Chapter 553 - 476: Realization
Chapter 553: Chapter 476: Realization
From morning until afternoon, Yang Liu’er was completely distracted. Though she told herself it was impossible, she wasn’t ready to give up so easily. She had been so decisive yesterday, and Bai Junfan had clearly been in pain as well. ’If he would just propose our engagement to Mr. Bai for my sake... even if his efforts fail, my heart would be at ease. The love I’ve given would be worth it. I’d give him another chance and wait patiently until after college graduation. As long as we’re united, getting married in the future won’t be difficult at all!’
Using the excuse that she needed to brainstorm new clothing designs, Yang Liu’er skipped the workshop inspection with Lu Jianling. She remained glued to her office the entire day. Every few minutes, she would walk to the doorway and stand in the hall, gazing downstairs in the hope that Bai Junfan would walk into view. Each time the phone made a sound, she would rush to her desk, grabbing the receiver on the very first ring. But she answered countless calls, and not one of them was from Bai Junfan.
By seven o’clock that evening, Bai Junfan still hadn’t shown up, and the phone had stopped ringing altogether. Yang Liu’er finally left the office, her heart wounded and heavy with disappointment.
The moment she sat in the taxi, Yang Liu’er’s hands and feet turned ice-cold, and her body felt limp and weak. An indescribable pain gripped her heart, but with it came a complete and utter realization. In her mind, she faintly heard the lyrics of a song she’d once heard in a past life: ’Some things can never be redone. Some people, you should never wait for!’
So where had Bai Junfan been all day? As the young and promising eldest grandson of the Bai family, he was certainly not one to sit around idly. He had far too many important matters to attend to. Therefore, unfortunately, he had completely forgotten his promise to Yang Liu’er.
That morning, Bai Junfan had accompanied Mr. Bai on an outing. It turned out the men the Bai family had sent to Gongdao Village in G Province to procure herbs had failed their mission. They reported back that although the herbs in Gongdao Village were of high quality, they were already monopolized by a proprietor with a seemingly powerful background. To make matters worse, the Gu family was now involved, making a forceful seizure out of the question. Mr. Bai was furious when he heard the news. It was then that Bai Junfan mentioned they could use Tang Yaxuan to secure a batch of herbs to meet their urgent needs. The members of the Bai family had just begun their Cultivation and were in desperate need of supplemental elixirs to consolidate and advance their progress. Once their cultivation rose, would they still have to worry about acquiring herbs?
Mr. Bai agreed to Bai Junfan’s plan. That afternoon, Bai Junfan carried a mesh bag filled with nutritional supplements to Wu Xiaowen’s home to visit Tang Yaxuan. He also took the opportunity to check in on Wu Xiaowen on behalf of his second uncle.
His second uncle, Bai Lihua, had suffered an unexpected misfortune that morning. His second aunt, Luo Chunxiang, who was usually quiet and only focused on her work, had suddenly started a fight with him over money. Luo Chunxiang repeatedly accused his uncle of taking her dowry money—two hundred yuan—and never giving it back. She claimed that because of this, she hadn’t been able to buy anything since arriving in Beijing. Now, her family had called to say her mother was sick, and she wanted to go back to her maternal home to see her, but she didn’t even have money for the fare!
One could only imagine how humiliating it was to have a Bai daughter-in-law saying such things within the family estate. What kind of family were the Bais? To think they would covet her paltry dowry money! And for her, the wife of Bai Lihua, to not even have the fare to return to her family home—what a monumental joke it would be if word got out!
Mr. Bai, who had just returned from outside, overheard this, and his face turned ashen with fury. He roared at Bai Lihua to give Luo Chunxiang however much money she wanted, then tell her to take it and get the hell back to her family. Bai Lihua wasn’t even allowed to stay for lunch; the old man kicked him out at high noon and sent him back to his work unit.
As Mr. Bai raged, Bai Junfan noticed his second uncle and his aunt exchange a glance. There was a subtle hint of blame in his uncle’s expression, while his aunt merely curled her lip and glanced disdainfully at the sky.
At that moment, Bai Junfan’s thoughts turned to Yang Liu’er. ’My aunt runs the Bai household. When I’m not home, she probably withholds money from Liu’er just like this, doesn’t she?’
But he couldn’t blame his aunt. For one, she was his elder, from a higher generation. For another, everything she had ever done, from his childhood to the present day, had been for his benefit. His aunt had even said it herself: of all the descendants of the Bai family, she only cared for the three siblings of the main branch, and of those three, Bai Junfan was the most important!
’What right do I have to blame my own aunt for a woman?’
When Tang Yaxuan saw that Brother Junfan had come to see her again, she was as happy as a busy little bee, flitting about. She insisted he sit down, poured him some tea, and brought out several tins of cookies and candy, urging him to eat:
"Brother Junfan, these cookies are delicious. Mom bought them at an import store, they’re foreign! Here are some milk toffees, and some chocolate. Have a taste, they’re so good and sweet!"
Tang Yaxuan enthusiastically introduced each snack. She had never wanted for treats like these growing up, but things had been difficult for a while. For the past two or three years, after her identity was swapped and she had the misfortune of running into that jinx Wu Xiaorui, she had endured a period of hardship. Now, her situation had improved. Though Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen were divorced, he had promised to support Wu Xiaowen financially until Tang Haocheng returned from abroad. Whenever Wu Xiaowen needed money, she just had to ask Tang Qingyun. Strangely, he seemed to have more money and be even more generous after the divorce. Wu Xiaowen only had to name a price, and he would hand it over without batting an eye. The mother and daughter’s lives were becoming comfortable once more.
Wu Xiaowen was still taking her afternoon nap, so Bai Junfan deliberately sat closer to Tang Yaxuan and lowered his voice. Tang Yaxuan’s heart began to pound. Seeing her handsome Brother Junfan just inches away, she leaned into his embrace without the slightest hesitation!
’I love this feeling,’ she thought, ’being nestled so intimately against my Brother Junfan. It just feels right. In our past life, Brother Junfan and I were a loving couple—even that Yang Liu’er said so. And that dream I keep having about a grand wedding... I’ve had it for years! It’s ironclad proof that we were married!’
As Tang Yaxuan snuggled into his embrace, Bai Junfan’s body went rigid. An image of Yang Liu’er flashed through his mind. He remembered Liu’er saying she hated it when Tang Yaxuan touched him. And he had promised her. ’It won’t happen again,’ he’d said. ’I won’t let Tang Yaxuan get within three paces of me ever again!’
’But now...’ he thought with a sigh. ’Ah, forget it. Liu’er can’t see this, anyway. It’ll be fine as long as no one tells her.’
Bai Junfan gave Tang Yaxuan a light pat, then held her by the shoulders to gently push her back a little. He looked into her eyes with a smile. "Xuanxuan’s all grown up. You’re such a pretty, sweet young lady now. It’s a shame Brother Junfan can’t stay and play with you. I actually came today to say goodbye to you and Aunt Wu. Once I leave, who knows when I’ll be able to see our dear Xuanxuan again."
The moment she heard Brother Junfan was leaving Beijing, Tang Yaxuan grew sad, and her eyes turned red. "Brother Junfan, where are you going? Back to the Southern Border? It’s so dangerous there! Can’t you just not go? Grandpa Bai is back at his post now, isn’t he? He could just say the word and have you transferred back to Beijing!"
Bai Junfan reached out and tapped her on the nose, laughing. "You think it’s as simple as just saying the word? It’s not that easy. Besides, we can’t be asking for special treatment, can we?"
"But... Xuanxuan doesn’t want Brother Junfan to go!"
"Hmm, I’ll miss my little Xuanxuan too. How about this... why don’t you come see me off? You can accompany Brother Junfan to G Province, and then Brother Junfan can take you to visit Wancheng. You can take a trip down memory lane and see your old teachers and classmates. Think of it as a trip—a trip for just the two of us. We’ll fly, and I’ll have you back in Beijing in a few days. What do you say?"