Chapter 443 - Betrothal (2)
Upon hearing Shen Wenna’s tone, she took in the way she struggled. Xi Xiaye suddenly felt a faint ache in her heart. As her slightly cold hand immediately covered her mother’s frail ones, she softly consoled, “Previously, when I went to the checkup with you, didn’t the doctor say that you were recovering quite well and that the blood clot seems to be dissipating too? Who knows? Maybe after some time, you’ll be able to see again.”
Shen Wenna smiled gladly with an optimistic air. “It’s fine. It’s been so long, so I’m used to it now. At first, I couldn’t quite adapt to it, but now I’m alright. You two just keep busy with your wedding matters and don’t worry about us over here. Your grandpa will be getting some specialists to come to see me in another two days. We’ll see how it goes. Your wedding’s getting nearer. Don’t worry about these ominous matters.”
“What do you mean ominous? I don’t trust those superstitions. Healing your eyes is the most important thing. Wedding or not, we’ve already gotten our marriage certificate and are a married couple.”
Xi Xiaye got up and walked to the table to pour Shen Wenna a cup of water before she handed it to her. “Right, Mother, let me tell you something.”
Shen Wenna took two sips and calmly replied, “What is it?”
“A few days ago, Mu Yuchen got Li Si and the rest to clear out West Park and change the locks. I went back to take a look and bumped into Father who probably stood outside West Park for quite a while. I didn’t feel quite happy then. Father probably told you everything that happened recently, didn’t he?” Xi Xiaye softly asked, her clear gaze falling onto Shen Wenna’s calm face.
Shen Wenna paused, yet she did not reveal too many emotions, seeming very calm. “He didn’t tell me, but I do know about these things. Aunt Wu told me about it.”
“What do you think, Mother?”
Shen Wenna sighed. She felt around and wanted to set her cup aside. Xi Xiaye helped her get it when she saw that.
“I really didn’t expect that Yue Lingsi would actually do such a thing. From what I remember, she loved your father deeply. She even once said that your father was the world to her.
“Xiaye, it’s hard to decide what’s right in the matter of relationships. Yue Lingsi’s obsession with your father is a kind of problem. The more you can’t get some things, the more you want it and would like to possess it. Sometimes. I can’t deny that she has love for your father and I daren’t say that she hasn’t loved deeply enough, but back then when your father and I got a divorce, even though I felt very unhappy, I just hoped for you and your father to live well. I was too arrogant, Xiaye. Sometimes, I even hate myself back then, if I could care less back then and fuss less, worked hard to fight for myself instead, would things be different right now?”
As Shen Wenna spoke, she suddenly sighed and got up. “However, now that things have come to this, what’s the use of talking about it all? You don’t have to worry about your father and me anymore. I know how I should make this choice.”
Xi Xiaye nodded. “I hope that you won’t treat yourself unfairly so I won’t need to see a tragedy, Mother.”
“I know that you want to play matchmaker for your father and me, and have us reconcile. Don’t think I don’t know that you corresponded with Aunt Wu and the rest. I know just what you’re thinking. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about your father too. I might forgive him, or I could continue being stubborn. I haven’t quite decided yet, but right now I just want to go with the flow.”
Go with the flow?
This seemed to be a pretty decent option as well.
Since her mother concluded that way, Xi Xiaye obviously could not continue to demand insistently, so she could only say, “I got it, Mother. Father says he wants to teach in University A… If your eyes can be healed, then it’d be good for the two of you to watch over each other too. I won’t let anyone else disturb your peaceful days.”
“Okay, I hear your well-intentioned thoughts, but we don’t know if my eyes can be healed. We’ll just talk about it when it happens.”
“Mother, aren’t you attracted to Father who’s still so handsome and dashing right now? Sometimes, I even think that Mu Yuchen is not as good-looking as Father. In your words, Father’s already a man that has years on his shoulder, mmm… At 50-odd years old, he’s like a bottle of beautifully aged wine.”
“You like to keep saying nice things about him. You’re already becoming his spy. Has he been seeing you often recently?” Shen Wenna softly reprimanded Xi Xiaye although her tone remained gentle.
“No, after Grandfather passed away, he hasn’t come to look for me. He’s living alone in Donghu City apartment area near University A. I hear of his news from Mu Yuchen. He seems to have bought that apartment for several years now and is staying there alone. Sometimes, I worry. After all, Father…”
Shen Wenna already knew what Xi Xiaye was going to say, so she did not continue because she also saw traces of surprise on her mother’s face.
…
When she left the Shen residence, it was close to evening. The husband and wife did not go straight to the Maple Residence. Instead, they went straight for their appointments. Of course, they did not forget to get Li Si to send some candies to the orphanage for the wedding. After what happened the last time, they had renovated and refurbished the orphanage so it looked splendid now. Xi Mushan had especially looked after it, attracting the attention of many charity organizations.
Given this situation, Xi Xiaye felt quite assured as long as she knew that they lived well, so she seldom went over too.
However, after the head of the orphanage found out about everything, they called her to thank her quite a few times. Although they wanted to publicly thank her, she just dismissed it with a laugh.
The car quickly made its way towards Su Nan and Ruan Heng. The driver right now was Mu Yuchen while Xi Xiaye fell soundly asleep leaning on the car window in the front passenger seat. The music player was still playing very soothing music.
The Shen residence to Su Nan’s place was slightly far. In fact, they were caught up by after-work traffic, so the road was quite congested.
Mu Yuchen was not worried. After all, he had a lot of time. In fact, he had woken up quite early this morning and had not rested from a whole day of being busy. However, she was so sleepy that she could not keep her eyes open, so he just let her sleep a while longer.
They spent almost two hours before he managed to send her to Su Nan’s apartment. The streetlights were lit up at the moment. From afar, they could already see Su Nan propping up her belly and standing by the side, waiting underneath the streetlight.
The car had just stopped when Su Nan immediately walked up to them. “Xiaye! Master Mu!”
“I’ve waited for you for quite long. Was it very congested on the road? You took quite a while.”
Xi Xiaye pushed the door open and swiftly got down while Mu Yuchen nodded to greet Su Nan. He handed her handbag to Xi Xiaye. “Make sure you’ve got your phone. I’ll pick you up again around 10 p.m. Come down when I call you, okay?”
Xi Xiaye nodded as she closed the car door. “Got it. Go on now.”
…