Chapter 505: Official Acknowledgement (1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was clear that there was a hint of unhappiness from the way the former master Mu looked at Zhao Youlin. He moved his gaze away as if he had understood something before he said in a low voice, “You seem to care about Feng’s previous marriage very much.”
Upon hearing his words, both Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng were stunned. Zhao Youlin paused for a moment before she smirked without hesitation, “Grandpa Mu, I heard that you and Grandma Mu were given the liberty to choose your spouses back then. Besides, even after you were married for more than decades, you both were still as close as ever until she pa.s.sed away. You and Grandma Mu were an exemplary couple in society.”
As Zhao Youlin was saying this, she deliberately cast a glance at the former master. When she saw a hint of tenderness from his cold expression, the corners of her lips curled upward slightly and she continued, “Since this is the case, Grandpa Mu, I believe you know better than the young people that true love means that they hope their lovers would belong to them wholeheartedly be it physically or emotionally. The so-called love in which they feel happy as long as they know their lovers are happy only happens in a cliche setting. However, we are pragmatic creatures in nature.”
When Zhao Youlin said this, she took the initiative to step forward and hold Mu Tingfeng’s hand. She was once again facing the former master with Mu Tingfeng. She met the former master’s gaze and said determinedly, “In fact, when they truly love someone, they would care about everything that is related to their lovers be it their past, present, or future. Meanwhile, for those who are kept in the dark yet didn’t bother to find out more and choose to wait quietly for their lovers, these people are either a case of not really caring much about their lovers or, they truly are so stupid that not even G.o.ds can save them. Grandpa Mu, what do you think?”
In Zhao Youlin’s opinion, love was something that was different from other kinds of emotions. You meant it when you loved someone. There was never a grey area between love and otherwise.
Zhao Youlin was a very independent woman since her youth due to her family background and various reasons. Unlike the previous Zhao Youlin, the current Zhao Youlin thought that if two people did not fall for each other willingly, they might as well make a clean break before they fell deeply in love.
She was also not the kind of woman who acted like she did not care and made the person stay far away from her even when she clearly liked him.
The moment she had laid her eyes on certain things, she would grab them tightly and not allow anyone to covet them, much less share them with others.
This was how Mu Tingfeng treated her. Likewise, this was how she treated him as well.
Love required understanding. However, what was more was an absolute possession of the person including his soul and body!
Even though she had occupied the previous Zhao Youlin’s body and became “her” and treated Joy as her own flesh and blood, it was a lie to say that she did not care about Mu Tingfeng’s previous marriage.
It was precisely because she cared for him so much that she had a stricter requirement on him compared to others. This… was human nature, as well as the inferior nature of human beings.
Regarding the incident, she could not put the blame on the previous Zhao Youlin. This was because the previous Zhao Youlin had already pa.s.sed away and the current Zhao Youlin could not change anything even if she wanted to.
Neither could she blame it on Mu Tingfeng. After all, Mu Tingfneg had also been a victim. He was equally in as much of a dilemma as her.
However, she realized that she actually resented this old man whom she met for the first time for no reason other than the fact that he had used Mu Tingfeng’s marriage as a bargaining chip. What exactly did this old man treat Mu Tingfeng as? A tool to repay his own favor?
Upon hearing Zhao Youlin’s words, Mu Tingfeng was a little moved. He was happy that Zhao Youlin cared about him. However, he more or less felt a little remorseful.
If… If only he met her earlier, wouldn’t this…
Like the former master Mu mentioned, after all these years, this was his first time having someone who had the guts to talk to him so boldly. Zhao Youlin’s words had gotten the former master Mu stunned for some time. The next moment, his eyes flashed and there was a hint of change in the way he looked at Zhao Youlin. “If not for the fact that I insisted Feng married the eldest lady of the Zhao family in the beginning, you might not be so lucky to have met him.”
Zhao Youlin raised one of her eyebrows and refuted him with a hint of mockery, “Grandpa Mu, from what I understood from your words, are you trying to s.h.i.+rk from your own responsibility or, shall I say, I should be impressed over your foresight, huh?”
The former master Mu received the hint of tease from Zhao Youlin’s words. There was a hint of human emotion on his face that was even more stoic than Mu Tingfeng, which was a rare sight to behold. However, that emotion was neither the annoyance nor gloom that Zhao Youlin had expected. In fact, it was a hint of a smile.
‘A hint of a smile?’ Zhao Youlin was shocked by her own discovery. By the time she looked at the former master once again, he had already resumed his stoicism. Zhao Youlin felt like she had almost imagined noticing the hint of a smile that flashed across his face.
“You’re right. But you can’t deny the role I played in this just because of that.”
Right after the former master said this, Zhao Youlin was rendered speechless. She felt her eyes flying wide open and glared at the former master’s expressionless, haggard face while lamenting to herself. ‘I thought Grandpa Zhao is already a shameless old man. But I never thought there would be another person who is equally as shameless as him!’
The reason she could be with Mu Tingfeng was purely because of the event of her reincarnation that had brought her back from the dead supernaturally and had nothing to do with him, okay!
The former master Mu’s eyes flickered under Zhao Youlin’s gaze before he said in a low voice, “It’s true that I have not thought it through carefully regarding the incident back then.”
At that time, he only wished to repay Zhao Youlin’s grandmother’s kindness. At the same time, he also thought that Zhao Youlin was already pregnant with Mu Tingfeng’s son.
With the child, the couple would more or less be more intimate compared to others. They might even develop feelings for each other once they tied the knot.
However, little did the former master know that Mu Tingfeng had failed to develop feelings for the previous Zhao Youlin even after four years of marriage. In fact, the moment the inner soul of the previous Zhao Youlin was changed, he was gradually attracted to her and truly fell in love with her.
Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng were stunned upon hearing the former master’s words. This was especially so for Zhao Youlin. Initially, she thought of annoying him by saying those words as well as blowing the steam off for Mu Tingfeng. However, she never thought that the former master would admit to his mistake without hesitation. In the end, she did not know what to say.
The atmosphere inside the study room turned solemn once again. The silent and awkward atmosphere began to spread in the air once again.
Luckily, the awkward atmosphere did not stay for long. They heard the shout rise from outside, “Father, refreshment for tea time is ready. Come out with Youlin and the rest.”
The former master cast a glance at them before he walked out.
Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng exchanged gazes. As expected, they saw a trace of relief in each other’s eyes.
Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng quietly followed behind the former master Mu to the middle of the small pavilion in the courtyard. As soon as they settled down, the former master Mu blurted out.
“We sound like strangers if you keep calling me Grandpa Mu.. Since you are going to remarry Feng in a few days, call me Grandpa.”