Chapter 293 You and Mu Nanyan should remarry
All of Gu Rushuang's attention was now focused on the grandson named "Chenchen" who suddenly appeared.
The frost and pickyness on her face completely melted away, replaced by a mixture of eagerness, inquiry, and even a hint of imperceptible uneasiness.
She could no longer maintain that condescending attitude, and her body unconsciously leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Lu Yiran:
"That child...Chenchen...where is he now? I...I want to see him."
She paused, perhaps feeling that her change of heart was too abrupt, and tried to find a more reasonable excuse. She slowed her voice down, trying to sound more like a grandmother who cared about her grandson.
"After all... he is our Lu family's child, I should at least... meet him."
At this moment, all the prejudices about family background, business marriage, and Mu Nanyan's unsuitability seemed to be thrown out of the window.
There is nothing more important than seeing your grandchildren.
There was a light in her eyes that Lu Yiran had never seen before - it was a pure urgency that came from blood ties, and even a bit of cautious expectation, fearing that she would be rejected.
Lu Yiran calmly watched the obvious change on Gu Rushuang's face, with a hint of ridicule and surprise passing through his heart.
How could a person who could abandon even his own son show such eager concern for a grandson he had never met?
He couldn't see through Gu Rushuang's true thoughts at the moment, nor could he be sure how sincere she was behind her sudden interest in Chenchen.
But he could clearly catch a hint of unmistakable urgency in her eyes, which were always calculating.
"You want to see Chenchen?"
He spoke, his voice steady, yet with a hint of cautious distance.
"for what?"
Gu Rushuang was startled by his blunt questioning, and then, as if someone had stepped on her tail, her tone subconsciously took on a hint of offense:
"What else could it be? He's my grandson! Would I harm him?"
"Yeah?"
Lu Yiran raised a cold arc at the corner of his lips, staring at her with a sharp gaze.
"Didn't you always say you were doing this for my own good, but you actually did things that almost hurt me?"
These words were like a silent slap in Gu Rushuang's face.
She was speechless for a moment, her cheeks flushed slightly.
In her inherent cognition, all the decisions she made were for the long-term interests of her family and son, and she never thought she was wrong.
But faced with her son's cold and clear accusation, she could not find any strong words to refute it - in the face of the "harm" he believed, all the "for your own good" seemed pale and powerless.
Just as her thoughts were in disarray and she was trying to organize her words, Lu Yiran didn't give her a chance to breathe. He continued to throw out a fact that shocked her even more, and his tone left no room for doubt:
"Even if you want to see him, you must first get Nan Yan's consent. Chenchen's custody is in her hands."
"What?!"
Gu Rushuang screamed in shock, her face full of disbelief, as if she had heard something out of the blue.
The bloodline of their Lu family, her grandson, Gu Rushuang's biological grandson, the legal custody rights were actually in the hands of a woman she looked down upon? This completely overturned her understanding!
When Gu Rushuang heard that the custody was in Mu Nanyan's hands, her first reaction was disbelief, followed by an almost instinctive desire for family possessiveness.
Her tone was sharp, with unquestionable strength:
"You clearly know that he is the blood of our Lu family, how could you let him wander around and be raised by that woman?"
Her tone was full of distrust in Mu Nanyan's ability and disapproval of the matter itself.
Instead of making her reflect, these words made her more determined in her thoughts.
She straightened her back, her eyes becoming resolute, as if announcing a major decision:
"No! I must take back the custody of my grandson! He should return to the Lu family and receive the education and status he deserves!"
Lu Yiran looked at her, taking it for granted, wanting only to take without caring about anything else. A very sarcastic sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. His tone was calm, but every word was heartbreaking:
"You want to come back? What do you want?"
He took a step forward, his eyes sharp as a torch, and asked mercilessly:
"Has Chenchen ever eaten a grain of rice from the Lu family? Has he ever spent a penny from the Lu family? Have you ever changed his diaper or accompanied him through an illness?"
He didn't even give Gu Rushuang a chance to refute, and continued to state the cold facts, each word like a heavy hammer:
"Of course you find it incredible. Because you've never raised a child yourself, you naturally don't know the hardships involved. You certainly don't understand how much effort and pressure it takes to raise a crying baby into the smart and healthy child he is today!"
His voice was not loud, but it carried great power, stating the facts without a doubt:
"Nan Yan is alone and has no relatives in a foreign country. She has to complete her studies, work hard to make a living, and take care of Chenchen every step of the way."
"Can you imagine how much hardship and fatigue she's endured? She once fainted from exhaustion from working several jobs simultaneously. She also cried helplessly outside the emergency room while holding her child in her arms because Chenchen had a high fever late at night..."
Lu Yiran's eyes were fixed on Gu Rushuang, whose expression was gradually changing. The sarcasm in his tone became stronger and stronger:
"Of course you don't know this. Raising a child yourself is not part of your life vocabulary. You just need to talk or sign a check, and you think you have fulfilled all your responsibilities, right?"
This series of clear and cruel facts, mixed with merciless irony, was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing all the excitement and momentum that Gu Rushuang had just felt upon learning of her grandson's existence.
She opened her mouth and tried to retort, but found that her throat seemed to be blocked by something and she couldn't utter a word.
Because she really... couldn't refute it.
Every word Lu Yiran said accurately pointed out her dereliction of duty and lack of fulfillment as a mother.
She had never changed a diaper, never fed a meal, never worried about a sick child late at night... She really had no right to question a mother who raised her child with her own hands.
An unprecedented embarrassment and confusion swept over her, making her feel ashamed in front of Lu Yiran for the first time.
Yes... She hasn't even seen the child yet.
That child named Chenchen, from birth till now, all his memories, all his dependence and love are closely connected with Mu Nanyan alone.
To him, the Lu family was probably no different from strangers.
Even if she managed to regain legal custody, how could she win back her child's heart? How could a child possibly be willing to leave the mother who loved him so dearly?
But...if not, how could she see her grandson? Did she really have to ask Mu Nanyan for permission as Yiran said?
This thought made Gu Rushuang feel extremely embarrassed and resistant.
Lu Yiran might not yet know about the extremely unpleasant confrontation she had with Mu Nanyan in Washington, but she knew it clearly in her heart.
With Mu Nanyan's seemingly gentle but actually strong personality, she dared to confront her bluntly last time. There was such a deep grudge between the two of them, how could she easily let herself get close to Chenchen?
Moreover, for her, Gu Rushuang, to lose face and beg a woman she once looked down upon? This was harder than climbing to heaven.
For a moment, this business woman who has always been able to plan and strategize was actually caught in a real dilemma for the first time over the issue of a child.
Lu Yiran calmly observed the ever-changing expressions on Gu Rushuang's face, from her initial dominance, to her embarrassment after being exposed, to the clear struggle and hesitation at this moment.
He knew his words had worked.
He successfully used the most realistic questions to temporarily suppress her desperate desire for plunder.
"There is no room for negotiation on this matter."
Lu Yiran's voice broke the silence, his tone still cold, but with the meaning of final judgment,
"Chenchen grew up in a very good environment. Nan Yan educated him very well. I will not allow anyone to destroy this peace, including you."
He paused, looked at her deeply, and offered a choice that seemed to be a concession but actually put her in a more awkward position:
"If you really want to see Chenchen, the only way is to get Nanyan's approval and consent."
"As for how to obtain it... that's something you need to consider yourself."
He raised his eyebrows slightly, and there was no emotion in his tone.
After saying that, he stopped looking at her, sat back in his large office chair, and picked up a document, as if the fierce confrontation just now had ended, and he had lightly thrown the right of choice back to her.
Gu Rushuang stood there, weighing the options rapidly in her mind.
Tough measures obviously don't work and will only push the son and grandson further away.
Since she couldn't take him back by force, she had to change her strategy and think of other ways. No matter what, she couldn't accept her grandson being stranded outside.
In just a few seconds, a plan that she considered "perfect" had taken shape.
She took a deep breath, and all the struggle and embarrassment on her face disappeared instantly, replaced by a deliberately created, slightly stiff posture of compromise.
She looked at Lu Yiran, who was buried in the documents again, and said in a tone that seemed to have been carefully considered and finally had to give in:
"Okay, since you insist so much..."
She paused, as if making an extremely difficult decision, and looked directly at her son:
"You and Mu Nanyan should remarry. I...will not interfere in your affairs anymore."
Lu Yiran's hand holding the pen suddenly paused, and he raised his head abruptly, his eyes filled with undisguised shock and disbelief.
She... agrees now?
No more opposition? No more prejudice against family background? No more insistence on business marriage?
This sudden 180-degree turn in attitude surprised him more than any huge order he had signed.
He studied his mother with sharp eyes, trying to find any trace of disguise on her face, which had regained its composure and even had a hint of understanding.
When did she become so easy to talk to? This was totally inconsistent with Gu Rushuang's usual style.
At this moment, Gu Rushuang was secretly proud of her "cleverness" and "concession".
In her opinion, this is a brilliant move:
As long as Lu Yiran and Mu Nanyan remarry, she, as Lu Yiran's mother, will naturally become Mu Nanyan's mother-in-law!
By then, let's see if that girl dares to speak rudely and disrespect her like she did in Washington?
She has plenty of status and rules to teach her how to be a qualified daughter-in-law of the Lu family.
More importantly, once they became a legal couple, the question of Chenchen's custody would naturally become unclear. He would be the legitimate grandson of the Lu family! As a grandmother, wouldn't it be natural for her to visit her grandson?
Why should I look at Mu Nanyan's expression and get her consent?
Not only can he satisfy his son's wishes and appease him, but he can also easily achieve all his goals and put that annoying woman in the position of a daughter-in-law whom he can control. He can kill three birds with one stone. Why not do it?
Looking at the undisguised astonishment on her son's face, she became even more certain that her move of retreating to advance was an extremely wise one.
The shock in Lu Yiran's eyes slowly faded away, replaced by a deep scrutiny.
He was silent for a moment, then confirmed again with a sharp gaze:
"Are you serious? You're no longer against Nan Yan and I being together? And you're no longer interfering with any of our decisions?"
Gu Rushuang met his gaze, trying to make her expression look sincere and resolute. She even twitched the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a smile that could be described as "kind":
"Of course it's true. You are my son, and my ultimate hope is that you can be happy."
She pronounced the word "happiness" very clearly, as if that was all she wanted.
Lu Yiran observed her carefully and indeed did not find any trace of reluctance or hypocrisy on her face.
Although there was still a trace of doubt in his heart, this was indeed the first time in many years that he had received a clear promise from his mother to stop obstructing him.
His tense heartstrings relaxed slightly, and the cold and hard aura around him also eased a little.
He was silent for a moment, as if he was choosing his words. Finally, a low but clear thank you came out of his lips:
"……thank you."
Gu Rushuang was slightly stunned.
She didn't expect that the first soft words her son said to her were about that woman.
A trace of extremely complex bitterness passed through my heart, but it was quickly covered by the anticipation brought by the bigger plan.
She maintained a smile on her face and suggested the next step, her tone as natural as a mother who cares about her son's love life:
"Since she's the one you've chosen, then as her mother, it's only natural for me to meet her. How about you bring her and Chenchen over for a quick dinner tonight? That would be... a formal introduction."
Lu Yiran's heart moved when he heard this.
He had indeed always hoped that Mu Nanyan could get the approval of her family. Their previous hasty marriage lacked too many normal steps, including meeting each set of parents.
Now that Gu Rushuang has taken the initiative to propose a meeting and has softened her attitude, this is undoubtedly an unexpected turn of events.
Although he felt that this change was a bit sudden, he preferred to believe that this was the beginning of his mother's attempt to accept him.
He didn't want to miss this opportunity to ease relations.
He nodded, his tone becoming more affirmative:
"Okay, I'll bring Nanyan and Chenchen to see you tonight."
Gu Rushuang was very satisfied with this answer, and the smile on her face became more genuine:
"Okay, I'll send you the restaurant address later, just come on time."
As she spoke, she gracefully picked up her handbag, turned around calmly and left the office.
The door closed gently and silence returned to the office.
Lu Yiran stood there alone, looking at the direction where his mother disappeared, with that lingering subtle feeling still lingering in his heart, but more of it was a slight anticipation of meeting her in the evening.
Perhaps, this will really be a new beginning.
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