Chapter 61 Seeing Through the Man's Ruthlessness Towards Her

Not only Shao Yun, but Yu Yan also completely believed what Shao Muyan said.

Even if there are unforeseen circumstances and they can't make it back in time, Shao Muyan will make arrangements for them and ensure they don't go hungry.

But since Yu Yan was at home and didn't have any work to do, she couldn't just be a spoiled landlady who waited for Uncle Yan to come home from work and cook for them.

Yu Yan asked Shao Yun to open the refrigerator and tell her what kind of meat and vegetables were in it.

Shao Yun listed them one by one: "Cabbage, celery, potatoes, eggplant, scallions, pork belly, ribs..."

A menu quickly formed in Yu Yan's mind.

She had difficulty moving around and couldn't stand for too long, so she asked Shao Yun to help move some of the things she needed to the coffee table.

...

So when Shao Muyan returned home at 2:50 p.m., he saw Yu Yan and Shao Yun sitting in the living room making wontons.

Yu Yan was patiently teaching Shao Yun how to wrap the dumplings, and both of their faces and hands were covered in flour.

The scene was so heartwarming and homely that Shao Muyan was stunned.

"Uncle Yan."

"Uncle."

Two soft calls brought Shao Muyan back to his senses.

He changed his shoes, put down his laptop bag, and asked with a light laugh, "Didn't you say you'd just wait for me to come back and cook? Why are you all so busy?"

These two are quite resourceful; they turned the living room into a kitchen.

Yu Yan worked quickly, making small wontons, pinching one in each hand, while also talking to him: "I only hurt my foot, my hands are still fine, I can still do some preparatory work."

He looked up and laughed, "The head chef still needs you."

Shao Yun nodded in agreement.

“Okay.” Shao Muyan’s eyes softened. “I like cooking.”

Yu Yan stared at the curve of Shao Muyan's eyes and eyebrows, slightly stunned, feeling as if her heart was filled with something.

This kind of life and this kind of scene is what her childhood fantasies about family would look like: a family of three, or even three generations living together, chatting, working, and eating happily together.

That's how it's portrayed in TV dramas, and that's how it's done in Spring Festival Gala skits every year.

However, this would be difficult to achieve in her family.

Everyone is busy.

Their family's researchers are all focused on technology. Starting with the grandfather, they've been traveling all year round, sometimes for years at a time. The grandmother can't even catch up with them. If it's a classified project, they can't even be contacted for a whole year, and no one knows if they're alive or dead...

Grandma raised her three sons all by herself. Fortunately, the neighbors helped each other, and her sons were all obedient and filial.

Grandpa was very family-oriented, but he had too many responsibilities and sometimes couldn't take care of things properly. Back then, you had to submit an application to hire a nanny.

Yu Yan had heard from her elders that the only time her grandfather got really angry was when her grandmother accidentally fell and broke her bone in the dead of winter. She lay on the ground for a long time and couldn't get up. When her grandfather came home from get off work, he saw a thin figure crawling home little by little.

He burst into tears, heartbroken.

From then on, Grandpa refused to let Grandma stay at home alone. He took the whole family with him wherever he went, and that's how he led his three sons onto the path of scientific research.

So Yu Yan vaguely remembers scenes of family reunions when she was a child, but as her uncles, father and mother became busy with work and scattered all over the country, they could no longer get together.

But that image has remained sealed in her mind.

Unexpectedly, it was not her husband and son who helped her relive this memory, but Shao Muyan and Shao Yun.

Although there were only a few instances of her having meals with Xiang Jingheng and Xiang Chu, each one was a painful one.

The connection and chemistry between people are sometimes really hard to explain.

—

The three of them prepared this dinner together.

Yu Yan and Shao Yun made wontons, while Shao Muyan made stir-fried cabbage, dry-pot potatoes, and a braised fish. Yu Yan didn't get to eat the fish from last night; it ended up in Si Nan and the others' stomachs.

I finally got to eat fish today!

Shao Muyan's cooking skills are truly superb. Yu Yan, who didn't eat a single bite outside last night, had a great appetite tonight and ate a large bowl of rice.

The three people ate the fish until only the bones were left.

Looking at the fish's shape, Yu Yan couldn't resist taking a photo and posting it on her WeChat Moments, a rare occurrence for her:

Professor Shao's fish cooking is superb! (Thumbs up)

Unable to reach Yu Yan, Xiang Jingheng held his phone, checking WeChat every now and then, afraid of missing her message.

I accidentally clicked on Yu's profile picture and was surprised to find that she had started a WeChat Moments account.

I was momentarily taken aback.

The photo was of a strangely shaped fish skeleton. When Xiang Jingheng saw the caption, he felt as if he had been hit hard with an iron hammer.

The text was nothing special, just a single sentence, and it didn't even show a person's face, but...!

Xiang Jingheng felt that the way he addressed Professor Shao as "Professor Shao" was full of familial warmth.

He couldn't help but recall the past, comparing the different ways Yu Yan had addressed him.

Before the divorce, the closest person he ever called was "Jing Heng." He never heard her call him "husband," and of course, he never called her "wife."

Both of them felt awkward, as they usually addressed each other by their first names.

After the divorce, I no longer hear him called "Jing Heng". He is either called "Xiang Jing Heng" by his full name or "President Xiang" in a very business-like manner. I can't feel any warmth or affection from him.

But what about Yu Yan and Shao Muyan?

One minute he calls me "Uncle Yan," the next he calls me "Professor Shao." They sound like normal titles, but why do they sound so awkward to him?

Xiang Jingheng took two deep breaths, trying to calm the agitation in his heart.

But after trying for a long time, he still couldn't suppress it, so he made a voice call to Yu Yan.

She just posted on her WeChat Moments, indicating that she's online on chat; she can't just ignore him anymore...

It rang twice, then the other party hung up.

Xiang Jingheng: "..."

She certainly didn't ignore him; she just clearly didn't want to talk to him.

Very few people... no, never anyone has ever dared to hang up on him!

—

The phone rang while I was on the sofa.

Yu Yan and Shao Muyan were discussing a document at the desk. Shao Yun was close to the sofa, and since Yu Yan had difficulty moving around, she asked Shao Yun to take a look for her.

Whose call was it?

Shao Yun, who could read, looked at the screen and read aloud: "Xiang Jingheng".

"..."

Yu Yan frowned. "I won't answer. Let's hang up."

Shao Yun said "Oh" and then pressed the button.

Yu Yan turned around expressionlessly and continued her discussion with Shao Muyan.

She used to only have a slight dislike for Xiang Jingheng. Whether he didn't love her or value her, she didn't care about any of that when Yu Yan decided to let go completely.

After all, who one likes is a person's freedom, and she has no right to interfere.

But now, Xiang Jingheng has become somewhat disliked by her.

When he repeatedly sided with Gan Xiaoxing without distinguishing right from wrong, and when he repeatedly colluded with Xiang Chu to use her lingering feelings for them to stab her with a sharp blade, she had already seen through this man's ruthlessness towards her.

All she could do was stay away and try to distance herself from everyone in the Xiang and Gan families.

Including Xiang Chu.