Chapter 213.1
Editor: Jodi
Jiang Xu observed Lin An Lan and Cheng Yu for several classes, and the more he watched, the stranger he found them. It was mainly Cheng Yu who was strange, as his attitude toward Lin An Lan was unusual.
However, he didn’t interfere much. Apart from playing basketball with them a few times during PE class, he didn’t hang out with them much.
Their social circles were different, so naturally they didn’t have much interaction.
The change came in the second semester of sophomore year. That day, Cheng Feng came to pick Cheng Yu and Lin An Lan up to celebrate Yu Hanshuang’s birthday.
He had booked a hotel, carefully prepared a surprise, and afraid that Yu Hanshuang might not want to go, he brought the two children along as a pretext.
Cheng Yu listened to him speak, with a half-smile on his face. “So you’re using me as a prop to please my mom? I’m just your tool.”
Cheng Feng corrected him, “You’re the crystallization of our love.”
Cheng Yu shook off his goosebumps, feeling it was too mushy.
Cheng Feng didn’t place his hopes on him anyway. He turned his gaze to Lin An Lan, “An An, let’s go. You wouldn’t want Dad’s efforts to go to waste, right?”
Look how clever he was. He had long noticed that as long as Lin An Lan was willing, Cheng Yu would agree. And if both children went, Yu Hanshuang would also attend for the children’s sake.
So the key person was still Lin An Lan.
Cheng Feng felt quite confident about Lin An Lan. After all, all these years, only Lin An Lan had been helping him consistently.
Lin An Lan didn’t disappoint him, because without much hesitation, he got into his car, and Cheng Yu followed along.
Neither of them noticed Jiang Xu’s shocked gaze not far behind them.
Sitting in the car, Lin An Lan began texting Yu Hanshuang, betraying Cheng Feng.
Yu Hanshuang was shopping with her friend at the time. She didn’t work on her birthday, not only taking the day off but also buying some jewelry and accessories she liked as gifts to herself.
Seeing Lin An Lan’s message, she couldn’t help but smile.
“What is it?” Her good friend asked.
“Nothing, just a small family matter.” She said.
She continued shopping a while longer, bought a necklace and a dress, then said goodbye to her friend and unhurriedly headed to the hotel Cheng Feng had booked.
The dinner was quite pleasant. Cheng Feng was eager to please Yu Hanshuang, which benefited Cheng Yu and Lin An Lan as well, although Yu Hanshuang’s expression remained indifferent. After the dinner, she went back with Lin An Lan and Cheng Yu.
Cheng Feng naturally went back with them, claiming that a family should be together.
Yu Hanshuang ignored him, but Cheng Yu secretly smiled and moved closer to Lin An Lan, saying, “He put in quite some effort today.”
“Trying to please Mom, I guess.”
“Do you think he’ll succeed?”
Lin An Lan wasn’t sure. It had been almost nine years, and each year, he felt like the relationship between Cheng Yu and Yu Hanshuang seemed less cold, but each year he also felt like there wasn’t much warmth between them either.
Yu Hanshuang still lived in her own bedroom, hadn’t moved back, and her conversations with Cheng Feng were mostly about business or the children. Cheng Feng was unwilling to accept this, but he could only remain unwilling.
In some ways, Lin An Lan felt that Yu Hanshuang was quite determined.
Everyone returned home together, and the maid handed Yu Hanshuang a package that had arrived that day. Yu Hanshuang took it puzzledly, opened it, and found a tulip bracelet.
The bracelet was clearly expensive, however Cheng Feng’s face immediately darkened.
“It’s from that old classmate of yours again.” He said sarcastically.
Yu Hanshuang responded with a simple “Mm”, looking at the bracelet in her hand.
Cheng Feng gritted his teeth and said to Lin An Lan, “An An, you and your big brother go back to your rooms.”
“What are you going to do?” Cheng Yu asked him.
“Nothing, I just want to talk to your mom. Go back.”
“What can’t I hear?” Cheng Yu clearly didn’t want to leave.
Cheng Feng impatiently looked at Lin An Lan, gesturing for him to take Cheng Yu back to the room.
Lin An Lan guessed what he wanted to say was probably related to his feelings, and afraid Cheng Yu might hear something inappropriate, he pulled him toward the stairs.
Cheng Yu was reluctant, but since Lin An Lan was pulling him, he couldn’t resist and followed him up the stairs back to the room.
“What are you doing?” Cheng Yu poked his face. “Do you listen to him or to me?”
“To you.” Lin An Lan stroked him. “But couldn’t you tell he wanted to discuss relationship matters with Mom? For a couple’s relationship, it’s not appropriate for us to be present. Parents have their privacy too.”
“Do they even have a relationship?” Cheng Yu pointed to the door. “I actually hope they do.”
He sighed. After all these years, if he didn’t understand the situation between his parents as a child, he knew better now. They were definitely not a loving couple. The fact that they still lived under the same roof was probably because they had an arranged marriage and couldn’t divorce easily, so they lived like business partners.
But, Cheng Yu frowned, in his memory, they had once been close, even secretly kissing behind his back. He didn’t know how they had suddenly become like this.
Cheng Yu didn’t know the reason, and no one wanted him to know. He was the only one in the family kept in the dark, so he couldn’t understand, but he hoped that if possible, his parents would still have feelings for each other. That would be the best.
“I will definitely not have an arranged marriage.” He said softly.
Lin An Lan sat on the bed and asked him, “Why?”
“I want to be with someone I like.” Cheng Yu sat beside him, confident in his answer.
Lin An Lan thought this made sense. “But what if your dad and grandfather insist on an arranged marriage?”
“You can’t force a bull to drink water by pushing its head. If I refuse an arranged marriage, can they force me to go register?”
After saying this, he added to Lin An Lan, “And you too, don’t agree to an arranged marriage. Find someone you like.”
Lin An Lan thought he was thinking too far ahead. Who would arrange a marriage for an adopted son?
Especially an adopted son who wasn’t even officially registered in the Cheng family?
With his status, he had no qualification for an arranged marriage. Even if he wanted one, the Cheng family wouldn’t agree.
But he indeed didn’t want one. In life, one should be with someone they loved. Even Yu Hanshuang and Cheng Feng had at least loved each other once. His own marriage should be better than theirs.
“Did you hear me?” Cheng Yu asked him.
Lin An Lan nodded, “I heard.”
Cheng Yu patted his head, “You’re so silly.”
“You’re the silly one.” Lin An Lan retorted.