The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 446 - 448. News about Jin Enxi

Chapter 446: 448. News about Jin Enxi

"Has Ya Xi been like this ever since she came back?" Shen Qinglan asked in a deep voice.

Doug nodded, "Yes, after coming back she’s basically been like this all the time. As long as no one touches her, she can sit there by herself for the whole day. She can’t even speak a complete sentence now, her loss of language ability is very severe."

Shen Qinglan’s pupils shrank sharply, "How could this happen?"

"This is professionally called aphasia, a latter stage manifestation of hysteria. Not only that, but as time goes on, she will gradually lose the ability to act on her own, turning into a puppet who can’t eat or sleep by herself."

"Doug, is there really no other way?"

Doug shook his head, his face heavy with sorrow. If there had been a way, he would have tried it long ago, "She’s immersed in her own world, unwilling to wake up, Andre, I’m out of options too." Mentioning this only increased Doug’s pain.

He had treated many patients and cured many of them, but now he was utterly helpless when it came to his own lover. This feeling of powerlessness was driving him to the brink of collapse.

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan fell silent. She knew nothing in this regard, completely unable to offer any help even if she wanted to.

"Andre, it’s actually good that she is like this now, at least she’s not suffering. A patient with hysteria will subconsciously forget the painful memories, and any behavior is like that of a child, simple and beautiful. I even think that if waking up only brings her pain, then it’s also good for her to live like this for the rest of her life. I will stay with her," Doug continued.

"Doug."

Looking at the silhouette of Ya Xi, Doug’s smile was tender, "Andre, don’t you think she looks incredibly peaceful and beautiful right now? I’ve seen her scared, I’ve seen her hysterical, and compared to those, how lovely she is when she’s calm."

"Doug, this is too cruel for you," Shen Qinglan said, watching one’s loved one like this and being powerless to do anything. This torment might last a lifetime.

"There’s nothing cruel or not cruel about it. I have no family in this world, no attachments, it was Ya Xi who gave me something to hold on to, which makes me feel very blessed. After some time, I plan to take Ya Xi to other places. She loves traveling. Last time we went to Europe together, this time I want to take her around Z country, to let her see the great rivers and mountains of her homeland."

"Doug, is Ya Xi going to be like this forever?"

"Maybe she will, maybe she won’t. Some hysteria patients suddenly wake up, and the disease goes away. Others never wake up in their lifetime, age in the world, and die. But no matter which it is, I will stay by her side," Doug spoke calmly, having already made up his mind, there was nothing to hesitate.

Shen Qinglan looked down, staring at the ground, "Doug, if there’s anything I can do, please call me."

"Hmm. I won’t be polite with you. I’ve already contacted Eden about what happened to Enxi. I’m very sorry."

Mentioning Jin Enxi, a hint of sadness flickered in Shen Qinglan’s eyes, but her face was masked with a smile, "Doug, I’m just like you, I won’t give up. I will keep searching, as long as there’s no body of Enxi found, I won’t give up for a single day."

When Shen Qinglan was about to leave, she walked to Ya Xi’s side and squatted down, looking into her eyes, "Ya Xi, I’m leaving, you have to be good."

Ya Xi stared at the ground without any reaction. Shen Qinglan smiled, reached out to touch Ya Xi’s head, "Ya Xi, I’m waiting for you to come back."

She took two steps away, but suddenly heard Ya Xi call out "sister." Shen Qinglan stopped in her tracks, her eyes shining with surprise, "Ya Xi, do you recognize me?"

Ya Xi did not respond again, focusing on the ground. Shen Qinglan tried to hold her hand, but Ya Xi retracted as if startled, and Shen Qinglan withdrew her hand in disappointment, "Ya Xi, please take good care of yourself."

Doug escorted Shen Qinglan to the train station, "Be careful on your way."

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Doug, you... take care."

"Okay."

**

Back in Beijing, Shen Qinglan had called Eden and found out that Andre had already left with Cissily, and Eden was now with them.

At this time, however, something happened in the underworld: Mei had re-emerged.

The incident occurred two days earlier. A mob boss from D country was found dead in his mistress’s house, lying in a pool of blood alongside his lover. The evidence at the scene clearly pointed to the recently resurfaced Mei.

While having tea with Su Qing, Yamamoto heard the news. "I’m glad I listened to your advice and didn’t seek trouble with Shen Qinglan. It turns out she’s really not Mei," Yamamoto said, setting down his tea cup thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Su Qing’s eyebrows lifted slightly, "What do you mean by that? Have you been keeping an eye on Shen Qinglan?"

Yamamoto gave an awkward smile, "It’s not really surveillance. After all, Beijing is the political center of Z country, and I can’t just monitor Shen Qinglan’s every move. I merely had people keep an eye on her whereabouts. I may not have known her every action, but when Mei killed that poor sap, Shen Qinglan was still in Beijing. My men saw it with their own eyes, there’s no mistake in that."

"It seems Mr. Yamamoto doesn’t fully trust what I say," Su Qing mentioned at a relaxed pace.

"Hey, what are you talking about? Of course, I trust you. It’s just a common issue among us in the underworld; we are never at ease unless we see for ourselves. Don’t take it to heart.

Su Qing smiled, though without warmth, "I wouldn’t dare."

"See, you’re still mad, right? Okay, okay, I was wrong to distrust you this time. I shouldn’t have done that. I promise there won’t be a next time."

"It’s okay, I was just joking with you. The reason I came to see you wasn’t about this matter. Qin Yan is already dead, and her power is yours for the taking," Su Qing straightened her posture.

At this, Yamamoto also grew serious, "Actually, after last time, Qin Yan’s influence in R country has been almost entirely eradicated by me. I’ll leave the scraps for others to have a share."

"I didn’t expect Mr. Yamamoto to be so magnanimous."

Yamamoto laughed heartily, "See, I am still a bit narrow-minded. But Su Qing, are you really unwilling to stay here with me? I would very much welcome you joining us." He extended the olive branch once again.

Su Qing shook her head, "No, thanks. I feel more comfortable with us being friends, just helping each other out occasionally."

Yamamoto looked genuinely disappointed upon hearing this, "Alright then, I obviously respect your choice, but if you ever change your mind, my doors are always open for you."

Su Qing smiled and nodded, "Okay. I’m going to disappear for a while, though. I’ve been really tired lately and want to take a vacation."

"Oh? Where do you plan to go?"

Su Qing shrugged, "Haven’t decided. Just going to look around. I’ve been all over the world mostly on missions, but this time I want to take a real world tour."

"That’s a great idea. If you ever get tired, come to my place."

"Definitely, Mr. Yamamoto. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I’m quite eager to start my new life."

"Hahaha, sure, have a great time."

Yamamoto stood up and personally escorted Su Qing to the door. Su Qing left without a backward glance, and Yamamoto did not see the fleeting smile in her eyes as she walked away.

Shen Qinglan was startled when she heard that Mei was active, but she couldn’t find any useful clues, so she tried to contact Su Qing. However, no matter what, she couldn’t get in touch with her. Su Qing seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

When Shen Qinglan told Eden about this, Eden fell silent for a moment before speaking, "An, have you ever felt that this person is helping you? When Shen Qinglan is often active, Mei appears on the other side of the planet, which serves as a good cover for your identity."

Shen Qinglan had thought of this as well, which was why she had thought of Su Qing. "Eden, do you have any news about Su Qing?"

"No. There doesn’t seem to be anyone called Su Qing on the streets."

Shen Qinglan suddenly realized that Su Qing was her real name, and she didn’t actually know what her name on the streets was. "Let it go, we can talk about this later. How is Cissily doing?"

"It’s still the same." Speaking of the still comatose Cissily, Eden’s voice grew heavy, "Andre has now stopped all work to focus on taking care of her, but there’s been no improvement in her condition."

When they talked about Cissily, Shen Qinglan also felt down. "Eden, tell me the truth, can Cissily wake up?"

"An, all I can say is that it’s possible, but I can’t guarantee how likely it is. Cissily’s head injury was too severe."

"Eden, I’ve dragged you all down."

"An, never say such a thing. Saying that is like stabbing us in the heart. We are partners who share life and death. Should anything happen to one of us, we will all do our utmost. This isn’t anyone’s fault, but if we have to blame someone, it’s my fault that I didn’t take your advice and deal with Qin Yan in time to prevent this disaster. Don’t worry, An, I will find a way to wake Cissily up."

"Mhm, I’m entrusting Cissily to you, Eden. If there’s any news of Enxi, I will inform you immediately."

"Sure, but An, have you ever thought, what if Enxi really is already..."

"No, Eden, whether you believe it or not, my intuition tells me that Enxi is still alive, and I will find her soon." Shen Qinglan’s tone was firm. She had already issued a reward on the streets—if anyone had news of Jin Enxi, they would receive a substantial reward.

Although no news had come yet, it was only a matter of time.

"An, I naturally trust you. Your intuition has always been accurate," Eden said, and actually, he also believed that Enxi was still alive.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, half a month had passed—Fu Hengyi finally returned from the military. Knowing that Fu Hengyi was returning from the military today, Shen Qinglan got up early and played with Anan in the yard to see Fu Hengyi earlier.

"Daddy." Anan’s eyes lit up when he saw the person coming in, and he rushed towards Fu Hengyi. Shen Qinglan was teaching Anan how to walk, and Anan stumbled as he walked. Being unsteady on his feet, he fell after a few steps towards Fu Hengyi.

Although it was early May, Beijing, being in the north, still had a chilly atmosphere. Anan was wearing thick clothing, so the fall didn’t hurt much. He didn’t cry and looked up at Fu Hengyi, who picked him up from the ground and patted the dust off his clothes. "Such a little dummy."

Anan frowned and looked discontentedly at Daddy, "Anan not dumb." His language abilities had recently improved drastically, learning many more words and sometimes even speaking short sentences.

Fu Hengyi immediately noticed this, pinched Anan’s little face, and picked him up, "Miss Daddy?"

Anan nodded, "Miss Daddy." He then kissed Fu Hengyi on the face.

Fu Hengyi’s eyes were full of doting as he finally looked towards Shen Qinglan, giving her an "I’m okay" look.

Fu Hengyi had undergone four psychological tests in total this time, and after confirming there were no problems, the military leaders allowed him to return home. After coming back, Fu Hengyi went to the study room with Old Sir Fu to explain the situation, and only after talking to him did Fu Hengyi come down to find Shen Qinglan.

Shen Qinglan was sitting on the ground playing with little trains together with Anan. Anan was sitting in his mother’s lap, leaning against her. When he saw Daddy coming, he waved his hand, and Fu Hengyi sat down next to Anan.

"Is everything okay now?" Shen Qinglan asked.

Fu Hengyi nodded, "Yes, it’s all settled now."

"What decision did the military make about you?"

"Just a self-criticism, nothing serious." This was the version Fu Hengyi and Old Sir Fu had agreed upon.

Shen Qinglan’s eyebrows raised slightly, "You’re not telling me the truth, too?"

Fu Hengyi gave a helpless smile, knowing that Shen Qinglan was not so easily fooled, "Alright, there was also a demotion."

"That’s it?"

"Really, that’s it, Qinglan, don’t worry, none of this is a big deal for me."

Shen Qinglan said nothing, just looked down, as Fu Hengyi took her hand, "Don’t worry, I really am fine."

Shen Qinglan smiled, and before she could speak, she looked down at her hand to find Anan trying to pry away the hand Fu Hengyi was holding. Anan’s little eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, working hard to loosen Fu Hengyi’s grip, and he was muttering, "Mommy is Anan’s."

Upon hearing this, Fu Hengyi’s face darkened. This little brat, just a child, and he’s already learning to compete with his daddy for his wife.

Fu Hengyi immediately hugged Shen Qinglan in his arms and then looked seriously at Anan, "Mommy belongs to Daddy."

Anan blankly watched Fu Hengyi, then turned to look at Shen Qinglan, his mouth pouting as if he were about to cry. Shen Qinglan, at a loss for words, looked at Fu Hengyi, "He’s your son."

The father and son had just been showing affection to each other a moment ago.

Fu Hengyi felt wronged, "He’s competing with me for you." No one was allowed to steal his wife, not even his son.

"Mommy." Anan looked even more aggrieved. Before Daddy came back, Mommy was all his, so why did Mommy become Daddy’s as soon as he returned?

Shen Qinglan looked at the identical pitiful expressions on the faces of father and son, forehead in hand, then pushed Fu Hengyi away, "You caused this trouble, you handle it." With that, she stood up and walked away, ignoring the father-son pair.

Anan and Fu Hengyi stared at each other, big eyes meeting small ones. Fu Hengyi reached out to pinch his son’s face, "Look at you, you drove your mommy away, you really are clueless."

Anan’s brows furrowed even deeper. He didn’t like being pinched on the face by anyone, not even Daddy. His small hand swatted at Daddy’s larger one, signaling him to let go. Watching his son’s cute reaction, Fu Hengyi’s playful side suddenly emerged, and he stubbornly refused to let go, teasing Anan further by pinching one cheek and then the other. Anan, unable to outmatch Daddy, suddenly burst into tears.

Just then, Old Sir Fu, coming downstairs, caught sight of this scene and scowled, "Fu Hengyi, what are you doing? Bullying a child who’s not even a year old?"

Fu Hengyi coughed twice and touched his nose, "He’s about to turn one." It was only half a month away.

Old Sir Fu snorted coldly, "How old are you, and how old is he? You bully him, do you think that’s something to be proud of?"

"He’s competing with me for a wife," Fu Hengyi grumbled under his breath in a childish tone.

Old Sir Fu didn’t catch what he said, "What did you say?"

Fu Hengyi straightened up, "Nothing, Grandpa, how are the preparations for Anan’s first birthday going?" This was Anan’s first birthday, and the Fu Family would certainly celebrate it grandly, but with all that had happened recently, with Jin Enxi still missing, he hadn’t been very involved in the birthday arrangements, which were being handled by Chu Yunrong.

"The preparations are almost complete, and the invitations have been sent out. What about you, can you take time off?"

"No problem," Fu Hengyi said. He would certainly not miss his son’s first birthday.

One week before Anan’s first birthday, Shen Qinglan finally received some news about Jin Enxi. Someone claimed to have seen a girl being rescued near the sea, close to where the incident had occurred. According to that person’s description, the rescued girl bore a resemblance to Jin Enxi.

"Fu Hengyi, I want to check it out myself," Shen Qinglan told Fu Hengyi. "Even if the news is false, I have to see it for myself before I can rest easy."

Fu Hengyi knew how important Jin Enxi was to Shen Qinglan and naturally had no reason to refuse. "Okay, but you must take care of your safety."

"Mhm, I know. If anything happens, I’ll call you right away."

The next morning, Shen Qinglan set out while Anan was still asleep. Fu Hengyi drove her to the airport. "Call me if anything happens."

"I know. I won’t act on my own, I’m just going to verify the information, and I’ll be back before Anan’s birthday." Shen Qinglan certainly would not miss Anan’s first birthday.

Shen Qinglan once again arrived in Country Y, this time visiting a small fishing village at some distance from the beach where the incident had taken place. Following the lead, she knocked on the door of a fisherman’s house.

"Hello, I heard that about a month ago, you rescued a girl from the sea, is that right?" Shen Qinglan asked softly, encountering an elderly woman answering the door. She softened her voice, trying to appear as kind as possible.

The old woman glanced at Shen Qinglan and nodded. "It was my son who saved her. He was out fishing that day and saw a person drifting in the sea."

Shen Qinglan’s heart lifted with hope as she pulled out a photo of Jin Enxi from her bag. "Is it this girl?"

The old woman couldn’t see the person in the photo clearly, so she went back inside to fetch a pair of reading glasses. After putting them on and examining the photo closely, she shook her head. "No, that’s not her. The girl my son rescued was covered in burns; she was not as beautiful."

Shen Qinglan’s heart sank. "Grandma, can you tell me where that girl is now? She is my good friend, and I’ve been looking for her for a month."

"Wait, after my son pulled her out of the sea, he took her to the hospital. I’m not sure what happened next; you’ll have to ask my son."

"Where has your son gone?"

"Don’t worry, my son went out today and will be back soon. Why don’t you come in and sit down?"

Although impatient, Shen Qinglan didn’t refuse and stepped inside. The elderly lady’s home was not well-off, with simple furnishings, likely because they lived off fishing. The house was filled with the smell of fish, but Shen Qinglan seemed oblivious as she sat in the living room, making casual conversation with the old woman while occasionally glancing at an old clock on the wall.

After waiting over an hour, the old woman’s son came back to find a stunningly beautiful Eastern woman sitting in his house, and he was taken aback, staring blankly.

It took several calls from Shen Qinglan before the young man came to his senses, then he bashfully lowered his head.

Shen Qinglan had no time for these distractions and immediately asked about Jin Enxi. Upon hearing the question, the young man looked at Shen Qinglan, "Are you a friend of that person?"

Shen Qinglan nodded and showed him Jin Enxi’s photo again. "Is this the girl you saved? She’s a very important friend of mine. If you know where she is, please tell me."

The young man scrutinized the photo carefully, shaking his head at times, then nodding at others, seeming quite conflicted.

"I’m not sure if the person I rescued is the one you’re looking for. When I pulled her out of the water, she looked as if she had been burned by fire, covered in wounds from head to toe, and had been in the sea for who knows how long. Her original appearance was indiscernible. I actually thought she was dead at first, which gave me quite a scare. Then, when I found out she was still alive, I rushed her to the hospital."

Shen Qinglan was now certain that the person they had rescued was Jin Enxi, "Where is she now?"

To her surprise, however, the young man shook his head, "I’m not sure where she is. When I rescued her, she was in a coma, and when I visited her two days ago, she was still unconscious. I went to the hospital today to see her, but the doctor said she woke up yesterday and was then taken away by someone."

"Taken away?" Shen Qinglan felt a sinking premonition, "By whom?"

"It’s unclear; they said it was her friend. She was severely burned and the doctor said she needed a long time to heal; she was in no condition to be discharged, but her friend insisted on taking her."

Shen Qinglan’s heart sank. Just as she was getting a clue, it was now cut off. She asked the young man thoroughly if, aside from rescuing Jin Enxi, he had found any other people in the nearby sea.

The young man shook his head, "No."

When Shen Qinglan left, she stealthily left a sum of money on the table while the young man and old lady weren’t looking. By the time the young man noticed, Shen Qinglan had already vanished.

Shen Qinglan made a phone call to Eden, "Eden, has Enxi contacted you?"

Eden was confused and clueless, "An, what are you talking about? Do you have news of Enxi?"

Shen Qinglan frowned upon hearing this, "Not you? I heard some news today; Enxi is indeed alive. She was saved by a fisherman."

Eden immediately stood up from his chair, "Are you sure? Have you found her?"

"No, the fisherman said that just yesterday, Enxi woke up but was then taken away by someone. According to the fisherman, it seemed like Enxi had contacted the person herself, so I thought it was you."

Eden shook his head, speaking solemnly, "It wasn’t me. If I had any news of Enxi, I would have notified you right away."

"Eden, think about who Enxi knows and who she might contact. I’m going to find Daniel," Shen Qinglan said.

"Okay, we’ll call each other as soon as we have any news."

Shen Qinglan drove to Daniel’s family home. Since Jin Enxi’s incident, Daniel had returned to his own family, handing over the gallery in China and the paintings Shen Qinglan had entrusted to a person he trusted.

This was the first time Shen Qinglan had seen Daniel since the incident. When Daniel heard the housekeeper’s announcement, he was somewhat surprised, "Qinglan, why have you come?"

Daniel had lost a lot of weight. When he saw Shen Qinglan, there wasn’t much of a smile on his face, "Daniel, how have you been lately?"

Daniel forced a smile, "I’m okay."

Though he said he was okay, Shen Qinglan could see the anxiety and pain in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment then tentatively said, "Daniel, have you had any news about Enxi this past month?"

Daniel shook his head, wiping his face, "But I won’t give up looking for her. I believe I will find her. I’m just sorry, Qinglan, I can’t be your agent anymore. I promised my father that as long as he continued to help me look for Enxi, I would return and be a qualified successor."

Shen Qinglan gave a faint smile and patted Daniel’s hand, "Daniel, don’t apologize to me. It is I who should say sorry to you. I owe you an apology for what happened with Enxi."

"Qinglan, I know the nature of your relationship; this matter isn’t really related to you. In the end, it’s those people to blame."

Shen Qinglan ultimately did not tell Daniel about Jin Enxi’s news. According to the young man’s description, Jin Enxi was most likely disfigured, and perhaps she had other serious injuries. This might also be why Jin Enxi, having woken up, did not contact them.

"Daniel, neither of us will give up on searching for Enxi, but you also need to take care of yourself. Don’t let yourself fall apart before we find Enxi," Shen Qinglan said, worried about Daniel’s current state.

Danier chuckled, "Qinglan, I won’t let anything happen to myself before we find Enxi. If you hear any news about Enxi, don’t forget to let me know."

"Okay."

Shen Qinglan left Danier’s house and went to find Eden. Eden was now living with Andre. Shen Qinglan went to see Cissily first. When she arrived, Andre was keeping her company.

"Andre."

Andre was surprised to see Shen Qinglan, "An, what brings you here?"

"I came to see how Cissily is doing. Is she alright?"

"She’s fine, just sleeping a lot. She’s asleep right now."

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan almost broke into tears. She blinked back her tears and smiled at Cissily, saying, "Yeah, Cissily is really taking it easy this time, sleeping for such a long time. When she wakes up, she’ll definitely be punished with three days of no sleep."

"Then she’d probably be hopping mad," Andre said with a laugh, his expression calm and adoring as he looked at Cissily.

Andre had already learned about Jin Enxi from Eden and his expression became serious, "Enxi wasn’t taken away by Danier, was she?"

Shen Qinglan hummed in response, "Danier hasn’t received a single piece of news about Enxi. He is still searching. Andre, I don’t know if I should tell Danier that we have news about Enxi. In case that person isn’t Enxi, Danier won’t be able to handle it." Although she was eighty percent sure that person was indeed Enxi, what if it wasn’t?

Andre understood Shen Qinglan’s feelings, "An, we can now be sure that Enxi is still alive. So, it’s only a matter of time before we find her. Don’t worry too much, Enxi will be alright."

Shen Qinglan nodded. "Yeah, Andre, you too, Cissily will definitely wake up. I’ve always believed that."

"I have the same steadfast belief."

Just then, Eden walked in, "An, I’ve already called all of Enxi’s friends that I know of, and none of them have any news about her." Actually, he thought, since Jin Enxi’s best friends were just a few of them, she should have contacted them first if she woke up. But in reality, Jin Enxi hadn’t reached out to them after waking up.

"An, do you think it’s possible that the person isn’t Enxi?" Eden couldn’t understand at all, if that person really was Enxi, why wouldn’t she contact them.

"No, that person is definitely Enxi," Shen Qinglan said with certainty. "By the way, have you seen Peter?"

Eden and Andre exchanged glances and shook their heads together. Since the day they evacuated from the beach, they hadn’t seen Peter again. He had vanished as if into thin air.

"Try to get in touch with him. Since Enxi is still alive, I think Allen might also be alive, maybe someone else saved him too."

"An, is that possible?" Was their luck really that good, that both of them survived?

Shen Qinglan couldn’t be sure, "Let’s try. If he really is alive, it would be like repaying a favor." In this operation, almost all of Allen’s men were lost. The few survivors scattered after Allen went missing, and it was unclear where they had gone.

Hearing this, Eden and Andre fell silent. After a moment of thought, Eden spoke, "An, I’ll try to get in touch with Peter, but there’s no guarantee I can reach him."

Shen Qinglan nodded and then went to that same beach.

She hired a group of fishermen from a nearby island to help search for people. Expanding the search area considerably based on the location where the young man had rescued Jin Enxi, she also approached any fishermen in the area to ask them for any information.

After four consecutive days, with only three days left until Anan’s birthday and not a single lead, Shen Qinglan had no choice but to give up.

"Eden, I’ll be leaving now," said Qinglan. "If you get any news about Enxi, you must let me know."

Eden nodded. "I will. I can’t attend your baby’s birthday this time, but I’ll definitely make it up to you later."

Qinglan smiled.

Upon returning to Beijing, no one asked where Qinglan had been in the last few days. Anan hadn’t seen her mother today and was very happy to see Qinglan. Perhaps Anan had grown accustomed to Qinglan’s frequent absence, because this time, waking up and not seeing Qinglan only made her cry a little before stopping.

"Anan really has become sensible, wonderful!" Knowing her son didn’t make a fuss, Qinglan bent down to kiss her son’s little face, and, smelling the milky scent on him, her anxious heart gradually calmed.

Anan’s first birthday celebration was held at Qinglan and Hengyi’s new home, attended mainly by close relatives and friends, as well as some friends of the two elderly patriarchs.

Of course, there were also some who were there for the prestige of the two families, without actual invitations. Since there weren’t many of them and today was a special day, Qinglan and the others did not reject these people’s presence.

Anan was dressed festively today, in a red Tang suit with a matching cap, looking like a delicate doll straight out of a new year painting.

Qinglan wore a mother-and-child outfit that matched Anan’s, and so did Hengyi. Standing together, the family of three was captivating: the men handsome, the woman beautiful, plus an adorable baby.

Chu Yunrong couldn’t close her smiling mouth at the sight of the three together, and Chu Yunjin grinned, "Sister, you can relax now, right?"

Chu Yunrong nodded. "Relaxed, relaxed. Ah, I could never have imagined Hengyi and Qinglan ending up together."

"This fate, it’s something you just can’t block. Look how well-matched they are. Hengyi seems so serious, but who would have thought he’d be so tender toward his wife."

Hearing her sister’s words, Chu Yunrong deeply agreed, especially after learning certain things, she understood even more the extent of what Hengyi had done for Qinglan behind the scenes. It touched her, even as a mother.

"Now I’m not worried about Qinglan. I’m just waiting for Jun Yu," said Chu Yunrong, her face the picture of satisfaction.

"Speaking of Jun Yu, he and Xi Yao have been married for a while now. Do they plan to have children?"

Chu Yunrong smiled, "No rush, the young people nowadays like their freedom. Xi Yao has her own mind; they’ll plan when it’s time for children. Right now, I’m just happy looking after Anan."

Chu Yunjin called her out, "You’re in no rush? It seems to me you’re quite content as long as you have Anan."

Chu Yunrong did not disagree with that statement.

"Great Aunt," Shen Junze called from afar as he saw Chu Yunrong and came over to greet her.

Chu Yunrong looked him up and down approvingly, "Jun Ze, you’re getting more and more capable."

Shen Junze laughed sheepishly, "All thanks to my brother’s guidance," and looked around, "Haven’t seen big brother around today?"

"He went to pick up Xi Yao’s parents; they should be arriving soon. What about you? How are you settling in at the company?"

"It’s pretty good. No one knows I’m my brother’s sibling. I’m just Shen Junze, starting from scratch, earning money with my own hands, working hard—it’s very fulfilling, and I’ve learned a lot."

Hearing this, Chu Yunrong felt reassured, "That’s good to hear. Your father can rest assured. Make sure you come back to see your grandfather when you have the time."