“Humiliated you? Me? We’ve been keeping a low profile for days. When Ye Guanguan came back, she showed her ruthlessness. And you! You loser! Drank in the daytime? Where were you last night?”
Huang Lirong lost her temper. She poked Ye Qiuran on the head quite a few times. When others were around, she always pretended. But when no one was noticing, she made no disguise.
Ye Qiuran shook her mother off, staggered to her own bedroom, and pulled the door open.
“I’m getting to sleep. Leave me alone.”
“You’re getting angry? I’m your mother! Can’t I complain? Don’t think I don’t know you’re still dating Lu Mingye! How humiliating it is! Don’t you know?”
Huang Lirong walked up to pull her daughter, but the latter dodged coldly.
“Do I not know that’s humiliating? If I had a rich father like my uncle, I could have lived a carefree life like Ye Guanguan, the loser! Unfortunately, I don’t have a rich father. Then I have to struggle for whatever I want! What’s wrong with that?”
Ye Qiuran had been upset because Lu Mingye refused to come out even though she asked to see him the whole night. Again, he sent Lu Heng to fob her off as usual!
She had already had trouble dealing with Lu Mingye. She didn’t want to argue with her parents when she was back home.
“Qiuran, what are you talking about?”
Ye Jian was so choked with rage that he gasped. As he suddenly coughed, his daughter only rolled her eyes.
“Save me the trouble, all right? I must make Lu Mingye marry me in a short time. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed to stay in the city.”
Ye Qiuran tugged the door open, with fierce eyes. She no longer looked as pitiful as she was when she begged for mercy in the living room.
Huang Lirong was also disappointed in her husband. She snorted, and away she went.
Inside the bedroom, Ye Qiuran sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted. She held her mobile phone tightly in her hand, but no messages came at all. When the silence engulfed her, she could no longer stand it and she threw away the phone grumpily.
Downstairs, Ye Guanguan and her families were at table, very cheerfully. Mrs. Liu saw the displeasure across Ye Guo’s face and asked, “Master, shall I ask Miss Qiuran and her parents to dinner?”
Today was a happy day, anyway. Mrs. Liu and Zhang heard the quarrel in the living room, though they didn’t hear it clearly. What Ye Qiuran had done, however, was known to all servants.
Someone said he went to the wedding, only to see what Ye Qiuran did with Lu Mingye. No one had expected Ye Qiuran, who used to be a quiet girl, to hook up with her cousin’s boyfriend.
Unconsciously, Ye Guo cast a glance at Ye Guanguan. Ye Guanguan and Lu Jinting were helping each other with dishes. She also joked with Ye Qiancheng now and then. Ye Guo then nodded.
“Send for them.”
“Dad,” Ye Guanguan put down the chopsticks and explained, “I didn’t mean to scold them like a host instead of a guest. I was just too angry. Ye Qiuran did such a humiliating thing. Are you still going to have them stay?”
What she said made Ye Guo go purple in the face.
“Guanguan, what are you talking about? This is always your home, whether you’re married or not. Who is the guest? No one is a guest.”
Ye Guanguan’s face relaxed as she realized that her father still cared for her. She sighed, “My mother died early. I know Uncle and his family stayed here as I grew up. I cared for them, but…”
It wasn’t suitable for her to say something frankly so that her father would doubt his own brother. Her father wouldn’t believe that his brother had evil intentions.
Ye Qiancheng sat aside, thinking about what Ye Guanguan told him on the wedding day when he carried her on his back before putting her into the wedding car.
Back then, Ye Guanguan asked him to watch out for Lu Mingye and Ye Qiuran. Lu Mingye was Ye Qiancheng’s good friend. But this time, he really let Ye Qiancheng down. But Ye Qiuran…
She used to be a good girl. It was Ye Qiancheng’s first time to see her lose her cool in front of elders.
Maybe she was truly cheated by Lu Mingye; maybe there was some other reason that people didn’t know. But anyway, they were caught adultery in the act. What was done couldn’t be undone. Right now, Ye Guanguan might no longer care for the true reason.
“Guanguan, don’t push Dad. We can’t let him be blamed at this age for having no sympathy. I’ll keep an eye on Qiuran.”
Ye Qiancheng nodded at Ye Guanguan, signaling that he remembered what she warned him. She didn’t need to worry too much.
In the past, Ye Guanguan had absolute faith in Ye Qiancheng. But since Meng Wanru turned up again, Ye Guanguan thought her family was through a bad patch.
“Fine, then. Thank you, Qiancheng,” replied Lu Jinting, before Ye Guanguan said anything.
What happened today upset Ye Guanguan. Lu Jinting didn’t interfere, but he noticed the bad feelings she had. He loved it when she gave innocent smiles to him rather than when she worried about trifles.
Within minutes, Huang Lirong and Ye Jian came back. They sat neither too far nor too close. Seemed like they wanted to fawn on Ye Guo.
Ye Guanguan gained the initiative. She raised her glass of wine and proposed a toast to Ye Jian.
“Uncle, I didn’t want to be mean. But you know, the wedding was very important to me. What’s done can’t be undone. Now I’ve found my true love. I’ll no longer blame Qiuran for that. But Lu Mingye isn’t a good guy. Hope Qiuran will behave herself.”
As she finished, she pursed her lips and took a sip of wine before she put down the glass.
Since she was talking nicely, Ye Jian no longer remained stiff. He raised his glass and replied, “There must be some misunderstanding. We’re not sure about everything. Maybe it’s just Lu Mingye’s fault. We’re families. Don’t hurt each other’s feelings for strangers.”
Ye Guanguan’s lips curled into a sneer. Yet she still replied stubbornly, “I don’t think so, Uncle. My husband is also from the Lu family. He isn’t a stranger.”
Huang Lirong picked up the conversation immediately, “It’s been only a few days since you got married. And now you’re defending a stranger. Guanguan, you’re so…”
She thought she was joking, but everyone else was embarrassed. Even Lu Jinting barely said anything. More silence followed the little “joke”.
“We’re families. Stop saying strangers. Let’s just enjoy the meal.”
The meal didn’t manage to continue until Ye Guo broke the embarrassment.
Mrs. Liu had made the dishes that Ye Guanguan loved most before she got married. After punishing Ye Qiuran, Ye Guanguan was in a better mood. She had a bit more to eat.
After the meal, Lu Jinting, Ye Guo and Ye Qiancheng planted the red pine together. Lu Jinting helped to dig a hole while Ye Qiancheng watered the plant all the time. They had a great time planting the pine. At last, the relationship among them had eased.
Night fell before anyone noticed it. Ye Guo asked Lu Jinting to stay for a private conversation before he left.
Ye Guanguan waited in the car. She looked out of the window and saw some cigarette ends flickering under the orange glow of the lamp-post outside of her home. A long moment passed. Lu Jinting didn’t come back until she almost fell asleep.