Chapter 606 - Your Great Son
Knowing that his mother and mother-in-law would meet for the very first time tomorrow, Yang Chen couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the whole thing. It even costed him a few hours of sleep but fortunately for him, he did not require it. Sleeping was merely a habit to him. It didn’t affect his energy levels.
The next morning, when Yang Chen came down for breakfast, Guo Xuehua was already seated with Lin Ruoxi and Zhenxiu at the dining table. He then proceeded to sit down quietly before starting to eat.
In the past, Yang Chen would take this opportunity to spout out all the nonsense he could muster. However since today was a particularly nerve-wrecking day, he felt rather constrained.
“Brother Yang, why are you this quiet? You don’t usually behave this way,” said Zhenxiu as she stared at him with curious eyes.
Lin Ruoxi was slowly eating her porridge like she always did. After Zhenxiu spoke, she looked at Yang Chen in contemplation but remained silent.
Yang Chen sensed danger, but pretended like there was none. Smiling, he answered, “It’s not like I love to chat. Why must I talk then? Have your meal obediently and don’t ask so many questions. Aren’t you going to school later?”
Zhenxiu furrowed her elegant nose, dissatisfied with Yang Chen’s lecture. She gave a small frown and stopped thinking about it.
Lin Ruoxi stood up after only less than half her bowl of porridge. She said to Guo Xuehua, “Mom, I still have a lot to do in the company, so I haven’t had the time to spend time with you. Why don’t we head out for dinner tonight? I know a decent seafood restaurant but haven’t had the chance to dine there.”
Guo Xuehua was stunned. Dinner? she thought. In the past, she would have been delighted at the request, but she had promised to meet Ma Guifang later. Guo Xuehua didn’t know how long the meeting was going to last, so she smiled and replied, “Ruoxi, it’s fine if you’re busy. We could always go out anytime in the future. However, today I am meeting an old friend of mine which might take up the whole day.”
“Oh…” Lin Ruoxi nodded her head and stopped asking.
The breakfast was rather dull. When Zhenxiu headed out for class and Lin Ruoxi for work, Yang Chen and Guo Xuehua finally let out a sigh of relief.
Helplessly, Guo Xuehua said, “I really don’t know why I agreed to this in the first place. Ignoring the fact that I have no clue what to say later during the meeting, if Ruoxi finds out that I, as her mother-in-law, am helping you with other women, where then will I hide my old embarrassed face.”
Yang Chen smiled awkwardly. “Mom, your face isn’t old at all. You’re still young and gorgeous.”
Guo Xuehua replied, “Kid, who taught you how to sweet talk? It looks like you’re getting nervous already. Do you think I’d refuse to go after giving you my promise?”
Yang Chen indeed felt concerned. Having gotten Guo Xuehua’s confirmation once again, he became less worried.
After getting dressed in his smart casual attire, Yang Chen left home right after Guo Xuehua did. Since Wang Ma was at home, it would be rather suspicious if they left together.
On the other hand, Ma Guifang had long gone to Madam Xiang’s restaurant to work. She worked for two hours before Mo Qianni picked her up for the meeting.
During the journey, Ma Guifang asked Mo Qianni what her mother-in-law’s hobbies were, what interests she had, and what her family background was like. However, Mo Qianni couldn’t answer most of the questions out of sheer nervousness. Back then when she met Guo Xuehua, she showed up as Lin Ruoxi’s close friend, so she tried not talk to Guo Xuehua too much.
As a result, Ma Guifang blamed her daughter for not taking enough concern in Yang Chen’s parents. But it wasn’t her fault, she never had the chance to do so. When Guo Xuehua visited her home, she would mostly talk to Rose, while Mo Qianni would steer away from any conversation. She was afraid that her affair with Yang Chen would be exposed.
Ma Guifang didn’t own any luxury clothing, but she was dressed in a much nicer attire than she would normally wear. At the same time, since it was a working day for Mo Qianni, she was well-dressed and had makeup on.
When Mo Qianni arrived at Dragonwell Teahouse, she recognized Yang Chen’s car outside. She felt a lot more relieved as Guo Xuehua had indeed come.
The mother-daughter pair held hands and walked into the freshly decorated teahouse. Since the place contained many private rooms, Mo Qianni proceeded over to the counter and asked the server for the one booked by Yang Chen.
Guo Xuehua was careful in selecting the location. She knew that the mother of Yang Chen’s lover might get slightly rowdy should things go south. That would result in her being embarrassed, so she picked this restaurant which had a decent sound-proofing system. It was more likely for them to hear the people outside than the other way around.
Within the room, Guo Xuehua pondered about what she was going to say. Her son’s marriage wasn’t a topic that could be kept hidden for long. However, it is also difficult to assume that the other party would be so accepting of the news. Thus, she had to think of a way to indirectly persuade the mother into giving her daughter freedom.
If Guo Xuehua was from an ordinary family, she certainly wouldn’t agree to help Yang Chen. However, being in a major clan, polygamy was not an uncommon sight. While it was illegal for a man to have multiple wives, it didn’t stop the men from huge clans from doing so.
Even the premier of China, Ning Guangyao, had an illegitimate daughter who happened to be Guo Xuehua’s daughter-in-law, Lin Ruoxi. It wasn’t surprising for those men to be involved in such affairs.
As a result, with a mindset beyond the norm, Guo Xuehua was more open to ideas. At worst, she would utilize the status of the Yang clan to persuade the other party.
Guo Xuehua sipped on some fragrant tea while contemplating certain matters. When she drafted her speech in her mind, she quickly remembered that she was still clueless as to whom she was meeting later. Why hasn’t Yang Chen told me yet? He has been dodging the question ever since I brought it up, she thought.
Guo Xuehua hurriedly asked Yang Chen who was sitting beside, “Son, what’s the name of the girl? You can tell me now, can’t you? I’m going to need to know what I should call her.”
Yang Chen had intentionally concealed it from his mother, but he had to tell the truth now. Smiling awkwardly, he said, “Actually, Mom, I believe you have met her before. She’s called Mo Qianni.”
“Mo… Qianni?” Guo Xuehua frowned as she found the name familiar. She then exclaimed, “What did you just say?! It’s Qianni?!”
Yang Chen rubbed his nose and nodded.
Guo Xuehua instantly understood a lot of things, which she found absurd yet laughable. “You’re such a terrible child. How dare you trick your own mother? No wonder you were unwilling to let me know her name. So that’s because she has been ‘lying low’ around me!”
“How is that a trick? What’s the difference between knowing it now or before?” Yang Chen laughed. “You guys are meeting later anyway. And isn’t it great that you actually know each other?”
Guo Xuehua sighe helplessly, but a thought soon struck her mind. This is bad! she thought and stood up violently from the seat!
Yang Chen saw her reaction and asked curiously, “Mom, what happened to you?”
“There’s a problem!” Guo Xuehua said while she frowned painfully. “If the girl is Qianni, that means her mother is… is…”
No matter how powerful Yang Chen’s mind was, he couldn’t figure out what had made his mom so tense. He was wondering what trouble Guo Xuehua was facing.
Guo Xuehua silently hoped that she was just having a bad dream. When she chatted with Ma Guifang a few days ago, Ma Guifang mentioned that she had a great son-in-law. Wasn’t she then referring to Yang Chen?! Furthermore, Guo Xuehua told her that her son Yang Chen was married to Lin Ruoxi!
Everything was over even before it began! We don’t have to meet anymore. I don’t think any amount of persuasion will change her mind! she thought.
As Guo Xuehua panicked and felt an intense headache, the door of the room was opened from the outside.
Holding her daughter’s hand, Ma Guifang walked into the room smilingly, and immediately noticed Guo Xuehua who was standing in the room.
Guo Xuehua clenched her teeth while she furrowed her brows. She stared at Ma Guifang in agitation. She then darted a glance to Mo Qianni quietly.
Mo Qianni sensed that the atmosphere inside the room wasn’t right. She looked at Yang Chen who had stood up as well, but the latter shrugged his shoulders, implying cluelessness.
The person whose expression changed the quickest was Ma Guifang. She turned from feeling nervous to puzzled, before falling deep into thought. She looked at Yang Chen, then at Guo Xuehua again before she revealed an indescribable smile. She asked, “Sister Xuehua, so your son is Yang Chen?”