Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 203 - 195: Not Willing to Give Up

Chapter 203: Chapter 195: Not Willing to Give Up

"Even if you like that Lu Yun now, it’s useless. Since she’s already engaged, you can’t barge in anymore. Don’t you know ’a gentleman should act accordingly and knows what to avoid’? Bullying others with your power is something our Duan Family absolutely must not do,"

Fan Jiayi also couldn’t help feeling secretly relieved that Lu Yun was already engaged. Who would have thought her son was so deeply invested in her? Thankfully, otherwise, it would be regrettable if their mother-son relationship were damaged in the future over an outsider who had no family background or status.

Moreover, though she indulged her son, she was not without her limits and principles. Her son could have his fun while he’s young, but he absolutely must not bully others with his power or arrogance, creating a scandal of taking another’s wife. How would that be any different from the wanton youths of olden times? It would also be self-destructive.

If such a scandal broke out, which girls of their family’s social standing would be willing to marry him? Without the Yue Family’s support, relying solely on their limited resources, she honestly wasn’t sure how far her younger son could go.

After all, her older son was far too exceptional. Although she didn’t favour the older son, she had to admit that his excellence was even greater than the younger son’s. Given her husband’s partiality, the resources available to the younger son would likely be pitifully scarce.

Fan Jiayi furrowed her brows in thought, realizing that she needed to find a way to stop her husband’s overt favouritism. And regarding her daughter, she also needed to persuade her to speak with her son-in-law, to see if there was any way he could support her younger son, and also consider her maiden family...

She couldn’t let her husband and older son continue to look down on her and her younger son, could she? She had to prove with actions that the son she raised wouldn’t lose to the older one in any way.

Having made up her mind, Fan Jiayi finally curled her lips into a pleased smile. However, when her gaze shifted downwards to the glass shards on the floor, her brows knitted once again. She was certainly not angry with her younger son, but rather unsatisfied with her daughter-in-law.

"Lizhen really should have heard such a loud noise. Baby, stay seated and don’t move around. If you carelessly cut your foot, that would be bad. I’ll go to the kitchen and see what your elder sister-in-law is dragging on about. Washing a few bowls is taking forever..."

Her daughter-in-law Liu Lizhen’s family had fallen on hard times, and now it was only with the support of the Fan Family that they could maintain their facade. Fan Jiayi hadn’t favored her from the start because of her little help.

But her older son insisted, so she let it be, deciding it wasn’t worth another dispute with the older son over such a "trivial matter." After all, she didn’t value the older son much anyway. With no assistance, it didn’t matter; a daughter-in-law with an unremarkable maiden family was easier to manipulate.

"Lizhen, there’s a broken glass in the living room. Clean it up, so Muhong doesn’t accidentally step on it," Fan Jiayi said as she walked into the kitchen and saw her elder daughter-in-law squatting down, scrubbing the floor, softening her expression slightly.

"I know, Mom," Liu Lizhen responded obediently with her head bowed, immediately putting down the cleaning cloth and reaching for the broom and dustpan to head to the living room, where Duan Muhong was no longer in sight.

--

Zhang Min was still glum even after she had returned home.

It was lunchtime and no one else was at home, so she and Ding Luoluo ate something simple. Afterward, Zhang Min went straight back to her room. Ding Luoluo, still shaken by the morning’s scare, also felt tired and went back to her room, quickly falling asleep on her bed.

Upon waking, she immediately noticed Pei Kun, who was by no means supposed to be there, sleeping right beside her, and instinctively reached out to touch his face.

"Awake now," Pei Kun opened his eyes and smiled at Ding Luoluo, his large hand wrapping around her and pulling her into his embrace. "How was your morning out?"

"Ah..." Ding Luoluo let out a long sigh, her face pressed against Pei Kun’s chest.

Pei Kun’s expression grew serious as he thought of the few people who could make his wife sigh like that.

Recalling her stepmother, who had repeatedly tried to slander his wife in front of him, and Ding Tiantian, who had set her sights on seducing him, anger edged into his voice. "What, did you run into your stepmother again? If they dare to be arrogant again, I’ll go to your father-in-law and expose everything they’ve done to you."

"Don’t be angry, it’s not them. How many times have you already dealt with them, both publicly and in secret? They haven’t dared to be bold in front of me for years now."

Ding Luoluo stroked Pei Kun’s chest with her right hand, helping him catch his breath, "It was Grandma. Today, while she was at Wangfujing Department Store, she suddenly said she saw Uncle."

She sighed again, "You have no idea how frightening Grandma looked at that moment. She wanted to chase after him and almost fell. Luckily, I was quick enough to catch her before she actually fell, but it really scared me."

"Uncle? Are you sure you’re talking about Uncle?" Pei Kun was stunned and sat up so suddenly that Ding Luoluo sat up with him.

"Right? Grandma was calling out ’Shaojie’... Yes, I heard it clearly, there’s no mistake," Ding Luoluo recalled carefully and nodded assertively at Pei Kun.

"Even if it was Uncle, how could Grandma recognize him?" Pei Kun wondered. Grandma never saw Uncle as an adult. Could it have been a mother-son blood connection?

"I don’t know. Grandma first called out ’Shaojie’ a couple of times, then shook her head, saying she was seeing things. She looked so dispirited that I didn’t dare to ask more. After that, we didn’t stay and just came back."

Ding Luoluo shook her head, "But I think Grandma definitely saw someone who closely resembles Grandpa, Dad, or you."

"That’s probably the only explanation," Pei Kun fell silent for a while, "Maybe Grandma thought of Uncle when she saw the person. Later when she said her vision was blurred, it’s most likely because the ages didn’t match up."

"What time is it now? I wonder how Grandma is doing. Shall we go downstairs and check on her?" Ding Luoluo nudged Pei Kun, and they got out of bed to wash up and get dressed.

"It’s 3:42 in the morning," Pei Kun glanced at his watch.

"Why is it so late?" Usually, Ding Luoluo would wake up automatically around two o’clock.

"You must have been sleeping heavily because you were shocked," Pei Kun touched Ding Luoluo’s face with a hint of pity in his voice.

Downstairs, as Pei Kun and Ding Luoluo were about to knock on Zhang Min’s door, Auntie Zhang hurried over to stop them, "The old lady said when she went back to her room that we shouldn’t call for her unless she comes out on her own."

Ding Luoluo and Pei Kun exchanged a glance and reluctantly gave up on knocking. They sat down together in the living room, waiting for Zhang Min to come out. They ended up waiting until Pei Qingyuan and Pei Shaohua returned, darkness fell, dinner time arrived, but there was still no movement from Zhang Min’s room.

After hearing Ding Luoluo’s account, both Pei Qingyuan and Pei Shaohua showed sorrowful expressions. Then, Pei Qingyuan stopped everyone’s impulse to knock again, "Let’s wait a little longer. It’s okay to have dinner a bit late occasionally."

They didn’t have to wait long before Zhang Min opened her door. Except for her slightly swollen eyes, she looked normal. However, she couldn’t help but tear up again when she saw Pei Qingyuan.

Seeing everybody’s concerned faces, Zhang Min couldn’t keep herself from smiling bitterly at Pei Qingyuan, "...There’s really nothing, it’s just that I suddenly saw someone who looked exactly like you when you were young. I thought it might be Shaojie, but the age didn’t match. I’ve been thinking all afternoon, wondering if it could be Shaojie’s child?"

"I’ll have someone check it out," Pei Qingyuan said decisively.

"Go ahead, it’ll make me feel better."

Zhang Min’s tears flowed freely, yet she knew it was likely in vain to search. With so many people in the Capital City, how difficult would it be to find someone with no known information about them? And even if they did search, where would they begin?

But to do nothing was ultimately unbearable.