"Your father indeed went too far back then, but you had a marriage agreement. If you were not married by the age of 20..." Shen's Father had barely spoken when Fang Yue started coughing violently beside him.
"Mom, let Dad finish speaking," said Shen Lv. He too was unaware of his younger sister having a marriage agreement until his 27th year.
Shen's Father glanced at Fang Yue, who did not stop him this time. "When Yin was born, we had gone bankrupt. With you being a boy, having Yin would be considered having an extra child, for which we had to pay a fine. But we didn't have the money then. To have Yin, I had to take your mother to our hometown in Yangcheng next door. On the night Yin was born, your mother had a difficult labor. There was a renowned midwife in the village whom I fetched. However, she had a condition - she said the one-child policy had led to more boys being born, so girls were few. If Yin turned out to be a girl, she would have to become her grandson's wife in the future. I didn't agree, but seeing your mother's life in danger, the midwife said that if Yin was not married by 22, she would marry her grandson."
Shen Lv listened, perplexed. He was three years old then and had been staying at his grandmother's to avoid the one-child policy restrictions, so he knew nothing about this. "But how did the midwife know Mom was carrying a girl?"
This was the very question Yin had wanted to ask too.
Fearing Shen Tianzheng might get tired from talking too much, Fang Yue took over to answer Shen Lv's query. "Back then, seeing me in a critical condition, your father thought the baby might not necessarily be a girl and agreed to the midwife's condition. When Yin was born a girl, the midwife was overjoyed, claiming she had never been wrong in her decades of delivering babies and could tell the gender just by looking at the belly."
To Yin and Shen Lv, it seemed like they were listening to a story. Yin felt the midwife from Dasheng was quite impressive, but Shen Lv was more shocked. "So Yin had a child marriage fixed even before her birth?"
With a worried look, Fang Yue continued, "It wasn't a big deal initially. After your father's fortunes revived, the midwife brought her son and daughter-in-law when Yin turned 18, since we had promised her. They were poor, but we could have supported them. However, when your father investigated the boy, he found that he had just been released from prison for intentional theft and assault. How could we let Yin marry him? With only three to four years left until Yin turned 22, your father started looking for grooms for her. This, coupled with the incident involving Zhou Man, led us to compromise and allow Yin to study abroad - something we would never have agreed to otherwise."
Yin recounted how the original owner had indeed led a ill-fated life - a difficult birth, a child marriage, being deceived, and being unaware of her parents' efforts for her wellbeing. If anyone was to be blamed, it was the twists of fate and the wicked people involved.
"Yin, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was afraid I might not get another chance, so I told you today," said Shen's Father in a low, regretful voice that sounded quite sad.
Hearing this, Fang Yue's tears began flowing again as she wiped them, saying, "What nonsense! Didn't you have the surgery?"
Shen Lv agreed wholeheartedly. "Yes, you'll recover fully after proper recuperation."
Shen's Father looked at Shen Lv. Although this son was often unsatisfactory, he was not a bad person apart from his fondness for beautiful women. "Shen Lv, you're not young anymore either. It's time for you to settle down. Pay more attention to the company's affairs and focus."
"Dad, don't you manage the company? I'm still young," Shen Lv replied.
Shen's Father laughed. "When is Xiu He coming?"
"Dad, why are you talking like you're making your final arrangements? The surgery was successful, so don't overthink it. Just recuperate properly, and you'll be able to return soon," Shen Lv said with a forced smile.
Yin took the opportunity to hold Shen's Father's wrist and check his pulse, which seemed fine. With proper care, he still had many years ahead.
"Dad, don't lose heart. With modern medical advancements, don't worry too much," Yin consoled him.
"Alright, I'll recuperate properly. Don't worry about me. Yin and Shen Lv, you two focus on your work. Your mother will be here," said Shen Tianzheng, waving his hand.
Yin and Shen Lv exchanged a glance, then left the room. Yin picked up her bag and bid farewell to Shen Lv before heading to Xu Xiuhe's company, Heyuan Group. However, her navigation app had some issues and gave her a wrong route, so she had to circle back before reaching the familiar Heyuan Group building she had visited several times.
When the receptionist, Xiao Li'er, saw Yin, she immediately sent a message to their group chat: [The wife of the CEO has arrived. Fans of the Yin He Couple can have some sugar now.]
Yin responded warmly to the employees' greetings. Upstairs, Xu Xiuhe was puzzled by the constant stream of [Sugar time] messages flooding the group chat. After checking, he realized Yin had come and was delighted that his wife had come to see him. Perhaps it meant Yin liked him a little more now.
"Zheng, Mommy's here. Let's go and greet her," Xu Xiuhe said to Xu Yunzheng.
Xu Yunzheng, sitting on the sofa and playing with his feet, was overjoyed to hear this. He turned around, trying to get down, slowly placing his feet on the ground and stepping off the sofa. He ran towards Xu Xiuhe with small steps.
Xu Xiuhe picked up Zheng and lifted him over his head, eliciting gleeful laughter from the child that could be heard throughout the assistant's office area.
Carrying Zheng, Xu Xiuhe went to the elevator to wait for Yin.
In the office area, a few young ladies were discussing, "Who would have thought the cold-faced King of Hell would be such a doting father?"
Yang Mo said, "He's only cold towards us. Of course, he'd be different with his wife and child, right, Xiao Li'er?"
When Yang Mo asked her, Xiao Li'er replied, "Yes, the CEO must be different behind the scenes." She had been on tenterhooks recently, fearing she might inadvertently get fired by the CEO. But now that the wife had come to see the CEO, did it mean he had won her over and they wouldn't divorce?
Liu Assistant had just come out of the restroom when Xiao Li'er approached him proudly, saying, "You don't need to marry me. I'll stay here through my abilities."
Liu Assistant was perplexed. "That's great. I don't want to marry you either."
"I don't want to marry you either, you big straight man. You're probably made of steel rebar with how straight you are!" Xiao Li'er retorted angrily. She was beautiful, educated, and good-looking - who was Liu Assistant to look at her with disdain?
