Ye Xinning had only said it casually, but the next second Chen Lin actually gave a general overview of her preferences.
Ye Xinning looked at him in surprise.
When did he find out? How was he able to say so much in one breath?
Ye Xinning stared blankly at Shen Lin, momentarily forgetting to react.
The people next to him remained silent for a long time. At the traffic light intersection, Shen Lin stopped the car and, while waiting, turned to look at Ye Xinning. "What are you thinking about?"
When did you start learning about these things?
“During the days you were away, I had Wenzhu collect the information, and I also went home to ask Aunt Xi and Mom.”
The two looked at each other, and Shen Lin was momentarily at a loss for words, especially since he spoke those words with such pride.
What should she say? Should she tell Shen Lin that she wasn't happy about him saying so much about how much he liked her? That would only make her feel like she was being unreasonable.
What should she say? Should she tell Shen Lin that when he brought her to meet his family members whom he cared about, she felt more anxiety and unease?
She couldn't figure out what he was thinking, or rather, his sudden concern only made him feel more uncomfortable in the relationship.
She couldn't tell Shen Lin these things because she knew very well that he wouldn't understand even if she did.
Ye Xinning lowered her head, a sense of powerlessness almost overwhelming her.
She didn't say a word for a long time, and it was probably her silence that made Shen Lin realize something was wrong, so when Shen Lin started the car again, he didn't say anything.
The car had been driving for a long time, and Ye Xinning was preoccupied with nothing else. Because of this, she didn't notice that the car was heading straight for the Shen family's house.
It wasn't until Shen Lin steadily parked the car in front of the Shen family's house that Ye Xinning looked up and saw the familiar scenery, only then realizing that Shen Lin had driven the car back.
"Why are you back?"
She asked Shen Lin in a low voice. Shen Lin got out of the car and opened the car door for her. Every move he made seemed so considerate. "I didn't have dinner with Dad and Aunt Xi last night. I should have come over today. Besides, Aunt Xi called this morning and asked me to bring you back for dinner."
Upon hearing Shen Lin's words, Ye Xinning nodded and walked inside with him.
Just as I reached the door, I heard Aunt Xi instructing the servants to prepare, "Wait a moment, make sure there's nothing in the living room that would upset the young mistress, and no one is allowed to mention Jiang An. Tell the kitchen staff to make plenty of the young mistress's favorite dishes. I don't know how much weight she's lost while following Shen Lin around."
Ye Xinning's feelings became very complicated as she listened to the sounds coming from inside.
Aunt Xi treated her very well, and she had always known that.
Shen Lin led her inside, "Dad, Aunt Xi."
Shen Yu sat on the sofa watching Xi Yuan busy herself. When she saw them return, she sighed, "If you didn't know better, you would have thought you hadn't been back for years. Look how busy your Aunt Xi is."
Xi Yuan walked over and rolled her eyes at Shen Yu, "You always talk about me. I don't know who it was that kept talking about their two sons and daughters-in-law not coming back during dinner last night."
After Xi Yuan finished speaking, she walked over and took Ye Xinning's hand. "Ningning, how was the New Year's Eve dinner last night? Did you have a good time?"
Ye Xinning thought about last night. Shen Nanxing, Shen Ting, Chi Zhao, and Shen Lin—to some extent, the Spring Festival atmosphere last night was something she had never experienced before, but overall it was still very happy.
Of course, that's assuming that Shen Lin didn't go to the hospital to find Jiang An later.
"I'm quite happy, but it's still unnecessary. This kind of holiday should be spent with you and Dad."
“You juniors have your own way of living. How can we be a burden to you? It’s already very kind of you and Shen Lin to come and visit us every now and then.”
Xi Yuan continued talking to herself, assuming that Ye Xinning's mention of returning to the Shen family referred to her and Shen Lin, but she failed to notice that Ye Xinning did not mention herself at all when she made these remarks.
Just because Xi Yuan didn't notice this doesn't mean Shen Yu didn't.
He looked at Shen Lin standing to one side, "Shen Lin."
"Um."
Shen Yu stood up from his seat. "Come to the study with me. I have something to tell you."
Shen Lin hummed in agreement, and the father and son headed upstairs. Xi Yuan was worried that they were talking for too long and would forget the time to eat, so she reminded them, "Stop talking for a while and come down to eat quickly."
"Understood," Shen Yu replied.
Upstairs in the study, Shen Lin and Shen Yu stood facing each other. Shen Lin had one hand in his pocket and asked casually, "What's up, Dad?"
"Did you go to the hospital last night?"
"My grandmother made such a fuss that I had no choice but to go."
"You know very well why she's making a fuss. Even if you don't go, it won't make a difference."
It has to be said that Shen Yu understands the old lady. Back then, when he wanted to marry Xi Yuan, the old lady used the same trick.
“Dad is so rational. No matter what, it seems like you can’t take feelings into consideration when it comes to Dad.”
When Shen Lin spoke, his tone remained low, but a distinct sarcasm could be heard in his voice.
Shen Yu was angry and shouted, "Shen Lin, I'm talking to you nicely."
Didn't I talk to Dad properly?
"You're not speaking politely, you're being sarcastic."
"Did I say something wrong? When my mother was sick, my father was still busy with his business, ignoring her suffering in the hospital. Wasn't that rational?"
"Shut up."
Shen Yu was furious, much more so than usual.
Shen Lin pursed his thin lips tightly. Although he didn't speak, the grudge he had formed was not so easy to dispel.
Shen Yu gradually calmed down and realized that her tone had been a bit too harsh.
“I’ve explained to you many times that I wasn’t focused on work at the time. I wanted to put my work aside and be with your mother, but she wouldn’t let me go to the hospital. She even lied to me, saying she was fine and that I should go back to work. If I had known how serious her illness was, I wouldn’t have left her alone in the hospital.”
Shen Lin had heard Shen Yu say the same thing many times, but there was never a time when Shen Lin believed it.
"Now that the matter is over, whatever excuse you make is fine."
Shen Lin could not remain calm whenever he thought about his mother's illness and death. Deep down, he harbored resentment towards Shen Yu.
"Okay, I won't talk to you about your mother. Let's talk about you and Ningning. How did you manage to stay away from home for so long? She's still angry. Did you do something to upset her again?"
"What can I do?" Shen Lin replied, his tone unusually indifferent.
"If my prediction is correct, she is now distancing herself from you."
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