Chapter 551 - 474: Never Satisfied
Chapter 551: Chapter 474: Never Satisfied
Just before the end of the workday, Yang Liu’er called the hospital and arranged to meet Xiao Man at the Lu Family’s home that evening.
Gu Shaojun came to pick Xiao Man up from work. After returning to the Tang family home for dinner, Xiao Man told her grandparents she was going out to see a friend. With Gu Shaojun accompanying her, Grandpa Tang and Grandma Tang were quite at ease, just reminding them to come back early.
As luck would have it, Tang Qingyun had been invited out for a small get-together with friends tonight. If he had been home, he would have definitely started nagging like Tang Seng. Every time Xiao Man went out, especially late at night with Gu Shaojun, he believed Gu Shaojun had sweet-talked her into it.
The two arrived at the Lu Family’s small courtyard. The Lu Family had also finished dinner and were gathered in the living room, cracking melon seeds and watching TV. The happiest to see Xiao Man was Weiwei, who grabbed her hand, jumping and laughing. As usual, Xiao Man had brought him a net bag of apples and snow pears. After greeting Uncle Lu, Lu Jian Country, and his sister, Xiao Man was pulled into an inner room by Yang Liu’er to talk. Gu Shaojun remained in the outer room, chatting with Uncle Lu and Lu Jian Country, while Lu Jianling got busy boiling water for tea.
Xiao Man first discussed Luo Chunxiang’s illness with Yang Liu’er. Yang Liu’er promised to go see Luo Chunxiang the next day, guaranteeing she could persuade her to return to her family home in the Northeast to take her medicine and recuperate. Luo Chunxiang hadn’t been back to her hometown since coming to Beijing. She had long wanted to go back and see her parents, but the Bai Family always refused to let her go, using the excuse that the family and the children couldn’t do without her. Naturally, they wouldn’t give her any money for the trip either. Now, money wasn’t an issue; Yang Liu’er could easily handle it.
Then, she brought up what had happened during the day. Yang Liu’er sighed. "The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. I originally thought my reunion with Bai Junfan could be as happy and perfect as... as before. I never expected it would be nothing like I imagined. Maybe it’s because I’ve changed. My mindset is different, my standards are too high, and I can no longer find what I want from him. Our relationship has lost its original flavor. Everything has changed! This is for the best, I suppose. It’s time to end it. I’m so tired. Just thinking about Bai Junfan exhausts me, and the thought of the Bai Family makes me feel sick. I’ve made up my mind—I’m going to let go of Bai Junfan, completely and utterly. Whoever he wants to marry, whoever he wants to dote on, it has nothing to do with me anymore!"
Xiao Man didn’t say much. ’I knew this would be the outcome. The Yang Liu’er of today has truly changed so much. She has charm, ability, and ambition. She’s forging ahead on the path of entrepreneurship, striving to become a powerful and wealthy businesswoman. Her way of thinking is no longer comparable to that of the little nanny in the Bai Mansion from her previous life. How could she be willing to be bullied by the Bai family again, or to be Bai Junfan’s personal prize?’
Meanwhile, at the Bai Mansion, Bai Junfan was pacing agitatedly along the veranda of the main house. He periodically stopped to glance at the closed door of Mr. Bai’s study. Two people had arrived half an hour ago, and the old master had invited them into the study to talk, telling him to wait outside to be summoned at any moment.
Bai Junfan knew Mr. Bai was making plans for him. His leave was ending soon, and he had to return to the southern border defense. However, he was unwilling to remain under Gu Shaojun’s command. Once the connections were made here, he would be transferred to the Northern Military Region with the next set of orders.
’Since Gu Shaojun is so capable, he can stay at the southern border and fight for military honors. I, Bai Junfan, am done playing that game. My previous achievements are already enough capital. I’ll transfer to the Northern Military Region for three to five years. That’s where my father led troops before he died, and he has countless old subordinates there. I’m confident I can carve out a new path for myself and achieve a different kind of glory. In short, with my intelligence and talent, I will be in no way inferior to Gu Shaojun.’
Bai Junfan was full of confidence, yet he also seemed weighed down by worries. In fact, his mood had been terrible all day. From morning to afternoon, he was so upset by Yang Liu’er that he even forgot to eat lunch. When he got home, he couldn’t taste his dinner. His mind was filled with Yang Liu’er’s distant expression and resolute words. The word "breakup"—once she brought it up, she repeated it several times, continuously and without hesitation, completely ignoring his attempts to stop her. It was enough to drive him mad.
To Bai Junfan, Yang Liu’er was very important. They were childhood sweethearts who had loved each other since they were young. With him, Yang Liu’er had always been gentle and obedient, full of trust and dependence. Bai Junfan greatly enjoyed her intense adoration. In his chaotic and empty days, they had kept each other company for warmth, and that bond was irreplaceable and precious. But now, she had changed in an instant, becoming so cold and defiant. When she left, she turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation, not even looking back once. A sharp pain seized Bai Junfan’s heart; he couldn’t accept this version of Liu’er.
’He knew very well what the issue between them was. All it would take was one guarantee: a personal promise from Mr. Bai and an engagement ceremony, and Yang Liu’er would go back to being his obedient, sweet girl. But... he really couldn’t make that happen right now!’
’Reason told him that marrying Yang Liu’er to make her the Eldest Young Madam of the Bai Family was impossible. Liu’er was simply too insignificant; she could offer no help whatsoever to his future.’
’That’s why he had always been vague and evasive about marriage, never giving her a straight answer. This was also because he didn’t want to deceive Liu’er! If he promised to marry her on one hand while obeying his family’s arrangements and marrying another girl on the other, wouldn’t that hurt her even more?’
’He couldn’t give her marriage, but he would never abandon her. So what if she was his mistress? He loved and cherished her the most. Wasn’t that enough?’
’She was too young, after all. Living outside with no one to watch over her, she’s seen too many bad influences. A perfectly sensible girl has been tainted beyond recognition, becoming willful and insatiable. This is not good at all.’
’Aunt Qingyue had the foresight back then, and her methods were right: they never should have let Liu’er leave the house. Kept from outside influences, she would have retained her simple and pure nature. If so, he wouldn’t have to worry about all this now.’
Bai Junfan leaned against a veranda pillar, lost in painful, decadent thoughts for a long while before he heard Mr. Bai call him. He immediately straightened up, adjusted his clothes, and composed himself. With a prim and solemn expression, he stepped into the study. At that moment, his thinking was sharp and he was completely focused, his mind filled with the matters they were about to discuss.
And that earlier thought he’d had—to follow Liu’er’s wishes and tentatively bring up the marriage proposal to his grandfather, just in case he might consider it? That notion had now vanished into thin air.
It was a promise he had made to Yang Liu’er that afternoon, through gritted teeth, when his heart ached from her cold resoluteness—he would bring up the marriage with Mr. Bai. He promised he would definitely bring her home tomorrow at noon to see Mr. Bai and have him personally consent to their marriage!
Yang Liu’er had also agreed: if he could truly do that, she would let everything else go, and they could still be a good couple!
Even as he left Mr. Bai’s study, it never occurred to Bai Junfan to mention the marriage to his grandfather. He wore a smile, his expression joyful. The thought of leaving the scorched, cracked, and smoke-filled southern border in a month at most made his mood even lighter and more elated.