Startled by what she heard, Luo Huimei uttered, “All gone?”
“Yes.” Yan nodded to herself as she contemplated; although Han Qing never revealed to her, during those long times she had been living with Han Muzi, Han Qing had always been the sole member in the Han Family—until he located his sister. It was as if he had finally found his only blood relative, and he would grab every opportunity he had to visit her abroad.
She wondered—under what kind of environment did Han Qing grow up in that made him develop such a deep sense of longing for love and protection from his family? Even without reading Han Qing’s mind, Yan knew exactly what kind of miserable life he had led in the past.
All she could do now was to sincerely hope for a normal life for Han Qing with both parents alive and well, just like herself… How wonderful it was to live with family in harmony, to have meals together over festival celebrations, or even to share the burdens of life together? What about him? Through the years, he had been going through everything all by himself—even bearing the responsibility of searching for his sister.
Yan knew that she would not have been able to endure if it were her.
Upon hearing this, Luo Huimei’s heart was wrenched. “This kid… no wonder he had that strange look in his eyes at dinner last night. I was wondering why a man of his age would have such a look in his eyes…”
“He was probably thinking about his parents,” Yan whispered. “I always behave myself around the neighbors. But I can’t stand what they said about Han Qing now that he is my boyfriend. They have crossed the line.”
“Now that you have explained to me, I think I can understand it too. It’s alright. They are just neighbors. We either get along or we don’t. If they don’t respect us, we don’t have to keep it inside to please them.”
Yan glanced at Luo Huimei. “Mom, are you not mad at me? They will definitely talk behind my back for being so rude and put the blame on you as a parent.”
“Silly girl.” Luo Huimei tapped on Yan’s head affectionately. “Is the opinion of others important? You and your father are the only loved ones of my life, and nothing else matters to me,” she spoke gently.
“Mom, you are the best.” Yan wrapped her arms around her mother tightly. Both mother and daughter then went upstairs together.
Meanwhile, in Han Group. When Xu Yanwan came to work today as usual, she was stopped by several people in the office. One of them was the receptionist; the other few, however, she could not recognize them. Stunned, she looked at the people who held her pace.
“Is everything alright? It is working hours now.” Her voice was soft but her tone alarmed.
“Are you the fiancée of President Han as we had heard from the rumors?”
“Yes, yes, it’s her. She came to look for President Han before.” The receptionist nodded excitedly. “She told me herself when I asked her.”
Xu Yanwan frowned at what she heard.
“Really? Are you really President Han’s fiancée? Do you know that President Han has a girlfriend now?”
“Yes, his girlfriend comes to the office regularly.”
Xu Yanwan’s gaze lowered upon hearing the word ‘girlfriend’. Her voice was emotionless when she answered, “I’m not sure about that. It’s working hours now and I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to talk about this now. I need to work.”
“What are you afraid of? Just chat with us for a while. We won’t keep you for too long.”
“That’s right! Just tell us whether you are really President Han’s fiancée. Does he know that you are working here too?”
“How did President Han allow you to work in this department in the first place? Is it because he has a girlfriend now and that he doesn’t want to acknowledge you as his fiancée anymore? Is that why he had sent you here?”
“No.” Xu Yanwan pursed her red lips, scrutinizing the few people standing in front of her. “Han Qing is not this kind of person, although I’m the one who keeps him in the dark. As for your questions, I’m sorry but I don’t have an answer for you. It happened a long time ago while we were both young.”
The receptionist’s eyes lit up immediately. “Are you saying that you and President Han were childhood sweethearts? Oh my goodness, what sort of person was President Han before? Has he always been so cold and distant?”
“While you were both young? Why doesn’t it count anymore? Was it a deal between your parents?”
“How distressing it must be for you. Now that your fiancé has been stolen, how can you still work here peacefully?”
“Yes. If I were you, I would definitely teach the woman a lesson. She is having an affair with your fiancé. You have nothing to be afraid of!”
Amid their rambling voices, Xu Yanwan’s head started to ache and she felt suffocated. She had never expected that the receptionist would gather a crowd to ambush her.
“I have asked around about you and your name is Xu Yanwan, right? Have you considered teaching the mistress a lesson? We don’t like her as well. She looks ordinary and has no talent. How could President Han fall in love with her?”
“That’s right. She has nothing special, except for owning that shoddy noodle restaurant. All she does every day is sending food to President Han and nothing else. What a disgrace to all women. Miss Xu, I have read your resume and your qualifications are remarkable. You could easily beat the mistress within seconds.”
Xu Yanwan was left puzzled upon listening to all these remarks. Confused, she thought the word ‘mistress’ was misused. But… she was too exhausted to say anything. After a while, she composed herself and smiled. “I don’t understand what you are saying; and I do not intend to understand it as well. Everyone should decide for himself when it comes to his own relationship. If she can be President Han’s girlfriend, that’s her capability.”
“Her capability?”
“What capability does she have? With her qualifications, I don’t think President Han would fall for her.”
Xu Yanwan smiled awkwardly. “There must be a reason why President Han is attracted to her. She must have her own lovable attributes.” In fact, she herself was curious about the reason why Yan had attracted Han Qing, who was cold and stand-offish in the past. She never imagined that Han Qing would fall for herself when they were young. If only he could just listen to his family’s advice and marry her anyway, and even with the absence of love in their marriage, she would be content with Han Qing only showing his responsibility as a husband.
In Xu Yanwan’s eyes, someone as cold-hearted as Han Qing would never develop passionate feelings toward another woman. But now that he had chosen Yan as his girlfriend, she must be something else. However, she had no idea about the progress of their relationship. Was it because she cooked him lunch every day that Han Qing was so besotted and thought that he could spend the rest of his life with her? And that she was someone so loving with housewife material? But… the rumors had it that Yan was only interested in Han Qing’s wealth and reputation. She reckoned so. Otherwise, how could they be together with such disparity in their backgrounds?
“Lovable attributes? Does she have any?” Right at that moment, one of the girls seemed to be hit by an idea. “Maybe… she is particularly skilled at something else?” she sneered slyly.
