Chapter 79 You and Qingli must grow old together...

"Are you really going to sever ties with the Fu family?"

Once the two had calmed down, Lin Xi remembered what he had said to Fu Wenxun earlier and asked worriedly, "Is this really okay?"

Fu Qingli put one arm around her shoulder, leaning against her, and played with her fingers with the other, his smile somewhat indifferent: "It's okay, I don't covet the Fu family's wealth."

That's not what I meant!

Lin Xi was unhappy that he changed the subject and tried to pull her hand back, but as soon as she pulled it back a little, Fu Qingli quickly grabbed it again and held it tightly in his palm, as if afraid that she would run away again.

He lowered his eyes, obscuring the color in them, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

“It’s really nothing. Although my mother always hoped that I wouldn’t be influenced by him and Fu Wenxun and could get along with him peacefully, that peace didn’t include being controlled by him and marrying a woman I didn’t like. If she were still here, she would support my decision.”

"But--"

The thought of Fu Qingli about to sever ties with the person he should be closest to in this world made Lin Xi feel incredibly sad.

Even the most cold-hearted person will feel sad when they lose family members.

But Fu Wenxun's actions were so suffocating that she didn't know where to begin in trying to persuade Fu Qingli.

She simply nestled close to him, trying to comfort him, saying, "It's okay, I'll always be here for you."

Fu Qingli knew that she was sad for her.

“Xiaoxi, actually, I don’t care about him. After all, he’s been absent from my life since I was a child. But I can’t forgive what he said to you. He categorized me as someone like him, which caused you to leave me in pain back then. During the six years we were apart, we could have been very happy together, but they ruined it all. When I think about this, I wish I had never been named Fu.”

At that time, he had already decided that he would propose to Lin Xi on the day he graduated from university.

After getting married, if Lin Xi wants to return to Nanqing, then they can go back and live with Lin Fengyuan.

If she doesn't want to go back, she can settle in a city she likes and bring Lin Fengyuan over to live with her after he retires.

The three of them will have a simple and warm home.

But all of this was ruined by Fu Wenxun's so-called "marrying someone of equal social standing".

He originally thought the cruelest thing was the separation of life and death.

But today she realized that the cruelest thing was the wounds that Fu Wenxun's words left on Lin Xi's heart, which ultimately turned her feelings into a double-edged sword.

No wonder she left without a word back then, no wonder she desperately avoided memories related to him while she was ill, no wonder she never felt secure.

It turns out that she felt she could leave at any moment and fall into the arms of another woman.

Thinking of Xiaoxi's unbearable pain when she fell ill, and of his own worries and torment in a foreign land, how could he possibly forgive those culprits?

"Xiaoxi, let's go see my mother. I want to talk to her before publishing the ad."

Knowing that he had made up his mind, Lin Xi stopped trying to dissuade him. She simply reached out and hugged him tenderly, saying with tears in her eyes, "Okay, let's go together. We haven't told her about the wedding yet."

-

The news that Fu Qingli wanted to sever ties with the Fu family spread very quickly.

As soon as they arrived at the cemetery, the Fu family called. Fu Qingli hung up on all the calls and blocked the numbers, but the Fu family kept calling from different numbers.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he simply turned on Do Not Disturb mode to block out all unfamiliar numbers.

The burial plot that Shen Yu chose for herself was a small hill with beautiful scenery and a stream winding past in front of her.

Fu Qingli bought all the surrounding land so that Shen Yu could enjoy a peaceful life.

The photo on the tombstone is a snapshot of Shen Yu's life as a college student, which she had chosen before her death.

In the photo, she still has the air of a student, and her smile is gentle and generous; she is a classic beauty.

When her gaze fell upon Shen Yu's photo, Fu Qingli shed her aloof demeanor, reached out to brush away the dust from the photo, and said with gentle eyes, "Mom, I've brought Xiaoxi to see you."

At this moment, his gentle features resembled Shen Yu in the photo, creating a vague sense of temporal and spatial displacement.

Fu Qingli took Lin Xi's hand and led her to kneel on the prayer mat.

"I told you last time that Xiaoxi and I got married. Today I finally brought her here. You've been waiting for this day for a long time, haven't you? Now you can rest assured. Your favorite girl has finally become your daughter-in-law."

Fu Qingli tightened her grip on Lin Xi's hand, her eyes glistening with tears.

He didn't comfort Lin Xi. Shen Yu really liked Lin Xi and was the first person to realize his feelings for her.

From childhood to adulthood, whenever there was a holiday, Fu Qingli would arrange to go to Nanqing. Shen Yu never stopped him. In fact, every holiday, Shen Yu would try to make himself look better so that he could go to Nanqing with peace of mind and spend more time with Lin Xi.

He learned of these feelings from Aunt Tao after they were later made public.

Shen Yu officially revealed her feelings for Lin Xi the day before Fu Qingli's eighteenth birthday.

Lying on her sickbed, she called Fu Qingli to her side, her pale face adorned with a warm smile: "Qingli, I've bought you a plane ticket. Go to Nanqing tonight, and celebrate your eighteenth birthday with Xiaoxi tomorrow."

For the past three months, Shen Yu's health has been in a dangerous state. Her old illness has relapsed, and she is physically weak. Doctors have issued her critical condition notices multiple times.

To avoid any regrets, Fu Qingli applied for a leave of absence from school and spent all his time at the sanatorium with her.

He naturally wouldn't dare leave under these circumstances, and besides, he had never celebrated his birthday since that incident on his seventh birthday.

Shen Yu affectionately patted his head, looking at her son who had grown into a young man, her joy overflowing: "But, such an important birthday as eighteen should be spent with the girl you like."

Fu Qingli then realized that Shen Yu already knew about her long-hidden feelings, and she felt a little embarrassed because of the boy's thoughts: "Xiaoxi is still young, I just..."

“I understand.” Shen Yu nodded with a smile. “Liking someone has nothing to do with age. But, Qing Li, don’t start a relationship lightly before you are capable of taking full responsibility for it. Once you decide to start, you must love her and treat her well. Relationships cannot tolerate any infidelity. Don’t be like him… fickle, okay?”

Fu Qingli nodded vigorously and assured him, "I won't."

“If you like it, then go for it. I’m fine. Don’t let me ruin the life you deserve. Turning eighteen means taking responsibility and being accountable. Besides me, the person you like is also very important. Mom believes you won’t make Xiaoxi sad.”

That was the last time Fu Qingli went to Nanqing to accompany Lin Xi before Shen Yu left.

For the next two years, whenever Shen Yu mentioned Lin Xi, there was a special feeling in her heart, which also became her expectation and longing for marriage with Fu Qingli.

Before leaving, Fu Qingli rubbed Lin Xi's soft head and said, "Mom prepared a gift for you. We'll pick it up in the yard later."

Lin Xi was somewhat surprised that Shen Yu, after so many years of absence, still had a gift for her.

However, it's normal to leave a gift for one's future daughter-in-law in advance, so she didn't think much of it and assumed it could be anyone.

When they entered the villa of the sanatorium where Shen Yu had once lived, Fu Qingli told her that all the passwords in the villa, including the password to unlock the safe, were her birthday.

She then realized that the gifts were specifically for her, and that the gifts had a double meaning.

"Did Mom already know you would marry me?"

"Yes, she knew I liked you a long time ago and has been looking forward to the day I marry you."

As Fu Qingli spoke, she opened the safe in the study using her birthday as a pretext, saying, "These are all gifts she prepared for this day."

The safe, about half a person's height, was crammed full of jewelry and ornaments, with a huge red envelope and a letter on top.

Lin Xi took out the letter, and saw that the envelope was written with the words "To Lin Xi" in a beautiful handwriting.

Have you seen it?

"No, this is a letter Mom wrote for you. It's been kept in here all this time."

"Let's watch it together."

"good."

The letter was only a small page long.

Little Stream:

Greetings.

Since I parted ways with you when you were five years old, I've only seen you through video calls. I know you've been telling Qingli you wanted to visit me, but I'm not in the right condition to see anyone, which is why I've kept turning you down. I hope you don't blame me.

By the time you read this letter, you and Qingli will already be married, right?

Then you should call me Mom.

Thinking about this, I suddenly felt happy. Qingli finally has her own family.

Qingli had few relatives, and I was seriously ill and hospitalized for many years, so I had no heart to take care of him. Now I am about to leave him soon.

His father barely cared for him when he was young, and later he could no longer even see him.

The person I feel most sorry for in my life is Qingli, for letting him grow up in such a family environment. But I wish he didn't have to live in the shadow of me and his father forever.

Fortunately, you've been there all these years, accompanying Qingli through thick and thin, allowing him to experience his own joys and sorrows, and to have someone he wants to protect for the rest of his life.

I hope you'll stay with him from now on, and that you two will have a good time together.

Please forgive me, this selfish mother, for my lack of concern; the entire letter is dedicated to entrusting Qingli to you.

Because I so desperately want to see him live happily ever after with the person he loves, no longer living alone in this world.

Actually, when you wrote this letter, you were still young, unaware of his feelings, and unaware of when you would see it.

But over the past few years, seeing how much he cares for you and your daily interactions have allowed me to imagine what your life will be like after you get married.

Thank you for making all of this tangible, so that I can leave this world without regrets.

Finally, I wish you a happy marriage. My mother doesn't have good taste, so I don't know if you'll like the gift I chose. If you don't, I'll have Qingli make up for it.

Mom can only accompany you this far; you must walk the rest of the way carefully.

Xiaoxi, you and Qingli must grow old together and not leave each other with any regrets!

Mom, I'll be watching over you from heaven, and I'll also be watching over Qingli to make sure he doesn't make any mistakes. Please, please don't leave him!

By the end, Lin Xi couldn't help but sob on Fu Qingli's shoulder.

It's clear from her words that Shen Yu harbors many regrets and resentments about her relationship with Fu Wenxun, yet she doesn't want to convey these emotions to Fu Qingli, leaving him to live in the shadow of their relationship.

She was truly kind; she never spoke of the hatred in her heart, but instead always tried her best to maintain the relationship between Fu Qingli and Fu Wenxun.

However, Fu Wenxun took advantage of her and Fu Qingli's kindness and repeatedly hurt them, mother and son.