Chapter 126 Yu Yan, you need to stay away from me

Xiang Jingheng woke up in a hospital ward.

"Young Master, you're awake." Mei Nan, who was taking care of him, frowned at Jing Heng, still feeling the heartache she had before fainting.

His face was pale. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and asking in a hoarse voice, "How long have I been asleep?"

Mei Nan looked at him with heartache: "One day and one night."

You slept for so long?

Xiang Jingheng tried to get up, but his body was limp and he had no strength. Just as he was about to fall, Mei Nan rushed over to help him up, and accidentally fell into his arms.

"..."

Their lips almost touched; Xiang Jingheng was hit squarely and instantly lay flat on his back.

Mei Nan apologized repeatedly and hurriedly got up from Xiang Jingheng, but the slight touch of their necks brushing against each other made Xiang Jingheng feel a little dazed.

It seemed to remind me of that night several years ago... wild and decadent.

I'm thinking of Yu Yan again.

Mei Nan stood by the bed, her heart pounding wildly. Her face and ears were red, and the lingering sensation of their touch still remained on her neck.

She felt as if her whole body was on fire, and her body was tingling with pleasure.

"You..." Xiang Jingheng looked up at Mei Nan and was startled. "Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"

Mei Nan touched her face with the back of her hand; it was burning hot.

"It's okay... the ward is too hot."

Hearing her say that, Xiang Jingheng didn't think much of it and was in a hurry to be discharged from the hospital. After all, he still had his son at home and a lot of things waiting for him to deal with at the company.

Mei Nan finally managed to persuade him to finish his IV drip first, and then said, "I didn't tell Madam about what happened at the hospital. Gan Xiaoxing woke up and is making a huge fuss about wanting to see you."

Xiang Jingheng's face darkened as soon as he heard this. Gan Xiaoxing was like a stubborn plaster; once she got on him, he couldn't get rid of her.

"You should take care of your health first."

Mei Nan tucked Xiang Jingheng in, lowered her eyes and muttered quietly, "She doesn't care, but I do."

Xiang Jingheng heard this and froze.

Mei Nan glanced at him furtively, but before she could show any other expression to Jing Heng, she automatically looked away, picked up the thermos on the table, and said, "I'm going out to get some water."

Watching her hurried departure, Xiang Jingheng remained calm, only letting out a silent sigh.

If only Yu Yan could feel sorry for him.

—

That evening, Shao Min brought Shao Yun to Yu Yan's place.

Originally, Madam Shao wanted to take Yu Yan to the Lin family's courtyard for dinner, but Shao Muyan said, "Yu Yan has just been discharged from the hospital, don't bother her, let's eat at home."

Shao Muyan was cooking, and when Yu Yan tried to help, he wouldn't let her and simply pushed her out of the kitchen.

Yu Yan: "..."

"It's alright, let him do it."

Mrs. Shao smiled and said to Yu Yan, "In our family, it's all the men who cook. Neither Shao Min nor I know how to cook. We just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. As long as we can eat, that's enough."

Shao Min said to Mrs. Shao, "Yu Yan is much better than the two of us. He has a first-class chef's certificate and his cooking is delicious. He's just as good as A Yan. Isn't that right, son?"

Shao Yun nodded emphatically and praised earnestly, "It's absolutely delicious."

"A Level 1 Chef's Certificate?" Mrs. Shao's eyes widened in surprise as she asked Yu Yan, "Why did you decide to take this exam?"

Yu Yan smiled and said, "It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision; I just wanted to take the exam, so I did."

Actually, Xiang Chu had a weak constitution when she was young and couldn't eat many things because she was allergic to them. The Xiang family's chef was a Michelin-starred chef who had his own style and principles for cooking. He wouldn't reduce the amount of pepper or salt just because Xiang Chu was allergic. They went to the hospital several times, but Mrs. Xiang didn't take it seriously, saying that children grow up and it wouldn't kill them.

Yu Yan had no choice but to do it herself.

She has a serious personality and once she starts something, she wants to do it well, so she enrolled in a class and took a certification exam along the way.

The downside of this personality is that she tries her best in everything—in her studies, at work, and as a mother and wife. She has no expectations of others, only of herself.

However, she later discovered that while she could get positive feedback for her hard work in her studies and work, it was not the same in her family life.

She believed what the book said about intimate relationships needing to be nurtured, but gradually she realized that it seemed she was the only one making the effort, and that matters of the heart cannot be accomplished by one person alone.

Whoever suffers should change. Xiang Jingheng, as a beneficiary, never thought of changing anything. So, she can only choose to continue suffering or choose to end her suffering.

The men were busy in the kitchen, while the women and children chatted in the living room. This scene was common in the Shao family, but it had never happened in the Xiang family.

The atmosphere that people perceive is naturally different in different environments.

When Yu Yan is with the Shao family, she is always very relaxed. Even though she is usually very socially awkward, she can open up and chat happily.

Before she knew it, Yu Yan had entered the kitchen.

Aunt Qiu has taken such good care of her lately, so she wanted to cook a couple of dishes for Aunt Qiu to try her cooking.

Shao Muyan's attempts to dissuade her failed, so he could only let her have her way, saying, "Whatever you want to do, I'll help you."

There were two people in the kitchen instead of one.

Mrs. Shao craned her neck with a gossipy look on her face to secretly watch the commotion in the kitchen.

Shao Min laughed and said, "This is just how the two of them are every day. Every time they cook, it's like a competition. They always rush to do the work. I don't know who cares more about whom."

She spoke without any hesitation, and Yu Yan and Shao Muyan naturally heard her clearly through the window.

Their expressions were somewhat unnatural.

The atmosphere, which was originally quite normal, suddenly became ambiguous after Shao Min said that.

...

After the meal, Madam Shao left with Shao Yun and Shao Min.

Yu Yan was still a little reluctant to part with it.

"What's wrong?" Shao Muyan noticed that her expression was off and there seemed to be some melancholy in her eyes.

Yu Yan snapped out of her daze, a smile appearing on her lips. "Aunt Qiu looks exactly the same as I remember her, still as lovely as ever. The Shao family is all lovely."

She blurted out the last sentence in a relaxed state.

I didn't think much of it.

But what was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Shao Muyan turned his head to look at Yu Yan and asked, "What about me?"

Yu Yan suddenly turned her head and met Shao Muyan's deep, dark eyes.

My heart skipped a beat.

She was finding it increasingly difficult to bear Uncle Yan's gaze.

Yu Yan avoided his gaze and said softly, "You're also a member of the Shao family, so naturally you are too..."

I just can't bring myself to say the word "cute".

The atmosphere was already a bit strange, and once it started talking, it became even more uncontrollable.

Yu Yan didn't say it, but Shao Muyan laughed; he had heard it.

He's cute too.

But Shao Muyan's smile quickly faded. Yu Yan sat in the living room seriously discussing moving out with him, saying that she had asked Cheng Yun to help her find a place to live in the past two days.

It's not in the research center's staff quarters, but in the staff quarters of Upstate University, a house where an old professor had some free time after retirement.

Shao Muyan waited until she finished speaking before speaking with difficulty, "You don't want to live with me anymore. Yu Yan, you want to stay away from me."

Yu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest.