An Jing shifted and, lying on his back, said, "Are you still mad at me then, planning to freeze me out forever?"
Lan Yu turned her back to him and whispered, "I'm not mad at you anymore. I just fell in love with this place and want to live here permanently. What's so great about the big city? This countryside is much better, with fresh air, peace, and freedom."
"Then I'll stay with you and spend a few more days here," An Jing said reasonably. "But we still have to go back. Think about it, if it weren't for your uncle's family taking care of us, could we survive in this countryside?"
"Why wouldn't we be able to?"
"Do we own any land here? Even if we did, would we know how to farm, raise chickens, ducks, or pigs?" An Jing asked. "Even if your uncle's family is good to us, we can't keep troubling them here indefinitely."
Lan Yu felt a dull ache in her heart, unable to find a reason to refute him, and could only agree.
When her uncle's family learned they were leaving, they didn't say much, but they were all reluctant to see them go and prepared many local specialties for them to take back.
On the day they bid farewell to her uncle's family, the great-aunt took out a pair of tiger-head shoes, one large and one small, that she had made. She handed them to Lan Yu, saying with reluctance, "Remember to wear them when you go back."
"The child and I will definitely wear them," Lan Yu said, her eyes welling up as she looked at the exquisite tiger-head shoes.
An Jing put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her, "We'll come back here for the New Year next time, and we can see Great-aunt then."
Her aunt-in-law said tearfully, "Yes, yes, it's livelier here for New Year than in your city. You must come and visit then."
"Okay," Lan Yu choked out.
Great-aunt looked at An Jing and said, "Xiao Xiao, I'll make a pair of shoes for you too then."
"Thank you, Great-aunt," An Jing said, deeply moved.
Great-aunt patted An Jing's arm and said, "Take good care of them, mother and daughter."
"I will," An Jing promised Great-aunt.
...
Su Su was happy for them when Tian Yi told her that An Jing had found Lan Yu.
At the studio, she called Lan Yu.
"Su Su, I'm sorry, I hung up on you last time before I finished talking," Lan Yu apologized.
"It's okay, I understand how you felt then," Su Su replied. "Where have you been all this time? We were all very worried about you and the baby."
"I went to a relative's house," Lan Yu said. "I heard from An Jing that it was lucky Tian Yi reminded him, otherwise he wouldn't have found me. Please thank Tian Yi for me too."
"It's nothing, we don't need to be polite with each other," Su Su said. "Don't dwell on An Jing's momentary impulsiveness anymore. I can understand you. What you care about most isn't that he hit you, but that you're afraid he doesn't love you anymore and can't give you a sense of security. The more you love someone, the more anxious and insecure you become. Tian Yi and I were like that for a while."
Lan Yu quickly asked for advice, "How did you get through those unstable times?"
"We went through a lot of things amidst quarrels and arguments, and built unbreakable trust in each other, and then things became smooth. In fact, overly passionate feelings don't last; they always return to plainness." Su Su had this realization only by looking back at her and Tian Yi's journey together.
Lan Yu suddenly asked her again, "Do you know why An Jing cares so much about Xiao Xiao? Is it because of Xiao Xiao's mother, whom An Jing loved passionately?"
"No, no," Su Su said, afraid she might misunderstand again. "At that time, An Jing merely sympathized with Xiao Xiao's birth mother and saw Xiao Xiao being born, so he felt a connection with Xiao Xiao."
"Really?" Lan Yu still had doubts about this.
Su Su said, "I'm not lying to you, everything I've said is true. Don't overthink it. An Jing has only ever truly loved you, and you are the one he loves the most."
"Thank you, I understand now." With Su Su's words, Lan Yu's heart finally settled completely, and she no longer wanted to think too much about it.
...
When Zhan Jiayi returned to Xie Group again, it felt like a lifetime ago.
She was still working in the president's office, but no longer as an assistant.
Xie Zhendong had arranged a simple secretarial job for her. Her daily tasks involved printing, copying, and handling some documents, requiring little effort, making it the easiest job there.
She was content with the leisure now, as long as she had something to do and wasn't too idle.
At the group, she and Xie Zhendong maintained their relationship as boss and employee; no one could guess their private connection.
One day, as she was typing a document at her desk, she looked up and saw Yang Shasha emerging from the elevator.
She hid behind her computer screen, staring at Yang Shasha, her hands leaving the keyboard, and her fists unconsciously clenched tight.
But she could do nothing, only watch as Yang Shasha walked into Xie Zhendong's office.
Why was this woman looking for Xie Zhendong?
...
Xie Zhendong sat in his office, looking at Yang Shasha, who had come to see him voluntarily, and asked, "Have you thought it through?"
"Dad, I've thought it through. The child's future is the most important thing," Shasha said, appearing to have come to a decision on the surface, but inwardly she was seething with hatred, feeling Xie Zhendong was utterly cunning.
"That's right." As he spoke, he immediately called his private lawyer and asked the lawyer to bring the contract.
Shasha asked, "Dad, after I give up custody of Jie Jie, can I visit him often?"
"Twice a year," Xie Zhendong said businesslike.
Shasha, who had initially wanted to ask for weekly visits, could only compromise and say, "Can I see the child once a month?"
Xie Zhendong looked at her and said, "No, if you see the child frequently, it will distract him. And each time you visit him, you cannot tell him that you are his mother, do you understand?"
"Then when he's older, he'll think he doesn't have a mother," Shasha became agitated again.
Xie Zhendong said calmly, "When he comes of age, I will tell him that you are his biological mother. But not before he comes of age; he needs to become an excellent heir, and he cannot be attached to you."
Shasha couldn't help but say, "This is too inhumane. The child will become cold and heartless..."
"I just don't want him to be constrained by emotions," Xie Zhendong emphasized again. "You don't have to sign this contract; think it over before signing."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lawyer walked in with the contract that had been prepared long ago.
Xie Zhendong said to the lawyer, "Never mind, take the contract away..."
"I've thought it through, I'll sign," Shasha said quickly.
Xie Zhendong confirmed again, "Are you sure you've thought it through?"
Shasha nodded decisively.
Xie Zhendong gestured for the lawyer to hand the contract to her.
The lawyer walked over to her and, in addition to the contract, gave her a pen. He turned to the page where she was to sign and said, "Young Madam, would you like to review it again?"
"No need," Shasha said, holding the pen and quickly signing where she was supposed to.
After she finished signing, the lawyer looked it over again and nodded at Xie Zhendong.