Author: Jianjia Nizi
Translator: FoxyJung, Let4
Proofreader: KainGuru
Usagi notes: Hi guys. There"s a correction in the first paragraph of chapter 41.3. Yan Shuya was not adopted. You can find the details in this chapter. Sorry for the confusion.
Meng Ting adjusted his posture slightly, hugged Yan Sui back, and did not talk anymore. They embraced each other quietly. He could feel that Yan Sui"s mood had not settled completely. Although he was not exactly agitated in the first place, it felt different. It was not the same as being truly at ease.
Meng Ting was not the least bit wrong about what he said. Yan Sui took him into his arms and gently patted him. His eyes gradually grew heavy. He rubbed his face against the side of Yan Sui"s neck and not long after, he fell asleep.
Yan Sui lowered his eyes to look at the boy sleeping in his arms, then the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a somewhat easy smile. He also closed his eyes. He did not fall asleep, but the feeling of holding on to someone while deep in thought was very different than usual. His head was still in disorder, yet his mood was mild.
Meng Ting slept for nearly two hours in Yan Sui"s embrace before he was awakened. He had not opened his eyes yet when his hair was ruffled.
"Have you come to?"
"Hmn." Meng Ting answered as he gradually opened his eyes. After a bit, he became completely awake.
"I fell asleep."
Yan Sui leaned over and kissed Meng Ting"s lips. "Wrong, I coaxed you to sleep."
Meng Ting looked sideways. He could not think of anything right or wrong in these few words, but he still hugged and kissed Yan Sui on the cheek for a few times. "You"re right."
He thought that, for those things that he did not understand, surely Yan Sui would be the right one.
"Get up. Let"s go and eat."
Yan Sui continued to rub Meng Ting"s hair. He might not have figured out the things that he was pondering over, but it could not affect his mood and decisiveness, and it was unnecessary for him to waste his precious honeymoon time with Meng Ting.
"Okay." Meng Ting nodded. He was effortlessly pulled up by Yan Sui, then he was taken to the bathroom. Before he could even find the cup, Yan Sui had already filled it up with water for him. When he had just put the cup down, Yan Sui had already wrung the towel for him.
Meng Ting turned to his side obediently and raised his face, then Yan Sui proceeded to wipe his face gently and meticulously. Yan Sui had already given all of his tenderness to Meng Ting.
After Meng Ting was finished, Yan Sui washed himself up. Meng Ting only managed to hand him over a towel in time. Although he hoped that he could give Yan Sui the same treatment, who would have thought that he was made into someone who was more innately slow-witted than others. Rather than making a mess, he thought that it was better to accompany him like this. This was good, too.
It was already past eleven o"clock, so having tea was unnecessary. Yan Mu made arrangements for them to have a Western-style meal in the lawn. Yan Zhenbo did not go with them. The only ones who were present were Yan Sui and Meng Ting, accompanied by Yan Mu and his soon-to-be-recognized son, Yan Shuya.
When the servant came to serve the steak, Yan Sui took Meng Ting"s portion and brought it in front of him, then he used his knife and fork to cut it into small pieces. After cutting it into smaller pieces, he placed the plate back in front of Meng Ting. "Eat this with the vegetables, too."
"Okay." Meng Ting nodded. He forked up a piece of meat and placed it in his mouth. He liked to eat meat and he was not picky either, whether it was pork or beef. One by one, including other dishes that Yan Sui replenished, Meng Ting just concentrated on filling up his stomach.
Yan Shuya ate and glanced at them from time to time, then he said, "Looks like Uncle and Aunt"s feelings for each other"s really good." When the door was blocked by Yan Sui earlier, he only heard Meng Ting"s voice. He did not know that the "Aunt" who could marry Yan Sui would be this young and not looking much older than him. Nonetheless, he already knew from Yan Mu that they were coming to F Country for their honeymoon.
"Yan Sui"s so considerate. It"s my first time learning this as well," Yan Mu said and laughed. He also grabbed a grilled wing for Yan Shuya. He thought that Yan Shuya said so because he was envious of Meng Ting having someone who would take care of him while eating.
Meng Ting swallowed the meat in his mouth and retorted, "It"s awfully good between Yan Sui and I." Definitely not just "looks like."
Yan Sui took a napkin and wiped the corners of Meng Ting"s mouth, then he corroborated Meng Ting"s words, “It"s very good.”
Having heard what Yan Sui said, Meng Ting smiled. "Have some, too.”
“Hmn,” Yan Sui answered, but then he took the already-prepped Chinese mitten crab on his plate and gave it to Meng Ting.
The Western-style meal was consumed for almost two hours; during which, Yan Sui and Yan Mu occasionally talked about certain things. However, Yan Shuya and Meng Ting basically did not exchange any words except for Meng Ting"s previous remark. Meng Ting concentrated on eating and watching Yan Sui, while Yan Shuya was eating and measuring Yan Sui and Meng Ting"s interactions with his eyes.
After the main course, dessert and afternoon tea were served. Yan Mu wanted to talk with Yan Sui privately. Seeing that Meng Ting was still within his sight, Yan Sui agreed after coming to an agreement with Meng Ting.
Yan Sui may not agree with Yan Mu"s request, but Yan Mu would not even give him the opportunity to say it.
On the other side, Meng Ting continued eating his dessert as well as raising his eyes to look at Yan Sui.
“Aunt, how did you and Uncle get to know each other?”
It seemed like someone had already asked him this question before. Meng Ting paused, but then he still gave him the same answer as before, “We just got acquainted.”
"It seems like Grandpa doesn"t like me very much. If you and Uncle can accept me, Grandpa won"t have many objections either." Yan Shuya suddenly looked pitiful. He looked at Meng Ting and took out the same coquettish acting skills that he had been using on Yan Mu.
However, Meng Ting"s response was still awfully brief, "I"ll listen to Yan Sui."
Whatever was Yan Sui"s opinion, his would be the same. Moreover, he was not familiar with the people here, and that also included this Yan Shuya. How could Meng Ting speak up for him just like that? He had nothing to lose, but what if Yan Sui had something to lose?
"If Grandpa doesn"t acknowledge me, I can"t be my father"s son, and I won"t have a father anymore."
Frankly speaking, to make Yan Shuya act coquettish and seek sympathy from someone who was almost of the same age as himself, he was rather reluctant. Who made the boy in front of him cling to Yan Sui and become a person who was equally influential to both the Yan Clan"s main and collateral branches?
When Meng Ting and Yan Sui slept, Yan Shuya had scouted out a lot of information; thus, he could understand why Yan Mu attached such importance to Yan Sui and Meng Ting"s arrival.
Meng Ting looked at him and asked doubtfully, "But what does this have to do with me?” It was not like Meng Ting did not have a father, oh, right, he did not have a father, and he did not want one as well.
Yan Shuya choked and the gentleness on his face also disappeared. A pair of wide-opened eyes were looking at Meng Ting.
Seeing that he stopped talking with him, Meng Ting lowered his head and dug up another spoon of cake to eat.
"How could you be so…unsympathetic, so unkind!" Yan Shuya also did not overdo this trick, but he thought that this dim-witted "Aunt" should be able to stretch out his hand and grab it.
Having heard what he said, Meng Ting paused, then he nodded in agreement. "If you say so. But in any case, I don"t think you"re pitiful."
He made a few flippant remarks and all of the scripts that Yan Shuya had formulated in his mind became futile.
On the other end, Yan Mu also talked about this issue with Yan Sui, but compared to Yan Shuya"s attempt to draw compa.s.sion, his speech was more distinct and straightforward.
To cut the story short, when Yan Mu went to Haicheng to have some fun eighteen years ago, he carelessly slept with a woman. It was a one-night stand which he did not care about for so many years. However, in the past six months, he was captivated by a woman and insisted that he would marry no one else but her. Nevertheless, at a crucial moment, he found out that the woman had a seventeen-year-old son.
After several meetings, he realized that this seventeen-year-old son looked very much like him. He did not remember the woman who he had a one-night stand with, but the woman remembered him. When both of them quarreled, this matter was blurted out by the woman.
In this era, if you want to know whether a child was your biological son or not, would it not be easy? Three days, later the hospital came out with the results.
The whole time, Yan Mu unknowingly had a seventeen-year-old son. This feeling was quite wonderful. Plus, he was serious about the woman who was actually better than any of his other past lovers. Yan Shuya was also very fond of him.
He became more and more determined with his decision to acknowledge the mother and the child. He initially thought that Yan Zhenbo, who had been urging him to get married for more than ten years, would have no objections. To his surprise, after meeting them only once, he already told Yan Mu that he disagreed.
“Linda"s very nice. She"s self-reliant. All these years, she raised her son alone and suffered many hardships. I wanted to compensate them properly, but my old man just disagreed.”
After Yan Sui listened to his explanation, he did not immediately declare where he stood. He swept his gaze to see Meng Ting, who was also looking at him, and his facial features warmed up a bit. After that, he thought over it for a little while, then he took in Yan Mu"s words.
“Uncle"s not dissatisfied with her. It"s just that your son will affect the future right of inheritance. He has to consider it carefully.”
The matters and angles that a patriarch considers were different from those of an average family head. He was responsible for the entire family and those who depend on the family.
“Yan Ya"s son is indeed pretty good, but Shuya"s not lacking either. He just never had the chance to receive the proper education…my old man"s just too biased.”
There would always be bias in people"s hearts. Yan Zhenbo was partial toward his eldest grandson, Yan Mingya. Was Yan Mu not partial toward his own son, Yan Shuya as well?
Yan Sui still fixed his gaze on Meng Ting, then he responded to what Yan Mu said, "Actually, if you really want to recognize your son, it"s not difficult. As long as you let Uncle know that Yan Shuya will voluntarily renounce his right of inheritance, Uncle won"t make things difficult anymore."
As soon as Yan Sui spoke, Yan Mu was reticent. How could he not think of this? The reason why he approached Yan Sui was because he did not want Yan Shuya to lose the Yan clan"s right of inheritance. However, he could also feel Yan Sui"s standpoint based on these two sentences—he similarly did not think highly of Yan Shuya.
Indeed, Yan Shuya was a child who never received a formal elite education. On the other hand, Yan Mingya, who was a child which had been trained as the next-generation heir, was closely nurtured by Yan Zhenbo"s side from childhood. Before Yan Mu found out about Yan Shuya, he also thought that his nephew was pretty good.
"You want to give the best to Yan Shuya, but you also should consider whether or not he"s suitable." From his point of view, he also thought that Yan Mingya would be better suited than Yan Shuya. He muttered to himself, then he added, "You think it"s unfair to Yan Shuya, but you suddenly brought back a son. How"s that fair to Mingya who"s been the heir for eighteen years?”
It was not easy to be the heir who had to meet everyone"s expectations. Yan Mingya must have paid a lot. However, Yan Mu brought back a son who obviously wanted to fight for his right of inheritance. Was it not the same as telling him that all his past efforts might have to go down the drain?
A child with a bad temperament might do something about it.
From Yan Zhenbo"s point of view, he must also consider how to prevent internal strife in the family.
Yan Mu had excessively taken this matter for granted.
“But Shuya"s my son. This is what he deserves.”
Yan Mu followed Yan Sui"s line of sight. After that, he looked at Yan Shuya and his gaze softened a little. "Yan Sui, I"ve never asked anything from you before. I just hope that you could talk it over with my old man and give Shuya and Mingya a chance to compete fairly.”