Chapter 385 Lu Yiran's Mother
It was not until she saw their figures pass through security and disappear from her sight that Mu Nanyan slowly withdrew her gaze. Her heart felt empty, but the warmth that had been filled still existed.
Mu Nanyan drove back to the hotel alone.
As we drove into that familiar street, the neon lights outside the car window were still bright and snowflakes were falling sporadically, but it seemed as if the previous romance had been lost, leaving only cold silence.
Pushing open the heavy door of the presidential suite, it was dark and silent inside.
She fumbled to turn on the light, and the bright light that poured down instantly illuminated every corner with incredible clarity, while also revealing a frightening emptiness.
The living room, which was filled with Chenchen's laughter during the day, was now so quiet that he could hear his own breathing.
The large sofa where he had insisted on watching movies with her was now empty.
There seemed to be a hint of Lu Yiran's refreshing cedar scent lingering in the air, vague and almost like an illusion.
Before Lu Yiran left, he extended her room for half a month without any explanation, and his tone was not one to be refused:
"Just live here peacefully. Everything is convenient here. Don't bother yourself by moving around."
She knew he was doing this for her own good and wanted her to live more comfortably.
But now, standing in this overly spacious and luxurious suite, every corner is engraved with the short but extremely vivid memories that just ended.
In the bathroom mirror, one could still seem to see Chenchen's eyes narrowed as he smiled while the three of them huddled together brushing their teeth; in the restaurant, the sounds of their conversations and the clatter of dishes while dining together seemed to still echo.
The sudden drop from the extreme liveliness and warmth to being alone was like an invisible hand tightly grasping her heart, causing a sour and empty feeling of loss.
It turns out that getting used to loneliness is not difficult. What is difficult is falling back into loneliness after experiencing warmth.
Mu Nanyan stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The city lights outside the window were like scattered stars, but they could not illuminate the sudden emptiness and loss in her heart.
The cold glass reflected her slightly thin figure, which was out of place in this large and quiet presidential suite.
Just when the silence was about to swallow her, a sudden and rapid cell phone ring suddenly broke the silence.
She was slightly startled, came back to her senses from her trance, walked to the coffee table and picked up her phone.
A completely unfamiliar number was flashing on the screen, and the location was shown as Washington.
With a hint of doubt, she pressed the answer button:
"Hello?"
A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone. Her voice was beautiful, but her tone was cold and crisp, with a sense of alienation from someone who had been in a superior position for a long time and an unquestionable tone:
"Is it Miss Mu Nanyan?"
"Yes. May I ask who you are?"
A subtle premonition inexplicably flashed through Mu Nanyan's heart.
"I'm Gu Rushuang."
The other party directly stated his name without any greetings, as if the name itself was enough to explain everything.
She paused, as if giving the other person time to digest the information, and then continued,
"Lu Yiran's mother."
Mu Nanyan was stunned for a moment, and the fingers holding the phone subconsciously tightened.
Gu Rushuang... Lu Yiran's mother?
She had never heard this name from Lu Yiran.
He is always very secretive about his family, especially his mother.
At this moment, this legendary figure suddenly came to her directly, which made her feel surprised and at the same time, a huge sense of uncertainty and vague uneasiness suddenly arose in her heart.
Mu Nanyan calmed her mind and tried her best to sound calm:
"Hello...Excuse me, what can I do for you?"
Gu Rushuang seemed to laugh lightly on the other end of the phone, but there was no warmth in her laughter.
"Nothing special, I just heard you're in Washington, D.C., and I happen to be there too. I think we should meet tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM at Sunnybrook Café."
Her tone was not one of negotiation at all, but rather a calm notification, with a natural arrogance and control, as if she was certain that Mu Nanyan would never and could not refuse.
Mu Nanyan's heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
She had no idea what the intentions of this "mother" who suddenly appeared were, but her intuition told her that this would not be an easy meeting.
As soon as Lu Yiran left, his mother came to the door...
She was silent for a few seconds, her fingertips feeling slightly cold, but her voice remained calm:
"Okay, Ms. Gu, I'll be there on time at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon."
"Very good, looking forward to meeting you."
Gu Rushuang seemed satisfied with her tact and ended the call neatly.
The phone was hung up and a busy tone sounded.
Mu Nanyan slowly put down her phone and looked at the bright yet cold night view outside the window again. The loss in her heart had long been replaced by a deeper and more complex uneasiness.
The coolness at my fingertips seemed to spread to my heart.
Lu Yiran's mother...why did she want to see him?
————
The next afternoon, Mu Nanyan finished work early and walked into the cafe called Sunnybrook on time.
The interior is softly lit, the air is filled with the aroma of coffee beans, guests are sitting in groups of three or four, whispers are intertwined with soft music.
She stood at the door, her eyes quickly scanning the entire room, but she couldn't immediately identify who was Gu Rushuang.
Just as she hesitated, a well-dressed and elegant woman in a booth by the window raised her hand gracefully, her voice low but penetrating:
"here."
Mu Nanyan heard the voice and looked over, only then could she see the other person's appearance clearly.
Gu Rushuang looked much younger than she had imagined. Time seemed to have been particularly kind to her, leaving only a hint of inviolable majesty in the depths of her sharp and bright eyes and between her meticulously tied hair.
She was wearing a well-tailored pearl gray suit, with a glass of pure water in front of her, and her posture was calm, as if she was the real owner of the place.
Mu Nanyan walked over steadily, sat down opposite her, and spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant manner:
"Ms. Gu."
Gu Rushuang didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point. Her eyes scanned Mu Nanyan like a precision instrument, from her simple and elegant clothes to her calm eyes.
"Miss Mu, you are a smart person, so I won't beat around the bush."
Gu Rushuang's voice was steady but cold.
"I hope you can take the initiative to leave Yiran. This is the best choice for you, him, and even for the entire Lu family."
She didn't raise her voice, but every word she spoke was as precise and cold as a needle tempered by ice:
"You and he are from completely different worlds. Your presence won't bring him any substantial benefit. Instead, it will become the sole blemish on his perfect resume, making you the talk and laughingstock of the entire circle."
"The position of the future mistress of Dingsheng Group is far beyond the reach of an ordinary designer. Your origin, your background, and even your chosen profession, all predestines you to be unable to truly integrate into his class. Ultimately, you will only become a burden on his path forward."
She stated calmly, as if delivering an unquestionable verdict, her tone full of condescending scrutiny and undisguised contempt.
However, the expected embarrassment, anger, or eagerness to defend herself did not appear on Mu Nanyan's face.
She just listened quietly, her eyes gradually becoming clearer from the initial politeness and calmness, and even tinged with a hint of faint, almost pitiful sarcasm.
"So, who do you think is worthy of him?"
Mu Nanyan's voice was steady, but with clear doubts.
"Of course, it was the person I personally chose for him to marry."
Gu Rushuang's eyes revealed full confidence.
"Whether it's family background, upbringing, or the resources and influence she can bring, she is far superior to you."
Mu Nanyan smiled softly, with undisguised contempt in her laughter.
She stared at Gu Rushuang intently and asked word by word:
"A business marriage?"
Her eyes became complicated, filled with deep doubts:
"Are you really Yiran's mother?"
The initial bit of respect that arose from the other person's identity had long since dissipated in those harsh words.
Mu Nanyan originally didn't want to come, and only agreed to meet out of respect for Lu Yiran's mother.
Perhaps more out of curiosity, she wanted to see with her own eyes what kind of mother could ignore her own son for more than 20 years.
She always believed that there was no mother who did not love her child. Just as her mother loved her deeply, she also loved Chenchen without reservation.
She once thought that Gu Rushuang might have had some unspeakable difficulties that forced her to abandon Lu Yiran and go to another country.
But at this moment, all she heard from the other party was cold calculations and utilitarian judgments. Mu Nanyan completely understood that there was no hardship, only extreme selfishness and indifference that had never considered her son's perspective.
Gu Rushuang was startled by this question, and then she looked at Mu Nanyan as if she was a fool:
"You actually question my identity? Of course I am Yiran's mother. If it weren't for him, do you think I would be willing to take the time to see you?"
Her expression was full of disgust, as if Mu Nanyan staying for one more second would be a waste of her time.
Mu Nanyan responded bluntly:
"What a coincidence! If he wasn't your son, I wouldn't be sitting here. After all, I'm pretty busy with my work."
She picked up the coffee that the waiter had just brought and took a sip slowly and calmly.
"you……!"
Gu Rushuang was choked and speechless for a moment. She never expected that Lu Yiran would fall in love with such an unruly and sharp-tongued woman.
All the compliments her son had said about her yesterday now seemed ridiculous.
"I just can't understand. As his mother, your marriage to your uncle was a business marriage, and you experienced the final outcome yourself. Now, do you want him to repeat the same mistake?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Rushuang's eyes:
"He even told you all that?"
Her expression became a little complicated, but then she returned to her previous coldness.
"In my opinion, feelings are the most unreliable and useless thing. Only interests can truly maintain the long-term stability of a relationship."
"Look, his father has so many women outside, but his wife, from the beginning to the end, legally and nominally, can only be me, Gu Rushuang."
There was even a hint of pride in her tone, as if this was the ultimate victory in the marriage.
Mu Nanyan's expression became extremely complicated when she heard this. She asked in disbelief:
"You... know everything your uncle did? Then why did you still tolerate him and let him be out there..."
"It's just the nature of men. What's so surprising?"
Gu Rushuang interrupted her, her tone as indifferent as if she was discussing the weather, as if this was a truth recognized by the world and need not be questioned.
Mu Nanyan stared at her, as if she had finally seen through something.
"You don't love him at all."
"So what?"
Gu Rushuang raised her eyebrows and reacted so quickly that she almost didn't think about it.
"Since you don't love him, why are you so obsessed with the empty title of 'Mrs. Lu'? Look, even without this title, you've already lived a wonderful and powerful life on your own."
"I don't care about being called 'Mrs. Lu' at all!"
Gu Rushuang almost blurted it out, and there was even a hint of undisguised disgust towards Lu Yan in her eyes.
"Then why did you accept this business marriage in the first place? How many women does he have outside? Does it really matter whether you are Mrs. Lu or not?"
Mu Nanyan's eyes sharpened, she leaned forward, her voice was not loud, but every word was clear,
"You said that only benefits can maintain the stability of a relationship, but has this relationship really made you feel even the slightest bit of happiness?"
Gu Rushuang was stunned.
She had never been asked such a question, nor had she ever really thought about it.
As the daughter of the Gu family, she was taught from childhood to marry for the benefit of the family, and she had long accepted her fate to marry Lu Yan.
But she didn't expect that the other party would reject her so much, so she chose to go to a foreign country, open up her own territory, and use the success of her career to fill the emotional void.
Mu Nanyan didn't give her a chance to breathe or argue, and continued, her voice filled with uncontrollable heartache and resentment:
"I don't understand the rules between your wealthy families. Perhaps business marriages are commonplace in your world. But have you ever considered Yiran's feelings for even a moment?"
"You...are not worthy of being his parents!"
Mu Nanyan's voice suddenly rose, and the suppressed anger was like a volcano that finally erupted, hot and fierce.
She could no longer remain seated and stood up abruptly, staring down at Gu Rushuang, who was still sitting upright. Every word she said was like hailstones hitting the ground:
"Yiran is a living, breathing person! He's not a commodity you can manipulate to consolidate your interests!"
"Born in a family like this, he could have had it all, but what did you give him? You, the mother, were coldly abandoned! Mr. Lu's father ignored him and indulged in extramarital affairs, even giving birth to an illegitimate child to humiliate him!"
Gu Rushuang's face finally darkened completely, as if the last bit of her disguise had been torn off.
She also stood up and confronted Mu Nanyan with a sharp and cold voice:
"What do you know?! As an outsider, what qualifications do you have to judge our family's affairs?"
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