Chapter 302: Passing peacefully, without much pain
The woman stared at her, her eyes turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Lin Yan... your name is Lin Yan, right? Child, you look so much like my sister... and your mother. So much like..."
Lin Yan stammered, but didn't know what to say.
She wanted to call out "Auntie", but the name was too unfamiliar and got stuck in her throat, so she couldn't utter it.
At this moment, Lin Yan caught a glimpse of a familiar old man walking slowly towards her.
Lin Yan subconsciously looked at him and became even more speechless.
She only remembered her last meeting with Mr. Shang, and they parted on bad terms.
He doubted her character and she thought he was stubborn.
But now, their relationship has changed and they have become relatives.
It was totally unexpected.
When Mr. Shang's eyes met Lin Yan's, he quickly looked away in shame, as if trying to calm himself down. After a long while, he raised his head again, looked at her with burning eyes, and spoke in an apologetic tone.
"Child...I'm sorry..."
Lin Yan was in a complicated mood at the moment.
It's not resentment, nor hatred, it's just strangeness.
For more than 30 years, family affection has been just a noun in her concept.
She had never felt the warmth brought by family love, and this sudden kinship seemed more like a strange relationship to her that she needed to adapt to again.
She even felt that she was a little indifferent. Looking at the tears in Shang Lao's eyes, her heart was calm.
In the end, Lin Yan just nodded to Shang Lao and politely replied with two words: "It's okay."
The simple and distant answer was like a fine needle piercing Shang Lao's heart.
The guilt on his face became even stronger. He raised the corner of his mouth and gestured to the chair next to him: "Yan Yan... sit down... sit down and let's talk slowly..."
"Yes, sit down!" Shang Jingxiang held Lin Yan's hand, her strength gentle enough to avoid breaking it: "Yan Yan, my name is Shang Jingxiang, I'm your mother's sister, and your aunt."
Her voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, and her eyes were filled with pity: "Yan Yan, from now on we are your family. If anything happens, Aunt and Grandpa are here. We won't let you suffer anymore."
Lin Yan was led by her to sit next to the dining chair. The atmosphere in the box was still dull.
Mr. Shang sat opposite, his face solemn, his hands clasped on his knees, rubbing them repeatedly, as if he was brewing something important.
After another moment of silence, Mr. Shang finally raised his head, his eyes full of regret.
"Yan Yan, Grandpa must apologize to you today... I was foolish before and believed other people's rumors. I didn't even investigate and made rash judgments about you and doubted your character..."
"Still... I'm trying to trip you up at work, cutting off your escape routes, and blocking your connections... It's my fault, I'm getting old and confused..."
"Actually, the first time I saw you, I thought your features resembled Jinglan's, but I didn't investigate further... It was my negligence, and I'm sorry..."
Lin Yan reacted calmly.
He took a sip of the warm water on the table and tried to make his words sound respectable: "It's all in the past, Mr. Shang. I don't take the past to heart, and there's no need to mention it again."
She deliberately used the name "Mr. Shang" and did not mean to hurt him.
But she really couldn't let go of all the barriers immediately and respond to this belated affection by calling him "Grandpa".
When Mr. Shang heard the unfamiliar name from her, his expression grew even darker.
Shang Jingxiang saw this and quickly stood up to smooth things over. She turned her gaze to Xing Yu with a warm smile on her face, "By the way, Yanyan, this is your husband, right? I heard from Mu Xiao that you two have been married for a long time?"
Lin Yan nodded along with her words: "Yes, we got the marriage certificate two years ago, but we haven't had the wedding yet. I'm not feeling well now, so let's wait until the baby is born."
Shang Jingxiang raised her voice in surprise: "Yan Yan, are you pregnant?"
"Um."
"That's great!" Shang Jingxiang excitedly grabbed Lin Yan's hand and looked at her belly carefully: "This is really great news!"
When Mr. Shang heard this, his eyes became more colorful.
I wanted to ask a lot of questions, but I was afraid of touching her bottom line, so I finally just whispered, "It's good to be pregnant, it's good to be pregnant... Yanyan, take good care of yourself. If you need anything, tell grandpa, and grandpa will prepare it for you."
Mu Xiao, who had been silent all this time, also spoke at this moment. Although his face was expressionless, his words showed his concern for her.
"Sis, if you need me in the future, feel free to contact me."
Lin Yan smiled and said, "Okay."
The meal ended in such a silent and subtle atmosphere.
When he was about to leave, Mr. Shang finally couldn't hold back anymore. He took a deep breath and asked Shang Jinglan with a heavy sob.
"Yan Yan...you...tell me, how did Alan die?"
Lin Yan's heart sank.
Shu Lun's face flashed through his mind, as did that airtight chamber and the strange room...
When she thought of those cruel scenes, her fingertips couldn't help but feel cold and her stomach began to churn.
She still cannot accept Jinglan's death. And if Mr. Shang, who is over 70 years old, knew that his daughter was imprisoned and tortured by Shulun and finally died in pain, how could he bear it?
Moreover, once the truth is told, many people will be implicated.
That's not necessary.
Perhaps her mother didn't want anyone to know what she had suffered.
So, she lied: "When I found my mother, she had already passed away. She died of illness. She passed away peacefully without any pain."
"After she passed away, my dad was traumatized and mentally unstable. He's been living in a nursing home ever since. He hasn't been lucid for many years..."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shang slowly lowered his head.
It was as if he was trying hard to suppress his emotions, but his shoulders began to tremble. At first it was just a slight shake, and then it became more and more violent.
In the end, this usually dignified old man, regardless of the girls present, covered his face and cried silently.
Shang Jingxiang turned her head away and wiped away her tears, then patted Lin Yan's shoulder: "Yan Yan, your mother has suffered so much in this life... From now on, you are my aunt's daughter. I will love you and take good care of you. I will never let you suffer any grievances again..."
"Thank you...Auntie."
Shang Jingxiang was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief.
After more than ten minutes, everyone's emotions gradually calmed down.
Several people stood up and prepared to leave. Two hours had passed by then.
When she walked to the lobby on the first floor, Lin Yan suddenly felt uncomfortable in her stomach and morning sickness came over her.
Her face turned pale, and she quickly said to Xing Yu, "I'm going to the bathroom."
"I'll go with you."
"No need, just stay with your aunt and the others." After saying that, she turned around and walked quickly towards the bathroom.
Seeing Lin Yan go to the bathroom, Mr. Shang walked towards Xing Yu and looked at him seriously.
"Xing Yu, you have to treat Yanyan well and not let her suffer any injustice. I heard... your father doesn't like her very much? Is that true?"
"Yes." Xing Yu deliberately said honestly, "My dad...has always looked down on Ayan, saying that her family background is not worthy of the Xing family. I have always had conflicts with him because of this, but don't worry, I stand by Ayan unconditionally and will not let her be bullied."
Old Shang's face darkened. "Xing Zhonghua doesn't like Yanyan? Send me your home address. I'll go meet him in person tomorrow and discuss with him whether Yanyan is worthy of the Xing family!"
"Okay, I'll send it to you right away."
"Send me his phone number too!"
"No problem, I'll send you both numbers."
In the bathroom on the other side, Lin Yan had just finished vomiting and was leaning on the sink to rinse her mouth. She lowered her head and took a long time to calm down before she straightened up.
But a figure suddenly appeared behind her, and she was frightened.
He took a closer look in the mirror and held her gaze for a moment.
She turned around and said, "Wenxi, why are you here?"
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