Chapter 260 - Miss Liang, Do You Know My Husband?
Chapter 260: Miss Liang, Do You Know My Husband?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Beicheng sat down beside Lin Chu as she noticed that Liang Wenyin was gazing at Yan Beicheng’s face. However, it was not in the same admiring way that Lu Weining looked at him, it was a casual look mixed that seemed almost teasing, and there was also some familiarity in it.
Lin Chu could not help but ask, “Miss Liang, do you know my husband?”
“I do know him, but by the looks of Mr. Yan, he seems to have forgotten me,” Liang Wenyin laughed as she said. There was a tinge of amusement in her tone.
Lin Chu got curious. Yan Beicheng’s perfect fingers held on to his cup of tea as he took a light sip and replied, “I don’t remember Miss Liang at all.”
Liang Wenyin did not look like she was trying to seduce anyone. The ladies might find Yan Beicheng attractive, but with Liang Wenyin’s strong background, there was no need for her to latch on to a married man.
Not everyone would act as shamelessly as Lu Weining.
This was why Yan Beicheng treated Liang Wenyin politely, but even then, he was careful with his words and actions. After all, he did not want Lin Chu to misunderstand.
Lin Chu was not really the jealous type. Even though she had previously been disgusted with Lu Weining’s behavior, Lin Chu seldom lost her temper due to jealousy. Interestingly enough, Yan Beicheng was actually unhappy over this. He was under the impression that Lin Chu’s refusal to be jealous over him meant that she did not care much for him at all.
However, this was before Lin Chu’s pregnancy. Now that she was bearing the baby, it was difficult for Yan Beicheng to predict Lin Chu’s emotions. When he had accompanied Lin Chu for her check-up, Yan Beicheng took note of the doctor’s examples whilst reminding himself to never lose his temper at the pregnant Lin Chu.
He suddenly remembered the case of the pregnant woman who was always highly suspicious of her husband. Henceforth, Yan Beicheng decided to remain cautious no matter what Lin Chu thought about the situation.
Liang Wenyin gave him a funny, disappointed look. It was a look that was not befitting of her artistic charisma, but it seemed to suit her quite naturally, thus allowing others to see a different side of her.
Liang Wenyin said, “Brother Yanzi, have a piece of chocolate if you feel unhappy. If you’re unhappy at home, then come play at my house.”
Yan Beicheng was momentarily stunned as he blinked. Then, he seemed to remember something as Yan Beicheng looked at Liang Wenyin in surprise and said somewhat joyfully, “It’s you, Half Moon.”
Liang Wenyin immediately huffed with anger when she heard Yan Beicheng call her by her nickname. Her face puffed up like a balloon. “I’m really thin now. You’re not allowed to call me Half Moon! It was terrible of you to bully me when I was younger and did not know how to read!”
Yan Beicheng could not help but laugh softly.
Liang Wenyin blinked as she smiled. There was a cunning look on her face as she said, “I guess I’m lucky that you still remember me. Otherwise, it’d be embarrassing for me to have said so much only to see you maintain your coolness while continuing to claim not to remember me. How would I face the others if that were to happen?”
After this, Liang Wenyin seemingly forgot that the others around them did not know the story behind their conversation. Thus, she freely chatted with Yan Beicheng as if they were totally alone.
However, Yan Beicheng still remembered that there were people around them. He turned to Lin Chu and said, “Miss Liang used to stay in the same district as me.”
“The district where the old mansion is?” Lin Chu asked.
Yan Beicheng smiled lightly as he shook his head. “Not that one. The one where my father’s house was.”
Yan Beicheng did not want to mention that Jiang Changdai had stayed there as well.
Lin Chu immediately understood. Yan Huaiyuan was still alive at the time and was still married to Jiang Changdai, so she had definitely stayed there as well.
“You know what my situation was at the time,” Yan Beicheng said. He did not want to go into detail in the Mo household, but was worried that Lin Chu might misunderstand. So, he decided to vaguely mention it so that Lin Chu would better understand the situation.
Yan Beicheng was really surprised but happy when he heard Liang Wenyin’s words. Before turning fourteen, he had not yet met Lin Chu.
Jiang Changdai had not yet divorced Yan Huaiyuan then, but was also not treating Yan Beicheng well at home. He did not have a good life back then, but Liang Wenyin was one of those rare people who could cheer up Yan Beicheng and ease his tension away.
Lin Chu did not want the Mo family to know anything about his past either.
Mo Jingsheng and Police Chief Mo were not home yet, so the only ones around were Liang Xiulin and the Mo family housekeeper.
Lin Chu did not have a good impression of Liang Xiulin, which was why she did not want Liang Xiulin to gain any insight into Yan Beicheng’s private matters.
As for Yan Huaian and his family, they were already aware of Yan Beicheng’s story so there was no need to be mindful of them.
Lin Chu reached out for Yan Beicheng’s hand. She placed her hand on his to signal at him that there was no need to continue. Then, she looked at him with a light smile on her face, her eyes shining with trust. They looked clear and translucent, with no trace of suspicion toward Yan Beicheng.
Liang Wenyin watched their exchange and looked down slightly. Then, she reached out for a pistachio, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth.
Yan Beicheng’s heartstrings tugged at Lin Chu’s gesture. In return, he held her hand and stopped talking. There was no need to say another word; he would explain everything to her later at home.
Yan Beicheng was touched by Lin Chu’s trust. At the same time, he felt a little upset about it. Lin Chu had often lost thrown little tempers because of things he had said without much thought, which she would frequently misinterpret. Yet, in a situation like this, she was not in the least bit jealous.
This thought made Yan Beicheng’s face darken a little.
Liang Wenyin was not aware of Yan Beicheng’s past, so she smiled and explained to Lin Chu, “When I was younger, I lived next door to him. One time, when I was out playing, I saw him sitting on the bench outside. He looked especially sad that day, so I went up to chat with him. After doing this a few times, we got to know each other better. However, my dad was later transferred to G City for work, so our family moved there. Even though my dad was promoted, we never left G City because it was a huge province. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I finally left for Italy to continue my education. I only came back after postgraduation but had worked in Z City all this while.”
Lin Chu nodded. “Oh, I see. It’s no wonder that you don’t have a B City accent, but you seem to have a Southern accent.”
Liang Wenyin’s accent was a little flat, but it carried the same tenderness found in Southern Mandarin accents. It sounded nice, unlike Northern Mandarin accents which were blunt and lacked gentler qualities.
“When we met each other at Sheng Yue, I had only just returned from Z City. I was meeting some friends for dinner and bumped into you at the entrance. Brother Yanzi was there as well, but I didn’t dare to call out to him. He still shared a slight resemblance to his younger self, but many years had passed by then, so even though I thought him familiar, I didn’t dare approach so blatantly. I was also worried that he might think that I had bad intentions,” Liang Wenyin openly explained.
Yan Beicheng felt slightly uncomfortable when he heard Liang Wenyin call him by his childhood name.
When Liang Wenyin had first referred to him in the same way that she did when they were younger, Yan Beicheng had experienced the pleasant emotions that came with suddenly bumping into an old friend. However, once the pleasantness of the moment wore off, he felt that it was much too intimate for Liang Wenyin to continue calling him this.
It was different from close male friends. No matter how close you were with a friend of the opposite sex, it was still better to maintain a certain distance.
However, Liang Wenyin was Liang Xiulin’s niece who had helped him when they were younger. There was still a good sentiment between the two, so regardless of if it was for Mo Jinxi or for the sake of their old friendship, Yan Beicheng could not be as blunt towards her as he was toward Lu Weining. Thus, he maintained his cool expression and did not react much.
Yan Beicheng also pretended not to see Liang Wenyin making a cute, funny face at him.
This made it a little awkward for Liang Wenyin. She could only quickly hide it by peeling another pistachio and popping it into her mouth again. “I didn’t expect Auntie to finally find Jinxi. She told me that the two of you had been taking care of Jinxi all these while, which was why she invited you over tonight. She invited me as well, and only once I heard your name could I confirm that it really was you that I bumped into the other day.”
Liang Xiulin clapped her hand and said happily, “I’d never thought that fate would bring you together in this way.”
Liang Wenyin smiled as she ruffled Mo Jinxi’s hair. “That’s right. I got to know Brother Yanzi first, then helped Lin Chu. Now, I’m a part of Jinxi’s family. In the end, I had been reunited with Brother Yanzi again. Life is really funny.”
Yan Beicheng smiled and peeled six pistachios for Lin Chu. “Eat these first. We’ll be having dinner soon so you shouldn’t eat too many snacks.”
Lin Chu picked one up and popped it into her mouth. She could not help but laugh as she said quietly, “Are you really going to treat me like a child?”
“Aren’t you behaving just like a child these days? I’m simply honing my parenting skills by taking care of you first,” Yan Beicheng raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice.
His voice was too low for the others to make out what he had just said. They could only catch a few words from his mumbling but could not quite string it together.
Yan Beicheng raised his head and gave Liang Wenyin a gentle smile as he said, “We have a small social circle, so even if we hadn’t met before this, we would have seen each other again one way or another since I’m friends with Jingsheng and we do occasionally hang out. This really has nothing much to do with fate.”
Liang Wenyin shook her head in disagreement. “You can’t really say that. It doesn’t matter how we meet, it still has to be considered fate. There are so many people in this world, so to be able to meet one among billions can only be due to fate. This is a one in a billion in one chance, how can you not feel overwhelmed by it?”
Lin Chu found Liang Wenyin’s conversation quite interesting. She snacked on the pistachios while listening to her, totally captivated by the conversation.
Liang Wenyin suddenly thought of something and looked at Lin Chu. She said a little apologetically, “Those of us in the art scene always prefer to believe in the mysteries of life.”
Lin Chu shook her head. “I actually find it quite interesting.”
After chatting for a while, Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng came home.
They entered the house together and Liang Xiulin got up to welcome them back. She smiled and said, “What a coincidence. Both you came home at the same time.”
“Yes, it is a coincidence. I bumped into dad outside,” Mo Jingsheng nodded as he changed into his slippers.
Mo Jinxi was busy playing with Yan Ningbai, but when he heard Mo Jingsheng’s voice, he immediately ran toward him while pulling Yan Ningbai along.
Even though he had only been staying with the Mo family for two days, he still had not warmed up to the Mo family as Mo Jinxi was a child that took some time to feel comfortable around others. Only those like Yan Ningbai, who was especially friendly and would not leave him alone, were able to quickly befriend Mo Jinxi.
If Mo Jinxi were to play with another shy child, neither of them would take the first step to talk to the other. They would probably need to see each other every day for a whole month before finally becoming familiar with each other.
As for Mo Jingsheng, it could be because they were related by blood and shared a natural bond, or it could also be because they had gotten along well since the first time they met, but Mo Jinxi had a very good impression of this man. Those who do not know Mo Jingsheng would find him cold, but despite only meeting a few times, Mo Jinxi thought he was a good person. He liked Mo Jinghsheng and trusted him from the bottom of his little heart, so Mo Jinxi could not help but want to become close to him.
Mo Jinxi did not feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar around Mo Jingsheng. In fact, Mo Jinxi felt closer to him compared to Liang Xiulin, whom he spent time with every moment of the day. He even felt more comfortable around the stern Police Chief Mo than to Liang Xiulin.
Mo Jingsheng owned a house near the police station, but he came back every night over these past two days to spend time with Mo Jinxi. They were already familiar with each other, but their spending more time together over the past two days only made them closer.
Liang Xiulin watched as Mo Jinxi broke into a wide smile as he ran toward Mo Jingsheng. She did not feel too happy about it.
When she was with Mo Jinxi at home during the day, Mo Jinxi was always polite. He said ‘thank you’ for everything and was very obedient. There was something missing in the way he had interacted with her as it did not feel like they were close at all.
However, when Mo Jinxi was with Mo Jingsheng, that feeling of unfamiliarity disappeared. They spent less time together than she and Mo Jinxi did, and she was well-aware of what her son’s personality was like. Why was it that Mo Jinxi was not afraid of Mo Jingsheng, and was even more willing to become close to him than her?
Mo Jingsheng did not have many friends. The cold look on his face often made others choose to stay away from him. Furthermore, it was actually harder for people to stay friends with him once they got to know him better. This was the way he was with regular friends, what more a girlfriend? Even as his mother, Liang Xiulin was afraid of him. This was the reason for Mo Jingsheng had been single all this time.
Due to a combination of his job and excellent family background, Mo Jingsheng should theoretically not have any trouble getting himself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, even if someone had introduced a girl to him, they would break up after spending just a few days together because of his personality. His longest relationship had only lasted a month, and this was with the most determined girl anyone could find.
There was one thing good about Mo Jingsheng, though. He had never turned down anyone attempting to introduce a girl to him. If he felt that if met a nice girl, he would sincerely get into a relationship with her. He was never unhappy about any attempts at matchmaking and was not the type to shy away from marriage. In fact, Mo Jingsheng had even hoped to settle down.
Unfortunately for him, the more he longed to settle down, the more difficult it became for him to find the right girl.
Liang Xiulin had given this a lot of thought and had even started thinking about eventually finding Mo Jinxi a match too, which was quite a far-off thought.
When she awoke from her reverie, she realized Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng had already sat down in the dining room.
Meanwhile, Mo Jinxi and Yan Ningbai stood in front of Mo Jingsheng. “Uncle, this is my good friend, Yan Ningbai.”
Mo Jinxi introduced him proudly as he turned toward Yan Ningbai with a sneaky smile on his face.
Yan Ningbai had always flaunted his seniority and would always take the opportunity to do so with anyone he could get his hands on. Even Mo Jinxi had nearly fell victim to this before.
In the end, Mo Jinxi was forced to ask him, “Can we still be good friends?”
Yan Ningbai replied happily, “Since you’re sincere in wanting to become good friends with me, I won’t mention my seniority to you.”
However, when it came to Han Zhuoli and the rest, who were from the same generation as Yan Beicheng, Yan Ningbai would never waste any opportunities. He was not afraid of them, especially since he had gotten to know Han Zhuoli and the rest better.
Besides, they were good friends with Yan Huaian, and felt that Yan Ningbai was smart and adorable. They did not mind him that much, which Yan Ningbai was well-aware of.
Mo Jinxi squinted at Yan NIngbai as if to challenge him, ‘Do the same to my uncle if you dare to’.
Yan Ningbai looked at Mo Jingsheng’s strict face, which was just like Police Chief Mo’s, and he immediately became cowardly.
He stood up straight and sucked in his stomach to make himself look more like a good little boy. “Unc… Uncle, how are you?!”
Mo Jingsheng may look strict, but he was slightly friendlier than Police Chief Mo. At the very least, he had a gentle gaze and did not make people uncomfortable with his smile.
He said gently, “Have a good time playing with Jinxi. Do help him out in school if Jinxi has any problems.”
“Don’t worry, Jinxi is my good friend,” Yan Ningbai patted his chest as he promised.
Then, he suddenly thought about something and turned back, as if trying to court death on purpose. “Am I right, big nephew?”
Yan Beicheng, “…”
He referred to Mo Jingsheng as ‘uncle’ but turned back to refer to Yan Beicheng as ‘big nephew’. What was he trying to do?!
Yan Beicheng’s face was so dark that it could be used as charcoal.
Even Mo Jinxi thought that his little friend had a death wish. He was about to attempt to salvage the situation, in case Yan Beicheng would later enact his revenge on Yan Ningbai once they got home, when Liang Xiulin suddenly called everyone to dinner. This was perfect timing.
Everyone had a good time chatting at the dinner table as they were from families of equal standing, including Lin Chu, who was now seen as the daughter-in-law of the Yan family and not just an orphan. Liang Xiulin did not act the way she did at the orphanage. Tonight, her attitude and demeanor matched her status. She spoke eloquently and was charismatic and open, so everyone immediately recognized that this was the Madam Mo who often appeared alongside Police Chief Mo in front of the media.
Lin Chu could now understand the description Yan Beicheng had given her of Liang Xiulin.
Liang Xiulin’s greatest flaw was that she looked down at those who were not of equal status. She was snobbish and tended to think the worse of others. It was only because Liang Xiulin was now having a meal with the Yan Family that this flaw of hers was non-existent. Thus, it became a pleasure to spend time with her.
Lin Chu felt that this flaw of Liang Xiulin’s was similarly possessed by many others. Everyone had their flaws, and no one was truly perfect. Even if such a person person really did exist, no one would truly like that person. Who would like someone that did not have a single flaw to them? People would end up thinking that this person could not really be as perfect as they seemed, and was, in fact, hiding something. If a perfect person really existed, someone who was aware of their own shortcomings would not be able to get close with that perfect person as it would only make you feel inadequate and you would end up hating that perfect person.
Liang Xiulin was not perfect, but she made no attempt to hide who she was, making it easy to figure out what kind of person she was. This made Liang Xiulin much more likable. At the very least, she was better than those who hid their true selves and schemed on a daily basis.
Yan Beicheng was right. Liang Xiulin may be flawed but she was not a bad person. It was fine as long as her negative traits did not affect Mo Jinxi.
Lin Chu spoke eloquently and did not keep her distance from Liang Xiulin as she was now familiar with her personality. Lin Chu was used to spending time with Old Lady Yan, and even though Liang Xiulin could compare to Old Lady Yan, Lin Chu was still able to get Liang Xiulin to feel comfortable with her.
Liang Xiulin had a really good time and thus formed an even better impression of Lin Chu. She could not help thinking how well brought up Lin Chu was, such that she even forgot that Lin Chu had grown up in an orphanage that she had looked down on.
Even though Lin Chu had been adopted by the Lin family at seven years old, by then, the old principal had already instilled in her strong values and thus provided her a good foundation. Otherwise, with all the suffering she experienced in the Lin family, Lin Chu might have changed to become hateful and bitter at the world for all her hardship. She could have developed an extremely unlikable personality.
“Look at you, married at such a young age and now pregnant. Modern women might always talk about depending on themselves and only relying on their own capabilities, but they only do this because relying on yourself is the surest thing. I read an article previously talking about this. Women who earn their own money can buy whatever they want and travel wherever they like. Modern women can change their own lightbulbs, fix the toilet bowl and do whatever men can do. Thus, why should they be in any hurry to get married?”
Liang Xiulin put a piece of lamb chop into Mo Jinxi and Yan Ningbai’s bowls. “In my own opinion, I still say that women should get married. It’s not that they are not allowed to stay single, but they should at least have a child, am I right? It’s not even really about having somebody to take care of you when you grow old as we can always stay in the old folk’s home and not be a burden for the child. I’m going to be totally honest and say this: Women love buying jewellery. Won’t you feel sad that all the valuable things you had bought over the years will end up being giving it to a random person? A woman might as well have a child so that they can leave everything valuable they have to their own flesh and blood. Wouldn’t such a thing be ideal? I don’t think I can ever be like those rich businessmen overseas who donate all their property to society. I can donate a portion of it, no problem, as we should help others if we are capable of it, but when it comes to the things we love, we should leave them to those we love, don’t you think so?”
Lin Chu could empathize with this point of view and did not feel that Liang Xiulin was being narrow-minded at all. It was one thing to give back to society, but she would like to leave the best for her own child.
All things said and done, it was not easy for someone like Liang Xiulin to open up so honestly to her this way.
“Yes, you’re right,” Lin Chu nodded.
Liang Xiulin felt encouraged when Lin Chu agreed with her. Thus, she immediately became chatty. “People should always have a partner. However, we should always look for someone who is on the same level as we are. After all, you can take the time to improve yourself and become famous or obtain a post in higher management. Besides constantly improving, you’d also want to see more of the world before you grow old. After seeing so many different things and getting to know so many outstanding men, there should be at least one that you’d become interested in, right?”