Chapter 1932: Unt.i.tled
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ji Fengmian’s back was facing them as he hugged Little Sun. His body paused for a moment before his fingers tapped Little Sun’s tender face gently, revealing a gentle smile.
She was the only one who had a brain and couldn’t call him out. She used her child to give herself a way out.
Chu Boyang knew what Shen Fanxing was doing.
But this was really enough.
She was right. After 27 years, she was already married and had two adorable children.
!!
Her calmness when she heard this news had exceeded his expectations.
It was indeed not easy for her to suddenly call him.
However, her att.i.tude was obvious.
She acknowledged him.
“Sorry.”
All these years, he had known, but he had never appeared by her side.
His so-called father had never taken care of her. Now…
He felt guilty for calling him father.
His apology made Ji Fengmian stop teasing Little Sun. He lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.
Perhaps if she had really died back then, Chu Boyang wouldn’t have taken so long to stand in front of Fanxing.
Shen Fanxing lowered her head and rubbed Little Moon’s face.
“It’s too late to say anything now. There’s no point in apologizing. A mistake is a mistake. If you miss it in the past, you can only miss it.”
Shen Fanxing looked up at him and said, “Even if I tell you that it’s fine, do you really think it’s fine?”
Chu Boyang’s gaze landed on the face of the little guy in her arms. The little guy was looking at him curiously with his beautiful eyes. His pink lips were slightly agape and his dark eyes were moving, but they did not leave him.
His eyes softened unconsciously and he shook his head at Shen Fanxing’s words.
“I won’t.”
Even if the other party forgave him, he would not forgive himself.
He was the one who had made the mistake. There was no turning back.
She was right. A mistake was a mistake.
Shen Fanxing pa.s.sed the moon to him.
Chu Boyang’s body stiffened and his hands were at a loss, but he still reached out to take the child.
Her movements were stiff, let alone correct.
She didn’t dare to move her arms, for fear of hurting her.
Perhaps this position was really too uncomfortable. Little Moon turned her head and pursed her lips. She nodded and was about to cry.
Shen Fanxing pushed his arm and pressed Little Moon into his embrace. She grabbed Chu Boyang’s hand and held his b.u.t.tocks.
The little girl was so light that she didn’t weigh much. Chu Boyang was afraid that she would really cry, so he instinctively shook her gently.
Little Moon’s aggrieved face gradually calmed down. She looked at Chu Boyang and blinked. Her big black eyes were filled with a happy smile as her legs fluttered happily. Her happy and childish voice sounded.
Shen Fanxing smiled.
Chu Boyan heaved a sigh of relief. His face was covered in sweat.
“Is this your first time carrying a child?”
Shen Fanxing asked suddenly.
Ji Fengmian turned around.
Chu Boyang didn’t think there was anything wrong with this question and nodded.
“Yeah.”
Ji Fengmian’s eyes flickered.
Shen Fanxing remained expressionless and nodded without a word. She turned around and glanced at Ji Fengmian, taking in her dazed expression.
Lou Ruoyi stood up from the sofa and grabbed Shen Fanxing’s arm.
“Let’s go to the kitchen to order dinner.”
Shen Fanxing could see the slyness in Lou Ruoyi’s eyes as she allowed her to pull her away.
Being dragged all the way to the kitchen, Lou Ruoyi heaved a sigh of relief.
“Isn’t your reaction a little too calm? That… is your biological father!”
Shen Fanxing smiled and walked to the storage room beside the kitchen. Lou Ruoyi followed her.
“You knew all along?”
Shen Fanxing shook her head and stood by the cabinet to pick vegetables. “I don’t know.”
“Then why are you so calm?”
“I just understand my mother better. I’ve sensed since I was young that she doesn’t have any feelings for Shen Defan. With her personality, how could she bear to share a bed with him or even give birth to a child?”
She turned around and placed a few vegetables in the basket.
Lou Ruoyi nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true. I knew it. How could someone like her in-law fall in love with a man like Shen Defan? She even cheated on him. It’s impossible that she can’t even hold on to a man.”
Shen Fanxing agreed with Lou Ruoyi. If her mother wasn’t unwilling, she wouldn’t have let things turn out this way.
Perhaps, Shen Defan’s affair back then was a relief to her mother.
But that wasn’t what she was puzzled about. It was…
During the lawsuit between her and Jiang Rongrong, she was related to Shen Defan by blood.
Grandpa later confessed that Shen Defan was not Jiang Rongrong’s son. He had given birth to him with a woman called Chu Ting.
So… was Shen Defan her brother?
His surname was Chu, so he should be Chu Ting.
Could it be that his mother knew about Shen Defan and Chu Boyang’s relations.h.i.+p back then? Was that why she went to look for him?
Even if they did a paternity test in the future, there wouldn’t be any risks?
But was that really the case?
But when she investigated her mother back then, she realized that it was purely a coincidence that her mother had a one-night stand with Shen Defan.
Was there really such a coincidence in this world?
Picking out the vegetables and meat used for cooking tonight, the two of them left the storeroom.
The servant came to help and Lou Ruoyi pulled Shen Fanxing out of the kitchen.
“You still have to visit the child later. It’s not good to smell like oil and smoke.”
The two of them walked to the dining room and saw two people looking after the child in the living room.
The little moon in Chu Boyang’s arms cried out.
Chu Boyang was fl.u.s.tered. There was a layer of sweat on his face as he paced back and forth in the living room, shaking the little moon in his arms. However, when he heard the little moon’s cries, it was obvious that this move was useless.
When the little sun in Ji Fengmian’s arms heard Little Moon’s cries, it cried as well.
The living room was in chaos.
Lou Ruoyi wanted to rush over, but Shen Fanxing stopped her.
Lou Ruoyi couldn’t bear to see her child cry. Her heart was about to break.
She was anxious and confused, but when she saw Shen Fanxing, she calmed down.
As a newly promoted mother, how could she bear to cry?
Compared to her heartache, Lou Ruoyi thought that Fanxing was no less pitiful than her.
But she had to choose…
“Give it to me.”
Ji Fengmian’s voice sounded from the living room.
Lou Ruoyi turned to look.
Ji Fengmian placed the crying Little Sun on the crib.
Lou Ruoyi pouted. How biased. Her heart ached for her grandson.
When Chu Boyang heard that, he hurried to Ji Fengmian’s side and glanced at Little Sun, who was crying loudly on the crib. “He’s crying too. Why don’t I look for Fanxing…”
Ji Fengmian took Little Moon. Her posture was much more comfortable than Chu Boyang’s.
“Go and carry your grandson.”
Chu Boyang carried the crying Little Sun and tried his best to imitate Ji Fengmian’s actions and posture.
But…
Chu Boyang was at a loss and looked at Ji Fengmian carefully. “Mian, he’s still crying.”
Ji Fengmian shook the little moon in his arms gently and glanced at him. “Wait a while. If the little moon doesn’t cry, he will stop.”
Chu Boyang opened his mouth in surprise and looked down at his grandson.
Could she… do that?
Lou Ruoyi pouted again, looking aggrieved. Her heart ached for her grandson.
Not long after, the answer came.
Little Moon stopped crying, and so did the person in her arms.
It was… amazing.
Chu Boyan breathed a sigh of relief.
She used her free hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead.
Shen Fanxing and Lou Ruoyi relaxed slightly.
Ji Fengmian picked up a tissue to wipe the tears off Little Moon’s face.
Chu Boyang followed suit.
“When you hug them, you have to protect their necks and heads. Their bodies are still soft and they’re curious about many things. It’s inevitable that they’ll move around. Don’t let your necks be exposed. Try your best to expand their field of vision. It’s best to hug them diagonally.”
Ji Fengmian carried Little Moon to Chu Boyang. As he spoke, he pushed Chu Boyang’s elbow upwards.
Chu Boyang’s body suddenly stiffened.
Looking at Ji Fengmian, there was nothing unnatural about him. He adjusted his posture according to her instructions.
Little Sun looked much more comfortable.
“Right.”
A smile finally appeared on Chu Boyang’s face as though he had received a compliment.
Lou Ruoyi turned her head and smiled at Shen Fanxing.
He pulled her back to the kitchen, poured two gla.s.ses of water, and sat in the dining room.
“Actually, I know your mother’s personality very well. She has been in a relations.h.i.+p with Chu Boyang for so many years. I’m sure she has her reasons. Your mother lost a child back then, right? Including you, only now do you know that her biological father is someone else. We don’t know what happened between us. I can roughly tell your att.i.tude, but… don’t provoke your mother. If she gets angry and unhappy, I’ll be in trouble…”
Shen Fanxing was curious as to why she had said so much about her mother today. She rarely asked about other people’s private matters.
In the end, she understood. So he was afraid that she would anger her mother and indirectly affect her relations.h.i.+p with her mother?
She found it adorable and funny.
“Whether I forgive them or not, the decision has always been Mother’s. What I’m doing now is to consider how to make her happier. Regardless of whether she wants to take revenge on Uncle Chu or not, compared to Uncle Chu’s sadness and pain, she shouldn’t be much better.”
Lou Ruoyi nodded and said, “That’s true… Every time I threw a tantrum with your father in the past, I would feel sad when I saw how careful he was to please me. I know that I’m a good-for-nothing, but I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Seeing him sad makes me sadder than him…”
Shen Fanxing smiled. Who wasn’t? Even though she said the most heartless words, she was stabbing herself in the heart.
Was he a good-for-nothing?
She had just met someone who left her helpless.
There was only one person in everyone’s life.
Lou Ruoyi sighed. “But I think it’s hard for your mother to accept Chu Boyang again.”
Shen Fanxing took a sip of water and said, “Yes, it’s fine if she wants to tell Uncle Chu. It’s probably impossible in this lifetime. She has her own pride. Her head has never been used to bow to anyone.”
“Sigh…” Lou Ruoyi sighed again. “Aren’t you making things difficult for yourself? If it were me, I would beat your father up first before applying medicine for him! Let’s end this quickly. We can’t delay it for so long… It’s not worth wasting so much time.”
It seemed like it was unnecessary for the two of them to go out, so they stayed in the kitchen to help the servants cook.
Bo Jinchuan returned early in the afternoon. When he saw Chu Boyang, he raised an eyebrow. Usually, he would see him outside. This time, he was surprised to see him in the house.
She found Shen Fanxing was.h.i.+ng the vegetables at the sink.
“Madam Bo, did I pay the servants too much?”
Lou Ruoyi, who was picking vegetables, s.h.i.+fted to the side. She couldn’t be bothered to watch the two of them display their affection.
Shen Fanxing turned around and saw Bo Jinchuan standing beside her. She smiled and said, “You’re back.”
Bo Jinchuan kissed the corner of her lips and placed his hand on her waist. He frowned when he saw the water flowing out of the pipe.
Before he could say anything, Shen Fanxing stuffed a fruit into his mouth.
“The water is hot.”
Feeling the warmth of the Holy Virgin Fruit in his mouth, Bo Jinchuan couldn’t finish his sentence.
Shen Fanxing wiped her hands and pulled him out of the kitchen. She walked outside to remove his tie.
“What happened? Why did you let her in? Mr Fu likes Mother very much.”
Shen Fanxing smiled faintly and asked, “What should we do then?”
Bo Jinchuan shook his head and said, “I’m not sure, but I don’t think Mother has any prejudice against me.”
His stance was too obvious this time.
Shen Fanxing smiled and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of offending Uncle Chu?”
Bo Jinchuan smirked and said, “I’m afraid he has already planned to hate me for the rest of his life after s.n.a.t.c.hing my mother away from him. It doesn’t matter if it happens again.”
Speaking of him bringing her mother back, Shen Fanxing recalled the gunshot wound he had suffered. Her face darkened and Bo Jinchuan pulled her into his embrace.
“However, I think it’s useless for him to hate me if he has Mother’s support.”
Shen Fanxing was amused by his words.
Did he still need his mother’s support?
—
The atmosphere at dinner was not very relaxed. Chu Boyang sat there feeling at a loss.
Ji Fengmian sat at the side. She didn’t smile, but her calm expression made people feel serious.
Chu Boyang didn’t say anything, worried that Ji Fengmian would get bored.
In fact, he was feeling uneasy about what might happen after dinner.
After the meal, they ate and slept without speaking.
Then, what Chu Boyan was worried about followed.
The few of them moved from the dining room to the living room. Ji Fengmian said directly,
“I’m not going back tonight.”
Chu Boyang stood beside the pram. When he heard Ji Fengmian’s words, his hand trembled as if he had been electrocuted.
The smile on her face when she saw the children was instantly washed away by the intense pain.
“I’ll take that bottle as a promise from you. If you can’t even fulfill this one promise… how can you have the face to appear in front of me?”
At first, the others didn’t pay much attention to Ji Fengmian’s words.
But now, they realized the seriousness of the matter and looked at the two of them in confusion.
Chu Boyang tightened his grip on the railing of the crib. His knuckles were pale and his entire body was tense.
He was silent and pained.
It was as if she had fallen into a desperate situation.
Ji Fengmian looked at him calmly. “If you can’t control yourself, stay away from the children. If you hurt them again, you might as well not live anymore.”
The guilt acc.u.mulated and she didn’t let herself off. Living was just a form of torture.
These words were serious enough.
The others also felt that it was too much.
But Chu Boyang still let go.
Ji Fengmian retracted his gaze and turned to go upstairs. He had just gone up a few steps when he stopped.
“That bottle…”
Everyone looked at her back view, expecting her to say something. However, she stopped and did not continue.
Finally, she went upstairs.
Everyone looked at Chu Boyang in confusion and worry.
“What promise? You didn’t promise to leave her, did you?”
Lou Ruoyi couldn’t help but ask.
Chu Boyang shook his head and his lips trembled, but he didn’t say a word.
At this moment, the doorbell rang. The servant opened the door and Chu Juncheng walked in.
She went straight to the point. “I’m here to pick up my father.”
Chu Boyang’s stiff eyes slowly s.h.i.+fted to him.
She blinked as though she had finally found a root that she could cling to.
Chu Juncheng frowned and walked forward to help him out.
Chu Boyan hesitated.
As she walked, she looked back at the stairs where Ji Fengmian had disappeared.
Chu Juncheng’s caution towards Chu Boyang and Chu Boyang’s expression finally made Shen Fanxing frown.
Bo Jinchuan grabbed her hand the next second.
Shen Fanxing smiled faintly, but she couldn’t hide her worry.
Chu Boyang didn’t look too good.
She didn’t know that he owed his mother a promise back then.
—
After returning to the villa, Chu Boyang didn’t let Chu Juncheng in.
When she entered the villa alone, the gla.s.s bottle was still standing on the coffee table.
The servant went forward to give him a gla.s.s of water. When she saw him standing motionless beside the sofa, she put down the gla.s.s of water in fear and retreated.
Chu Boyan stood there almost all night.
The servant was so frightened that her face turned pale.
However, she mustered her courage and walked up. She asked fearfully, “Master, why aren’t you asleep?”
Chu Boyan remained motionless.
“Master…”
Chu Boyang turned to look at her and she took a step back in fear.
“Go and rest.”
The servant nodded and turned to escape.
Her mind was filled with Chu Boyang’s pale face, bright red eyes, and his voice that sounded like grinding iron. He looked like a ghost that had crawled out of the ground.
However, the appearance of the servant seemed to have pulled Chu Boyang back to his senses. He slowly lifted his feet. His legs, which were as stiff as tree trunks, did not bend in time. If he did not hold on to the sofa, he would have fallen to the ground.
After a long while, he slowly walked to the sofa and sat down.
Then, she continued to stare at the bottle in a daze.
The next day, when the servant woke up early and got busy, she realized that he was sitting on the sofa, staring quietly at the gla.s.s bottle on the coffee table.
“Sir, what do you want for breakfast?”
An ignorant servant came forward to ask, but there was no response.
She was pulled away by another servant.
“What’s wrong with Master? Why are you staring at an empty bottle all morning?”
“What morning? She’s been staring at me since she came back last night. She probably hasn’t slept all night.”
“What’s with the bottle? And I think Master came back alone last night. Madam didn’t come back with him.”
“It seems to be Master’s birthday present to Madam. I saw it yesterday. It seems that Madam wants to use this birthday present to leave Master.”
“Huh? Why? Master treats Madam so well, but Madam doesn’t seem to like Master usually. She doesn’t even treat Master well…”
The other servant shook her head and sighed. “There must be some misunderstanding when the two of them were young. I don’t know what Madam wrote in it, but she wants to leave Master so much. Other than that, she doesn’t have any other wish.”
Her low voice inevitably reached Chu Boyang’s ears.
His eyes flashed. He had been thinking about it all night.
What did the note in the bottle say?
However, other than her request to leave him, he couldn’t think of another answer.
All these years, whenever she spoke to him, she would always ask him to let her off.
Now that she had finally found something she could use, how could she miss it?
From last night to this morning, and from morning to evening.
The servants tiptoed, afraid that they would disturb him.
He was like a statue, silent as though he wasn’t breathing.
The aura emanating from the living room was terrifying and cold. It was wrapped in thick despair and was lifeless.
The only proof that he was still alive was when Chu Juncheng pressed the doorbell and refused to let the servant open the door.
At night, the servants finally mustered the courage to open the door for Chu Juncheng.
Chu Juncheng entered and went straight to the living room. Chu Boyang was still staring at the gla.s.s bottle.
“Who let you in?”
His hoa.r.s.e voice made the veins on Chu Juncheng’s forehead bulge.
He got the servant to pour him a cup of light salt water. Taking it, he couldn’t care less about respect. He held Chu Boyang’s head and forced him to drink a few mouthfuls of water.
Her clothes were mostly wet.
Chu Boyang smashed the cup in Chu Juncheng’s hand.
Chu Juncheng’s face was cold as he grabbed the gla.s.s bottles on the coffee table.
Chu Boyang’s expression changed drastically as he looked up at him. His scarlet eyes were even more terrifying.
“Give it to me!”
Chu Juncheng went to twist the cap of the gla.s.s bottle. Chu Boyang stood up abruptly and s.n.a.t.c.hed the bottle from him.
“What are you doing!”
Chu Juncheng was suddenly pushed by him.
She steadied herself and watched as Chu Boyang held the bottle in his arms. She stared at his angry and guarded face and closed her eyes.
“Father, you can’t understand anything in your current state! Cooperate with the doctor to treat your illness as soon as possible. We’re considering other things! If you’re really sick, so what if Aunt Ji is by your side? You can’t guarantee that you won’t hurt her. Don’t you want to take care of her? If you can’t even take care of yourself, how can you take care of her?”
Chu Boyang walked around him and headed upstairs.
Chu Juncheng strode after him. Standing at the foot of the stairs, he looked at his back and said angrily, “Father, please face reality. Forcefully binding her to your side will only make her reject you more. Splitting up might be the best choice. There’s also a promise that you can’t refuse. Fulfill her last wish in this life. Perhaps in her heart, she can still remember that you’re someone who once fulfilled her promise.”
Chu Boyan paused.
Chu Juncheng took a deep breath and continued, “I’ll give you three days at most. After three days, regardless of whether you agree or not, I must bring you out of here!”
In the end, Chu Boyang went upstairs.
Chu Juncheng didn’t leave.
She asked the servants about Chu Boyang’s condition and instructed them to cook meat porridge.
Chu Boyan locked himself in the bedroom.
She sat on the windowsill with the gla.s.s bottle in her hand, staring at the folded note.
Facing reality…
She wanted him to fulfill the promise he had made to Mian?
Was that promise to let her go completely?
He had never expected such a promise.
Once he fulfilled this promise, what was the point of his life?
What was the point of their lives?
But if she didn’t, would she come back?
She came back like a zombie and decided that he was a man who couldn’t keep his promise?
He was already too unbearable in her heart.
She said she had her own pride.
Did she mean that being forcefully trapped by him was erasing her pride and dignity?
He didn’t want that.
Everything about her was good now. He didn’t want her to change because of him.
However, things didn’t go according to plan when he trapped her by his side. If he let her go and their lives didn’t intersect, things wouldn’t go according to plan.
No matter what he did, it was wrong.
It was the same again. No matter what she did, it was wrong.
Reaching out to grab her hair, she exuded a strong sense of helplessness and despair.
Chu Juncheng knocked on the door with the porridge, but to no avail.
Dinner was the same.
Chu Juncheng got someone to forcefully open the door.
Chu Boyan sat motionless on the windowsill, the bottle still in his hand.
Putting the porridge aside, he asked, “Can you finish the porridge first?”
“…”
“Father, isn’t she the only one in your life? Have you seen your daughter? Have you seen your two grandsons? Are you planning to only see them in this life?”
Chu Boyan’s fingers twitched on the gla.s.s.
“You’ve never given your daughter any love. After missing out on so much, have you never thought of making it up to her? And her two children have only been born a few months ago. Don’t you plan to give them the love that a grandfather should give them?”
Chu Boyang looked up at Chu Juncheng.
“With Fanxing and your two grandsons around, you and Aunt Ji will have an inseparable relations.h.i.+p for the rest of your life.”
Seeing that Chu Boyang finally had a reaction, Chu Juncheng smiled and said, “But the premise is that you have to be healthy before you can give and compensate them.”
After saying that, he handed the porridge over.
Chu Boyan placed the bottle on the windowsill.
“I have no appet.i.te now.”
Chu Juncheng frowned but didn’t force her. He placed the bowl aside and said, “Then you can eat when you have an appet.i.te. Remember to drink water.”
Chu Boyan nodded. “If I meet Fanxing and Bo Mian and Bo Jun, will Mian agree to let me see them?”
“She has no right to disagree.”
Chu Boyang’s eyes darkened. “… What if she’s unhappy?”
Chu Juncheng was speechless.
He had circled himself into another dead end.
“She definitely won’t agree to let me visit Bomian County. She thinks I’m sick… But I’m really fine. She doesn’t believe me…”
“It’s not that she thinks you’re really sick.”
Chu Boyang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His voice was hoa.r.s.e and m.u.f.fled.
“You may leave.”
Chu Juncheng took a deep breath and didn’t stay any longer.
“Father, if Aunt Ji doesn’t agree to let you see your daughter and grandson again, will you really disappear?”
“If she’s unhappy, then I… won’t see her.”
Only Chu Boyang was left in the room. It was so quiet that it was as if he wasn’t even breathing.
Even the dust floating in the air seemed to have more presence than him.
He didn’t want Mian to hate him anymore,
However, forcing her to stay by his side was already condoning her hatred for him.
If he left as she wished, would she still remember that he had fulfilled his promise to her?
After all, compared to the hatred she had for him, the temptation of occupying a spot in her heart was indeed too great for him.
Was he really going to let her off?
Once he let her go, they would never have anything to do with each other again.
But this was the only wish she had in her life.
And only he could give it to her.
When he looked at the gla.s.s bottle again, the expression on his face was almost gone, but he could clearly feel that he had fallen into endless conflict and complexity again.
After some time, he picked up the gla.s.s bottle. After a long hesitation, he finally put his hand on the lid…
Chu Juncheng was dealing with some matters in B City. It was already past ten o’clock when he was done.
He looked upstairs and his tired face tensed up. His handsome eyes were filled with emotions.
He stood up and wanted to go upstairs to check on Chu Boyang. However, he had only taken a few steps when footsteps sounded from upstairs.
Not long after, he saw Chu Boyang appear in the living room.
Chu Juncheng was a little surprised.
“You…”
Chu Bo held onto the escalator, his face sickly pale. He looked at Chu Juncheng, his lips trembling as he spoke slowly.
Chu Juncheng, who had just been interrupted, couldn’t hide the surprise on his face.
—
The next morning, Ji Fengmian and Lou Ruoyi were taking care of the child downstairs.
Shen Fanxing was tidying up her room when she received a call from Bo Jinchuan.
In just a few seconds, Shen Fanxing’s expression changed. She was puzzled and surprised.
She kept her phone and went downstairs to Ji Fengmian.
“Uncle Chu left this morning and returned to Country B with Chu Juncheng.”
[I wanted to finish it and send it out together, but I didn’t even finish 8,000 words. If I can’t finish this couple tomorrow, I’ll cut my head off and let you guys play with it!]