"Acquiring the Xu Group should make them feel even worse. Not just Xu Zhengyang and Yang Cui, but Xu Guimin is the one who truly let Mom down."
This time Shen Yin remained silent. Whatever Xu Xiuhe decided to do, she would support him.
The moon had just risen from behind the western mountains, round and bright.
The temperature in Tibetan City dropped sharply at night, but the lively atmosphere didn't diminish at all. There were many traditional customs, such as worshipping the moon. Mid-Autumn moon worship has been a long-standing Tibetan tradition. When the moon rises, facing it, they set up an incense altar, arrange mooncakes, apples, plums, grapes, and other offerings, light incense and candles, and then the whole family kneels and prays together, praying for the family's health and good fortune.
Downstairs at the hotel, the Tibetan hotel owner had set up the incense altar early.
Shu Yi had gone out for a walk nearby today, with Chang Zhiyuan naturally following behind her.
When the two returned, the Tibetan hotel owner said, "The young couple is back! You're just in time. Come quickly and worship the moon together, pray for each other's safety."
"Um, we're not a couple," Shu Yi tried to explain.
The hotel owner was momentarily embarrassed, but within two seconds found a way to save face.
"I understand, you young people call this 'playing coy'. I've been running this hotel for many years, especially in the past two years, there have been many couples like you. They look perfect together but insist they're not in a relationship. Later on, they all end up together."
...
Shu Yi was speechless.
Chang Zhiyuan was overjoyed and wanted to pull Shu Yi along to worship the moon. Shu Yi felt a bit embarrassed.
She had always taken relationships seriously, so when Chang Zhiyuan told her that she was meant to spend her life with him, not with his family, she was moved.
That's what he said, and while love is between two people, marriage involves two families.
She didn't want just a romance, but someone she could hold hands with for a lifetime.
Shu Yi didn't know what others' views on relationships were, but she knew what she wanted. If she knew from the start that a relationship had no future, she would never get involved.
"I'm tired, I want to go upstairs."
Shu Yi still wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
The moon worship ceremony was still going on downstairs. Chang Zhiyuan watched Shu Yi go up, then hurriedly ran to the incense altar.
"Moon Goddess, I've heard that the Moon Old Man ties red strings for lovers. You're both surnamed Moon, so you must know each other. Please help this ordinary mortal and pass on a message. If I can win Shu Yi's heart, I promise to worship the moon every year."
Chang Zhiyuan spoke with utmost sincerity, as devout as could be.
The hotel owner patted Chang Zhiyuan on the shoulder and said, "Child, with such sincerity, the moon will surely hear you."
Chang Zhiyuan gave the hotel owner a grateful look and then headed upstairs.
"I made a wish to the moon. We will definitely be together."
"Aren't you being childish?"
"When it comes to you, I can't give up on even the slightest hope."
Chang Zhiyuan continued seriously, "The woman you met last time was my sister. My parents favored sons over daughters, so she wasn't liked by them since childhood. After I was born, they treated her even worse."
"I didn't understand why before, and even thought she might not be my parents' biological child, so I didn't treat her well either. But she never complained. She would bring me snacks after school and take care of me at home. When I was in fourth grade, I couldn't swim yet, and I was pushed into a lake. It was her who jumped in to save me. The water was cold, and she was on her period at the time."
Chang Zhiyuan paused here, recalling the memory.
"What happened then?" Shu Yi became curious.
"She pushed me up onto the shore, and I saw that her pants were covered in blood. She looked like she was in pain. By the time the rescue team arrived, she was almost unconscious. The doctor said if it had been any later, her life would have been in danger. She was left with chronic health issues afterward, but my parents don't know about this. Only I know that she might not be able to have children now."
Shu Yi was shocked to hear this.
"She continued to be good to me afterward. My parents started treating her a bit better because she saved me. But I've always felt guilty for causing her to lose her ability to have children. She won't let me tell them about it."
"What about now?"
"Now she's in her early thirties and still single. My parents wanted her to have an arranged marriage before, but on one hand, she really doesn't want to because she likes Tan Xiao. On the other hand, she feels that since she can't have children, she'd end up divorced even after an arranged marriage. So to make her get noticed by our parents, I've been deliberately lazy, not going home, and refusing to take over the family business. This way, her abilities would be seen, and my parents wouldn't keep pressuring her."
Chang Zhiyuan had never told anyone else about these things. Even Xue Jingrui and Xu Xiuhe only knew bits and pieces. They knew that Chang Ningjing had saved him, but they didn't know she was left with chronic health issues.
They also knew that Chang Ningjing liked Tan Xiao, but they didn't know that due to her insecurities, she never made a big effort to pursue him.
"Who's Tan Xiao?" Shu Yi didn't seem to have heard of him, or maybe she had heard but forgotten. In any case, she didn't have much of an impression of this name.
"Tan Xiao is the captain of the Rong City Special Police Force. He's a bit younger than my sister and was her junior in high school. My sister has liked him for 13 years now."
Chang Zhiyuan explained.
"13 years?" Shu Yi couldn't believe it. She had only had a secret crush on someone for two years, but this sister had liked someone for 13 years.
"Yes, my sister is a really good person. The reason she treated you that way before was because of me. My previous girlfriends all had some issues, either gold diggers or those with a lot of scandals. When she first met you, she probably thought you were problematic too."
"Why was your taste so... before?"
Shu Yi didn't finish the sentence, but having said this much, Chang Zhiyuan understood.
"Are you stupid? Only by acting this way will my parents think I'm beyond help and stop forcing me to go back and inherit the company. This way, my sister can continue to stay unmarried."
"Does Tan Xiao like your sister?" Shu Yi was more curious about this question. She also liked gossip.
So she wanted to know, when a man has been liked by a woman for 13 years, does that man know about it? And if he does know, what does he think about it?
It wasn't just 3 years, it was 13 years. Do you realize what 13 years means? How many 13-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
"I don't know if Tan Xiao knows, and I'd like to know too. But it's up to my sister to think what she wants. I don't ask about her business, and she certainly won't ask about mine. If you want to know about their relationship, after we get back, I'll take you to meet my sister. Whatever you want to know, you can ask her yourself."
