"Why did you leave back then?" This question has troubled Lu Guozhong for many years.
Meng Suqin didn't know how to tell him. She had some worries that only girls could understand, as it was difficult for men to empathize with girls.
After a moment of silence, she said, "When I learned about your parents' expectations for their daughter-in-law, I was worried that they wouldn't be satisfied with someone like me. Besides, I'm the only child in the Meng family, and my parents have high hopes for me. If they knew that I, an eighteen-year-old girl, had found a divorced man who was several years older than me and had two children, they would definitely break my legs. Furthermore, your parents are so domineering, they definitely wouldn't agree to let you become a live-in son-in-law in the Meng family."
"At first, I didn't understand any of this. I just knew that I liked you. It was the first time I had ever liked someone, and I was incredibly impulsive. Later, as I gradually learned more about the situation, I realized that there was no possibility between us. And the most crucial thing is... Sun Min is determined to have you. She has already regarded me as her biggest enemy and has started to scheme against me. Her family is powerful and ruthless. My family's background was still a bit dangerous at the time. I didn't dare to gamble, afraid of implicating my parents."
Sun Min is the woman who later married Lu Guozhong. The old man of the Sun family is still alive. Although the Sun family's status is not as high as the Lu family's now, the Sun family had real power back then, much stronger than the Meng family.
Lu Guozhong tightened his grip on her, thinking about his own family situation, and realized it was indeed the case.
Meng's parents treated her very well. She was born into a very harmonious family. Neither her parents nor her grandparents ever looked down on her for being a girl. They raised her very well. This girl started working in her teens. Her elders always took her around to meet friends. He had never seen any parents raise a girl like this.
Basically, only boys receive this treatment.
Who would want to marry a girl like that and become a devoted wife and mother serving others?
“It’s my fault. I didn’t make proper arrangements. Actually… if you had married me back then, I wouldn’t have left you alone at home to face my parents. At that time, my rank was high enough to accompany a soldier.”
Meng Suqin: "The military region isn't even in Changning City!"
Lu Guozhong: "..."
Yes, he was not yet thirty years old at that time, and the apartment he was allocated was only a few dozen square meters in the family building. How could it compare to her family's large villa of several hundred square meters?
Lu Guozhong didn't want to dwell on these things anymore, and simply asked, "Did you get married so quickly later to find a father for Yanyan?"
Meng Suqin nodded, "Yes, you know my personality. I'm not one to compromise easily. After learning about your situation, I knew that with my conditions, if I wanted to marry well, no one would want to come to my door. And those who would probably not be well-off. I don't like those people. I know that I probably won't fall in love with another man in my life. I just want to have a child with you. I only want to have your child. After that, I'll go home and work honestly. I don't even want to come to your door anymore."
“Yanyan may be my only child in this life, and I can’t let her suffer any criticism. Wu Guozhu is only interested in climbing the social ladder. We each got what we wanted. We were planning to get a divorce once things stabilized, but then we found out he was a spy, which delayed things. And then there’s Sun Min. Wu Guozhu has connections with Sun Min, and she won’t let me divorce Wu Guozhu. That’s why it’s taken so long.”
As for why Meng Yunji would appear later, Lu Guozhong didn't need to ask; he had already guessed the reason.
Only then did he realize how hard the person in front of him had worked all these years. If Meng's parents had lived a few more years, perhaps her life would have been much better. But unfortunately, the two of them had been wounded on the front lines and did not live long.
Ultimately, without him, her life would have been much smoother. Even if she had married into the family, she wouldn't have been able to compete with the Meng family's power. But unfortunately, she ended up with someone under Sun Min's command.
The Sun family already held some status, but his status rose rapidly afterward. Since Sun Min was still nominally his wife, it became even more difficult for him to resist.
Unwittingly, he hurt her once again.
Lu Guozhong took a deep breath. "It's my fault. If it weren't for me, your life wouldn't be so difficult. It won't happen again. I will definitely protect you. Aqin, are you... still willing?"
Meng Suqin looked up at him. She had been kept very young by Yanyan during this time, and the years had not left many marks on her. But the person in front of her looked much more weathered, and his face was no longer young.
They have already missed half their lives.
"Can you handle the Sun family? If it weren't for Yanyan and Yunji, I would naturally be willing. I've missed half my life, and I don't want to continue to have regrets. But I have children now. I didn't take good care of our children in the first half of my life. For the past four years, Yanyan has been bullied by those people while raising Yunji alone. I arranged such good jobs for her, but they all sent her to the countryside. If I were still here, my children would not have suffered like this."
"If there's no danger now, that's great. I also want Yanyan and Yunji to have a good father. But if you can't guarantee their safety, then forget it. Just think of it as the two children's sake and let us go abroad, okay?"
Hearing her say that made Lu Guozhong feel a little sad, but also very happy.
"So if there's no danger, we can be reunited as a family, right?"
Meng Suqin looked at him for two seconds and nodded.
Lu Guozhong was finally relieved. He hugged her and promised her, "Okay, this is what you said. I will handle the Sun family's situation and won't let Yanyan and Yunji be in any danger. Don't be too afraid of them. Their identities were exposed many years ago. They're just enemy agents. In China, they're the ones we deal with. We won't tolerate their arrogance."
"Would you like to see Yun Ji?"
Meng Suqin hugged him, "I do want to, but I want to talk to you even more."
With just one sentence, she completely charmed the man, making him forget all about bringing his son to see his mother.
Meng Fuyan went for a stroll. She was very familiar with Kyoto, having lived there for a long time in her previous life. Seeing the familiar scenes from her memories, she suddenly felt like she had someone backing her up.
This feels so good!
Whether in her past life or this one, her enemies are actually the same group, but she had a hard time dealing with them in her previous life because she didn't have any real power and she also had to protect her younger brother.
But in this life, judging by how things are developing, she probably won't even need to lift a finger; it feels like she can't get involved at all.
Her parents just took care of it. Or... she could just be a good girl, play in Kyoto for a few months, and once things settle down, go abroad to study?
Meng Fuyan was planning her future in her mind. She even bought some food to take back with her and waited until it was dark before going back. When she opened the door to her room, she saw a table full of food and her parents were there.
Lu Guozhong looked at her with such kindness, "You're back! Let's eat!"
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