"Mom and Dad! What are you doing standing at the door?"
Shi Wan looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, "Why are you dressed so formally?"
At this moment, Shi's father was wearing a light blue polo shirt and black trousers, and his hair was neatly combed. Shi's mother, contrary to her usual style, wore a skirt, her hair was piled up high, and she had light makeup on her face, making her look very formal.
Normally, Shi's parents would only dress up like this when they went out to visit guests, because it was inconvenient for them to do farm work and they were afraid of wearing out their decent clothes.
Shi's parents exchanged a glance, their faces filled with anticipation and a hint of nervousness as they craned their necks to look outside the door.
Upon seeing that there was no one outside the door, the smile on Shi's mother's face gradually faded, replaced by disappointment and melancholy.
Her expression was so obvious that Shi Wan easily noticed it. She looked at her parents with a puzzled expression and asked, "Mom and Dad, who are you waiting for? Is anyone else coming today?"
Shi's father turned his gaze from outside the door to Shi Wan and asked, "Why didn't Xiao Jing come back with you?"
Xiao Jing?
Sikong Jingyu?
Shi Wan instantly understood what was going on.
"Mom and Dad, who told you he was coming today?" Shi Wan asked tentatively.
“Yesterday, your Uncle Honglin was worried that you would suffer a loss, so he took me to the guesthouse to find you late at night. I saw Xiaojing and you in the room from the window. Why didn’t he come home with you? Is it because… you don’t like the conditions at home and you’re not used to living here?” The father’s voice grew softer as he spoke, with a hint of self-reproach in it.
Mr. Shi felt conflicted. He walked over and gently put his arm around his wife's shoulder. Mrs. Shi didn't say anything, her head was down, and she was in low spirits.
So that's how it is... Shi Wan suddenly understood. It turned out that her parents dressed up for the occasion because they thought Sikong Jingyu would be coming to their house today.
Shi Wan was unsure whether mentioning divorce now would hurt her parents, given how much they valued the marriage.
After a pause, Shi Wan did not dampen the enthusiasm of Shi's parents, and explained, "He came here on business and was afraid of disturbing the family, so he stayed outside. It's not what you think."
Hearing Shi Wan say this, Shi's parents' expressions softened a little. Shi's father smiled and said, "There's no such thing as disturbing a family. Your mother and I thought Xiao Jing didn't want to come home because he didn't want to. It's lunchtime now, why don't you invite him over for lunch?"
"Dad... he's busy with work. Why don't we eat first and call him over next time? By the time he gets here, the food will be cold," Shi Wan said tactfully.
Seeing Shi Wan's hesitant expression, Shi Jianhua knew she was lying. He felt a mix of emotions. He knew that Sikong Jingyu's absence from the house was just an excuse, and Wanwan was afraid of hurting their feelings, so she didn't say it directly.
Shi Jianhua sighed, "I knew your words were just to comfort us."
"Dad, that's not true." Shi Wan hurriedly shook her head.
"Alright, stop lying to us. You're my daughter. Do you think we can't see the trouble on your face? Dad knows you didn't say it directly because you were afraid of hurting your mother and me. Let's go and eat first."
Shi Jianhua pulled his mother, Qin Qiaolian, into the house. Perhaps it was because his parents were old, but their backs looked very aged and somewhat lonely, which made Shi Wan feel very sorry for them.
"Why are you the only ones who came in? Why didn't Xiao Jing come in with you?" Mao Xiaomin asked as her son and daughter-in-law entered the room.
“He’s busy, so he won’t come over,” Shi Jianhua replied.
"Yes..." Qin Qiaolian's voice was low.
Hearing that her parents had lied to her, Shi Wan felt terrible. She sighed, wanting to tell them the truth—that she and Sikong Jingyu were actually divorced.
But she swallowed the words back down. She was afraid that if she told the truth, her parents wouldn't be able to accept it. Besides, her grandmother was old and had high blood pressure. It was her grandmother who had arranged the marriage in the first place, and now that the marriage she had arranged had ended in divorce, she didn't know how her grandmother would react.
They figured it was better to keep it a secret this time, and then talk about how their long-term separation had caused their feelings to fade, so they chose to divorce amicably.
Shi Wan called out to her parents, "Mom and Dad, don't overthink it. I really didn't lie to you. I'll call him over right now."
Upon hearing this, Shi Jianhua and Qin Chocolate turned around with delight, their faces full of anticipation. "Really? Then call him now and ask him to come over for dinner."
Shi Wan was in a dilemma. After four years of marriage, Shi Wan had no way of contacting Si Kong Jingyu.
“He doesn’t know the way, I’ll go and call him,” Shi Wan said.
"That works too." Mr. and Mrs. Shi said with smiles in their eyes.
When she returned to the guesthouse, Shi Wan found it increasingly difficult to walk. She had just said she was drawing a line in the morning, but at noon she shamelessly came to beg for help again.
It's so late, so late. What would happen if you just openly said you wanted a divorce?
What if my parents and grandparents have strong mental fortitude and won't be affected?
What if Grandma is healthy and won't have high blood pressure?
Shi Wan took a deep breath and walked straight towards Sikong Jingyu's room.
Standing in front of Sikong Jingyu's door, Shi Wan clenched her fist, but finally raised her hand and knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly, and Sikong Jingyu saw that it was late when she arrived. Her eyes were filled with barely suppressed surprise, but she remained calm. "Wanwan, what brings you here?"
"I......"
Shi Wan hesitated for a moment, then looked up to meet Sikong Jingyu's deep eyes. Mustering her courage, she said, "I'd like to ask you to have dinner with my family."
Sikong Jingyu's gaze remained fixed on Shi Wan's face, but he did not rush to speak.
Sikong Jingyu remained silent, and Shi Wan assumed he didn't want to speak. She bit her lip, feeling a surge of nervousness.
Shi Wan struggled to find the right words: "My family doesn't know we're divorced yet. My grandmother is old, and I can't bring myself to tell her directly about the divorce. Last night, Uncle Honglin called my dad to the guesthouse, and when he saw you... I'll tell them about the divorce as soon as possible so they won't bother you anymore. This time, could you please help me out?"
Shi Wan stopped, looking directly at Sikong Jingyu, waiting for his answer.
If it weren't for family reasons, Shi Wan probably wouldn't want to see him at all, and Si Kong Jingyu felt very disappointed.
His eyes darkened, and Sikong Jingyu lowered them, concealing his emotions. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "You know I won't refuse you."
"Thank you!" Shi Wan said gratefully.
When Shi Wan reached her front door again, she stopped. After hesitating for a moment, she bit her lip and spoke:
“Mr. Sikong, my family isn’t well-off. If you see anything from poor families when you go in, I hope you can be patient and not show your disdain. If they say anything that upsets you, I apologize in advance. My family are simple and honest people. It’s okay if you don’t respect me, but I hope you can show them some respect. I’m begging you.”
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