Chapter 75 The Finale

“He’s a boy, so it’s only right that he takes care of you and the children,” Mrs. Yu said gently. “I know there’s some gossip going around, but I hope you won’t take it too seriously.”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh, "Wasn't I like that when I was young? My family used to be poor and had bad conditions. When I was with Yu Shi's father, many people said I was Cinderella. Later, my family sold their land and became rich overnight. People didn't say to my face that I was not good enough for Yu Shi's father, but they often spoke ill of me behind my back."

Amidst the fragrant tea, Mother Yu's gaze became calm and powerful. "So what if it's sour? I'm living my own life. What business is it of theirs? You've gone through so many hardships, yet you've managed Rose Manor so well and raised Chen Zui so obediently. I can see that you are brave and wise; you're a good girl."

"Those who gossip never understand that a person is actually just one person in this life. We are not loved because we are excellent, we do not suffer because we are beautiful, and we are not happy and fulfilled because we have a husband and children."

As Yu's mother's words deepened, they touched upon the truth of women's fate: "Many women's misfortune lies in the fact that they always want to control their husbands and children, and always want things to develop according to their expectations, but in the end, things often go against their wishes. We are also often passive, longing to be loved all our lives, feeling happy when loved, and suffering terribly when abandoned, feeling abandoned."

"Even when they feel unloved or subjected to emotional abuse, they lack the resolve to leave. Some even try to salvage the relationship until they exhaust their last bit of love. What's more unfortunate is that some women treat love as their entire life, leaving their homes or even sacrificing their lives for a man—this is foolish. Fortunately, more and more women are awakening to this reality."

Li Chian listened quietly, these words resonating with the beliefs deep within her heart.

Suddenly, Yu's mother asked, "Chi'an, were you worried that I would oppose you and Yu Shi?"

“Yes, I’m worried, but worry can’t stop me from liking Yu Shi and wanting to be with him. I like him, and I’m so happy when I’m with him. If I give up trying and working hard because of worry, then my feelings would be too shallow,” Li Chi’an said frankly. “In this world, you have to work hard to like anything, let alone something as precious as Yu Shi. So, Auntie, that’s why I chose to be with him. Liking him is enough for me to want to be with him, and I will work hard for our relationship.”

She just wouldn't insist on being with him.

Life is so long, everything is changing, and the only thing she can control is what she can do.

Whether in the past or now.

"Yu Shi is fine. I like him and want to be with him, so I will do it. As for what you think and how you do it, I don't know and I can't control it."

She paused briefly before continuing, "But I can't back down because of the parts I can't control, and I can't keep trying to be with him."

“When two people are together, it’s always a 50/50 split. I’m only responsible for my 50/50, and he’s responsible for his 50/50. If I do my 50/50 and if our combined efforts still don’t meet your expectations or make our relationship passable, then I accept it and accept that I can’t be with him.”

"Of course, he was never mine to begin with, so even if we couldn't be together later, I wouldn't feel like I've lost him. It's just that fate had brought us together; we were just lovers for a period of time. If that's the case, it's a kind of fulfillment in a different sense, and it's something I'm happy about."

Mother Yu's gaze lingered on Li Chi'an's face for a long time, a wise light flashing in her eyes.

She didn't say anything, but simply patted Li Chi'an's hand gently.

This single gesture speaks volumes.

The door to the tea room was gently pushed open, and Yu Shi peeked in. "What are you talking about so intently?"

Mother Yu smiled and said, "I'm listening to Chi'an talk about her rose estate. It's very interesting."

Before leaving home.

"Come often, make yourself at home." Mother Yu hugged Li Chi'an tightly. "I only have two sons. My eldest son and daughter-in-law are often abroad. We would also like you young people to come and have tea and meals with us more often."

On the way back, Yu Shi asked curiously, "What did your mother talk to you about? She seemed very happy."

Li Chi'an looked out the window at the flickering lights, "A woman's intimate conversation."

The car was parked downstairs in Li Chi'an's residential complex.

The door was not opened immediately.

In the darkness, he whispered, "You know what? You have a quality that's like the morning mist in the mountains—it seems gentle, but it can overcome any obstacle."

"Wow, Young Master Yu could start writing prose poems," Li Chi'an said with a smile.

“It was because of you that I was able to write prose poems.” Yu Shi chuckled and glanced at Chen Zui in the back seat. “I’ll carry Zui Zui up; he’s grown taller recently.”

...

So he didn't stay at home for long. After settling the little one in bed, he prepared to say goodbye.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but hug and kiss Li Chi'an repeatedly, saying, "I'm getting more and more reluctant to part with you."

Li Chi'an gently hugged him back without saying a word, "Perhaps after a while, you won't feel this way anymore."

"How could that be?" Yu Shi's voice was gentle and deep. "I love you."

It gets more profound every day.

A final, gentle, and solemn kiss landed on her brow, then he turned, quietly closed the door, and left.

Li Chian quietly watched his tall figure disappear around the corner of the corridor before tiptoeing to her son's room.

Under the warm glow of a small lamp, the son fell asleep with a smile, still clutching the jade pendant given to him by his mother in his little hand.

She slowly took the jade pendant from his hand, put it back into the jewelry box, then turned off the light, went out and returned to the living room. She sat down quietly, looking at the sea and city lights outside the window, thinking about what Mrs. Yu had said to her in the tea room earlier that day, and couldn't help but smile.

Yes, everyone is inherently lonely.

But that's precisely why genuine connections between people are so precious.

Meeting Yu Shi was her good fortune, but wasn't it also good for Yu Shi to meet her?

Love is not salvation, and marriage is not a destination; they are merely parts of life's journey.

She was grateful for Mrs. Yu's concerns, but she also knew herself clearly. She would not be complacent because of the Yu family's approval, nor would she doubt herself because of external doubts.

She is Li Chi'an, and she knows who she is and where she is going.

Love is beautiful, but the stars and the sea are even better.

She is greedy; she wants fame and fortune, and she also wants happiness.

If you can't have it, then love yourself.

Because she firmly believed that in this world, only she herself was her own source of confidence, she never worried about losing love or Yu Shi. Since she wasn't worried about losing Yu Shi, why should she worry about the Yu family not approving of her, or care about those sour words from the outside world?

In the distance, the city lights cascaded like a galaxy.

Li Chi'an leaned back gently on the sofa, wondering how things would develop between her and Yu Shi in the future. She didn't know.

The only certainty is that she knows no matter how her story with Yu Shi unfolds, she will continue her journey, running the rose estate, passing on handicrafts, promoting intangible cultural heritage, healing more hearts, and raising her son.

Go and see the world, see all living beings, and see a better version of yourself.

The bright moon hangs high in the sea, its light streaming into the room, creating a serene and resolute atmosphere.

Like every life, it has its own time to bloom, not to please passersby, but simply to fulfill its own potential.

As night deepened, Li Chi'an got up, preparing to take a shower and rest.

The phone screen lit up with a message from Yu Shi: "Just got home. My parents really admire you. They said you're a person with a strong inner strength."

She replied with a cute emoji and didn't say anything more.

...

On the morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, sunlight shone through thin clouds onto the earth.

Li Chi'an wrapped his coat tighter around himself, got out of the car, and walked with Xu Zhuwen toward Gao Yanshu's house.

“Yinxi said she wanted to take this opportunity to discuss the New Year's plans for Rose Manor with everyone today. I think she’s been cooped up for ages,” Xu Zhuwen said to Li Chian with a smile as she rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and Gao Yinxi stood in the doorway with her huge belly, her face flushed with the typical rosy hue of pregnancy.

She was tall, and although her belly was surprisingly large, you could still see the outline of her waist from behind.

"Come in quickly, it's cold outside." Gao Yinxi stepped aside. "Yanshu is in the study taking a call, he'll be right out."

"It's alright, the three of us can play together, let him keep busy." Xu Zhuwen carried the gifts she brought inside.

Li Chian looked at Gao Yinxi's belly and said, "Her belly is getting bigger again, and she's still causing trouble."

"It's precisely because my due date is approaching that we need to hurry up and get everything arranged," Gao Yinxi said with a smile, leading them to sit down in the living room.

Winters in Xianghai City are not cold, but the heating was on in the living room right now.

As soon as they entered the house, they took off their coats and overcoats.

Gao Yanshu came out of the room and, after exchanging pleasantries with the two, said, "Sister, what would you like to eat for lunch today? I'll make a reservation now."

"I don't want to go out." Li Chi'an tossed his coat onto a corner of the sofa. "It's windy outside."

"I don't want to go out either." Xu Zhuwen tossed her bag aside and nestled into the sofa.

"I don't want to go out. What should we eat for lunch?" Gao Yanshu scratched his head and looked at Gao Yinxi.

My aunt is still on vacation and hasn't come back yet.

He can't cook, and his sister can't cook either, so we can't just order takeout, can we?

It's not good to make guests eat takeout during the Chinese New Year.

Gao Yinxi quickly offered a solution: "Yanshu, go buy groceries, we'll have hot pot at home for lunch."

"Can!"

Li Chian and Xu Zhuwen naturally had no objections.

After deciding what to have for lunch, Gao Yinxi took out a folder she had prepared beforehand and began discussing the Rose Manor's operational plan for the new year.

"Through this trial operation of more than a month, we have discovered a lot of problems in our services, which will need to be adjusted after the New Year." Gao Yinxi flipped through the reports.

Just as the three were having a heated discussion, Gao Yanshu received a phone call and then pouted, "Well, Yuan Ergeng heard that we needed ingredients, so he took over the delivery job and is driving here right now."

Gao Yinxi smiled upon hearing this, "Wasn't he going to visit relatives? How come he has time to deliver vegetables?"

"You must be bored out of your mind," Xu Zhuwen teased from the side.

Yuan Ergeng was explicitly forbidden by Gao Yanshu from staying at the Gao family home this New Year, on the grounds that his sister needed quiet rest.

This was pure torture for Yuan Ergeng, who had only been married for a short time.

Sure enough, within half an hour, Yuan Ergeng rang the doorbell with a car full of top-quality ingredients.

Upon entering, he first carefully hugged Gao Yinxi before greeting the others.

"These are all Wagyu beef that were air-freighted in this morning, as well as the freshest seafood. I specially picked out Yinxi's favorite shrimp and abalone." Yuan Ergeng proudly displayed the ingredients he brought, but his eyes never left Gao Yinxi.

Looking at this scene, Li Chi'an couldn't help but recall the message Yu Shi had sent her that morning, saying that many people were sending gifts to her home, and there was so much fresh food that she couldn't possibly finish it all. She couldn't help but smile knowingly.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Yu Shi, telling him that she was having hot pot at Gao Yanshu's house.

Unexpectedly, Yu Shi replied immediately, "I'm so envious. My parents took my nephew to visit relatives for the New Year. I'm all alone at home, with no stove or pot, not even a pack of instant noodles."

Li Chi'an softened and asked Gao Yinxi if Yu Shi could come along.

Before Gao Yinxi could reply, the others started to jeer:

"Let him come."

"You need a lot of people to eat hot pot."

So, less than an hour later, Yu Shi also appeared at the Gao family's door, bringing not only several bottles of fine wine, but also various fruits and desserts.

"Now everyone's here." Gao Yanshu smiled as he accepted the wine and went into the kitchen with Yuan Ergeng and Yu Shi to start washing and preparing the vegetables.

The three women sat on the soft wool carpet in the living room, continuing their previous work discussion.

Li Chi'an analyzed from the perspective of new media and new retail: "From the perspective of 'place,' there are three things that connect users and products: information flow, capital flow, and logistics. New retail is about improving the relationship between these three to achieve more efficient retail."

She paused, then continued, "From the perspective of 'goods,' through design, manufacturing, supply chain, large shopping malls, large sales organizations, and consumers, as long as the efficiency of these links is improved, it becomes new retail. I think Rose Manor can do more in this regard, such as developing online sales channels while optimizing the offline experience..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chi'an suddenly noticed that Gao Yinxi's expression had changed, and hurriedly asked, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Gao Yinxi held her stomach with one hand and supported her lower back with the other, her voice trembling slightly, "I feel warm water flowing out from below..."

Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian immediately realized that Gao Yinxi's water had broken and she was about to give birth!

"Oh my god, she's not even due yet!" Xu Zhuwen exclaimed.

Li Chi'an, having given birth before, immediately calmed down and instructed, "Sister, go and call the men in the kitchen. Yinxi, don't move, lie down slowly and elevate your feet."

In an instant, chaos erupted inside the room.

The three men rushed out of the kitchen and were all panicked when they saw what was happening.

"I'll go get the maternity bag!" Yuan Ergeng was the first to react and rushed to the bedroom.

"I'll contact the hospital, the doctors, and my parents!" Gao Yanshu grabbed her phone.

"I'll help drive later," Yu Shi said, offering to take on the task.

Under Li Chi'an's command, things were quickly and systematically arranged.