Chapter 341: Aunt Ruan, Are They Talking About You?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After an eternity, Ruan Danchen finally uttered shyly, “Yeah.”
“There"s not much work left to be done here, so I"ll be back soon,” Qi Chenglin revealed.
“Be mindful of your diet outside—Aunt Zheng told me you often suffer from indigestion. Don"t forget to eat on time even if you"re busy. It"s okay to drink if you have no choice, but please don"t smoke,” reminded Ruan Danchen.
“Alright,” answered Qi Chenglin in a soft and tender voice. He felt blissful to have a woman show concern for him, care about him and miss him.
“Do you think I nag too much?” Ruan Danchen was anxious that she was irritating him.
“Not at all. I love it. On the contrary, if you don"t nag me, I"ll feel like you don"t care about me.” Qi Chenglin was already waiting for his luggage at the baggage reclaim area.
Worried that she would miss him more if they kept talking, Ruan Danchen hurriedly said, “Hurry up and come home. I miss you very much.”
Having said that, she hung up instantly.
Just as Qi Chenglin wanted to reply, he noticed that the call has ended.
He stared at the phone and smiled wryly. What kind of habit was that? Every time she confessed her feelings, she would hang up instantly—he never had the chance to say a word in reply.
With her phone at hand, Ruan Danchen"s heart beat rapidly. Her face flushed when she thought about her conversation with Qi Chenglin. She did not expect herself to say something like that either. She had always thought she had a pa.s.sive personality—she would not unveil her inner thoughts so easily, not to mention taking the initiative to say things like "I love you", etcetera.
In spite of that, when she was with Qi Chenglin, she would always do things that surprised even herself. She felt as if she did not know herself anymore.
She lingered in the kitchen for a while before she eventually left.
In the evening, Xiaoyang brought Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan to the old mansion.
Even though Qi Chenglin was on a business trip, Qi Youxuan still needed to attend the scheduled family gathering at the old mansion. Moreover, Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi both missed him dearly. They would take full advantage of Qi Youxuan"s weekly visits to bond with him.
The Qi family had long acknowledged Ruan Danchen"s position in the family—Grandfather Qi, Grandmother Qi, Qi Zhongxun and Guan Liya already saw Ruan Danchen as Qi Youxuan"s stepmother. They predicted that Qi Chenglin would inevitably marry her someday.
Song Yu only had a month until her baby"s due date—her stomach was extraordinarily huge. Additionally, the fetus was moving frequently in her tummy.
Qi Youxuan stared at Song Yu"s protruding belly curiously. His big, black eyes were fixed solely on her tummy. “Auntie, can I touch?”
“Of course. Youjin is quite active in my stomach now. Put your hand on my stomach and don"t move, you"ll feel his movements after a while,” Song Yu instructed with a smile.
Qi Youxuan sat beside Song Yu with his legs crossed. He put both hands lightly on her stomach—he was afraid he might damage her tummy, so he was extra careful.
Song Yu"s heart melted when she saw Qi Youxuan"s adorable little face. She looked at him then turned to Ruan Danchen, noticing that Ruan Danchen"s focus was completely on Qi Youxuan. A tender smile spread across Ruan Danchen"s face.
Song Yu could not help but patted Qi Youxuan"s head. Although the boy was sometimes naughty, gluttonous and also a money-grubber, he was still a kind and thoughtful boy deep down.
His hands landed on her stomach lighter than feathers. Seeing his cautious manner, Song Yu was so touched that she felt like crying.
Suddenly, Qi Youxuan exclaimed with an astonished expression. “Youjin moved! He moved! It was a sudden kick right under my palm. It felt like something was jumping beneath my hand. How interesting!”
Song Yu smiled warmly as she caressed Qi Youxuan"s little face. Qi Youxuan looked up and asked, “Auntie, does it hurt you when he moves like that?”
“No. It only feels like something walking across my skin and poking me lightly at times,” explained Song Yu.
Qi Youxuan nodded as though he understood. He tilted his head and questioned curiously, “I wonder if I was the same when I was in my mother"s stomach. I wonder if my mother was hurt by my kicking.”
His innocent words made Ruan Danchen"s eyes sting. Qi Youxuan even showed concern for a woman he had never seen since birth, afraid that he might have hurt her when kicking inside her tummy.
Ruan Danchen felt that she did not deserve a son as good as him.
“You couldn"t have,” Song Yu a.s.sured gently, her eyes a little wet. Even Grandmother Qi, Guan Liya, and even Xia Wenna had tears welled up—Guan Liya was even subtly wiping her tears away.
“Look, even though Youjin is so naughty, I don"t feel pain at all. You"re such a good boy, I"m sure you didn"t hurt your mother. Besides, when children are in their mother"s tummy, they kick very lightly. They know to love their mothers, so they won"t use much strength,” Song Yu explained. She then continued, “When you put your hands on my tummy, don"t you think Youjin"s kick was extremely light? Moreover, this is the baby"s way to tell its mother that it"s safe, that everything is well in the womb.”
“Really?” Qi Youxuan stared at Song Yu"s stomach suspiciously.
“Yes, it"s true.” Ruan Danchen picked up Qi Youxuan and put him on her lap. She loved the child even more dearly now. “You"re so smart and caring—all you did was gently touch your mother"s tummy. It didn"t hurt at all.”
She recalled the days she was pregnant with him, his movements especially gentle as though he was afraid to hurt her. It was exceedingly adorable when he kicked once or twice occasionally.
However, due to her premature birth, she did not get to experience the times where fetal movement would have been at a peak.
“How would you know? You"re never given birth before,” Qi Youxuan questioned. His thoughts were pure and he did not think much about it, but his innocent words hurt Ruan Danchen deeply.
In the past, she only wanted to be by his side, but now she had grown greedy—she wanted him to know she was his mother and that she gave birth to him. Nonetheless, she could not because she was afraid the little boy would blame her and would not forgive her.
Before Ruan Danchen uttered a word, Qi Youxuan suggested, “Aunt Ruan, why don"t you have a child with Dad so you can experience pregnancy? It"ll be best if it"s a little sister! Of course, you can"t stop pampering me after having a little sister. Otherwise, I won"t agree with you giving birth.”
He talked as if he would be the only one making this decision.
Unexpectedly, Ruan Danchen smiled and kissed his forehead, forgetting that the entire Qi family was watching.
“Rest a.s.sured, I"ll always love you the most. I"ll always pamper you the most,” Ruan Danchen rea.s.sured tenderly.
In her heart, even if she became pregnant with another child, gave birth to it and watched it grow up, it would still feel different from Qi Youxuan.
She would always feel that she owed Qi Youxuan for not being by his side for the first six years of his life—it was something she could never make up for.
She thought that even if she gave birth to another child, she would still favor Qi Youxuan more and love him more. He would always be the chubby little boy in front of her eyes now.
“You said that yourself. Don"t forget,” Qi Youxuan mumbled as he pillowed his head onto Ruan Danchen"s shoulder.
“I promise. I won"t go back on my words,” Ruan Danchen guaranteed.
Guan Liya watched from the side. After a while, she slipped out to the backyard while no one was looking.
Not long after, Song Yu and Grandmother Qi received a ma.s.sage. Song Yu and Grandmother Qi exchanged glances, then Grandmother Qi abruptly announced, “Ah, I"m going to the washroom.”
She stood up and left.
A while later, Song Yu glanced a Ruan Danchen and dropped her a hint. Then, Song Yu left.
Qi Youxuan was lying in Ruan Danchen"s arms. His huge eyes darted here and there. He whispered to Ruan Danchen, “Great-grandma is acting again. I wonder what they"re doing. Aunt Ruan, I"m going to see what"s going on.”
“There"s no need,” Ruan Danchen hugged him to hold him back. “It"s nothing big.”
Qi Youxuan pouted and eventually relented.
When Song Yu entered the backyard, Guan Liya and Grandmother Qi were already there.
“Grandma, Auntie, what"s the matter?” Song Yu was holding her stomach. Guan Liya quickly helped her down the steps.
Guan Liya licked her lips and began, “Well, I may be oversensitive, but why do I find the conversation between Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen just now extremely abnormal? She"s not just saying that because we were in the room, right? I mean, Qi Youxuan isn"t her biological son, so when she has her own child, surely she"d favor her own child—this is only human nature. I"ve already prepared myself emotionally for this whenever Chenglin remarries. That is why I wanted Chenglin to find a kind-hearted lady—even if she favors her own child, it wouldn"t be too extreme. After all, it"s her own flesh and blood. Besides, it"s typical for families to pamper the youngest child the most. Ironically, now that Ruan Danchen said that, it made me more anxious.”
Guan Liya sighed. “Song Yu, I know she"s a good friend of yours but please don"t be mad. I am deeply traumatized by Jian Yi—I can"t have another person entering our family and acting good in front of us just to turn around and misuse us after marriage. Youxuan can"t be compared to Chengyue. Chengyue is an adult, and she can take care of herself after getting hurt. She can endure more. On the other hand, Youxuan is just a child—how can he endure such a big blow? Furthermore, he really likes Danchen, so if things don"t go as planned after their marriage, wouldn"t Youxuan be devastated? Besides, he can"t stay with us forever. The child needs to stay with his parents. If he has to go through such a huge emotional shock at such a young age, who knows what would happen to him?”
As Guan Liya pondered upon it, her heart ached horribly. She loved her adorable little grandson dearly.
Song Yu was not mad. She understood that Guan Liya"s thoughts were typical of human nature.
Even Grandmother Qi, who was standing at the side, was nodding in agreement. She, too, was harboring a layer of concern.
“Grandma, Aunt, rest a.s.sured. I can swear on my name that Danchen was speaking from her heart. She was staring at Youxuan wholeheartedly and had forgotten that we were in the room too. She didn"t say that for us to hear. I"ve known Danchen for as many years as I had worked in Chengs.h.i.+, and I can vouch for her character,” Song Yu a.s.sured in a soft voice.
“Besides, haven"t Chenglin brought up Danchen"s past? Although her mother had just remarried a few years ago, the truth is that her mother had never cared about her even before remarrying. Her mother is one of those terribly weak women who only thought about relying on men. She knew nothing other than that. She could not even take care of herself, so how would she care for Danchen?”
“Since young, Danchen knew that she could not rely on her family—she could only rely on herself. She cooked and washed; she handled all the trivial matters in life; she went to school herself and learned to work many times harder than others. Although her mother never cared about her, she never went down the wrong path. She worked hard and got into university all through her own efforts. The funny thing was if Danchen did not say anything, her mother wouldn"t even have known she had successfully been accepted into the university. Once she graduated, she found a job on her own. In all these years, Danchen"s mother doesn"t know what she"s up to—it"s as if she never had this daughter.”
Ruan Danchen did not hide Liu Ronghua from Song Yu. She told her everything truthfully.
Only then did Song Yu come to know, in all those years, Ruan Danchen had spent New Year alone.
Since Qi Chenglin told them that, Song Yu just went with his version of the story.
“Her mother remarried when Danchen was in university. Just as Chenglin mentioned earlier, the family didn"t like Danchen. To them, Danchen was nothing but an unwanted stepchild. They thought Danchen had no right to use their family"s money. Nevertheless, her mother didn"t dare to contact her because she feared enraging the family. All these years, Danchen had spent New Year alone. Her mother had never cared about her.”
Song Yu took a deep breath, then continued softly, “Grandma, Aunt, Danchen had experienced life without a mother herself. Youxuan still has Chenglin; he still has you guys. On the other hand, Danchen only had her mother, and her mother had to act that way. She had been so lonely her entire life. Her mother was only someone who held the t.i.tle of a mother without acting like one at all. As a result, she knows the suffering of not having a mother more than anyone else.”
“I think the reason she"d pamper Youxuan so much is that she had experienced this herself and is able to put herself in his shoes. She may think he"s pitiful and needed to be loved. She wants to give him what she lacked; he doesn"t want him to have the life she had. She"ll give her all to Youxuan, even if it meant treating him better than the younger sibling she"ll bring for Youxuan. Her love for him is genuine.”
Hearing the story Song Yu told, Grandmother Qi and Guan Liya were overwhelmed by sympathy and sorrow.
Although Qi Chenglin had brought it up when they were at Prestige Residences— informing them that Ruan Danchen"s mother had remarried and that her relations.h.i.+p stepfather"s family and her own mother was quite horrid—they did not know that the actual situation Ruan Danchen was in was this much worse.
Guan Liya was rea.s.sured. She nodded and confessed, “It"s my fault. I misjudged her. Danchen is such a poor child.”
“Aunt, please don"t talk like that. It"s only human nature for you to be concerned. For Youxuan"s future, you"ll naturally think about every possible scenario. Nonetheless, rest a.s.sured that Danchen would definitely treat Youxuan with love,” Song Yu guaranteed confidently.
Guan Liya fished out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her tears. Grandmother Qi strategized, “My dear Song Yu, you should go back in now. We"ll go back separately. Otherwise, we might arouse Xiao Ruan"s suspicion and she might fill her own head with nonsense. If she finds out what we thought of her, she"d be devastated. What if we infuriate her and she ends up dumping Chenglin? It"s not every day that Chenglin can find such a great lady.”
Thus, Song Yu went into the house. Not long after, Grandmother Qi and Guan Liya came back one after the other too.
At night, when Ruan Danchen was leaving with the little boy, Grandmother Qi was extremely reluctant to let them go. Therefore, she suggested, “Danchen, Chenglin isn"t home these past few days, so why don"t you and Youxuan spend the night here?”
Ruan Danchen did not mind. She knew the elderlies missed the child. It was not good for her to hog the child at home either, so she agreed.
The next day, Qi Youxuan woke up early in the morning—earlier than Ruan Danchen.
When Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi came back from their morning exercise at seven o"clock, they saw that Qi Youxuan was already dressed neatly, waiting for breakfast.
“Why are you up so early?” Grandmother Qi asked with surprise.
“Aunt Ruan said she"ll bring me to the amus.e.m.e.nt park today,” Qi Youxuan announced gleefully.
Just as he said that, Ruan Dachen had finished getting ready. When she saw Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi, she quickly greeted them.
Despite only staying there for a day, Ruan Danchen still felt immensely pressured.
Qi Youxuan was extremely excited. He swallowed his breakfast hastily and dashed into his room to get his little yellow duck backpack.
When he was in kindergarten, he only needed to put snacks and some toys in his bag so there was sufficient s.p.a.ce. However, now that he was in elementary school, he had switched into using a normal backpack. His books would never fit into his old tiny bag, so he used it as a casual backpack instead.
Seeing the little boy"s exuberant manner, Ruan Danchen did not tarry—she finished her breakfast hurriedly and asked Xiao Yang to come over. The two of them set off.
Due to his height, the little boy was not allowed on numerous rides. Nonetheless, he could still go on safer rides such as roller coasters, ferries wheel, carousel, and honeypot ride 1. The little boy was already content with these rides.
After enjoying all those rides in the morning, Ruan Danchen brought him to a themed restaurant in the park for lunch. There was a dolphin show in the evening, and after having lunch and resting for a while, they could catch the performance just in time.
At the restaurant, Qi Youxuan needed to use the washroom. Ruan Danchen brought him there. When pa.s.sing by one of the tables, she heard a familiar voice saying, “Speaking of Ruan Danchen, I think that her being sent home on leave because of the matter with Xu Haode is too unfair for her. My sister"s cla.s.smate works at Shengyue—she saw Ruan Danchen bolting out of a room with red eyes and half her face swollen. She didn"t look like she was trying to seduce Xu Haode at all; rather, she looked like he"d taken advantage of her.”
When Ruan Danchen was pa.s.sing by with the little boy, her eyes were not focused on her surroundings. Only when she heard this voice did she realize that her coworkers, Wu Min and Yang Yunshu, along with Zhang Fangfang from the finance department and Huang Ting from human resources, were sitting together. They must have come out to have fun as it was a Sunday.
“What do you mean "unfair"? If she was truly so innocent, why would Xu Haode find her? Your sister"s cla.s.smate only saw what happened outside the room, who knows how dirty that woman was inside the room? Don"t you know that she"s always been good at acting?” Yang Yunshu condemned coldly after eating a spoonful of curry.
The truth was that the others did not believe Ruan Danchen to be someone like that. However, Yang Yunshu seemed to have become Madam Zhao"s blue-eyed boy. When she fought with Ruan Danchen last time, even though Ruan Danchen had Song Yu to lean on, she was still sent home on leave by Madam Zhao while Yang Yunshu escaped without a scratch.
It was called a leave, but it was clearly a punishment. No one knew when would Ruan Danchen be brought back.
Therefore, no one dared to refute Yang Yunshu"s words. It would make their life harder if they were to wrong her.
To be frank, they did not think Ruan Danchen could stay in the company for much longer. After this incident, Madam Zhao would definitely find a way to force Ruan Danchen to quit the job.
They knew that offending Yang Yunshu would bring about many troubles to their work lives—they were not willing to make that sacrifice just to defend Ruan Danchen. None of them wanted to end up like her. It just was not worth it.
Ruan Danchen still had Song Yu to lean on. If she cannot continue in Chengs.h.i.+, Song Yu can still open a backdoor for her into Qilin. They, on the other hand, did not.
They all sat silently, listening to Yang Yunshu spitting vicious remarks about Ruan Danchen.
Suddenly, they heard a young child"s voice asking, “Aunt Ruan, are they talking about you? Her name is exactly the same as yours.”
Ruan Danchen was infuriated when she heard Yang Yunshu"s words. She had turned her jolly mood into misery.
She planned to leave quickly with Qi Youxuan, yet unexpectedly, Qi Youxuan abruptly spoke out loud.
Even Ruan Danchen was staggered, so needless to say, Wu Min and the others were too.