Ahn Yong"s face only displayed happiness as Wei Yan took hold of the pen and signed the contract. He saw her hesitation and doubt earlier, but it can no longer be seen as she was smiling as she signed everything. From here on, everything will change...in both the families and the other Regal families.He took hold of the signed papers and carefully gave it to his a.s.sistant. The other copy wil belong to Ji Li Zhao as to avoid Wei Yan finding out his ident.i.ty. "He is surely meticulous" Ahn Yong thought.
"Congratulations, Xiao Yan" he said as all of them began leaving the room. Wei Yan returned this with a sweet smile full of grat.i.tude as well.
"Thank you for everything, Uncle Ahn. Sorry for troubling you so much" she said as her shoes made contact with the tiled floor creating a loud clicking sound.
Facilitating a secret wedding, no, even just allowing it sounds nothing but trouble. Her "Husband" must be a big fish to make the Government do as he says.
Guanyu looked at his daughter with a smile. From here on she"s no longer just his daughter. But the daughter of the Jis as well. He made a lot of mistake in this lifetime. Mistakes that did not only affect him but his children as well. Mistakes he regrets but cannot undo. One of it is for not being a better father to Wei Yan which harmed her physically and mentally. How he wish he was a stronger person. That way he could have saved her from danger and made her stay in China.
But with Fe Rou Chao just close to his grasp, he cannot stand still and do nothing. She was his first love and what separated them was his sudden marriage to the Xings followed by his wife"s pregnancy with Wei Yan. He was shackled by their arrange marriage that didn"t consider his feelings. He doesn"t regret having Wei Yan but he regret not being able to marry with love. As such, he wants her to marry someone she will 100% percent learn to love.
Ahn Yong felt a smile escape his lips. "I wish you the best on this marriage" he said and took a turn in the corridor.
The Hous were left walking on the silebt hallway with Li Zhao"s men trailing behind them.
With the silence of the hall, Wei Yan"s mind began to pounder something. Now that she"s married what happens next? After marriage there"s supposed to be a honeymoon or a grand celebration, but with her current quandary it seems impossible to do either of the two.
If so, can she do something more productive? After all, it is her wedding day. Its a happy thing, an essential part of a woman"s life, she can"t just do nothing on such important day. "Dad"
"Do you need something, Xiao Wei?" it was her grandfather that replied instead of Guanyu. He gave a sharp warning look towards his son making him just listen to their conversation.
Wei Yan gave an awkward smile. Ah, having this two together without other people around is a disaster. "What"s going to happen now?"
Tian Lang halted making everyone else stop as well. He glanced back and gave the head of the bodyguard a nod. He nodded back and swiftly stood in front of Wei Yan.
"Wei Yan, this is Fang Tao. From here on, he is your a.s.sistant/bodyguard. He serves directly from your husband so if you need anything or wish to say something to your husband, you can tell him everything" Hou Tian Lang said with a smile. He is quite protective of his grandchildren and he never accepts "just someone" as their guard. They need to be very skilled at protecting and this man in front of him is simply top notch.
As far as he knows, Fang Tao stands as Ji Li Zhao"s second in command. He knew very well Li Zhao has an organization composed of a private army specially trained domestically and abroad. For him to send in his second in command shows how much he values Wei Yan"s safety over his own.
Wei Yan fixed her gaze on Fang Tao who held a stoic and unbreakable cold demeanor around him. He was a slightly dark toned man and his face was undoubtedly foreign specially with his dark blondish curly crew cut hairdo. His body wasn"t as bulky as the other guards, in fact he looked quite skinny for a guard. However, she knew he wasn"t ordinary. For him to be the main guard among such big compet.i.tors already speaks volume.
Fang Tao bowed down politely, but his face remained as stoic as ever. It was like his smile was reserved for special occasions, and in his eyes, this one cannot be considered special yet. He"s been with Ji Li Zhao for a very long time, he knew he"d end up as the Lady Boss" guard. He"s been looking forward to it, but he can"t believe he held back and married her at such a way. Though he knows some of the reasons, he just can"t bring himself to smile for his decisions.
"Madame, the Boss already made arrangements for you. You will be living in his house from now on" he said as what he was instructed. Making such announcements is really not his kind of thing. He was always a man of action and though he was the second in command, all the commands he gives are too short it can"t count as a sentence.
Wei Yan fell silent. She"s not allowed to see his face but they are going to live at one house? "He wants me to live with him?"
Fang Tao nodded his head. Wei Yan sighed, what is he really up to? Is he that confident she"d never find his ident.i.ty despite living at the same roof. Ha! Bring it on. Whatever his reasons, she at least needs to see a glimpse of him. With a smile, a plan was already brewing in her mind.
Having such intent, Wei Yan hid it well with her air of innocence and masked it totally with her smile. "What about my things? My clothes?"
"Everything is already arranged by the boss" he said as he was told that everything else is to be kept secret and surprise her.
Wei Yan smiled even more. Ah, giving off a mysterious aura to intrigue her. Its quite cliche but she"ll buy it. "When do I move?"
Grandfather Hou who was listening intently smiled and immediately replied "Now" without hesitation.
He was so eager to let her go, because he knew there was a better life waiting for her in Ji Li Zhao"s hands. His grandson-in-law"s arms.
Wei Yan sighed helplessly. She knows why he"s acting like this. With Fe Rou Chao in the house, Chungsa"s c.o.c.ky att.i.tude inside the company, and his son"s tolerance on their acts, he would surely flip mountains to get her out of such h.e.l.l.
"Grandfather" she called out softly in hopes of calming him down, drowning his anger away from her father.
Her grandfather understood her intentions. Thus, with soft voice as though coaxing a baby, he told her. "Wei Yan, its only natural for you to live with your husband"
Wei Yan nodded in agreement. She knows. She knows it too well. However, they are not in a normal marriage. She can"t see him because of some circ.u.mstances, they are secret. Secret!
"I know, but I can"t see him in this marriage. I want to do something else to commemorate this occasion, since I cannot spend it with him" she said with a glint of hope in her eyes.
Hou Tian Lang warmly smiled at her reasons. She"s a responsible woman, he knows she"ll live with him because she"s now a wife not a teenager. "Hmmm, you decide what you do. After all, you"ve already made Grandfather happy"
His a.s.sistant, Will Chu came into view making him nod his head towards his direction. After giving his signal, he looked back towards Wei Yan and softly planted a kiss in her forehead. "I must go first, I still have a meeting to attend. Take care, Xiao Wei"
"Thank you Grandfather" she said with a bow after giving him a kiss on the cheeks.
His Grandfather handles Hou International as he doubted his own son"s intention. He rarely comes back to China as to avoid any encounter with the c.o.c.kroach in their home. He greatly thinks that if Guanyu handles the international affairs, he might get ahead of himself and give a few of their companies in honor of his new wife. Until he is alive, he will never allow Guanyu to get hold of it, and even if he dies he will give it to his grandkids than hand it down to him.
A few steps away from them, he suddenly looked back and gave a lethal smile. He forgot Fang Tao"s main job.
"Fang Tao will handle the little s.l.u.t at home for you. Don"t stress yourself too much and if you want to bully her, just do as you please. Don"t hold back for anyone"s sake" he said and instantly left rendering Guanyu speechless.
Wei Yan slightly chuckled and waved her hands with glee. Even if he doesn"t announce it, even if she"s alone, she was still planning on giving her a taste of her venom. "Take care, Grandfather"
"I will" he shouted as Will shut the car door. He gave a curt nod towards their group and proceeded on driving away.
It would take them a long time to meet again. This thought made her slightly sad.
They continued walking but Guanyu wasn"t done yet. "Xiao Yan listen---"
Wei Yan didn"t stop nor look back. Regarding such matter they are bound to have a small disagreement over it. "I want to spend this day with my siblings"
Guanyu sighed. "You can bond with them some other time"
As they were nearing the car, Wei Yan decided to stop and look at him seriously. "Dad, it took me a long time to visit our home, and it took me a lot of courage to ask this favor. I wanted to delay my meeting with them because I was afraid of their disappointment. Just imagining their gazes fixed upon me in dejection makes my whole body tremble"
"I always thought it was fine to delay because I have time, but now I don"t" she said sadly. Reality hit her hard this time. Circ.u.mstances change so she has to cope up with it.
Sadness and seriousness spiraled and diverged in her eyes as she looked at her father. "In my line of work there"s no a.s.surance that my day off will incline with their schedule. Also, this marriage means I belong to my husband and my time will be devoted to him as priority. As you told me, I must live with him. I will go home to him, not to our house thus decreasing the possibility of bonding with them"
Guanyu already knew she would act like this, but he"s really not up for her meeting her siblings at such time. "Xiao Yan, today is your marriage day"
This is her special day, she needs to take it as an opportunity to strengthen her tie with her husband. Its for her future. The best future his beloved daughter deserves.
Wei Yan never liked this side of him, but she wanted to reason out with him regarding such matter. She obeys him when it comes to her marriage because she was brought up for it. But when it comes to her siblings, she will never become the submissive daughter anymore.
"I know, all the more reason to spend it with them. Marriage calls for a celebration. Even if they do not know the reason, I still want to celebrate it with them"
"Tomorrow, lets just do it tomorrow, okay?" Guanyu said as he got closer to her with hopes.
Wei Yan strengthened her resolve. "Dad, Jun Shen has an important examination tomorrow until the next day and I only have one week day-off. If I don"t do it today, I may not have another shot to spend time with Jun Shen"
"Xiao Yan" he called out softly.
Wei Yan looked at her strongly. "I know why you"re like this. They are my siblings and I love them with all my heart and my soul no matter the reasons why I shouldn"t"
To be honest, her family is a big mess. Her parents got divorced right after the twins were born. They don"t get along and her siblings birth are not a simple matter. Her father treasures them because they have his blood, but somehow he prioritize her and wish of her not to get too close with them. He wanted her to pursue the best path without considering them. Its quite heartless but she knows his reasons. She knows but she can"t follow as he wish.
With a strong font, she looked at Fang Tao and said. "You told me I can talk to him. Mr. Fang, please ask my husband for permission. After this day, I will follow his arrangements without complain nor resistance. Just this one day"
Fang was already informed of such matter. He nodded his head and replied.
"Understood" he walked away and to call his boss. But before that, he looked at his men and gave them a number 4 signal.
His men instantly obeyed and went to circle Wei Yan and Guanyu as they talk. They didn"t take out their guns as they were instructed not to show it unless its utterly necessary so they wouldn"t scare Wei Yan away.
Wei Yan was calm as they surrounded both of them. She slightly understood that Fang Tao is their leader and perhaps their strongest force. His disappearance require them to strengthen their defenses.
"Dad, I have no reasons to hate you, but if you keep this up I might just find one" she said with all honesty. She loves him but if he keeps on damaging her relationship with her siblings she might just stop tolerating him.
Guanyu fell silent. His mistakes, he wish would stay away from his greatest blessing. "Xiao Yan"
Noticing her unfaltering resolve, he found himself sighing in defeat. "I"m sorry"
Silence fell on the place. Slowly she nodded her head in forgiveness. She can"t hate him because he is her father. Without him there would be no Hou Wei Yan on this world.
As long as he stays on the line.
As the tension subsided, the guards slowly cleared a path for Fang Tao. "Madame, the Boss has already approved of your request. I shall accompany you in your endeavors and bring you home tomorrow"
Wei Yan smiled at the thought of her having an understanding husband. She gave her a.s.sistant an endearing smile as they boarded the car. "Thank you, Fang"
.....
As soon as they walked inside the house, Ran Ai was the first to greet them. Wei Yan ran to her with a smile on her face. "Aunt Ran"
Ran instantly engulfed her in a warm hug as she reached where she stood. "Darling, congratulations on your wedding day" she whispered in her ears with a voice filled with nothing but glee.
"Thank you" Wei Yan replied as they parted from each other. Their moment was soon interrupted by a series of laughter and giggles. It was so familiar that even from a far Wei Yan"s tears was already threatening to fall. She turned her head towards Ran and her eyes bore questions. "Uhmm"
Ran knew what"s inside the ripple in her eyes. She raised this child like her own and knew what her tears means. "The twins are inside. They just got here"
A warm smile was seen in her eyes as she urged Wei Yan inside. "Xiao Shen is on his way"
Wei Yan"s face displayed unease so Ran held her hand and looked directly in her eyes. "Listen, they are like you. Compa.s.sionate and understanding. Caring and loving. Amazing and smart. They know why you did what you did so don"t feel as though they would hate you"
She pinched Wei Yan"s face with gentlesness. "Believe me, even if the whole world turns against you, they most certainly won"t"
Wei Yan scanned Ran"s face and soon a small smile took over her frown. "Thank you, Auntie"
Despite what Ran Ai said, Wei Yan"s heart was still full of worry. It wasn"t as terrifying as before, however, it cannot be denied that she was still scared. Scared that her departure caused a huge rip in their relationship.
The giggling never subsided inside and she liked it that way. They were full of joy she doesn"t want to go inside. But a big part of her heart doesn"t want things to remain at such way, with her far apart from them. Though her nerves froze in terror, Wei Yan managed to slowly open the door and walk inside to face her reality.
As soon as the door opened, the twins fell silent in fear of another scolding from their vicious step mother.
But instead of a monster, what they saw was a figure comparable to that of an angel dressed in casual wear. A big smile was soon itched in their faces as the ladies image becams clearer in their view.
"Big Sister!"both of them shouted in surprise and full bliss as they throw away their toy in order to run towards her.
As soon as they got in front of her, the female little fella squealed in utter delight. "Its really Big Sister!" she said as she hugged her thigh in happiness.
Wei Yan"s heart melted at the sight of her grown babies. When she left they were still cute little 2 years old panda in her eyes and the last time she checked on them was 4 years ago when her mother bought them over for her birthday.
Now, in front of her was no longer her little cute pandas but rather a pair of 10 years old kiddos now reaching her waist line. A smile broke out her face as she croached down their size and softly call out their names. "Jei Li, Wuxi"
After hearing her soothing voice, Jei Li and Wuxi broke into tears and call for her in sadness. "Big Sister"
Jei Li cried harder as her hug tightened. Not a second later Wuxi found his strength to hug her tightly as well. "We missed you"
Listening to their cries and hiccups tightened her heart even more. She cried as she hugged them back with gentleness cl.u.s.tered with thorough sadness and affection. "I missed you too. I"m so sorry for not contacting you for a very very long time"
"It doesn"t matter, you"re here. You"re finally here!" Jei Li said in between her hiccups. She slowly let loose of the hug to get a closer view of her face.
Her eyes shone in delight as she saw her big sister hasn"t change much. Her facial feature matured a little, her cute pinkish cheeks was still there. Her face was still as white as snow and her lips as red as an apple. The color of her eyes was still her favorite shiny jade or she much prefer as a healthy green apple. Though her hair changed from brown to blonde, her hair was still long with curls on its tip. Over all it was still the sister she remembered from 4 years ago.
Wei Yan indulged in their warm hug and slowly nodded her head. "Hmmmm" that"s right she"s here.
She planted a kiss on their forehead and smiled. "I really missed you"
Jei Li"s smile widened as she saw her big sister smile. "We missed your kisses too"
They were still too young when she left, but nonetheless, she can still remember the warmness of her hugs and kisses. It was more blissful than what a meteor shower can give.
Wuxi looked away after what Jei Li said. "I didn"t"
What is she talking about? A big man never admits such things.
Jei Li laughed at her twin brother"s silliness. She got hold of Wei Yan"s dress and loudly whispered in her ears. "Don"t believe him big sister, he always blurt out how much he miss your kisses"
Hearing Jei Li whisper her twin"s secret made Wei Yan laugh as she ruffled his hair. She knows he doesn"t hate her kissing him. When she was still around she usually shower them with kisses on a daily basis and not once did he complain. "Trying to be a tough guy huh"
"Big Sister" Wuxi called softly as he surrendered to his sister"s loving embrace. Pride or whatever it is a man should uphold, he doesn"t care at this moment any of it. He was just happy, in fact euphoric, that after such a long time his sister was still willing to kiss them. She was still willing to become the kissing monster they love.
As they were indulging in each other"s company, a tall lean figure entered the house wearing his high school uniform. Upon entering the room, he immediately spotted the scene he"s been dying to witness for a long time.
He wasn"t too surprised of her return, because from the beginning he already knew she"ll come back. He stood there, rooted to the ground with an obvious smile adoring his face. After a few giggles from Jei Li, Wuxi smiling freely like a little fella, and his sister showering them once more of her kisses, he finally spoke up and made his presence known. "You"re having fun without me"
"Big Brother!" Jei Li shouted and immediately run towards him. He scooped her to his arms and walked to where Wuxi was.
Upon arriving in front of him, the first thing he did was to ruffle his hair. "You little twerp. You"re sneaking behind my back again"
A defensive look suddenly dominated Wuxi"s face as he vigorously shook his head. "We didn"t"
He suddenly laughed at him. His little brother was like snow white"s dwarf under him. It looked like he was stealing some candies but was caught red handed and yet denying it countless of times.
Wei Yan watched on the side as her siblings gathered. The sight made her tear up once again.
Oh his baby brother. His sweet baby brother. The thin little rascal she"s been looking after from the day he entered her life. He"s now a grown man that looked too dazzling in his Lipin Academy Uniform. "Jun Shen"
Jun Shen looked at her direction and smiled warmly. But he took his glance off her immediately and looked back at his brother. "You took away my kiss" he said, and slowly looked at her again.
A smile crept through her face as their secret word was said. An argument is common between siblings, no matter how close they are its inevitable. Its something that cannot be avoided, but it cannot be kept all around. So a kiss was their form of asking for forgiveness or forgiveness itself.
As she looked at her grown brother, her tears cannot stop from flowing. Her parting caused her to miss his growth and it aches because he was still willing to forgive. Her heart aches in both happiness and anger. There was a turbulence inside her and its product was her salty tears. "Come here you"
Jun Shen gently placed down Jei Li and without hesitation, strode towards her for a hug. "Sis"
Wei Yan"s tear dam immediately broke loose as she felt her brother"s tender embrace. "Xiao Shen, I"m so sorry for leaving. I"m so sorry for disappointing you and for not keeping my promise at all. I told you I"d stay with you and be your support"
More tears dropped from her eyes like an uncontrolled tap water. "But I didn"t keep my promise"
Seeing their sister break down, the little ones cried along. Jun Shen sighed at the sight. They were all a complete mess.
He hugged his sister even tighter and kissed her hair. Surely she was innocent and he felt no remorse towards her departure even for a tiny bit. "You didn"t need to ask forgiveness because we understand. You need to leave for treatment, and we would have kicked you out ourselves if you refused mother"s arrangements"
As she was still crying and even hiccuping, Jun Shen softened his voice while rubbing her hair. He was so gentle because the one in front of him is his most beloved sister, mentor and protector. "We weren"t disappointed either. Even when you"re not around, your guidance back that time and the thought of your return was enough to push us through. Even when you"re not around, you"re still our support"
"Xiao Shen" Wei Yan said as she continued crying in her brother"s arms. Over the past years she never really cried at such extent where she can pour her heart out. She had stayed overseas with her mom for a while but she never really dared show her any sign of weakness because she hated it. She had made some friends there too but no one really knew of her real life story nor how she ended up abroad.
Only in front of his brother could she show she was a broken person. And Jun Shen knows this too well. Even before, back when they were young, people viewed his sister as an epitome of perfection. She can do anything and she was beautiful beyond human comprehension. She was an angel who always smiles. But when it was just them, she had some episodes of break down. His sister was strong but she told him that she has sad moments as well, she just doesn"t show. She told him she needed to cry it all out sometimes or she"ll end up losing herself in the process of making other"s happy.
"Stop crying, you"re making us cry" he said as he let loose and held her shoulders. Tears continued to flow from her eyes and he continued wiping it away. Oh she"s such a crybaby.
Wei Yan smiled and slightly laughed in between her cries. "Its natural for me to cry after all that you"ve said. When did you become so smart at this?"
Jun Shen gave her a wide smile. "I have a lot of brats to handle"
Jun Shen served as the twins supervisor. Since they were young, they were always p.r.o.ne to trouble and can be easily disheartened. It was up to him as their big brother to handle their tantrums and set them back on the right path. And to be honest, even at school he was his friends crying companion.
He shushed her down once more. "Stop crying already"
Wei Yan smiled at her brother"s nagging. "Alright alright. I"m not crying anymore" She immediately wiped her tears away.
Noticing that her crying has died down, the twins stopped as well and instantly jumped in her arms. Knowing how heavy they are, Jun Shen scooped Jei Li out of Wei Yan"s arms and shook his head as he wiped her remaining tears away. Wei Yan wiped Wuxi"s tears as well and giggled when he tried to refuse.
"Now that we"re complete. Why don"t we celebrate" she said with a smile. The twins" eyes immediately shone in delight and not too soon, Jei Li was squealing once more.
Jun Shen looked around and asked her in confusion. "Here?"
She shook her head in lightning speed. G.o.d forbid. She can"t even stand Rou Chao, much more now that her step sister is home. "No. Let Big Sister take you out for today. Let"s go do whatever you want"
Footsteps descending made her look up and smile bitterly. Here comes the devil"s nasty pets. Fe Rou Chao was descending from the stairs with her daughter Fe Chungsa whose now taking on the role of the Hou Eldest Miss. She was shamelessly treating the stairs as her runway making Wei Yan shake her head.
Guanyu who was with them and knew very well Wei Yan was taking them out found this as an opportunity to make Chungsa closer to the group. "Why don"t you bring Chungsa with you"
Wei Yan smiled sweetly at his suggestion. This is what her grandfather hated and somehow she does hate it too. In her mind, she was already imagining a statue in her hands and she"s ready to throw it at Chungsa"s smirking face.
Oh that would be most satisfying. However, she knew it would not benefit her well compared to angering her and letting the world see what a dead flesh she is.
With a sweet voice, she told her father. "Dad, we talked about this. I want to spend my time with my siblings. I can"t possibly bring a pseudo doll"
After saying this, she turned her head at her siblings. She has not slightest intention of clearing what she said. "Just the 4 of us, siblings"
She smiled lovingly at them and turned her attention back to her father. She gave him a close eyed smile as though seeking his understanding. "Since we can"t bring Shuren with us"
Guanyu looked upstairs towards Shuren"s room. He"s too young to be bought out with Wei Yan. He knows how adventurous she is when she"s with her siblings. He also cannot force her to bring Chungsa no matter how much he wants. Guanyu was left no choice but to nod his head in agreement and smile warmly at them.
"Dad, we"ll be leaving then" she said after receiving his approval. Wei Yan immediately pulled Jun Shen towards him as he carried Jei Li in his arms.
"We"ll change your clothes on the mall. I"ll buy you a new set" she whispered and instantly walked away from her father.
Jun Shen looked at his sister and nodded his head. Before leaving, Wei Yan remembered something.
She stopped and looked straight at Chungsa. "Oh and sister, if you"re confused with my words, there"s a dictionary in the library. Try opening it once, you might find it...useful"
In an instant, Chungsa"s face changed from a smirking young lady to an angry monster. How dare she say that she has no brain! She"s so arrogant! What made her think she"s smarter than her! Just because she"s a doctor doesn"t mean her brain is above hers!
But what made her boil even more is the fact that she really doesn"t know what she meant.
On this first encounter after 8 long years, Wei Yan left the house victoriously with a big smile on her face. It was so satisfying it made her wedding day much memorable.