Han Qing remained calm and said grimly, “Are you bored? Is that why you dropped by?”
“Yes, you’re right. I was too bored, so I came over to see Yan.”
“Yan?” Han Qing narrowed his eyes, uncertain of the implication behind the casual way he was addressing her.
“Yeah. Yan calls me Xuzheng now. Do you also want to address me differently the next time you see me?” Lin Xuzheng continued teasing, “How does that sound, ‘Brother-In-Law’?”
Han Qing was speechless. Beside him, Yan realized that Lin Xuzheng was playing dirty to gain the upper hand on Han Qing. I didn’t think calling him by his name was a big deal, but he’s using it to make fun of Han Qing. I don’t really mind that he’s doing this. Either way, it’s just a way of addressing each other. But I don’t know how Han Qing feels about this.
She started anxiously on Han Qing’s behalf, “Um… Xuzheng, I—”
Before she could finish, Han Qing grabbed her hand and interrupted, “What are you so anxious about?”
Taken aback, she looked up at him.
“Just let him be. It’s no big deal.” The most important thing was that she was by his side. Furthermore, it had made him more than happy that she had stood up for him.
“Tsk. Tsk.” Lin Xuzheng was envious as he watched the scene before him. “I used to think that when you started dating, you wouldn’t be the type to show your affection. But you’re more affectionate than I expected. Yan, you won’t find someone like him again even if you tried. You have to appreciate him.”
She blushed at both of their words and could not stand it anymore. Taking her hand back, she said, “They might be busy downstairs. I’m going to help. You two can talk.” Without giving Han Qing a chance to hold her back again, she quickly got up and left the room.
After she was gone, Lin Xuzheng still had a mocking expression on his face. “Yan is a little princess. She can’t even deal with a few jokes.”
Han Qing shot a glance at him. “You knew that and you still continued?”
“Life is so bland. I have to find some fun for myself or I’d be so bored. Don’t you think so, ‘Brother-In-Law’?”
Han Qing remained silent. He took into consideration that it was the anniversary of Lin Xuzheng’s wife’s passing and suppressed the emotions that were in his chest. They’re just words. I’ll let him talk until he’s satisfied.
“Have you made up your mind? Are you set on just one person?” After Lin Xuzheng finished ridiculing Han Qing, the smile on his face was not completely gone, but there was now a serious look behind his eyes as he said, “As your good friend of many years, I need to remind you: Yan is not someone to be messed with. If you can’t guarantee that you’ll treat her well for the rest of her life, then it’s better that you leave her alone.”
Han Qing shot another glance at him. “How do you know that I won’t?”
“Who knows what you would do? It’s just that you were out of love for so long, and now you suddenly have a woman by your side. Who knows? You might just lose it one day and abandon her. Although I haven’t had that many chances to interact with her, I can tell from her attitude and behavior that she is a headstrong person who will see everything through till the end. If you ever do something regretful toward her or break her heart, she might never move on from it for the rest of her life.”
All of that was true. Yan was indeed that sort of person. Han Qing just got with her recently, but he also knew that no one was as stubborn as her. Otherwise, she would not have liked him for so long. Nonetheless, they were together now. He had already prepared himself thoroughly so that no unexpected events or circumstances would happen.
When Han Qing did not speak, the smile on Lin Xuzheng’s face disappeared. “Though, are you not planning on telling them about that thing?”
At the mention of that, Han Qing’s expression changed slightly, but he still did not answer. Lin Xuzheng continued, “I don’t think they need to know about it, but you’ve just been keeping it to yourself all these years. Are you really not planning on talking about it?”
Talk? There’s nothing to talk about. Han Qing let out, “It’s better to stay ignorant to some things forever.”
After hearing that, Lin Xuzheng seemed to have understood. Han Qing is planning on taking it with him to his grave and never tell anyone about it.
“I broke the promise I made to myself,” as Han Qing said that, a painful look grew in his eyes.
“Why do you say that? As long as the end result is still the same, then it doesn’t matter what happened in the process. If everything turned out well, then you did not break your own promise.”
Han Qing smiled bitterly, “I wish.”
While the two of them had their conversation upstairs, Yan went into the kitchen downstairs and was immediately approached by Luo Huimei. “Why are you down here?”
Yan looked slightly awkward as she said, “They want to talk. It’s not convenient for me to be there.”
Luo Huimei seemed to have understood what that implied. “Does that mean Mr. Lin and Little Bean’s uncle know each other?”
Yan nodded.
“I see.” No wonder Han Qing did not seem perplexed when I told him Yan was upstairs having a meal with Mr. Lin. “So, they know each other. Then this shop…” Luo Huimei connected the dots very quickly and thought back to the sudden drop in rent and the special treatment they had received at the start.
Yan paused. “Mom, actually, Han Qing helped me with that. But Mr. Lin said so himself that he wanted to let me prove myself, so I went through his personal assessment the other day. He also believed that I would dedicate myself to keeping this shop up and running. He’s very satisfied now.”
Luo Huimei lovingly reached out and caressed Yan’s head. She said gently, “You don’t have to rush to explain. Of course, I know my own daughter’s outstanding capabilities. I just want to know if Han Qing intends on treating you well; that’s all.” It did not matter how relevant the things Han Qing did were. The most important thing was that he did it for Yan. That put them off to a good start.
Yan choked, and her face started to turn red again. “O-Of course he treats me well. Oh, Mom, let’s not talk about this anymore.”
“You’re already embarrassed? How were you not embarrassed when you ran over to his house?”
“Mom!”
Luo Huimei smiled. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop now. You just have to make the right decisions.”
Half an hour later, Lin Xuzheng and Han Qing came downstairs to say their goodbyes. Yan wanted to follow Han Qing when she saw him. However, she thought about how they had just been together during the day and held back the urge to follow him.
Luo Huimei, who was beside her, seemed to have noticed something and nudged her on the shoulder. “Follow him if you want to.”
Her face turned red, and she shook her head. “I’m not going.”
