Chapter 74: Meeting
Wen Yu wrapped her arms around Ye Qizhen, hugging her as tightly as she could.
All the way rushing to find Ye Qizhen, her heart was filled with mixed feelings—anxiety, worry, and a faint fear… fear of facing the worst outcome, fear of the most realistic hurdle suddenly placed before them, caught off guard.
Ye Qizhen thought of those dozens of missed calls. Suddenly losing contact with her at this critical juncture, Wen Yu must have been scared.
Holding her like this, Wen Yu’s emotions gradually calmed down. Ye Qizhen had promised her; she believed every word Ye Qizhen said.
“It’s okay,” Ye Qizhen said again with a smile.
Seeing tears swirling in Ye Qizhen’s eyes while she bravely held back from crying, Wen Yu said with heartache, “Cry if you feel bad, don’t hold it in.”
“I didn’t…” Ye Qizhen still wanted to be stubborn, but under Wen Yu’s gaze, before she could finish her sentence, she broke down in tears, leaving only whimpers.
The long-suppressed grievances poured out completely. She wanted to be held by Wen Yu and cry properly for a while.
Wen Yu gently rubbed Ye Qizhen’s hair, letting Ye Qizhen lean on her shoulder and cry. Crying it out would at least make her feel better. Just looking at the marks on Ye Qizhen’s face, she could imagine how much grievance Ye Qizhen had suffered tonight.
“I know they definitely can’t accept this for a while. I’m sad not because of this.” Ye Qizhen choked, whispering her true feelings, “They don’t care about me at all. Since I was little, no matter how hard I tried to please them, they always felt I wasn’t good enough…”
Listening to Ye Qizhen’s sobbing, Wen Yu’s heart felt like it was being twisted hard, painful and uncomfortable. Ye Qizhen had cried in front of her many times, but it was the first time she cried so wretchedly, her whole body trembling.
“I care about you.” Wen Yu stroked her head to comfort her.
“Mn.” Ye Qizhen looked up at Wen Yu, feeling much more comfortable after crying. Because of her parents, she had been afraid of being disliked since childhood, developing a personality of pleasing others. But even though she was popular, she still felt suppressed and lonely.
Fortunately, she met Wen Yu. Turns out she didn’t need to deliberately please anyone; she could be favored and liked too.
Past eleven at night, while Ye Qizhen was showering, Wen Yu received a call from Wen Qiuxian. As soon as she answered, a burst of cursing came through: “Where the hell did you go? Not planning to come back, right?”
The voice was irritable and piercing. Wen Yu answered calmly, with no intention of arguing: “We are at the old house, not coming back tonight.”
Hearing Wen Yu say “we,” it meant the two had met. Wen Qiuxian asked again, “That girl fell out with her family?”
Wen Yu didn’t answer.
Wen Qiuxian was silent for a while. This situation was too similar to hers back then. She also chased after him recklessly, but the other party gave up on her because of his family, refusing even to see her. Her judgment of people wasn’t good, starting from eighteen.
“Come back tomorrow.” Wen Qiuxian slowed down, her tone low. “I don’t agree with you two being together either.”
Listening, Wen Yu insisted: “I like her.”
Her tone was humble, even carrying a hint of pleading. Stubborn as a mule since childhood, yet… Wen Qiuxian sighed helplessly, shouting at the top of her lungs, “What’s the use of you liking her? What about her? Her family doesn’t agree, looks down on you. Why are you rushing to throw yourself at her?”
“It’s enough that she likes me.”
Like? How many tests can liking at this age withstand? And two girls at that. Wen Qiuxian added, “If you don’t listen to me now, you’ll regret it later.”
“I won’t regret it. Even if I regret it in the future, it’s my own business.” Wen Yu insisted on having her own way.
“I… I’m going to die of anger because of you!” Wen Qiuxian became weaker as she spoke. Truly her own flesh and blood; this aspect of her personality was exactly the same as when she was young. She knew too well that being so single-minded about feelings meant definitely being the one hurt.
Finally, the call ended with Wen Qiuxian’s impatient “Suit yourself, I can’t be bothered to care.”
“Call from Auntie?”
Wen Yu pulled Ye Qizhen onto the bed, moving herself to the other side.
As soon as Ye Qizhen got into bed, it was warm and toasty, with her favorite scent. After lying down, she turned sideways to face Wen Yu, still worried, asking, “What did Auntie say on the phone?”
“She asked me about the situation.” Wen Yu saw through Ye Qizhen’s worry, pulling her into a hug. “She didn’t object, just needs some time to accept.”
“Really?” Ye Qizhen was afraid Wen Yu was comforting her.
“Mn, didn’t lie to you.” Wen Yu understood that although Wen Qiuxian had a violent temper, she actually had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. As long as it was something she liked, she wouldn’t force anything.
Ye Qizhen smiled.
Wen Yu touched Ye Qizhen’s cheek; looking closely, the marks were still obvious.
Ye Qizhen held Wen Yu’s hand. “Doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Wen Yu kissed her cheek anyway.
It snowed again the next day.
Ye Qizhen still messaged Chen Yin saying she wouldn’t go home for the time being. Chen Yin didn’t reply. Maybe sulking, or more likely, Ye Qifan’s divorce left the family with no time to attend to her. This was good too.
Leaning by the window, Ye Qizhen stared at a certain spot in a daze until her waist was hugged tightly from behind, bringing her back to her senses. She didn’t turn around, just letting Wen Yu hug her comfortably.
Wen Yu secretly looked at Ye Qizhen’s profile. “Thinking about what?”
Ye Qizhen turned around. “Snowing so heavily.”
Wen Yu leaned on Ye Qizhen’s shoulder for a while, lost in thought. When she spoke to Ye Qizhen again, her eyes became serious. “Even if they don’t understand, we can have our own life. You told me, no matter what happens, we face it together.”
“Mn!” Ye Qizhen smiled, a sudden feeling of groundedness. Perhaps not mature enough yet, but they could decide the direction of the future themselves. Bad things would pass.
Watched the snow quietly for a while longer.
Wen Yu stared at Ye Qizhen’s long and curled eyelashes, suddenly calling: “Ye Qizhen.”
Ye Qizhen looked back at her.
Wen Yu’s voice was extremely light and gentle: “I love you.”
Hearing these three words, Ye Qizhen smiled sweetly and foolishly. “I know.”
***
Chen Yin received a WeChat message from Wen Qiuxian in the morning, asking to meet. Although she was burnt out these two days, she still agreed.
Met at a tea bar in the afternoon.
“Actually, I planned to ask you to meet too, to talk properly about our daughters.” Chen Yin sat opposite Wen Qiuxian, smiling politely. Because both daughters caused a pile of trouble, she was visibly haggard.
“I’ve been having a headache over this for two days too.” Wen Qiuxian smiled bitterly. “They insist on being together, we can’t do anything about it.”
“No no no, I think they are two little girls, at the age of being playful. As parents, we should guide them more.” Chen Yin said eloquently.
Wen Qiuxian had always been open-minded and thought a lot these two days. It was already like this, what else could be done? She was silent for a moment, then looked up at Chen Yin. “Doctor Chen, my daughter isn’t the type to mess around playfully.”
Chen Yin smiled awkwardly. “My daughter isn’t the type to mess around either.”
Wen Qiuxian blinked. “Then there you have it.”
Chen Yin was mute, not quite understanding the other party’s meaning. she continued to explain: “I mean their current thoughts aren’t mature enough. Strictly speaking, they don’t know what they want. Maybe they got together just for a moment of novelty. Moreover, my daughter has to take the postgraduate entrance exam. At this age, energy should be focused more on study and future development. Spending too much thought on dating isn’t appropriate. Hope you can understand this aspect.”
Wen Qiuxian had a straightforward personality and couldn’t stand such high-sounding beating around the bush. She choked back: “Twenty isn’t knowing nothing. I had a child at twenty.”
Chen Yin: “…”
Wen Qiuxian meeting Chen Yin today naturally had her own purpose. Having played with many men, she saw things clearly and had money on hand. She didn’t think her daughter must marry a man in the future to have support or something; men were far less reliable than money. Thinking carefully, that little girl had a good personality and was considerate. Wasn’t she better than most dog men?
“Ms. Wen, you asked me out today, what do you want to say?”
“Our family conditions are passable. Several properties, savings too. I only have one daughter; these will all be left to her in the future. You’ve seen my daughter too; looks okay, attends a famous university, future development won’t be bad.”
“My daughter’s conditions aren’t bad either…” Chen Yin frowned. Where is this going? Getting further and further off topic, completely not on the same channel.
“So they are suitable in all aspects,” Wen Qiuxian followed Chen Yin’s words, “And I can see my daughter genuinely likes your girl.”
Chen Yin hesitated to speak, unable to continue the conversation.
Wen Qiuxian drank two mouthfuls of tea. Seeing Chen Yin still silent for a long time, she simply cut to the chase. “In the end, you just can’t accept your daughter liking girls.”
Chen Yin sat upright, then turned her head to look out the window, silent.
“But she just likes girls. Are you going to force her to like men, and force her to marry a man later? Men really aren’t that good. Plenty of unhappy marriages, plenty of divorces after marriage.” Wen Qiuxian said a lot in one breath.
Happening to poke a sensitive spot, Chen Yin’s face became very ugly. Her already messy mood became even messier.
Having spoken patiently for so long, Wen Qiuxian was about to lose her temper. She took the initiative to discuss properly, but the other party still put on airs and didn’t buy it. She sneered sarcastically, “If your daughter just has her eyes on my daughter and is determined to be with my daughter, are you going to disown her? That works too, I’ll take it as picking up a daughter for free.”
