In Shen Lang's embrace, Wang Yuyan clearly felt his tension and fear, finally understanding her grandfather's words.
Indeed, Shen Lang was a person lacking a sense of security, simultaneously yearning for love and fearing disappointment.
With this thought, Wang Yuyan gently caressed Shen Lang's chest with her soft, delicate hands, smiled tenderly, and said, "Brother Shen, don't be afraid. I'm here. Perhaps 'godmother' isn't a real mother, but a fiancée will always be a fiancée. Unless you chase me away, I won't leave you on my own."
"Yuyan, meeting you is my greatest fortune."
Shen Lang held Wang Yuyan tightly, his face filled with gratitude, and said, "Sometimes, having you by my side feels like Chu Ge is still with me. No matter what happens, I won't be afraid."
"Alright, then from now on, I will accompany you in Chu Ge's stead."
Hearing Shen Lang mention Chu Ge, Wang Yuyan showed no trace of anger. She smiled and said, "From now on, I'll be your Chu Ge."
"Yuyan, thank you, but I don't want you to be Chu Ge. I just want you to always be yourself."
Shen Lang looked at the woman in his arms, his smile gentle, and said, "Chu Ge is Chu Ge, and you are you. You are neither her shadow nor her replacement. You are Wang Yuyan, the one and only Wang Yuyan in this world."
"Okay, whatever you say I am, I'll be. I'll do as you wish."
Wang Yuyan stood on tiptoe and kissed Shen Lang's lips, saying, "I am yours forever, remember that."
"I remember. I will never forget."
Shen Lang lowered his head and proactively kissed Wang Yuyan's lips, saying, "I will never forget your words."
After leaving the villa, Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan went to the supermarket to buy groceries, then drove back to Yu Jing Yuan villa.
Upon entering the villa, Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan saw Wang Yunchuan drinking tea.
"Xiao Shen, you're here?"
Seeing Shen Lang appear with Wang Yuyan, Wang Yunchuan said happily.
"Elder Wang, it's been a long time."
Looking at Wang Yunchuan, Shen Lang no longer harbored the hostility he had felt upon arriving in Nanling. His smile was gentle and refined. "You've been keeping well. It seems you've practiced your elder's Five Animal Frolics to quite a high level."
"Haha, nothing escapes your sharp eyes, young man. But I'm merely grasping at the surface. To truly achieve mastery would take at least another ten years."
Wang Yunchuan chuckled, "The Five Animal Frolics consist of five sets of exercises. I've spent many years, and only now have I managed to cultivate some basic Qi-nurturing skills. It truly is profound and marvelous."
"If it didn't possess miraculous effects, your elder certainly wouldn't have taught it to you back then."
Shen Lang looked at Wang Yunchuan and smiled, "These Five Animal Frolics were created by Hua Tuo. His disciples who practiced them remained sharp of hearing and clear of sight, with intact teeth, even in their eighties and nineties. It was already an excellent Qi-refining exercise. And with your elder's modifications and upgrades, its efficacy has become even more potent."
"As long as you, Elder Wang, practice it three times daily, without fail through all seasons, it's absolutely guaranteed that living to one hundred years old will be no problem."
"Haha, I also have this premonition. I am certain I will live to be a hundred."
Wang Yunchuan laughed, "I am seventy now, with thirty years left. Perhaps I will not only see my great-grandchild grow into an adult but also see my great-great-grandchild marry and have children."
"Xiao Shen, time is pressing. You and Yuyan should make good use of it and not waste your precious youth."
Hearing this, Shen Lang was rendered speechless, while Wang Yuyan playfully expressed her displeasure to her grandfather, "Grandpa, what nonsense are you talking? If you keep saying such things, we won't have dinner with you tonight."
"Haha, you little girl, marriage and childbirth are the greatest happiness for any woman. What is there to be shy about?"
Wang Yunchuan looked at his granddaughter and smiled, "You are eighteen now, not young. Your mother gave birth to you at this very age."
"What?"
"My mother?"
Hearing her grandfather mention her mother for the first time, Wang Yuyan's youthful blush turned to shock. She exclaimed, "Grandpa, this is the first time you've ever spoken to me about my mother."
"Yuyan, it's not that I don't want to tell you about your mother. It's just that knowing too much about her affairs would not be beneficial for you, at least not at your current age."
Wang Yuyan looked at her granddaughter and sighed, "You miss your mother, and how could I not miss her and your father? After all, they were my daughter-in-law, and besides you, they are the people closest to me in this world."
"Elder Wang, you seem to have something difficult to say. Perhaps you should speak your mind."
Seeing the sadness clearly on Wang Yuyan's face when the topic of her mother arose, Shen Lang, drawing from his own experiences, felt a deep empathy and spoke to Wang Yunchuan.
"Xiao Shen, do you truly wish to know?"
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Wang Yunchuan looked troubled and asked.
"Elder Wang, it's not that I want to know. It's that Yuyan has the right to know about her parents."
Shen Lang stated, "Yuyan is already eighteen years old. She is an adult, and she is qualified to know anything about her parents."
"Seeing your troubled expression, you're likely worried that knowing about her parents might put her in danger. But please rest assured, as long as I am here, I will not let anyone in this world harm a single strand of her hair."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan was deeply moved, and Wang Yunchuan looked relieved.
"Xiao Shen, I truly didn't misjudge you. You indeed possess a sense of responsibility."
Wang Yunchuan began, "The matter concerning Yuyan's parents is very complex. Let me put it simply."
"In the south, there is an ancient city. The name of this city is Luocheng."
"Luocheng is very small, with only over a hundred households and a population of no more than five thousand people. However, everyone in this city shares the same surname, Luo. Legend has it that their ancestors were a great general from the pre-Qin era."
"Despite the rapid development of society, the people of Luocheng still retain some of their most ancient customs. That is, Luocheng does not permit intermarriage with outsiders. Any violation will result in severe consequences. And as fate would have it, Yuyan's mother was from Luocheng."
"Eighteen years ago, on the day Yuyan was born, people from Luocheng came and took her and Yuyan's father back to Luocheng. Their fate remains unknown to this day."
At this point, Wang Yunchuan's face contorted with pain.
"What?"
Hearing her grandfather, Wang Yuyan exclaimed, "Grandpa, you are a prominent figure in Nanling. Why didn't you stop them when it happened?"
"Yuyan, do you think I didn't try to stop them then?"
Wang Yunchuan was in agony, "You have no idea how terrifying the people of Luocheng are. Only two of them came, and with a mere gesture, they easily killed dozens of Wang family experts."
"I wanted to seek help from the military guards, but I was afraid of collateral damage. In the end, I could only watch helplessly as they took the two away..."