Yang Yun paused for a moment before she coughed a few times. The lamplight caught the embarrassed expression that crossed her face as she hesitated a while longer before she said, âMiss Chen, Shaoqian had a girlfriend when he was 18 years old. They met in school, fell in love, and had been dating for four years. Weâve also met the girlâs parents and they were about to get engaged but later, Shaoqian was presumed deadâ¦soâ¦â
Yang Yunâs voice trailed off and she didnât elaborate any further because she saw that Chen Yan was crying and her eyes were brimming with tears.
He Xiyan balled her trembling hands into fists and her lips were quivering.
Gu Shaoqianâs motherâs words had clearly hit a nerve.
She bit her lips and her face was pale and sad under the lamplight.
She tried to paste a smile on her face just like she had done earlier, but she realized she could not even bring herself to smile awkwardly.
âI see, auntyâ¦â she said softly. Then, she turned away as though she didnât want this middle-aged woman to see how upset she was.
Yang Yun reached out to pat He Xiyanâs shoulder as though she was comforting a child and said gently, âDonât be upset. Iâm only letting you know more about his past but Iâm not asking you to leave him. Shaoqian had already told me that he has chosen to stay with you and as his mother, I will respect his decisions. I hope that youâd be able to invite your parents over for a meal one day. Youâve already lived together for three years but have not officially collected your marriage license, right? It is better for the elders to handle such an important matter. Shaoqian is no longer a young boy and would have to have children of his own one day.â
Yang Yun said with a small smile. She wasnât too satisfied with this daughter-in-law her son had bought in the village but the heavens had blessed her by returning her precious son to her so she didnât want to have any conflict with her son. Since this was what her son wanted, she would respect his decisions even if she didnât agree with them.
He Xiyan did not respond but only nodded gently. She had also forced her tears back.
She suddenly felt extremely cold, as though she had fallen into an ice cave. She was so cold that she started shivering.
He Xiyan hugged the blankets tightly to her after Yang Yun left. However, that didnât help and the chill merely intensified.
She was not a fool and could understand the underlying meaning behind Jiahangâs motherâs words. She also understood why his mother had told her that he used to have such a loving girlfriend.
He Xiyan felt her heart clench in pain as she looked around this strange room and felt as though something had been wrenched away from her.
Someone knocked on the door and a masculine voice said, âYan Yan, open up.â
It was Chen Jiahang who had just returned from visiting his grandfather.
He Xiyan looked at the door that was tightly shut but she did not get up to open the door.
âYan Yan, open up. Iâm sleeping here too,â Jiahang said as he knocked on the door once more.
He had assumed that Yan Yan would sleep together with him, so he was surprised to learn that she was sleeping in the guest room.