As expected, over the next few days, Su Yuxin would see Chi Ye waiting for her after work, under the pretense of picking her up.
Chi Ye leaned casually against the hood of his car, playing with the car keys in his hand. When Xiao Qiu walked out and saw him, she smiled and greeted him warmly, “Xiao Ye, here to pick up Yuxin again?”
Chi Ye smiled and nodded, “Yeah, see you later.”
“See you later.”
Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li waved goodbye to Chi Ye, then whispered to each other about how something good must be brewing between him and Su Yuxin.
At that moment, Su Yuxin walked out, spotting Chi Ye with a sunny smile on his face. She felt helpless—she had seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless.
Chi Ye looked up and saw her, walking over with a warm smile. “Shall we go?”
Su Yuxin stood still, staring straight at him. Chi Ye raised an eyebrow and asked seriously, “Is there something on my face?”
Su Yuxin took a deep breath and said flatly, “Don’t come to pick me up anymore. I don’t want people gossiping.”
She had noticed that recently Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li were looking at her differently, always hinting that she had a boyfriend and teasing her about how people in love are always happy.
Chi Ye paused for a moment but quickly resumed his playful demeanor, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the parking lot as he whined, “I’m hungry, let’s go.”
Su Yuxin was speechless. Why couldn’t he understand what she was saying?
Chi Ye stuffed her into the car, thoughtfully buckling her seatbelt, and then drove her home.
After she got out of the car, Chi Ye didn’t say anything, simply driving away, leaving Su Yuxin standing there, confused.
—
At the Chi residence.
Chi Ye had just returned home. As he passed through the living room, his eyes caught a figure on the couch. His lips moved as he called out, “Brother.”
The man on the couch had a complicated expression, his face clouded with gloom.
Chi Ye was about to head to his room when he was suddenly stopped. “Where have you been? Why are you back so late?”
The Chi residence was a two-hour drive from Su Yuxin’s house, so by the time Chi Ye got home, it was already 1 AM.
Chi Ye glanced at the clock, a hint of impatience flashing across his face as he retorted to Chi Yu, “Mind your own business.”
Chi Ye shot him a disdainful look.
A flash of anger crossed Chi Yu’s face as he demanded, “You’ve been hanging around with Su Yuxin again, haven’t you? You should stay away from her—she’s not worthy of marrying into the Chi family.”
Chi Ye turned back coldly, his eyes burning with anger.
“Stop lecturing me. If you’re so great, why did you let Sister Weiwei slip through your fingers? Now you’re stuck with a woman you don’t even like. Doesn’t that feel terrible? Unlike you, I’m not willing to settle for just anyone.”
“You…”
Chi Yu’s face turned red with fury, his brow twitching. “In any case, Dad won’t approve of you being with Su Yuxin. Just wait and see.”
With that, Chi Yu stormed off, leaving Chi Ye behind, shaking his fist in frustration. In his mind, he thought bitterly, Family is important, but love is priceless. Screw you!
—
That day, Su Yuxin went to work as usual. After work, Chi Ye shamelessly insisted on taking her home again.
At noon, Su Yuxin received a call from her neighbor, informing her that her grandmother had been hospitalized again due to high blood pressure. After hanging up, her face turned pale with panic. Only one thought consumed her mind—her grandmother couldn’t have anything happen to her. She hastily explained the situation to Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li before rushing back to her hometown.
When she arrived, her grandmother had already been brought home from the hospital by a neighbor. Su Yuxin repeatedly thanked the neighbor, who waved it off with a smile, saying, “A distant relative isn’t as good as a close neighbor,” before leaving.
Su Yuxin held her grandmother’s wrinkled hand, asking with concern, “Grandma, how are you feeling? Should I take you back to the hospital for further observation?”
Her grandmother waved her hand, smiling kindly. “I’m fine, it’s just my old ailments. I told them not to bother you. This old body of mine isn’t worth you taking time off from work.”
“Grandma, if you say that, it’ll upset me. Nothing is more important than your health. If you ever feel unwell, you must tell me right away.”
Su Yuxin’s tense expression softened slightly as she went to the kitchen to pour her grandmother a glass of water and brought over her medication.
Her grandmother took the small pill and swallowed it with water. After taking her medicine, she seemed to remember something and asked with interest, “Yuxin, how’s that boy you were seeing? Are things going well?”
Su Yuxin’s hand tightened around the glass. After a brief hesitation, she clarified, “He and I are just friends.”
She said the word “friends” with such guilt that she didn’t dare to look her grandmother in the eye.
Her grandmother, sensing her discomfort, spoke gently, “Yuxin, you’re not young anymore. My greatest wish in life is to see you married. Then I can rest easy. I know you’ve had a hard life, and it’s my fault for not being able to give you more. I’m sorry…”
Tears welled up in her grandmother’s eyes as she lowered her head. Su Yuxin panicked and quickly took her hands, comforting her, “Grandma, I’m sorry I’ve made you worry. I’ll think more about my relationships, I promise.”
“That young man seems like a good one. Handsome, well-mannered, a fine catch.”
Su Yuxin fell silent, guilt rising in her chest. After a long pause, she finally said, “I understand, Grandma.”
Her grandmother gave her a deep look but said nothing more.
Su Yuxin felt conflicted. Thinking about her grandmother’s wishes, she felt truly torn. Her long-standing resolve to never marry wavered for the first time. If it made her grandmother happy, she’d be willing to go through fire and water.
After her grandmother took her medication, Su Yuxin helped her back to her room to rest. Then, she sat alone on the rooftop, staring at the moon and letting her mind wander. The pet shop business was thriving, and she had saved enough money for both her and her grandmother. Yet she still couldn’t shake a sense of insecurity, perhaps stemming from the way her parents had treated her when she was young.
A notification sound pulled her back to reality. She opened her phone to see a message from Luo Wei.
“Yuxin, I heard from Xiao Qiu that your grandmother was hospitalized. How’s she doing? I’ll visit her in a few days. Take care of yourself too.”
Su Yuxin smiled slightly and quickly typed out a reply.
“She’s fine now. I’ll be back in a couple of days. You focus on getting ready for your wedding. Be the most beautiful bride.”
“Okay, don’t worry about the store. Xiao Qiu and Xiao Li will handle everything. Take good care of your grandmother, and don’t stress about the shop. Send her my regards.”
After chatting with Luo Wei for a bit, they said goodnight to each other. As Su Yuxin was about to exit the app, a message from Chi Ye popped up.
She hesitated for a few seconds before clicking on his profile.
His message was full of concern: “How’s your grandmother? Do you need me to come over?”
Su Yuxin frowned slightly, quickly replying.
“No need!”
She thought he might say something more, but there was no response. Feeling a bit surprised, she waited for a few minutes, but Chi Ye still didn’t reply. Sighing to herself, she pushed aside the messy thoughts and went back to her room.
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