"Mom, is this really me in the photo?" Little Lang asked.
Little Wang was mopping the floor when he saw the photo. His expression changed instantly as he reached out to grab it, but Chen Meilan snatched it back and said, "Yes."
"Oh." Little Lang's dark face was marked by his unusually bright eyes, which were fixed on Chen Meilan. At twelve years old, he certainly understood the significance of biological parenthood, but he didn't ask about it.
Little Wang quickly said, "It's not true, Little Lang, it's fake. Go rest, brother doesn't want you to mop anymore."
But Chen Meilan said, "Yan Minglang, Zhou Xueqin is your birth mother, the one who gave birth to you." After a pause, she added, "But that has nothing to do with our life now. I'm your later mom, and as long as you don't want to leave, you'll always be my son."
"Okay." Little Lang must have been hungry as he rubbed his stomach and asked, "Mom, is there anything else I can help with?"
It was their last meal at their home in Xiping City. Yuanyuan had combined all the leftover dishes into one pot. Any remaining food, rice, and noodles would have to be taken to Chen Degong's place upstairs.
After this, the house would be locked up. Chen Meilan would probably only be able to stay here during holidays until the children finished university. Once in the capital, she would need to prepare the Little Red Building and live in that house.
"Take the remaining things to your uncle's place with your sister, then come back for dinner," Chen Meilan said.
"Yes, Mom." The boy put down his bag and picked up the items.
Without Yuanyuan even having to mention it, Little Lang carried the two large bags effortlessly, one in each hand, as he went downstairs.
As soon as he and Yuanyuan left, Little Wang angrily said, "You shouldn't have told him. Zhou Xueqin said she has two buildings, and she once sent me a message too, saying if I wanted to go with her, the buildings would be mine. I could live off the rent for life without lifting a finger. I spat at Zhou Xueqin's face and drove her away. Now she's trying to lure Little Lang with the buildings, but she won't be able to take good care of him."
The two buildings in Guangzhou were located in the bustling city center, both sixteen-story commercial buildings. Initially, due to the sluggish real estate market, only two or three units were sold. Now property values were continuously rising, and the commercial rental income alone brought in significant monthly revenue.
Currently, Lu Jingyu was collecting the rent for living expenses.
But if Zhou Xueqin could take full control, she could become a proper Guangdong landlady.
Whoever followed her, whether Little Wang or Little Lang, wouldn't need to work for the rest of their lives.
However, Chen Meilan felt that given Little Lang's personality, the prospect of collecting rent with a set of keys wouldn't tempt him.
The child was still so young, his life just beginning to unfold. How could spending the rest of his life collecting rent compare to familiarizing himself with and handling various firearms? Chen Meilan didn't think it could.
So she said, "Little Wang, keep the right attitude. Trust your brother this once; he won't go with Zhou Xueqin."
Little Wang pursed his lips: "I'm just worried he'll be hurt when he finds out what kind of person his birth mother is."
For every child, their first lesson in life is about their mother. First-grade textbooks include stories like "The Little Tadpole Looking for Mother." Mother is a sacred word for any child. Little Wang had felt inferior for over a decade because of Zhou Xueqin, and he didn't want Little Lang to feel the same way about having such a mother.
But for Chen Meilan, this was an unsolvable issue. As a stepmother, she couldn't prevent it and had to tell the child the truth. At twelve years old, this boy needed to learn how to face his birth mother, and he had to use his own judgment to decide how to handle it.
That night, since all the beds had been packed up, Little Wang and Little Lang shared one bed, while Chen Meilan and Yuanyuan shared another. That was how they were supposed to sleep, but when dawn came, Chen Meilan found Yuanyuan on one side and Little Lang on the other. The silly boy had quietly come to sleep next to her.
His little dark hand rested on her belly, as he had always liked to do since he was small when sleeping.
Chen Meilan got up first to make breakfast, and the two children who had grown up sleeping together naturally cuddled up.
One had skin as white as milk, while the other was brownish-black. Little Lang's complexion was becoming even darker than Yan Zhao's, which was quite worrying.
Someone knocked on the door, and Chen Meilan opened it.
Dressed in a suit and camel coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, it was none other than Yan Xishan, or rather, Professor Yan.
This time, Yan Xishan was also heading to the capital.
In today's chaotic milk powder market, to sell high-quality but expensive milk powder, seminar-style sales were particularly important. Yan Xishan had already become a somewhat famous sales professor, frequently invited by nouveau riche across the country to give lectures.
He was more experienced than Hu Xiaohua in dealing with various distributors.
"Help me with these boxes. It's still early, let the children sleep longer," Chen Meilan said.
Yan Xishan's gaze fell on the pile of boxes, and his brows furrowed: "Chen Meilan, I drive an imported Mercedes. I charge at least 800 yuan per lecture now. I'm a distinguished professor - you want me to carry boxes?"
Indeed, Yan Xishan had liver problems and poor complexion; his small frame couldn't handle the boxes.
Chen Meilan was about to call Little Wang and Yuanyuan, but just as she called out "Yuanyuan," Yan Xishan immediately said, "Shut up, let my daughter sleep longer." He turned and called to his honey trap girlfriend: "Chen Chunmei, what are you standing there for? Come help with the boxes."
Chen Chunmei was Yan Xishan's shadow, serving as his assistant, housekeeper, and secretary. Though thin and short, she was very strong. She entered and picked up the boxes, one in each hand.
Chen Meilan hurried to help her carry the boxes.
Chen Meilan would never respect Yan Xishan. He lived with Chen Chunmei but wouldn't marry her unless she bore him a son. Of course, he had been helping Chen Chunmei get medical check-ups, seeking treatment all over the country, trying every folk remedy to conceive a son, but Chen Chunmei just couldn't get pregnant.
Recently, Yan Xishan had gone to Hong Kong for a check-up and discovered he had oligospermia and asthenospermia. When he was younger and healthier, he had managed to conceive Yuanyuan, but now there were no viable sperm in his semen. So it was actually his inability to father children.
But he didn't tell anyone, continuing to make Chen Chunmei take medicine and seek fertility treatments.
Because he feared Chen Chunmei would leave him if she knew.
Moreover, as long as she couldn't have children, she would always be beneath him.
The term "complete scumbag" perfectly described Yan Xishan.
His Mercedes had only been purchased with Chen Meilan's approval.
Xishan Mining was currently the largest mine in Shaanxi Province. Over the years, there had been only a few minor accidents with no fatalities. He was both a provincial representative and a visiting professor, currently competing for a position as a national representative. Their current account balance was shocking - with cash flow in the millions, not approving a car for Yan Xishan to show off would risk him rebelling again.
The imported Mercedes was indeed comfortable to ride in.
After picking up Qi Songlu and Little Beibei, the flight to the capital took only two hours.
In the capital, Hu Xiaohua came to meet Chen Meilan.
Hu Xiaohua was more down-to-earth than Yan Xishan, and he had been quite fortunate. He had found a divorced woman at the milk powder factory who worked in powder testing technology. She had a young daughter, Beijing household registration, and two houses. Upon marriage, she gave Hu Xiaohua twin sons.
Now, Hu Xiaohua was a Beijing resident with local household registration.
A smile could dissolve old grievances.
Once brothers, now under Chen Meilan's persuasion, they were about to fight a battle for the nation's milk powder safety, aiming to drive out inferior products and allow quality milk powder to dominate the market. After all, one had a wife and children, the other had a successful career - it was time to set aside differences and work together sincerely.
Qi Songlu took the children home first, while Chen Meilan went to the milk powder factory and immediately started meetings. She listened to work reports for this phase and had to encourage the factory workers. For the upcoming listing work, she held meetings for a full eight hours before she could return home.
Tonight, the two boys would stay at the Little Red Building with John.
The Little Red Building was an old residence for retired senior officials, and currently, it was occupied entirely by retired leaders.
The facility was particularly generous to retired senior leaders. In the old courtyard, the winter jasmine had grown almost as tall as a person, and the pine trees were frighteningly large. While it looked impressive, at nearly midnight in the dead of winter, walking along the path felt eerily scary.
Before heading to the capital, she had spent a week attending meetings with various departments at Food Factory 81, assigning tasks. Upon arriving in the capital, there was another eight-hour marathon meeting without breaks, leaving her mentally exhausted.
Chen Meilan, nearly 35 years old, felt her legs wobbling as she walked.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the woods behind her. When she turned around, she saw a dark figure.
Chen Meilan quickened her pace.
Her fear wasn't unfounded. That year, there had been a UFO incident in Guizhou that had caused quite a stir. People were saying that aliens had nearly carried away a train compartment and abducted everyone inside. Coincidentally, a famous director who had been filming with Yuanyuan had met Chen Meilan and solemnly sworn that he had been abducted by aliens himself.
Tired and scared, Chen Meilan started running.
All the buildings looked similar here, and since her last visit was a year ago, she quickly got lost after running a few steps.
This was terrible - what if she got abducted by UFOs?
"Meilan?" someone called from behind.
Chen Meilan turned around and saw her father-in-law - he had just saved her life in the middle of the night.
"I just got off work and heard the children were staying around here, so I came to check. Why aren't you home yet?" he asked.
The old man had worked such long, intense hours his entire life, even now - it must be exhausting.
He continued, "I had Mao Xun prepare the house earlier. There's no heating right now, and the house is damp. I set up the beds for them and lit the stove, but I'm worried it might go out. I need to bank the stove for them tonight..."
Currently, he worked at the Military Commission as Chief of Staff.
Even late at night, after finishing work, he still remembered to come bank the stove for the children.
While he hadn't been the best husband or father, he was doing an excellent job as a grandfather.
"I'll bank it," Chen Meilan offered.
Yan Peiheng glared at Chen Meilan: "Are you sure you know how to bank a stove properly to last until morning?"
To keep the stove burning until dawn, it needed to be banked properly to burn slowly - and this required skill.
Chen Meilan had never been very good at it; she and Yuanyuan often huddled together on cold nights. Thinking about it, she decided to let her father-in-law handle it.
As society progressed, with central heating, air conditioning, and water dispensers, her housekeeping skills had grown rusty.
The three boys, afraid of the cold, were crowded into one bedroom, with only that room's stove lit.
The boys had been making noise, but as soon as Yan Peiheng opened the door, they fell silent.
One boy jumped up from the bed - this was Chen Meilan's first time meeting John. He wasn't as dramatic as Jim had been when he first arrived. With black hair, fair skin, a high nose bridge, long eyelashes, and slender fingers, he was a handsome young man.
Little Lang immediately complained to Chen Meilan: "Mom, he's being inappropriate!"
"This American punk, my sister, he actually... actually..." Little Wang was shouting too.
Obviously, John had hugged Yuanyuan as soon as he arrived, while Little Wang hadn't even held Yuanyuan's hand since he was very young.
"Go to sleep, or you'll be doing horse stance outside," Yan Peiheng barked.
The boys quickly pulled up their covers and lay down.
Yan Peiheng banked the stove quietly. After finishing, he looked at each boy, finally stopping at Little Lang's bed, smiling as he gazed at length at the little coal-black fellow before turning off the lights and leaving.
After collapsing at home for a while, she got up at five the next morning to continue with meetings, reviewing various materials and documents.
For the sake of the milk powder, and also the million-yuan debt, Chen Meilan had to give it her all from now on, even eating breakfast at the conference table.
However, just two days after arriving, Chen Meilan keenly sensed that someone was following her.
Several times, she felt someone behind her, but when she turned around, she couldn't find anyone.
Chen Meilan wasn't stupid; even though she couldn't spot anyone, she could guess who it might be.
While work was necessarily busy, life's matters still needed handling.
The next evening, knowing Little Lang would be at the shooting range, Chen Meilan excused herself to use the bathroom, left the conference room, ran out of Food Factory 81, and headed straight for the military shooting range. When she arrived, she didn't go in but hid behind a pine tree.
Soon after, Little Lang came out.
As soon as he emerged, a woman stopped him, getting straight to the point: "Yan Minglang, I'm your mother!"
Little Lang did indeed stop.
"Back then, during the one-child policy, the government wouldn't let me have you. I hid everywhere from the family planning officials, even in cellars, just to give birth to you. You've seen the photo, right? The one of me holding you when you were one year old?" the woman said.
This woman was, of course, Zhou Xueqin.
But what Chen Meilan hadn't expected was that she was wearing a white top and blue pants - the uniform of the milk powder factory workers.
This proved she had been working at the milk powder factory all along.
Unlike Food Factory 81, which employed only veterans, the milk powder factory needed female workers. However, Chen Meilan had insisted that the HR department thoroughly verify everything from personnel files to health certificates, especially the health certificates.
Lu Jingyu had sued Zhou Xueqin, and loan sharks were after her too, but they thought she had fled back to familiar Xiping City, so that's where they were looking for her.
The most dangerous place was often the safest - Zhou Xueqin was quite clever, wasn't she? After swindling Lu Jingyu out of two buildings, she hid in her milk powder factory, probably using fake money and fake health certificates?
Fake certificates were rampant in the 90s, so these things were easy to obtain.
But she was too clever - no matter how tough the loan sharks were, would they dare come looking in a military district? Of course not.
Military factories were places where they wouldn't dare cause trouble, and who would have thought Zhou Xueqin would hide in Chen Meilan's milk powder factory?
Moreover, because of the military factory connection, the milk powder factory workers could enter the military district.
That's why Zhou Xueqin could precisely time her private meeting with Little Lang.
But wasn't she spinning tales?
Clearly, she hadn't wanted Little Lang initially and had almost aborted him. It was only because Yan Zhao was on the frontline and the army wouldn't let her abort, begging her to keep the baby. And that nonsense about hemorrhaging - when she gave birth to Little Lang, Chen Degong's family had sent her cooking oil, pork, and their home-raised chickens to help her recover.
Chen Meilan stayed where she was and watched as Little Lang reached out to touch Zhou Xueqin's stomach.
The child's hand gently pressed against Zhou Xueqin's abdomen as he asked, "So, I came from your belly?"
The child was naturally kind-hearted, and with Zhou Xueqin crying pitifully, plus the photo evidence and Chen Meilan's previous mentions, he was willing to believe.
"Yes, yes. Your father and I divorced, and Chen Meilan has raised you well, but Little Lang, mother misses you, mother..." Zhou Xueqin was terribly thin, her hands like dried chicken claws as she grabbed Little Lang's hand and pressed it to her face, saying, "Mother looked for you before, but you were too young then to understand. To make sure your other mother would raise you well, I didn't say anything. But I gave birth to you, and mother really misses you, loves you, do you understand?"
Blood ties couldn't be severed.
Little Lang didn't resist and remained curious, so Zhou Xueqin continued: "To earn money for you, when you were just 20 days old, I went south to trade fabric, but unfortunately, there was a fire..."
"So now, do you want to take me away?" Little Lang interrupted Zhou Xueqin's emotional manipulation to ask.
This wasn't something he would ask Chen Meilan about, as unlike Little Wang, he didn't worry obsessively.
He knew Chen Meilan would never send him away, but he felt some love for his birth mother.
He wanted to understand Zhou Xueqin's intentions.
"No, no, mother just works at the milk powder factory, I pass by here every day, just seeing you is enough. I saw you in the shooting range earlier - such a big gun, you shot so well!" Zhou Xueqin said.
The mother-son relationship was warming up.
Little Lang furrowed his brow, his dark face showing a satisfied smile.
Chen Meilan continued watching. For children, whether it's biological or step-parents, as long as they could be like Yan Xishan - showing affection without going overboard, loving the children within appropriate boundaries, and staying away from ex-spouses' lives - Chen Meilan could accept that.
However, Zhou Xueqin had taken one wrong step, leading to a cascade of mistakes. And from how things looked now, she had no intention of turning back.
Chen Meilan hesitated, wondering whether to approach them now.
Just then, Little Lang suddenly jumped up: "I remember you now."
Zhou Xueqin immediately fell to her knees: "Yes, you remember mama, don't you? You should remember how when you were little, you wouldn't let Little Wang hold you, always clinging to mama, crying whenever mama left. You loved mama so much back then."
"One snowy day, I went to hug you, but you kicked me into a snowbank," Little Lang said excitedly. "You were wearing such beautiful clothes that day, and you didn't want me to dirty them. But I always thought it was my mother who had kicked me."
That was his only memory from before he was three and a half years old - his beautiful mother kicking him into a snowbank.
His face had turned blue from the snow, and it was Little Wang who pulled him out, patted him, and blew warm breath into his mouth to revive him.
Zhou Xueqin, still kneeling, shook her head and shrieked: "Impossible, it must have been Chen Meilan who kicked you. How could I ever do that? You're my own flesh and blood, how could I ever..."
People tend to selectively forget their own foolish actions.
Zhou Xueqin remembered how Little Lang would cry wanting her to hold him, and how she often carried him to the hospital when he was frequently sick as a child. But she had forgotten how she used to scold and hit him, how she would push him away and shove him aside every time he ran to her.
Grabbing him tightly, she raised her voice: "Little Lang, mama loves you, mama really loves you."
Frightened by her hysterical behavior, Little Lang broke free from Zhou Xueqin and ran away.
"Yan Minglang, mama really loves you!" Zhou Xueqin stumbled forward a few steps, only to run into Chen Meilan.
"Oh, Meilan?" She quickly stood up, wiping her eyes.
She had probably expected to run into Chen Meilan sooner or later, so she wasn't particularly flustered.
Pointing to her clothes, she explained: "I'm not doing much these days, found a job at your milk powder factory. It's just temporary - I have bigger business ventures, but I'm a hardworking person, mainly can't stand being idle."
Chen Meilan smiled slightly: "That's good." But immediately added: "Sister, please try to stay away from Little Lang from now on."
Zhou Xueqin nodded repeatedly: "I'm going to Guangzhou soon, I'll just occasionally check on the child, don't worry."
See how she had learned to be evasive.
She continued: "By the way, isn't Yan Zhao in Cambodia? I saw news the other day about a plane being hijacked in Cambodia, with many people killed. Is Yan Zhao alright?"
Yan Zhao was indeed in Cambodia, working near the airport in the capital, where the situation was reportedly very chaotic.
He only shared good news, not bad, and kept telling Chen Meilan not to read the newspapers.
He insisted that the news in the papers was all fake, and that he would return when his assignment was over, saying everything was fine.
Chen Meilan indeed hadn't read the newspapers; she trusted Yan Zhao - he was like King Yama himself, what could possibly happen to him?
She was more concerned about Zhou Xueqin's situation, saying: "Look, sister, I don't know how you got into the milk powder factory, and you can keep your current ID, I won't interfere with that, but you must have a health certificate. You need to get a medical examination. I want to see your health certificate first thing tomorrow morning."
She spoke very sincerely - working in a milk powder factory, in food production, a health certificate was mandatory.
But Zhou Xueqin suddenly became angry again: "Chen Meilan, even though you're a big boss now and I've fallen on hard times, don't forget who helped you become what you are today. Let me be blunt - if it weren't for me, you would have married Lu Jingyu. You know what kind of dog he is, knowing nothing but calling me a spendthrift woman. If it weren't for me, you would have married such a..."
She refused to reflect on herself, even after things had gotten this bad.
Being hunted by loan sharks and Lu Jingyu together, who were searching high and low for her.
Yet she hadn't reflected on herself one bit, and instead wanted to position herself as Chen Meilan's benefactor?
She almost wanted to reveal that she was reborn, just to gain some sympathy from Chen Meilan?
Chen Meilan didn't want to waste words with such a woman, only saying: "Sister, staying away from Little Lang is best for everyone. Also, go get your blood test and health certificate tomorrow, or I'll fire you first thing in the morning."
"You!" Zhou Xueqin let out a sharp cry, but was helpless. As she watched Chen Meilan leaving, she called out: "Meilan, no one can stop a mother from loving her child."
Love? Chen Meilan didn't think so.
Zhou Xueqin's real intention was this: she didn't want to take Little Lang away, but she needed him to depend on her, to establish a good mother-son relationship with her.
That way, she could leverage Yan Zhao and Yan Peiheng's influence.
One level of authority can crush another - are loan sharks legal? Is it legal for Lu Jingyu, already divorced, to keep harassing his ex-wife? None of it is legal. In this battle of criminals, Zhou Xueqin held the property rights to two buildings, making her the current winner, but she couldn't shake off the harassment from Lu Jingyu and the loan sharks.
At this point, if Little Lang would acknowledge and love her, she could borrow Yan Zhao's influence, having father and son intervene on her behalf.
To force back Lu Jingyu and the loan sharks.
Fortune favors the bold - she did all this just to cleanly acquire those two buildings.
But had she considered what if the loan sharks targeted Little Lang? What if they arranged an "accident"? Had she thought about that?
Her maternal love was too heavy a burden, too heavy for Little Lang and Little Wang to bear.
Chen Meilan left, and Zhou Xueqin had to return to the milk powder factory.
She had stayed in this courtyard for about eight months, though that was 15 years ago. When Zhou Xueqin first arrived, fearing recognition, she often skulked around, trying to stay hidden.
However, no one had ever recognized her.
She had thought she was hiding well.
But recently, when some children called her "grandma," she suddenly realized it wasn't that she had hidden well, but that in the eight years since her divorce from Yan Zhao - just eight years - her face had become gaunt, her hair yellow and brittle. When people get thin, their skin sags, their eyelids droop, and with some cosmetic procedures she'd had done in recent years trying to keep up with trends, she looked like an old woman.
Looking back on these eight years since her rebirth, she realized she had taken one wrong step after another.
It all started with divorcing Yan Zhao - that was the first wrong turn.
But she didn't regret it. She had two buildings in Guangzhou, and property prices would soar to heights that people now couldn't even imagine. She was willing to risk everything to keep those two buildings.
If she could keep them, she could live comfortably as a landlady for the rest of her life.
That's why she was even more concerned about Yan Zhao than Chen Meilan was.
Because Yan Zhao was in law enforcement, specializing in fighting crime, she wanted him back even more than Chen Meilan did.
This was the first time international peacekeeping police had been sent abroad on a mission, and the news media was following it closely. Both the "Police Daily" and "Legal Observer" had special bulletin columns.
The peacekeepers' work assignments and itineraries were all published in the newspapers.
Zhou Xueqin had subscribed to the papers and read them daily.
When she saw news about Yan Zhao's team encountering some violent incident, she would think how nice it would be if Yan Zhao died abroad - wouldn't that make Chen Meilan cry herself to death?
Her current happy life would come to an end.
What was there to be so proud of? Chen Meilan's good life today was all thanks to her.
But these were just passing, absurd thoughts.
She hoped for Yan Zhao's safe return.
She needed Little Lang to love her, and she needed father and son Yan to use their influence to help her secure the buildings.
She was almost forty now, too old to have more children. Wasn't trading two buildings for her son's affection enough?
Today was the 2nd, and according to the newspaper, the peacekeeping team would return on the 4th and hold a press conference to report their peacekeeping work to the organization and the public. So there were just two days left. In these two days, Zhou Xueqin had to make Little Lang love her. She did have money - the high-interest loan from Lu Jingyu. She had Chen Meilan figured out; she was a kind-hearted woman who wouldn't go to extremes, and definitely wouldn't fire her.
So what should she buy or do to make the child happy?
Suddenly, Zhou Xueqin remembered that when Little Lang was young, he particularly loved those small trumpets that would make a "woo-woo" sound when blown. He had begged for one, and since she was in a good mood that day, she bought it for him. Little Lang was overjoyed and treasured that little trumpet dearly. When a neighbor's child stepped on it and broke it, he cried for a long time.
She decided to buy him a little trumpet, to remind him of her kindness.
However, those small trumpets weren't easy to find. She searched everywhere from small shops to toy stores without success. Finally, at a labor supply store outside the military district, she spotted several old, red and green trumpets tossed in a cardboard box in the corner.
Just as Zhou Xueqin bent down to pick one up, she heard a deep male voice: "Boss, do you have any buckwheat husk pillows?"
"Yes, five yuan each, freshly filled with buckwheat husks. We'll fill as much as you want," the shopkeeper replied with a smile.
Then, noticing the security check sticker on the man's suitcase, the shopkeeper added, "Sir, you must be a big businessman. Looking at that suitcase, you must have just gotten off a plane. Why are you looking for a buckwheat husk pillow? Are you an overseas Chinese? Many overseas Chinese love these pillows."
"Put in more buckwheat husks," the man replied curtly.
Zhou Xueqin found the voice strangely familiar. When she turned around, she was startled.
It was Yan Zhao, wearing a camel-colored wool coat, dress pants, and leather shoes. He still had his crew cut, his skin even darker than when he first came back from the battlefield. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he frowned, watching the shopkeeper fill the pillow. He was still himself, yet somehow completely transformed, like a different person.
His suitcase bore the characters "eight-one," issued by his work unit.
His clothes must also have been unit-issued uniforms, as the label inside his open wool coat also showed the "eight-one" characters.
Wasn't the press conference supposed to be on the 4th? Why was he back today?
But she hadn't sorted things out with Little Lang yet!
Zhou Xueqin grabbed two small trumpets, not daring to stand up.
She only rushed out after Yan Zhao left the store with his pillow.
She saw him get into a Red Flag car, which didn't go far, stopping outside the gate of a Grade-One Family Quarters.
Then the driver got out and went into the compound.
Yan Zhao also got out, opened the trunk which contained a bouquet of roses and several suitcases.
He repeatedly adjusted the position of items, hiding the buckwheat pillow at the very back, then took out the roses, held them in his hands, but seemingly finding it inappropriate, put them back.
A moment later, he took them out again, only to put them back after another while.
Just then, Little Wang and Yuanyuan were playing by the stairs. Yan Zhao hurriedly pulled out sunglasses from his pocket and put them on, turning his back.
Setting aside his earlier nervousness, he looked cool, tall, and determined - a mature, reserved man.
Zhou Xueqin had never loved Yan Zhao, and always believed she could find a better man than him.
But undeniably, at this moment, her heart was filled with mixed emotions!
