My stunningly beautiful female boss at 29 (33-36)

33.
My younger brother, Li Jiaqi, is in his thirties. I took all the blame to save him from imprisonment.
Since returning to Chongqing, the only old friend I've wanted to see is Li Jiaqi. I want to see how he's doing. If he's doing well, I'll be happy for him, because my time in prison wasn't wasted.
As for my former colleagues and friends, even if they're not doing well now, they're all probably doing better than me. Why should I go and feel ashamed? I
haven't seen Li Jiaqi for five years since my release. He did visit me a few times while I was incarcerated. When I was released, I went to Guangzhou. My ex-wife's heartlessness left me devastated, and I cut off all ties with Chongqing.
Li Jiaqi was surprised and happy to receive my call. He invited me to dinner on the 4th to have a good chat.
On that day, An Xiaomin asked me to drive her car, but I said that since we were meeting old friends, we would definitely drink a lot, and driving would be inconvenient; I would take the light rail.
At the agreed time and place, I arrived at the restaurant in a certain shopping district. Led by a waiter, I entered a private room, where Li Jiaqi was already waiting.
The young man, now nearing middle age, was much more mature and presentable than before, exuding the air of a boss.
"Brother..." Upon seeing me, his eyes welled up with tears. He came over and grasped my hand, wanting to say something, but choked up and couldn't speak, tears streaming down his face.
This reminded me of the saying, "Don't say men don't shed tears; it's just that the time hasn't come yet."
My eyes welled up with tears too. I patted his shoulder and laughed, "Don't be so dramatic, you're a grown man."
Li Jiaqi took my hand and sat down on the sofa. He said, "Brother, after you got out of prison, why did you leave without a word? That year, I went to pick you up according to your release date, only to find out that you were released two months early because you were teaching inmates to learn literacy. That's fine, but you said you went to Guangzhou, why didn't you contact me? I had no idea where you were for the past few years. You know..."
He pointed to his chest and cried, "How much have I worried about you all these years?"
I patted Li Jiaqi's shoulder again and laughed, "Don't be like that, Jiaqi. I had my own difficulties back then, and I just wanted to leave this place of heartbreak as soon as possible, so... Anyway, please understand."
"Was it because of my sister?" he asked.
I nodded. "Have you seen your sister since then?"
"No, I haven't seen her since she divorced you."
My ex-wife took good care of this younger brother back then, and the two of them addressed each other as brother and sister. Li Jiaqi doesn't have an older sister, but he treats my ex-wife like one.
Perhaps reluctant to mention the woman who wronged me, Li Jiaqi grasped my hand and said, "Brother, now that you're back, you're not leaving again, right? Let's work together, we're doing pretty well now."
I smiled and asked, "Still doing renovation work?"
Li Jiaqi nodded and said, "Of course! It's still our old company. It's been doing quite well these past few years, the company's assets are in the tens of millions now."
I patted his shoulder and laughed, "Not bad! Jiaqi, much better than when we were together."
He smiled and nodded, looking at me and saying, "Seriously, brother, come back?"
I smiled and gently shook my head. He said urgently, "Brother, you might have misunderstood. I'm not asking you to work for me, but rather that we're partners. You'll still be the boss, leading your team."
I spread my hands and laughed, "Do I look like a boss now? I don't have a single penny to my name..."
He sighed and said, "Why are you talking to me about money? Why are you talking about money? This company was originally yours, and besides, I...I..."
He seemed a little agitated, "Everything I have now, isn't it all thanks to you? Without you, where would Li Jiaqi be today?"
I said seriously, "Jiaqi, everything you have now is earned through your own hard work. The company's current success is entirely due to you, it has little to do with me."
Li Jiaqi said anxiously, "How can it have little to do with me? If you hadn't taken all the blame back then, I would be in jail, and the company would be finished. And the main responsibility is mine; you wouldn't have been locked up for so long. In fact, if you had been ruthless..." "If you 're going to do something wrong, you can tell the police you knew nothing about it from beginning to end. After all, I was the one who brought the person here, and you won't go to jail. If that were the case, where would I, Li Jiaqi, be now? I'd definitely be worse off than you are now."
I pointed to my chest and said, "Jiaqi, I have to act according to my conscience. How can I say I didn't know when I clearly knew about this? I can't betray you!"
He said excitedly, "You didn't betray me, but you betrayed yourself by saving me."
I smiled, "Given your family's situation at the time, how could I bear to see you go to jail?"
Li Jiaqi gave me a thumbs up, held back his tears, looked away, and nodded, saying, "Brother, you... you're incredibly loyal."
He looked at me again, "So, brother, give me a straight answer now, are you coming back or not?"
I shook my head and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, brother. I still have food to eat in Guangzhou. If I really can't make a living anymore, I'll come back to you, okay?"
"Sigh!" He sighed deeply, slapping his thigh. "Alright!"
Then he asked me, "Brother, where do you live? Should I arrange a place for you?"
I said, "No need, I'm staying with my sister."
"You have a sister? I've never heard you mention her before?" Li Jiaqi was a little puzzled, then pointed at me and laughed, "Oh, I see, she's my new sister-in-law, right?"
I laughed, "She really is my sister. It's a long story, I'll tell you later. By the way..."
I asked again, "How's your brother doing now?"
"He's doing well. He's finished his doctorate and is working at a research institute."
I was quite happy to hear this, thinking to myself that my time in prison wasn't wasted; it had produced a doctorate. I then asked Li Jiaqi if he was married. He said yes, and they had a son.
He also asked me about my life over the years. Just then, a man came in, about forty years old, bald, with a thick gold chain around his neck and a handbag tucked under his arm. He looked at me with some curiosity.
"Brother Zhang, you're here!" Li Jiaqi greeted warmly, then introduced me to the bald man.
The bald man was Li Jiaqi's business partner. He chatted with me briefly, then picked up his phone to make a call, immediately launching into a string of profanities: "I'm a bastard," "turtle," "hammer," and "fuck your mother."
I could understand; most construction workers weren't highly educated, many were just street urchins. Judging from the bald man's tone, he was asking where
the other person was and when they would arrive. I then realized that Li Jiaqi hadn't just invited me to dinner; he'd invited others as well, and I felt a little annoyed. But then I thought, his business was doing well now, and it was normal for him to host a dinner to maintain connections and build relationships. Thinking this way, I didn't dwell on it.
Soon, two more people arrived, and the dinner began. At the table, Li Jiaqi chatted amiably with the three men, mostly about construction projects, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise.
After a while, I excused myself, saying I had other business to attend to in the afternoon. After the four men tried to persuade me to stay, Li Jiaqi saw me out of the private room.
"Brother, this gathering was arranged before National Day, I hope you don't mind," Li Jiaqi explained.
I smiled and said, "It's alright, it's fine."
“So, when are you going back to Guangzhou? Let’s arrange another time, a get-together between you and me, brothers.”
At this point, I had lost all interest in meeting him. I told him that I had plans to see old colleagues and classmates in the next few days.
Li Jiaqi seemed a little disappointed, so I said, “Since I’m willing to come back now, I’ll be back often in the future; there will be plenty of opportunities.”
“Okay…” Li Jiaqi said, then asked me, “Brother, about that thing I mentioned, please reconsider… I really hope we can do it together.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it when I get back,” I said casually, and we walked to the restaurant entrance together.
Just then, he received a phone call, “…Hmm, okay…Alright, we’ll wait for you…”
I thought to myself, it seems he has some friends coming over. After he finished his call, I said to him, "Jiaqi, don't see me off. Go back and keep your friends company."
Li Jiaqi grasped my hand, choking back tears, and said, "Brother, I won't see you off. Until we meet again."
After saying goodbye to Li Jiaqi, I walked towards the escalator in the shopping mall, feeling like I'd come with high hopes but left disappointed.
I had originally expected this gathering to be a joyful reunion with old friends, and we had indeed had a good chat earlier, both of us opening our hearts, showing our true feelings and treating each
other with sincerity. But I didn't expect it to turn out this way. I comforted myself, thinking that maybe that's just how life is. Just like the song "Glorious Years" says, the years have turned what we had into what we've lost. Perhaps Li Jiaqi and I can never find that brotherly bond we once had.
But now that I know he's doing quite well, it wasn't a wasted trip.
"Years have turned possessions into losses, weary eyes still hold hope. Today, only the remaining shell remains, welcoming glorious years, embracing freedom amidst wind and rain..."
Unconsciously, I sang this immortal classic by Biondi in Cantonese. Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice calling, "Xingyan..."
I turned around and saw An Xiaomin, carrying a Hermes bag, walking gracefully towards me.

34.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I arranged to have afternoon tea with two girlfriends here, but they haven't arrived yet, so I'm just browsing..."
An Xiaomin smiled, then asked, "By the way, you had dinner with your friends here?"
I said yes. She asked if I had finished eating. I said I had just finished and was about to go home.
"That's perfect, why don't you come with me? We can go home together later." An Xiaomin smiled happily.
I hesitated, "You're having a get-together with your girlfriends, so I won't join in, okay?"
"Xingyan, you've been avoiding me for twenty-three years, are you still trying to avoid me now?" She looked at me with a slightly coquettish expression.
I thought back to that morning twenty-three years ago and could only say, "But how are you going to introduce me to people?"
"Just say you're my brother! You are my brother."
"But people will think, 'Don't you only have a younger brother? Where did this older brother come from?'"
"I'll just say, 'My mom just gave birth to me.'"
We both laughed. An Xiaomin took my arm, "Come on! Walk with me."
I had no choice but to follow her. She held my arm the whole time; anyone who saw us would think we were a couple.
I glanced at her, and she looked at me too, giving me a sweet smile. Instantly, the melancholy in my heart vanished with that smile.
After walking a while, I saw a beautiful, fashionable young woman with short hair, leading a little boy of a few years old.
The woman was talking to the boy as she walked, "Sweetie, when you see your dad later, what are you going to tell him?"
At that moment, my heart seemed to stop, my gaze involuntarily fixed on her, and tears welled up in my eyes.
An Xiaomin noticed my state. She looked at me with confusion, then at the young woman.
As we approached, the young woman, who was chatting and laughing with her son, inadvertently saw me. She froze, staring at me blankly, her gaze lingering for a moment on the hand An Xiaomin was using to link her arm with mine.
"Chen Yu..." the young woman murmured.
I felt like I was destined to meet my nemesis, with nowhere to hide, and could only reply, "Jing... Jing Lei..."
An Xiaomin looked at me and the young woman in surprise. The woman with the child in front of me was my ex-wife, Sui Jing Lei.
Sui Jing Lei was seven years younger than me, thirty-four years old that year, and a middle school Chinese teacher. Eleven years ago, she was deeply moved by my book, "Sand Flows Through My Fingers," and we started dating. A year later, she married me.
Seven years ago, when I went to prison, she told me she would wait for me until I got out. But just a few months before my two-year sentence was about to expire, she filed for divorce through her lawyer. At that time, I was truly heartbroken, but I still agreed to her request.
Unexpectedly, I ran into her here today. She was as beautiful as ever, now with an added mature charm.
"This is...your son?" I asked, looking at the little boy, thinking he looked a lot like his mother.
"Yes!" Sui Jinglei smiled awkwardly. "My husband is having dinner with some people here, we came to find him."
She then looked at me. "Chen Yu, how are you? Where have you been all these years?"
As she spoke, she glanced at An Xiaomin. I said, "I've been in Guangzhou."
Sui Jinglei said "Oh," and was speechless for a moment. After a brief silence, I said, "Go find your husband, I'll go now."
I quickly walked away. An Xiaomin nodded to Sui Jinglei and followed. I could feel Sui Jinglei's gaze following us.
After walking a while, An Xiaomin asked, "Who is she?"
"My ex-wife," I replied.
"Oh..." An Xiaomin already knew everything about my past with my ex-wife from An Xiaomei.
My mind was racing. It seemed she was doing well, married and with a child… Suddenly, a jolt went through me, and I stopped in my tracks.
“What’s wrong? Xingyan…” An Xiaomin’s voice came from beside me.
“Wait here for me, I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, turning to walk back.
“Where are you going?” An Xiaomin asked from behind me.
Back at the restaurant, I headed towards the private room where I had eaten with Li Jiaqi, my heart pounding.
Reaching the room, I slowed my pace, quietly approached the door, and peeked inside.
What I saw was the last thing I wanted to see. My brother, Li Jiaqi, and his ex-wife, Sui Jinglei, were sitting intimately together. Li Jiaqi had his arm around Sui Jinglei’s shoulder, and the two of them were chatting and laughing with the bald man and two others. Sui Jinglei was smiling sweetly, resting her head on Li Jiaqi’s shoulder.
Seeing this, my heart ached terribly. My most trusted brother, for whom I had served two years in prison, was now with my ex-wife and had a child.
If that were all, I wouldn't have anything to say. The key point is, judging from the child's age, they've been together for quite a while. They might have already gotten together while I was in prison, and my ex-wife even divorced me because of it.
And just now, Li Jiaqi shamelessly told me that he had never seen Sui Jinglei.
Just as I was filled with grief and indignation, Sui Jinglei saw me, and she was immediately stunned. I silently turned and left.
Outside the restaurant, An Xiaomin was waiting for me, asking what was wrong. I said nothing, let's go! She followed me, seemingly confused.
We'd only taken a few steps when Sui Jinglei's voice called from behind, "Chen Yu..."
I stopped, but didn't turn around, my face ashen. An Xiaomin looked back, then tugged at me, gesturing for me to speak to Sui Jinglei.
Sui Jinglei approached me, choking back tears, "Chen Yu, listen to me..."
I whirled around, snapping, "What's the point of saying anything now?"
Sui Jinglei burst into tears, startling An Xiaomin, who quickly tried to stop me.
"Chen Yu, I... I'm so sorry..." Sui Jinglei sobbed, head bowed.
"Jinglei..." With that call, Li Jiaqi appeared before me. He stared at me, speechless, then filled with shame.
He walked over blankly, then suddenly knelt before me, tears streaming down his face. People around us gasped in surprise, turning to look at us.
“Husband, what are you doing?” Sui Jinglei said, bending down to help Li Jiaqi up.
Her calling him “husband” pierced my heart. I said coldly to Li Jiaqi, “Get up.”
“Brother…” Li Jiaqi looked at me, tears streaming down his face, and stood up.
As soon as he stood up, I punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. An Xiaomin screamed, and Sui Jinglei squatted down to support Li Jiaqi’s shoulder, crying and shouting at me, “How dare you hit my husband?”
I pointed at Li Jiaqi on the ground and roared, “Li Jiaqi, for so many years, I’ve always considered you a brother. Just now, I was still treating you like a brother, but what about you?”
An Xiaomin quickly grabbed me, “Xingyan, don’t do this…”
“I served two years in prison for you, and you took advantage of my imprisonment to sleep with my wife. How could you do this to me?”
The people around us immediately erupted in uproar. Sui Jinglei suddenly stood up and shouted at me, "What right do you have to say that about him?"
I was stunned. She continued to cry and shout, "Back then, you went to jail to help your friend. Did you think of me then? Was your wife so unimportant to you? So much so that when you were loyal to your friend, you never considered her?"
She wiped away her tears. "During the days you were in prison, he was the one who took care of me..."
She paused here, "A man like you doesn't deserve to have a wife at all. In this respect, you are far inferior to him."
Although her words were like knives stabbing into my heart, I was speechless.
An Xiaomin couldn't help but retort, "How can you say such things? Do you know what price he paid to help your husband? Without him, would you and your husband be where you are today? Instead of being grateful, you're blaming him. Such a good man, you don't know how to cherish him, and you say such hurtful things to him. You're unworthy of being a woman!"
"You..." Sui Jinglei's face flushed red, and she said angrily, "And who are you? Talking nonsense here..."
An Xiaomin sneered and said, "I'm more sensible than you, and I know how to cherish him more."
After she finished speaking, she took my arm, "Xingyan, let's go."
We had only taken a few steps when we heard Li Jiaqi crying behind us, "Brother, brother, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Sui Jinglei cried, "Husband, what are you doing? Don't do this..."

35.
An Xiaomin and I walked to the pedestrian street outside the shopping plaza. I said, "You go back first! I'll stay alone for a while."
An Xiaomin took my arm and said worriedly, "Xingyan, don't do this..."
"Don't follow me." I shook off her hand and walked quickly forward.
She caught up with me. "Xingyan..."
I turned around and pointed at her, saying, "I told you not to follow me, didn't you hear me?"
An Xiaomin stared at me blankly, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "Xingyan, what's wrong with you?"
"Are you pitying me, showing me compassion? Let me tell you, I don't need it."
"I'm not, I really am not..." she cried anxiously.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" For some reason, I suddenly lost control and yelled at the woman who had been so caring towards me, "From the first day I returned to Chongqing, your whole family has been pitying me, showing me mercy. Do you think I didn't know?"
"Xingyan, what are you saying? Is this how you see our genuine affection for you?"
"True affection or pretense, I don't need it. I, Chen Xingyan, don't need pity, much less charity. Even if I, Chen Xingyan, am utterly alone and helpless..."
I stared at the tearful An Xiaomin and poured out the most hurtful words, "Even if I sign my own death certificate one day, I don't need anyone from the An family or the Yang family to care about me."
"Chen Xingyan, you bastard!" An Xiaomin cried out. In front of everyone, she walked up to me, tilted her head back, and stared at me coldly with her tearful eyes, her nose almost touching mine. "Chen Xingyan, you're so ungrateful! Get out!"
I nodded and turned to leave. An Xiaomin watched my retreating figure while tears streamed down her face. Just as I was about to disappear from her sight, she wiped away her tears and followed me.
As I walked, suddenly the world spun around me, and I collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. People around me gasped; some said it was an epileptic seizure, others said to call 120 (emergency services).
"Minmin, save me, Minmin, save me..." I managed to utter a weak, feeble voice in extreme pain, feeling myself falling into an endless abyss...
When I awoke, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, with An Xiaomin sitting beside me, weeping.
"You're awake?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
I smiled and said, "Did I just faint? Did I scare you?"
She looked away, tears streaming down her face, then wiped them away and said to me, "The doctor said you..."
She hesitated, as if unwilling to tell me the truth. I smiled and said, "Meniere's syndrome, is that what the doctor said?"
An Xiaomin looked at me in surprise, "You...you know?"
I smiled slightly, "Yes! It was diagnosed when I was in prison..."
She burst into tears again. I comforted her, "It's okay. Although it's incurable, it won't kill you. It'll just be painful when it flares up."
I sighed, "I haven't had a flare-up for years. Maybe it's because I was too agitated today... Minmin, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those awful things to you. I don't know what came over me just now? I suddenly..."
"Brother Xingyan..." An Xiaomin suddenly cried out, throwing herself into my arms and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Meimei told me everything you've experienced in the past twenty years. Why have you suffered so much? Why is God so cruel to you? Why?" she cried as she spoke.
I wanted to hug her, but I didn't reach out. After a long while, I said, "It's okay. Everyone has their own fate. Romain Rolland said, 'There is only one heroism in the world: to love life even when you have discovered its cruelty.' Compared to those suffering from terminal illnesses, my illness is nothing."
She stopped crying, looked up, and asked, "Does Meimei know you have this illness?"
I shook my head and said, "She doesn't know. I haven't told her."
I thought for a moment and then said, "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
An Xiaomin nodded through her tears and said, "But I have a condition..."
She took one of my hands and pressed it against her face, "Stay in Chongqing, let me take care of you, okay?"
I laughed, "Don't talk nonsense, you and Yifan are husband and wife..."
She interrupted me, "This has nothing to do with whether Yifan and I are husband and wife. You are my brother, and also Yifan's younger brother. Taking care of you is what I should do."
I slowly shook my head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Minmin, but I can't do that. I can't disturb or even interfere in your lives. Before I went back to Chongqing, this was my biggest worry. If this is the case, I would rather not come back."
She buried her head in my hand and cried again...
When we got home that night, it was quite late. Everyone was a little surprised to see An Xiaomin and me going home together.
"Sister, didn't you... go to a girls' night out today? Why are you with... Brother Xingyan?" An Xiaomei asked cautiously.
An Xiaomin smiled and said, "Yes! Xingyan happened to be eating there too. We ran into each other, so we strolled around together and then had dinner together."
An Xiaomei said "Oh" and didn't say anything more, but I could sense that she seemed to have more to say.
"I'm so tired today, I'm going to sleep," An Xiaomin said, going into her room.
I saw Yang Yifan sitting on the sofa without saying a word, his face looking very bad. After a while, he also went back to his room. A little while later, he came out of his room and said he had a card game and wouldn't be coming back.
"Yifan, what are you doing? Your wife is home! Why aren't you coming home?" Uncle Yang yelled at his son.
Yang Yifan left home without looking back. He was now a real estate company owner, no longer the little boy who used to get beaten up by his father because of me.
"Are the young couple having a fight?" Uncle Yang looked at Uncle An and Aunt Jiang and said.
The three old people looked at each other. Uncle An said, "It's alright, what couple doesn't have their ups and downs? Besides, Yifan is an adult now, the boss of such a big company, it's normal for him to have a lot of social engagements, just let him be!"
The three elders all looked at me at the same time, making me feel uneasy. I used the excuse of being sleepy to go back to my room. Not long after, An Xiaomei knocked on my door, I said I was going to sleep, and we could talk about it tomorrow.
That night, Yang Yifan indeed didn't come home all night, and when he returned in the morning, he was drunk. I thought, it's time to leave this home again, and never come back.
I didn't expect that on the 5th, Sui Jinglei asked to meet me. I didn't want to see her, but she said she had something very important to tell me, so I didn't refuse.
The meeting place was next to the children's playground in a shopping mall, where Sui Jinglei's son was playing with a group of children.
I sat down beside her and said coldly, "What is it? Speak."
Sui Jinglei, who had been looking at her son inside, said, "Last night, Li Jiaqi and I had a huge fight. He said he was going to give us back to you."
I was taken aback. "What do you mean? You and your son?"
"Yes! This child is yours." She turned her gaze back to me.
I was stunned, staring blankly at Sui Jinglei. I never imagined that after wandering half my life, thinking I might never have a child, I would suddenly have a son.
"After you were arrested, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't have a chance to tell you until you went to prison. At that time, I thought it would be better to keep it from you for the time being, so that you would
n't worry about me and the baby, causing emotional fluctuations, which would be terrible if it affected my rehabilitation." "Li Jiaqi thought the same way. We both felt that two years would pass quickly, and we could give you a surprise after I gave birth, or when you were released. But neither of us expected that things wouldn't go as we planned."
"Li Jiaqi took good care of me to repay you, and since I had no relatives or friends in this city, I could only rely on him. During this time, we gradually developed feelings for each other, but neither of us dared to confess."
"At that time, I was very distressed and conflicted. I didn't know who I should choose between you and Li Jiaqi. Li Jiaqi also didn't confess to me because he didn't want to do anything to betray you."
"After the child was born, for some reason, we both tacitly continued to hide it from you, planning to tell you after you were released from prison. Even then, although I had fallen in love with Li Jiaqi, I never thought of betraying you. Li Jiaqi also restrained himself, still staying with me and the child, waiting for the day you were released. Until one night when our son was six months old..."

36.
"That night it was pouring rain, and our son had a persistent high fever. I planned to take him to the hospital, but I couldn't do it alone, so I had no choice but to ask Li Jiaqi for help. He drove us to the hospital and stayed with us
the whole time." "When we got home from the doctor's appointment, it was already past midnight, and it was pouring rain again. I was worried about his safety driving, so I let him stay at the hospital. That night, we couldn't control ourselves and had sex, doing something I'm ashamed of."
"Afterwards, Li Jiaqi was very remorseful, feeling incredibly sorry for you, but it was too late to undo it. From then on, we were even more attracted to each other and officially got together."
"As your release from prison approached, Li Jiaqi wanted to end our relationship and return the child to you. I told him, 'I love you now, and since I became pregnant with this child, you've been by my side, taking care of us. You're the real father.' I asked him, 'Do you really love me?' He said, 'I love you, and I'm willing to do anything for you.'"
"So, I divorced you and married Li Jiaqi. He's truly good to our son, treating him like his own. On one hand, he loves the child he's cared for since birth; on the other hand, he wants to raise the child for you and atone for his sins."
Sui Jinglei wiped away her tears and looked at me. "You know, Chen Yu, in those lonely and helpless days, it was hard not to fall in love with a man who took such good care of me and was genuinely kind to me. And Li Jiaqi, actually, he's always liked me. Later, he told me that he actually liked me when we were together, but because I was his sister-in-law, he could only express his feelings within the bounds of propriety, keeping his feelings for me hidden deep in his heart."
“As his business has grown bigger and bigger over the years, and we've become richer and richer, I suggested to him that we have a second child, one of his own. But he refused. He said he was afraid that if his own child were born, he wouldn't be able to devote himself to his son, and might even favor one over the other. He said that having this son was enough for him in this life.”
Sui Jinglei cried. “I know he's been trying to atone for his sins to you in this way. He even planned to let you and your son recognize each other one day.”
She choked up for a moment, then continued, “Just last night, he actually asked me for a divorce and wanted me to take our son back to you. I was furious. I said to him, ‘What do you take me for? A commodity, or a token to mend your brotherly relationship, to be passed around like this?’”
“By the way, there’s something I need to tell you. Li Jiaqi wanted our son to take your surname, Chen, but I didn’t agree. I said, ‘We’re surnamed Li and Sui, but our son has the surname Chen. What will people think?’”
“Chen Yu, I’m telling you this not to ask for your forgiveness. We both know that a man would never forgive something like this. I just want you to know the truth and hope that you won’t hold a grudge against Li Jiaqi. If you must hate someone, hate me. It was my over-reliance on him that caused all this and deeply hurt you.”
Sui Jinglei looked at me with tearful eyes. "Chen Yu, I loved you in the past, loved you so deeply. Back then, I thought I might never be able to love another man in this lifetime. But I never expected that I would fall in love with Li Jiaqi, a guy from the countryside who couldn't compare to you in any way, even your little brother who used to rely on you for a living. And from now on, I will only love him, and he can only be my husband."
I sneered, "You're overthinking it. Do you think I would still accept you after what happened? Forgive you for the sake of my own child? I'm not that magnanimous."
I said, standing up. Sui Jinglei said to me, "Don't you want to take a good look at your son?"
"No, he's your son with Li Jiaqi... Just live your life well!"
I said, turning and leaving without looking back. The moment I turned away, a wave of sorrow washed over me, and tears streamed down my face.
The day before leaving Chongqing, An Xiaomei decided to tell An Xiaomin about my relationship with her.
I understood that she wanted to assert her dominance over me to her sister. During my time back, the little things between An Xiaomin and me, especially the day we spent alone outside for most of the day, couldn't help but make An Xiaomei think things through.
I thought it was for the best. At this point, there was no longer any possibility between An Xiaomin and me, but this time, I realized she still had feelings for me, and I hadn't been able to forget her either. It was better to take this opportunity to completely sever our ties, for both of us.
That day, An Xiaomei and I went out to see friends, and spent half the day wandering around. In the afternoon, An Xiaomei arranged to meet An Xiaomin at a coffee shop, saying she had something to talk to her about.
Even as An Xiaomei and I entered the coffee shop, she was still holding my hand tightly. Looking at An Xiaomin sitting there looking at us, I instinctively wanted to let go of An Xiaomei's hand, but she held it firmly.
An Xiaomin was quite surprised to see my sister and me arrive together. When she saw our clasped hands, her eyes, besides surprise, also held a hint of melancholy, loss, and resentment. In this situation, I felt so guilty that I couldn't bear to look her in the eye.
"So, you two are together now?" After we sat down, An Xiaomin asked with a forced, relaxed smile.
"Yes! Sis..." An Xiaomei affectionately took her sister's arm and laughed, "You don't support it, do you?"
"Look at what you're saying, I'm not our parents, how can I control you?" An Xiaomin laughed. I could sense the helplessness and disappointment hidden in her smile.
She then smiled at her sister and said, "Tell me, when did it start?"
"It's been more than three months, since that time he beat up Xiao Sang to protect me, and stood up for me with President Wang." An Xiaomei said, looking at me tenderly.
She had already told her sister about these two things. An Xiaomin laughed at her younger sister, "So, you two are like this: one rescued a damsel in distress, and the other repaid her with her body!"
"You could say that! Hehe..." An Xiaomei laughed at her older sister, "But! I liked him before all this; these two things just accelerated our relationship."
"You silly girl, when Dad was sick and hospitalized last time, I asked you if you liked him, and you wouldn't admit it." An Xiaomin laughed affectionately.
"That was just the beginning!" An Xiaomei's smile was slightly shy, and she reminded her sister, "But, sister, you must keep it a secret for me! Don't tell anyone in the family yet."
"Okay! You silly girl, I wish you both the best." Although An Xiaomin smiled quite happily, I could imagine the kind of sorrow she felt inside.
“Xingyan…” An Xiaomin looked at me, “I’m entrusting my sister to you. You must treat her well, cherish her, and protect her, okay?”
I still couldn’t look her in the eye, and nodded, saying, “I will.”
She then said to her sister, “Meimei, you must take good care of your Xingyan brother. He’s had such a hard life, experiencing so many hardships since he was little, understand?”
“Yes, sister, I understand.” An Xiaomei took her sister’s arm and nodded happily.
The three of them chatted for a while longer, then An Xiaomin smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll leave you two to your own private time.”
An Xiaomei asked, “Sister, aren’t you staying with us? I was saying the three of us should go see a movie and then have dinner together!”
“I’ve made plans to get a spa appointment with a close friend, and I’ll have dinner with her. I won’t be a third wheel for you two,” An Xiaomin chuckled.
What we didn’t know was that as she walked out of the coffee shop, tears streamed down her face.
An Xiaomei and I went home after the movie, deliberately arriving home at different times to avoid arousing their suspicions.
Uncle An, Uncle Yang, and Aunt Jiang were home at the time, but Yang Yifan and Yang Anyi weren't. An Xiaomei asked where the father and son had gone. They said one was out having dinner with friends, and the other was at a relative's house, staying overnight.
After dinner, An Xiaomei and I chatted with the three elders. I received a message on WeChat from An Xiaomin, asking me to come find her outside the complex to talk.
I said I was going for a walk and left the house. As soon as I stepped out of the gate, I saw An Xiaomin's Mercedes-Benz E300L parked there. I went over and knocked on the window. She waved to me, indicating I should get in.
I sat in the passenger seat and asked, "What's wrong, Minmin..."
She looked at me, her eyes seeming to have been crying, "When you made these decisions, did you never consider me?"
My heart skipped a beat. "What decisions?"
She smiled sadly and looked out the windshield, "About you and Meimei..."
She then shifted her gaze to my face, "Meimei and I are sisters. When you decided to be with her, didn't you think about how to face me?"
“It’s been over twenty years since our affair began. I thought it was all in the past, which is why I decided to be with Meimei.”
An Xiaomin sneered. “Maybe in your heart, Chen Xingyan, it’s all in the past. But in my heart, An Xiaomin’s heart…”
She pointed to her heart, staring at me with tears in her eyes, “It will never be in the past.”
A pang of pain shot through me, and I murmured, “Minmin, don’t be like this…”
Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, “Do you know what happened to me the day you left without saying goodbye twenty-three years ago, and in the days that followed?”
Under her resentful gaze, I was startled, staring blankly at her, my thoughts drifting back to those heartbreaking days.

(To be continued)

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