence made Song Yu’s head feel slightly numb. She was going to say goodbye to him when his rich, mellow voice said to her, “Tell me the address.”
Song Yu, “…”
He filtered off everything she said earlier, since he had already made up his mind on coming over.
Still, that stubbornness made Song Yu’s heart feel really warm, and in the end, she told him her location.
After she hung up, she went back to Yu Qianying, saying that Qi Chengzhi would come pick them up.
Yu Qianying smiled contentedly. “Chengzhi’s a real gem. He’s always so busy, but he still insists on putting you first.”
“That is why marrying him is my life’s luckiest moment.” Song Yu wrapped her arm around Yu Qianying. “No matter what others say about him, I know he’ll treat me well, and in his heart, I’m more important than anything else.”
“And that’s all that matters,” Yu Qianying said delightedly.
There was nothing else for the two of them to see on that floor, so Song Yu suggested they go to the top floor to see kids’ toys.
“You’re buying for Youxuan?” The thought immediately popped up in Yu Qianying’s mind.
“Mm.” Song Yu took a large box out from the shelf. It looked quite luxuriant, and inside was a four-by-four vehicle that came with different chassis and tires, allowing one to change as one pleased. “It’s his birthday tomorrow. I’ll buy a gift for him.”
Previously at the Qi manor, Qi Youxuan was playing with a four-by-four vehicle. In recent times, there had been a rerun of an old animated film, and surprisingly, it created a sensation among the boys in Qi Youxuan’s kindergarten. All of them started to like four-by-four vehicles.
“Even though he’s born in the Qi family, the care and love given to him by others can never make up for the absence of a mother,” Song Yu said. “Youxuan is adorable and smart, and because of that I care for him more. Most of the time, he tells others what gifts to buy for him, but no one takes the initiative to buy something for him, like Qi Chengzhi’s uncle’s family. If he wants something, then they’ll get it for him. Chenglin’s always busy with work too, so he doesn’t have too much time to keep up with Youxuan’s interests. Although the old couple do love him dearly, they don’t like to spoil him, so they seldom buy anything for him. I think he would be really happy if I give him a gift without him asking for it.”
Yu Qianying looked at the price and raised an eyebrow. “Kids’ things are just so expensive nowadays. This one costs a thousand and five hundred.”
A sales staff came over with a smile, saying, “Miss, this brand is imported in its original packaging and this particular set is their tenth anniversary commemorative piece. There’s one series over there that’s specially designed based on the animated films, all of which are what the kids want nowadays.”
Song Yu had not the slightest idea regarding all of these things, so she asked, “Which ones do the kids these days really like?”
“The one they want most is this one, but they usually buy those that are of the same series as the animated films. Kids like it because it looks exactly the same as the films, and the price is slightly cheaper compared to this one. I won’t lie to you, the reason I’m recommending this isn’t because it’s expensive, but because this is the first thing all the kids see when they come here to shop with their parents. It’s just that the price is too steep for an ordinary toy, so they’d rather choose the other series. After all, these are boys’ toys. It won’t be put on display just like that. If you let it go on the racetrack, it’ll suffer all kinds of bumps and scratches. Money worth a thousand over will disappear just like that if it spoils,” the sales staff explained.
In the end, Song Yu chose that commemorative piece. Other than what the sales staff said, she felt that Qi Youxuan—with his proud character—would not think highly of playing with a model that everyone else has. He would want to stand out from his friends—to feel pleased with himself for being a cut above the rest.
When she took the bill to the cashier, she received another call from Qi Chengzhi. He had arrived and parked his car at the carpark. After ascertaining her exact location, he hung up.
Song Yu made payment, then took the bill and went back to the sales staff. Once it was verified, the staff handed the plastic bag that contained the wrapped box to Song Yu.
The first thing she saw when she turned around was Qi Chengzhi taking large strides toward her direction.
He appeared not to have taken any rest when he went home, for he was still wearing the suit that he had worn to the company earlier that morning.
That luxurious-looking and tailor-fitted suit accentuated the finer points of his body.
The suit emphasized his slender figure, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. It looked much better on him than to a model, and no model could compare to his handsomeness and charisma.
Looking at his slender, well-dressed figure, Song Yu knew that there was an undoubtedly muscular body underneath that suit.
He attracted much attention simply by walking, but he seemed not to notice any of it. His expression was stern, allowing no stranger to come near him.
His biting-cold eyes were looking around insipidly. The hearts of many nearby women were probably beating like wild, hoping that he would look in their direction and notice them, perhaps even gazing into their eyes.
Qi Chengzhi, however, did not look at anyone else. When his eyes located Song Yu, he was fixed on her, and the tenseness of his facial features became tender immediately, like ice melting to become water.
It was a magical scene.
His lips curled up unnoticeably and there was a hint of glimmer in his eyes. He took great strides over and stood in front of Song Yu. Without saying a word, he lowered his head and gave her a quick peck.
Song Yu’s face turned red. The sales staff was just behind her and there were plenty of customers in the surrounding.
There were a large number of customers on that floor because it sold kids’ clothes, necessities and electrical appliances, in addition to kids’ toys.
Moreover, Yu Qianying was just beside them!
“My mom’s right here!” Song Yu scolded softly. She did not expect that he would kiss her the instant he arrived. It may just be a peck, but it was still a little awkward.
Qi Chengzhi treated it as though there was no one else beside him. He put his index finger to her lips and caressed gently.
If they were not out in public, he would have hugged her in his arms and kissed her ruthlessly.
He especially enjoyed seeing her lowering her head with her cheeks turning so tenderly red. She was clearly very embarrassed, yet all she could do was berate him softly and stand in front of him so earnestly. Her submissiveness was what stirred his heart.
Yu Qianying only moved closer when she surmised that Qi Chengzhi would not kiss Song Yu again. Of all the things that was good about him, the only negative was that he was too shameless in venues where it was inappropriate to do so.
Footnotes:
狗不理包子 – known as Goubuli or sometimes transcribed as Go Believe, due to the onomatopoeic similarities. These are a branded stuffed steamed bun that originated from Tianjin, China that was founded in 1858. There are varying tales on how it got its name (all centering around a man with the surname Gou), which is translated literally as ‘dogs ignore’. It is said that each bun has fifteen wrinkles.
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Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“In fact, the only thing that really irks me is Miss Liang. Time and again, she has insulted and harassed Song Yu both verbally and physically. Nothing seems to give her peace, and nothing can stop her either. She’d turn into a complete lunatic once she goes insane.” Qi Chengzhi ambled over mindlessly to Yu Zidong. “Speaking of which, if your wife was a reasonable person to begin with, it wouldn’t have to come to this, Director Yu. She not only goes around accusing people; she has even offended her own little sister. She’s now willing to throw away her self-respect by begging for forgiveness, but what need is there for all this? If you knew that all these things would happen, wouldn’t you have prevented it before it did?”
“If Liang Lihua wasn’t your wife, then…” Qi Chengzhi left his sentence hanging and merely looked intently at Yu Zidong.
There was a sudden change in Yu Zidong’s expression, and when he finally understood Qi Chengzhi’s insinuation, his face grew red.
“You…” Yu Zidong was so furious that he seemed unable to draw in a proper breath.
Qi Chengzhi was hinting for Yu Zidong and Liang Lihua to get a divorce!
It was a choice between the two—Liang Lihua, or the company.
He had never expected Qi Chengzhi to be so ruthless as to prevent him from having a way out!
He had to toil for years and years to build up the company to its current state, and he would never be willing to give up on it.
Liang Lihua, however, was his wife, and no matter how questionable her character was, the both of them could get along with each other’s temper. Furthermore, their daughter was already an adult, so there was no way he could divorce Liang Lihua for the sake of the company.
He did not have the heart to cast aside his wife of nearly thirty-years.
Furthermore, it would be undoubtedly unpleasant for people to know that he discarded his wife for the sake of protecting his company.
Qi Chengzhi was not one to wait for his answer. He calmly said, “Think long and hard, Director Yu. Dongge, send our guest away.”
Once he finished talking, he left the parlor.
Yu Zidong gnashed his teeth and looked at Cheng Dongge as if the latter was Qi Chengzhi.
As Qi Chengzhi’s assistant, Cheng Dongge was also the subject of Yu Zidong’s intense hatred.
“No need to send me off,” Yu Zidong told him coldly and walked out of Qilin with a burning-red face.
He got into the back seat of a black Mercedes-Benz that was parked at the side of the road. Then, he asked his assistant, who was driving the car, “How’s the situation at the company?”
“The protestors are increasing. Most of them are small clients, but because they come in large numbers, it’s creating a big effect. Some of the bigger clients have even set an ultimatum and gave us a deadline,” the assistant explained.
Yu Zidong closed his eyes. A quiver briefly came over his entire body, and he took a deep breath.
…
…
When Saturday came, Qi Chengzhi had to work overtime at the office, so Song Yu went to her parents’ place alone.
She had the key, but after opening the door and entering, she saw a nicely-dressed Yu Qianying clutching a bag and urging Song Donglin. “Come on, be quick! You’re wasting time!”
“Dad, Mom, where are you going?” Song Yu was startled.
“Mm? Why did you come home so suddenly?” Yu Qianying tossed her bag onto the dining table and took off her jacket.
“Mom, don’t take off your jacket just yet. Where are you planning on going?” Song Yu stopped them and asked.
“Isn’t the department store having some sort of event? It’s Members Day, and most of the things have really huge discounts. It just so happens that I want to get some thinner fabric shirts that I can wear in times like this. I was going to go have a look,” Yu Qianying explained. “But since you’re back, I won’t be going. Oh yes, why are you here alone? Where’s Chengzhi?”
“He needs to be at the company, and since I have nothing to do at home, I decided to come here by myself,” Song Yu said, and then took Yu Qianying’s bag from the table. “Since we don’t have anything to do, I’ll follow you there. Now that I think about it, I haven’t been to the department store in a long time.”
With his jacket still on, Song Donglin came out and responded extremely happily, “Then why not follow your mother. I really don’t enjoy walking around in there, especially when they have those events. There’ll definitely be plenty of people and I’m already getting a headache just thinking about it.”
“I knew it! You were being tardy on purpose because you didn’t want to go with me,” Yu Qianying remarked unhappily. “You stay at home alone then. You’ll probably be really comfortable without me nagging at you.”
She held Song Yu’s wrist and said, “Let’s go.”
Song Yu smiled, said goodbye to Song Donglin, then made her way to the department store with Yu Qianying.
…
…
Such events were held on the regular at that particular department store, with massive discounts being the norm. People went there by the bucketload, and because it was a weekend, it was even more packed with people.
On one floor, there were shelves of cosmetics, jewelry, and leather goods. In addition, there was a large empty space just for the special price sale. Every brand in the space displayed their cut-price goods there.
Yu Qianying just wanted to check out if there were any cheap clothes that she could snag, but Song Yu dragged her away.
“Mom, since we’re here, why not buy a few good clothes. Don’t forget, I’m a rich woman after you gave me that big dowry,” Song Yu said as she dragged her mother up the escalator. They went to the third floor, which was solely devoted to high-quality women’s clothes.
“Mom, do you like this one?” Song Yu took out a knit cardigan, then a thin windbreaker. “This one too. If you like it, we’ll get it.”
Yu Qianying was busy scrutinizing the clothes when she heard a familiar voice. “Xiaolin, what do you think?
“Auntie, it looks too perfect on you! It’s beautiful. You look younger and the color’s nice too. It also gives you character when you wear it.”
“That’s right!” The store attendant chimed in as well. “In our line of clothing, only two pieces of each size are available. If you wear it out in public, you won’t need to worry about your outfit clashing with someone else, since we only sell a limited number. This suits you really well too, so even if you did bump into someone else who wore the same thing, they would not be able to wear it to the same effect as you.
“Madam, I’m sure your family is involved in some big business, right? I think you look exactly like a wealthy man’s wife, and I don’t mean just any kind of rich, I’m talking about the kind of rich that lands you in the Forbes list. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have such a naturally luxurious character. My guess is, your family is one of the rich and powerful, and you yourself came from a scholarly family, am I right?” The store attendant was flattering the lady rather enthusiastically.
Yu Qianying was able to make out that the voice belonged to Jian Yi’s mother, Zhou Mingyan.
She shook her head, smiled, then whispered to Song Yu, “This store attendant’s having a hard time trying to earn that commission. Zhou Mingyan’s only graduated from junior high, yet she’s already being called a scholarly person. Tough job.”
Song Yu looked over as well. She heard Zhou Mingyan call out Xiaolin, and before that, the woman who was talking to Zhou Mingyan did indeed sound like Guan Xiaolin.
Yu Qianying saw them too and expressed shock. “Eh? Isn’t that Guan Xiaolin? Why is she with Zhou Mingyan and acting like she’s trying to get into Zhou Mingyan’s good books?”
Song Yu kept quiet and observed them from behind the clothes rack. They were standing just outside the fitting room, looking at the mirror.
The store attendant then said, “This must be your daughter! She’s already all grown-up, but you don’t look like someone whose daughter is already so grown-up.”
Zhou Mingyan smiled even more jubilantly than before, but she tried hard to keep it in. She pursed her lips tight to prevent herself from chuckling.
“You do have a way with words, but she’s not my daughter,” Zhou Mingyan said.
“She’s not? Then she must be your daughter-in-law? Wow, how lucky of you to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law. She’s a good one too, since she’s here to accompany you while you shop! Most mothers-in-law have pretty tensed-up relationships with their daughters-in-law, unlike yours. Your mother-daughter relationship is a rare one,” the store attendant said again, with the exaggerations getting more and more out of hand.
Zhou Mingyan smiled and neither admitted nor denied it. Her attitude leaned toward ambiguity.
Yu Qianying frowned and mumbled softly, “Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin are not involved, are they? Jian Yi’s character is a bit shady. Even when he had a girlfriend back then, he still never made it clear to you. Don’t tell me that his hanky-panky old habits die hard even though he’s already married to Qi Chengyue? Well, if that isn’t the case, then why is Guan Xiaolin trying so hard to win over Zhou Mingyan?”
Song Yu’s expression tensed up. Yu Qianying knew nothing, but was able to figure it out with a single guess—Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin had a past together ever since their high school days, but they both kept it hidden from Song Yu.
If it were not for Song Yu chancing upon Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin’s exchange that fateful night, Song Yu might have still been kept in the dark about it.
However, Song Yu had never once mentioned a word of it to Yu Qianying.
In a similar manner, Song Yu began to suspect that there was still something going on between Guan Xiaolin and Jian Yi. If not, then perhaps Guan Xiaolin found it hard to forget her old flame. There would be no reason otherwise for Guan Xiaolin to exert so much effort in trying to curry favor with Zhou Mingyan—the way she acted was as though Zhou Mingyan was going to become her future mother-in-law.
Although Song Yu disliked Qi Chengyue, she felt pity for the latter because Qi Chengyue loved Jian Yi blindly. It was a difficult situation, and one that Qi Chengyue was completely unable to extricate herself from.
Qi Chengyue really downgraded herself when she married Jian Yi. She was able to disregard sectarian bias, ignore the disparity between their family backgrounds, and be patient with having Zhou Mingyan as her mother-in-law. In that regard, Song Yu held Qi Chengyue in high respect, despite the fact that she was headstrong and riddled with flaws.
If a woman could make such a big sacrifice out of sheer love, then that woman was not inherently a bad person.
There was also the fact that Qi Chengyue’s animosity had watered down significantly in recent times. Although they still did not speak much when they bumped into each other at the Qi family home, Qi Chengyue would not target her as much as before.
Letting bygones be bygones, Qi Chengyue was still Qi Chengzhi’s younger cousin and the younger sister of Qi Chenglin, whom Song Yu was on rather good terms with.
Having married into the Qi family, Song Yu was willing to treat Qi Chengyue as her own family. She did not wish that Qi Chengyue would be lied to.
As she was thinking of all that, a store attendant came over and remarked politely. “If these two items are to your liking, you may try them on.”
Song Yu smiled and temporarily placed the clothes back on the rack, saying, “Mom, would you like to go over and take a look?”
She then tilted her head over to Zhou Mingyan’s direction.
“Yes, let’s,” Yu Qianying replied happily.
Her temper was especially thin when it came to things that were clearly loathsome. Homewreckers were among the things that she hated with a passion.
Song Donglin was still young when they got married. He was rather dashing then as well, for Song Yu inherited her good looks from him.
Add that to his riches and elegance, he became the fancy of many women—those who liked him genuinely were equally as plentiful as those who loved his money more.
Song Donglin however, had never done something that would disappoint Yu Qianying, He did not even give those other women a chance. He remained untouched. Although he did not seduce other women, other women came voluntarily to him. He simply could not hide from them, and many a time it made Yu Qianying absolutely furious. It was from there that she abhorred women who purposefully tried to wreck a happy family.
The two of them walked over, but neither Zhou Mingyan nor Guan Xiaolin saw them. Yu Qianying put on a smile and called out with much friendliness, “Sister Zhou, what a coincidence! You’re here to buy clothes too?”
Yu Qianying and Song Yu came from behind Zhou Mingyan, and their reflection appeared in the mirror. Nevertheless, Zhou Mingyan was caught unprepared by Yu Qianying’s greeting. She did not even notice the reflection in the mirror, as her first reaction was to turn around abruptly.
When Zhou Mingyan saw that Song Yu was right beside Yu Qianying, a sudden glimmer of shock flashed through her eyes—she was bewildered, but she hurriedly made an attempt to conceal it.
She exerted some effort in order to smile. “Hehe, Qianying, Song Yu, such a coincidence. Are you here to buy some clothes?”
“Auntie,” Song Yu greeted.
“Why yes, we came to buy clothes. We were looking at some over there when we heard your voices. Then we realized you were here too.” Yu Qianying turned her head. “Xiaolin, how coincidental!”
Guan Xiaolin got up from the sofa. “Auntie, Song Yu.”
“Sister Zhou, why did you come here with Xiaolin? It’s a Saturday. Shouldn’t you be going shopping with your daughter-in-law?” Yu Qianying sported a look of shock and curiosity.
Upon hearing Yu Qianying’s words, the store attendant—the one who was previously flattering Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin—had her eyes opened wide in disbelief. Though she remained silent at one side, she exchanged incredulous looks with her colleague.
She thought that Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin were mother- and daughter-in-law, or at the very least, future in-laws. When she asked them, Guan Xiaolin was not the only one who did not deny it: Zhou Mingyan’s expression seemed to suggest a cryptic and silent approval notwithstanding the fact that she did not explicitly dispel that notion.
Who knew that the daughter-in-law was another person altogether!
Was the young lady in front of them a so-called mistress?!
The store attendant despised Guan Xiaolin immediately, but for the sake of the business, she did not show it outright.
Zhou Mingyan was a weirdo as well, since she seemed to approve of the mistress.
It was such a pity for the absent daughter-in-law.
“Er…” Zhou Mingyan’s lips twitched awkwardly and she let out a hollow laugh. “Chengyue’s always busy, and she doesn’t have too many weekends, so it’s best to let her rest. Let Jian Yi enjoy the weekend with her. It would be pointless for them to accompany an old lady like me for a walk in the mall.
“I actually came here alone today, and it was also a coincidence that I met with Xiaolin. She saw that I was alone so she accompanied me. It’s nice that she can also give me some fashion advice.” As Zhou Mingyan spoke, her expression turned natural gradually.
“Oh, I see.” Yu Qianying nodded understandably. “We heard your voices when we were choosing clothes over there. We turned to look, thinking that you went shopping with Chengyue. The both of you really do look like mother- and daughter-in-law.”
“Hehehehe, you’re so good at kidding,” Zhou Mingyan smiled insincerely. She then turned to Song Yu, wanting to change the topic as fast as possible. “Song Yu, I heard you and Qi Chengzhi have registered your marriage. Congratulations!”
“Thanks. Chengyue and I will be family very soon.” Song Yu smiled calmly and gave a slight nod. “In that way, the relationship between both our families will become stronger.”
Zhou Mingyan’s expression went blank for a moment. After another dry chuckle, she said, “We’ll talk more when I visit your house next time. We’ll get going now, Lao Jian is waiting for me to go home and cook for him! He doesn’t even know how to cook a simple bowl of noodles, and he needs me to make his meals. Take your time here, we’ll talk some other time.”
“Sure, sure.” Yu Qianying waved at them. “You should get busy.”
Zhou Mingyan hurriedly dragged Guan Xiaolin out, but the stupefied store attendant ran after them. “Miss! Miss! Do you still want this piece of clothing? You haven’t paid for it yet!”
After being called and seeing the awkward look from the store attendant, Zhou Mingyan finally noticed that she had yet to take off the piece of clothing that she tried on earlier.
Yu Qianying was ashamed to take it off and say no, not after she gave the impression of being a wealthy woman when the store attendant praised her exaggeratedly earlier. Moreover, Yu Qianying and Song Yu were both standing right there.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. Yes, I want this. No need to pack it up, I’ll wear it out.” Zhou Mingyan took out the credit card that Qi Chengyue had given her and footed the bill. Then, she said another goodbye to Yu Qianying and Song Yu, before bolting out the door with Guan Xiaolin.
After they were a considerable distance away, Zhou Mingyan tugged awkwardly on Guan Xiaolin’s hand. “Xiaolin, I’m sorry about just now. It’s not that I purposely wanted to say that I am not connected to you in any way. You know the relationship between Song Yu and the Qi family. If she knew something and told them about it, they’ll definitely treat my Jian Yi badly.”
Guan Xiaolin pursed her lips tightly. There seemed to be some displeasure in her eyes and her expression was rather stiff, “I understand. I only want the best for Jian Yi and wouldn’t want to cause him any trouble.”
“Sigh!” Zhou Mingyan patted the back of Guan Xiaolin’s hand lightly. “A girl like you who likes him is truly hard to find. You’re much better than Qi Chengyue. She’s too spoiled and has too bad of a temper, unlike you. You’re gentle and you always put Jian Yi first. Jian Yi has been married to her for so long already, but she’s never helped him with anything, not even to get a better position or to come out and start his own business. Jian Yi’s never even in her thoughts.”
“To tell you the truth, if Jian Yi and I were together, our family’s company will belong to him sooner or later.” Guan Xiaolin lowered her head in desolation. “I’m the only child, and my dad’s company was supposed to be inherited by his son-in-law. Even though my dad is still able to put his energy into the company, if Jian Yi came in, it won’t be a problem for him to become the general manager right away. My family’s company isn’t as big as Qilin and our status is far behind that of the Qi family, but as the saying goes, it’s better to be the cock’s head than to be the phoenix’s tail, isn’t it?
“The Qi family has plenty of children. His chance of getting those truly important positions will never come, let alone the privilege to make his own decisions. But if it was our company, he will have the final say in everything, and whatever the Guan family owns will be his in the future.” Guan Xiaolin smiled warmly and glanced emotively at Zhou Mingyan.
Having heard all those words, Zhou Mingyan became even friendlier. “Oh, Xiaolin. Don’t worry, Jian Yi won’t treat you unfairly. You won’t be wronged if you’re with him. I too, will not let him drag this on too long. I have long disliked Qi Chengyue being my daughter-in-law.”
“Auntie, I feel reassured when you say that,” Guan Xiaolin said. She fished out her purse from her bag and took our two thousand in cash. “Auntie, this is for the clothes.”
“Oh no, this won’t do.” Zhou Mingyan rejected it and pushed away Guan Xiaolin’s money-filled hand. “It’s just a piece of clothing, it’s not like I can’t pay for it.”
“I know that you have sufficient money to pay for it, but this is coming from my heart. Didn’t I say so earlier? Let me pay for all of today’s expenses. I followed you today because I wanted to show my filial respect toward you. Please give me a chance to do just that.” Guan Xiaolin then stuffed the money into Zhou Mingyan’s hands.
“Sigh!” Zhou Mingyan narrowed her eyes. Her originally round face became even rounder, like the wrinkles on a Goubuli 1steamed bun. “If you put it like that, I’ll accept it.”
Zhou Mingyan smiled happily and stuffed the money into her bag.
Guan Xiaolin wrapped her arm around Zhou Mingyan’s like happy in-laws. They continued going about their day, but they did not dare to do so in the department store for fear of bumping into Song Yu again.
…
…
Yu Qianying went and retried the two clothes that Song Yu chose for her earlier. They looked quite nice and were quite comfortable, so she bought them.
They left and continued walking about in the department store. Yu Qianying remarked, “What do you think is going on between Zhou Mingyan and Guan Xiaolin? The two of them are so close, I can hardly believe that it was a chance encounter!”
Song Yu frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “I found it weird as well, but actually, Jian Yi was in a relationship with Guan Xiaolin during high school.”
“WHAT?” Yu Qianying eyes were wide open in shock. She looked abruptly in Song Yu’s direction and the volume of her voice became louder as well.
Once she noticed that everyone was looking at her, Yu Qianying kept her voice low. “How did that happen? Wasn’t Guan Xiaolin on good terms with you then? You were in the same high school, weren’t you? And Jian Yi was also in the same high school even though he was older than you both by one year. The three of you were always together. Did Jian Yi get together with Guan Xiaolin at that time?”
“I found out much, much later, and in fact, the three of us weren’t always together,” Song Yu said. “Back in high school, I was also working at Yangzi’s store, wasn’t I? I was always gone after school ended, and to be honest I didn’t have the chance to interact with them too much. So, if at that time, they became lovers in secret, they were perfectly capable of hiding it from me.
“Back then, Jian Yi’s living expenses and school fees were all paid for by Guan Xiaolin, but he broke up with her after getting to know Qi Chengyue.”
Yu Qianying scoffed in disdain. “I’ve never thought that Jian Yi was that kind of person! He has such terrible morals, and to think I was blinded into setting the both of you up!”
A sudden thought then occurred to Yu Qianying. “Before the Song family went bankrupt, I saw the three of you together and I’ve always believed that Jian Yi liked you. It was so obvious from the way he looked at you. Even your dad could see it.”
“You all knew? That he always liked me?” Song Yu looked at Yu Qianying in bewilderment. She did not expect her parents to know of it since early on.
Yu Qianying then nodded awkwardly, and her voice became slightly feebler than before. “Actually, we both knew that you liked Jian Yi, but we still decided for you be engaged with Qi Chengji. It came as a result of our considerations as parents. We wanted you to live a happy life. After all, if the woman is in a stronger position than the man, it’s rare for the marriage to be a happy one, especially if it’s someone with as much pride as Jian Yi. At that time at least, we thought that Jian Yi was a very proud person. We were afraid that he was proud enough that he did not want to use a single cent of our money, choosing instead to use his own wages in order to spend his days with you. It will be hard on you, and because of the differences in your ways of living, it’ll end up in lots of arguments.
“During that period, we made a lot of considerations. Love is not simply about you loving me and me loving you. That isn’t enough. Everyday life lends a certain reality to the love. It doesn’t matter how deep the love is at the start. When it comes to living together, both sides must complement each other. Youngsters nowadays divorce after being married for less than a year. Surely you can’t say that they don’t love each other before the marriage. They got married because they loved each other in the first place! The differences in living practices will always lead to moments of disharmony.
“As parents, we want our daughter to live the best life possible after marriage. I admit, I was in fact, biased against Jian Yi, but the bankruptcy has brought about many changes in my mentality. It’s like I’m reset. Back then I was not very mature, and perhaps I didn’t have the right to blame Xia Wenna for any of it.”
Yu Qianying held Song Yu’s hand. Yu Qianying once had silky-soft hands because she did not do any housework, but after doing all the chores herself at home, they had become coarse—Song Yu could feel that change in her mother’s hand.
A soft knead of the hand and Yu Qianying said, “But I’m glad that I did not allow you to be with Jian Yi last time. You could have been much better off with Qi Chengji. But, I’m also glad that I wasn’t able to successfully set you up with Chengji, because it gave you a chance to be with Qi Chengzhi.”
“I’m glad too,” Song Yu replied and smiled. “I don’t blame you and dad.”
Yu Qianying smiled and brought Song Yu into a different shop. They did not necessarily have to buy something there. Going to the department store was a rare occasion, and rarer still was the chance to do it with Song Yu. They were in no hurry to rush back, so they decided to stroll around just for the heck of it.
“We strayed too far from our original conversation.” Yu Qianying took a shirt from the rack and tried measuring it to Song Yu’s body. Then, she placed it back. “What do you think of Guan Xiaolin and Zhou Mingyan being together today?”
“I don’t really believe Zhou Mingyan’s words,” Song Yu frowned as she rummaged through the selection of clothes on the hanger. “But it’s not good to say stuff without properly ascertaining the facts. It’ll be a sin for us to accuse someone wrongly and ruin a marriage.”
“You’re right, too. Since you said that Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin had been in a relationship previously, it may be that Guan Xiaolin still can’t get over him, so she’s trying to pursue him by sucking up to Zhou Mingyan,” Yu Qianying opined.
Song Yu nodded. “I’ll bring this up with Chengzhi.”
Speak of the devil—Song Yu received a call from him as soon as she mentioned his name.
The first thing she heard when she picked up was Qi Chengzhi asking her, “Where are you? You weren’t at home when I came back.”
“I went shopping with my mom.” Song Yu found it a little awkward to talk through the phone in front of her mother, so she walked a few steps away. “You’re done?”
“Mm,” came the reply, and in an irrefutable tone he said, “I’ll come pick you both up.”
Song Yu could not help but smile. The man was often busy and his character was usually very dignified, yet he seemed to particularly enjoy being her driver. Regardless of where she went, he insisted on sending her and picking her up personally.
Touched that he would run over to her even though he had just finished work, she said to him, “Since you just reached home, why don’t you rest for a bit. We’ll finish our stroll soon, then we’ll take a cab home.”
“…” Qi Chengzhi was momentarily silent on the other end of the phone.
His silence made Song Yu’s head feel slightly numb. She was going to say goodbye to him when his rich, mellow voice said to her, “Tell me the address.”
Song Yu, “…”
He filtered off everything she said earlier, since he had already made up his mind on coming over.
Still, that stubbornness made Song Yu’s heart feel really warm, and in the end, she told him her location.
After she hung up, she went back to Yu Qianying, saying that Qi Chengzhi would come pick them up.
Yu Qianying smiled contentedly. “Chengzhi’s a real gem. He’s always so busy, but he still insists on putting you first.”
“That is why marrying him is my life’s luckiest moment.” Song Yu wrapped her arm around Yu Qianying. “No matter what others say about him, I know he’ll treat me well, and in his heart, I’m more important than anything else.”
“And that’s all that matters,” Yu Qianying said delightedly.
There was nothing else for the two of them to see on that floor, so Song Yu suggested they go to the top floor to see kids’ toys.
“You’re buying for Youxuan?” The thought immediately popped up in Yu Qianying’s mind.
“Mm.” Song Yu took a large box out from the shelf. It looked quite luxuriant, and inside was a four-by-four vehicle that came with different chassis and tires, allowing one to change as one pleased. “It’s his birthday tomorrow. I’ll buy a gift for him.”
Previously at the Qi manor, Qi Youxuan was playing with a four-by-four vehicle. In recent times, there had been a rerun of an old animated film, and surprisingly, it created a sensation among the boys in Qi Youxuan’s kindergarten. All of them started to like four-by-four vehicles.
“Even though he’s born in the Qi family, the care and love given to him by others can never make up for the absence of a mother,” Song Yu said. “Youxuan is adorable and smart, and because of that I care for him more. Most of the time, he tells others what gifts to buy for him, but no one takes the initiative to buy something for him, like Qi Chengzhi’s uncle’s family. If he wants something, then they’ll get it for him. Chenglin’s always busy with work too, so he doesn’t have too much time to keep up with Youxuan’s interests. Although the old couple do love him dearly, they don’t like to spoil him, so they seldom buy anything for him. I think he would be really happy if I give him a gift without him asking for it.”
Yu Qianying looked at the price and raised an eyebrow. “Kids’ things are just so expensive nowadays. This one costs a thousand and five hundred.”
A sales staff came over with a smile, saying, “Miss, this brand is imported in its original packaging and this particular set is their tenth anniversary commemorative piece. There’s one series over there that’s specially designed based on the animated films, all of which are what the kids want nowadays.”
Song Yu had not the slightest idea regarding all of these things, so she asked, “Which ones do the kids these days really like?”
“The one they want most is this one, but they usually buy those that are of the same series as the animated films. Kids like it because it looks exactly the same as the films, and the price is slightly cheaper compared to this one. I won’t lie to you, the reason I’m recommending this isn’t because it’s expensive, but because this is the first thing all the kids see when they come here to shop with their parents. It’s just that the price is too steep for an ordinary toy, so they’d rather choose the other series. After all, these are boys’ toys. It won’t be put on display just like that. If you let it go on the racetrack, it’ll suffer all kinds of bumps and scratches. Money worth a thousand over will disappear just like that if it spoils,” the sales staff explained.
In the end, Song Yu chose that commemorative piece. Other than what the sales staff said, she felt that Qi Youxuan—with his proud character—would not think highly of playing with a model that everyone else has. He would want to stand out from his friends—to feel pleased with himself for being a cut above the rest.
When she took the bill to the cashier, she received another call from Qi Chengzhi. He had arrived and parked his car at the carpark. After ascertaining her exact location, he hung up.
Song Yu made payment, then took the bill and went back to the sales staff. Once it was verified, the staff handed the plastic bag that contained the wrapped box to Song Yu.
The first thing she saw when she turned around was Qi Chengzhi taking large strides toward her direction.
He appeared not to have taken any rest when he went home, for he was still wearing the suit that he had worn to the company earlier that morning.
That luxurious-looking and tailor-fitted suit accentuated the finer points of his body.
The suit emphasized his slender figure, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. It looked much better on him than to a model, and no model could compare to his handsomeness and charisma.
Looking at his slender, well-dressed figure, Song Yu knew that there was an undoubtedly muscular body underneath that suit.
He attracted much attention simply by walking, but he seemed not to notice any of it. His expression was stern, allowing no stranger to come near him.
His biting-cold eyes were looking around insipidly. The hearts of many nearby women were probably beating like wild, hoping that he would look in their direction and notice them, perhaps even gazing into their eyes.
Qi Chengzhi, however, did not look at anyone else. When his eyes located Song Yu, he was fixed on her, and the tenseness of his facial features became tender immediately, like ice melting to become water.
It was a magical scene.
His lips curled up unnoticeably and there was a hint of glimmer in his eyes. He took great strides over and stood in front of Song Yu. Without saying a word, he lowered his head and gave her a quick peck.
Song Yu’s face turned red. The sales staff was just behind her and there were plenty of customers in the surrounding.
There were a large number of customers on that floor because it sold kids’ clothes, necessities and electrical appliances, in addition to kids’ toys.
Moreover, Yu Qianying was just beside them!
“My mom’s right here!” Song Yu scolded softly. She did not expect that he would kiss her the instant he arrived. It may just be a peck, but it was still a little awkward.
Qi Chengzhi treated it as though there was no one else beside him. He put his index finger to her lips and caressed gently.
If they were not out in public, he would have hugged her in his arms and kissed her ruthlessly.
He especially enjoyed seeing her lowering her head with her cheeks turning so tenderly red. She was clearly very embarrassed, yet all she could do was berate him softly and stand in front of him so earnestly. Her submissiveness was what stirred his heart.
Yu Qianying only moved closer when she surmised that Qi Chengzhi would not kiss Song Yu again. Of all the things that was good about him, the only negative was that he was too shameless in venues where it was inappropriate to do so.
Footnotes:
狗不理包子 – known as Goubuli or sometimes transcribed as Go Believe, due to the onomatopoeic similarities. These are a branded stuffed steamed bun that originated from Tianjin, China that was founded in 1858. There are varying tales on how it got its name (all centering around a man with the surname Gou), which is translated literally as ‘dogs ignore’. It is said that each bun has fifteen wrinkles.
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