Chapter 43 Chapter 43 My love will always be loyal to you. ...
The meeting with elders that was postponed last weekend was arranged for this weekend.
Shao Chengzhang and Shen Zhuo drove to pick up Ms. Chi first.
Ms. Chi attached great importance to this meeting. She went to the mall to buy a silk three-quarter sleeve dress. Before leaving, she went to the hair salon to do her hair and put on light makeup.
"Mom, are you going to dinner or a blind date?" Shen Zhuo was very surprised to see Ms. Chi dressed so formally.
Ms. Chi looked left and right in the mirror and said, "Looking at Xiao Shao, I know his family must be poor. I can't just dress casually and embarrass you." She paused and asked, "Hey, what does Xiao Shao's family do?"
Chen Zhuo shook his head: "I don't know..."
Ms. Chi was speechless: "You've already married her and you still don't know her background!"
Shen Zhuo was speechless: "I am marrying Shao Chengzhang, not his family. What his family does has nothing to do with me."
If Shao Chengzhang takes the initiative to speak, she will listen, if not, she will not take the initiative to ask.
"Besides, could you please stop using the term 'marry' all the time? It's like I'm selling myself out." Chen Zhuo frowned.
Ms. Chi snorted, "You might not even know if you're actually being sold one day."
"If you put it that way, I'm lucky and have a good life. I haven't been sold yet."
Ms. Chi sighed and was too lazy to talk about her daughter anymore. She just wanted to focus on her daughter herself.
"Can you help me see if the color of this lipstick is dark? Alas... I'm old, and my skin is wrinkled, so how can I put on makeup like that?" Ms. Chi muttered.
Chen Zhuo leaned in, her face pressed against hers. The mother and daughter's eyes and face shape were very similar. She looked at Ms. Chi in the mirror and retorted, "How old is she? Not at all. She's good-looking. If she goes out like this, she'll charm a bunch of old men."
Ms. Chi laughed out loud, "That's just nonsense."
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The restaurant we booked was located in a hutong in the city center. The entrance to the hutong was a parking lot. After getting out of the car, there was still a short walk. Just as Chen Zhuo helped Ms. Chi out of the car, a majestic Hongqi HQ9 slowly drove up, its electric doors opened, and two people got out from the left and right.
The man was wearing a modern Chinese suit, the woman a shantung silk suit. Shao Chengzhang stepped forward and called out, "Mom and Dad." Ms. Chi quickly examined him and silently revealed the jade bracelet worth tens of thousands of yuan from her sleeve.
Chen Zhuo also stepped forward to greet Shao Song and Lan Fuyu.
When Shao Song saw Chen Zhuo and the middle-aged woman next to him, he understood and took the initiative to step forward to greet them: "This must be your mother-in-law, right? I am Cheng Zhang's father, Shao Song, and this is my wife. It's all my fault for not being able to discipline him. Cheng Zhang is such a grown-up, but he has no manners at all. We should have met long ago."
Ms. Chi straightened her back and smiled dignifiedly: "Hello, in-laws, I am Chi Yuhua, Chen Zhuo's mother." She looked at Shao Chengzhang with a smile and said, "Chengzhang is very good, I like him very much."
The sun was shining brightly at noon. Lan Fuyu glanced at him calmly and said, "Why don't we go in first?"
Ms. Chi nodded and agreed: "Okay."
The group walked into the alley.
Not far away, he saw a small wooden door. Looking up, he saw a low-key gilded wooden plaque hanging at the door, inscribed with "Yizhaoxuan". Shao Chengzhang pushed the door open and entered. Inside was a quadrangle courtyard with vermilion pillars and carved beams, revealing the exquisiteness of every detail. The waiters, all wearing cheongsams and with their hair tied up, came to greet him.
After entering the private room, Shao Song insisted that Ms. Chi sit in the main seat, but Ms. Chi repeatedly refused.
Shao Song said, "We are all family, there is no need to distinguish between the main and the subordinate. Mother-in-law, please take a seat."
Shao Chengzhang said: "Mom, please sit down."
Unable to refuse, Ms. Chi sat down. Shao Song sat on her right, and next to him was Lan Fuyu. Chen Zhuo naturally sat next to his mother, and Shao Chengzhang sat with his wife, which was also the position where the dishes were served.
The waiter handed over a hot towel. While wiping her hands, Ms. Chi quietly told Shen Zhuo that he must let her pay the bill.
Shen Zhuo smiled: "Mom, just don't worry about it."
She and Shao Chengzhang had ordered the menu in advance. The cold dishes were served quickly. Shao Song asked Ms. Chi to start eating quickly while chatting with her about family matters.
When talking about the two children, Ms. Chi first expressed her satisfaction with Shao Chengzhang, and even talked about the situation when she first met Shao Chengzhang, praising him highly.
Shao Song found it hard to believe, but no one doesn't like to hear praise for a child. He laughed and confirmed it, saying "Really?" over and over again.
"Yes, yes! The article is very good." Ms. Chi smiled.
"Humph, he makes all the decisions on his own and doesn't take me, his father, seriously at all. I asked him to go back to the company and work, but he refused. Chen Zhuo, he listens to you. You should persuade him more. It would be better for him to come back and help the family."
Shen Zhuo was suddenly called and responded blankly.
"I wonder what my in-laws do?" Ms. Chi asked.
Shao Song waved his hand, "Nothing, just doing some business. The family's business covers a wide range, and he is worried that his eldest brother will be too busy to handle it."
Lan Fuyu had been indifferent the whole time, but when she heard Shao Song say that, she showed a little expression. She frowned and quickly looked indifferent.
Is Shao Chengzhang okay? How good can a mistress's child be? Shao Song actually wants him to come back...
Lan Fuyu sneered and suddenly said, "Chengzhang has been a worry-free child since he was young. I haven't worried about him at all since I brought him home."
In an instant, the entire private room fell silent.
Shao Chengzhang subconsciously looked at Chen Zhuo, and for a moment, she was afraid that she would ask further.
Shao Song frowned slightly, "Fuyu, why are you talking about this!"
Ms. Chi didn't think much of it, assuming that Shao Chengzhang had lived with his grandparents as a child. She laughed and said, "Although Chen Zhuo lived with us when she was little, her father and I were too busy with work, so she was often home alone, almost like a left-behind child."
"By the way," Lan Fuyu asked with a smile, "Does Chen Zhuo's father work in another place? What kind of job does he do? I've never heard Chen Zhuo mention it." Her tone sounded light, but her words were actually very serious.
Lan Fuyu was smiling, but her eyes were not amused at all. She had known about Shen Furong for a long time. He had left them more than ten years ago, leaving mother and daughter to depend on each other.
Ms. Chi smiled awkwardly, "My husband, it's not convenient for him to come."
Shen Zhuo frowned, reached out and pressed the rotating turntable, and poured a bowl of fish soup for Ms. Chi. She said expressionlessly: "He has nothing to say."
The private room fell silent again.
At this time, the waiter brought the last dish, which was also the staple food, sea urchin and shrimp dumplings.
Ms. Chi smiled apologetically and told everyone to eat while it was hot. She looked for a topic to talk about, and casually asked, "By the way, where did Cheng Zhang live as a child?"
"Mom!" Shen Zhuo called out to her subconsciously. Ms. Chi was startled by her. Shen Zhuo changed the subject and reminded her, "I have an appointment for a checkup this afternoon. Don't forget."
Ms. Chi was stunned. She had a checkup, but not today...
Shao Chengzhang sensed it keenly. He pursed his lips and looked at Chen Zhuo with a pair of deep eyes.
Shao Song also followed up on Shen Zhuo's topic and asked, "Is your mother-in-law feeling unwell? What's wrong with her? I know a dean who can check her out."
Ms. Chi waved her hand and casually mentioned a minor problem: "It's not a big problem, it's just that I'm getting older and my eyesight is getting blurry. I'm going to get a new pair of glasses this afternoon."
Chen Zhuo picked two dumplings for Ms. Chi and frowned at her, his meaning was very clear, telling her to eat quickly and leave after finishing.
The meal was almost over, and Chen Zhuo ended the meeting on the pretext that Ms. Chi still needed to see his eyes.
After both parties said goodbye, Shao Chengzhang sent Ms. Chi to the hospital for a check-up first. He asked Shen Zhuo for his address, and Shen Zhuo said that she could just go home directly.
Shao Chengzhang didn't say anything, he just started the car and sent Ms. Chi back. The two of them were silent on the way back.
After returning home, Shao Chengzhang released Ares. He sat on the single sofa, bent over, stretched out his finger and tapped its head to play with it.
"Shao Chengzhang..." Shen Zhuo poured a glass of water and walked to the living room to hand it to him. She thought Shao Chengzhang had probably guessed it.
Shao Chengzhang smiled at her, took the water, and asked calmly, "When did you know?"
"Just... the last time I went home with you." Shen Zhuo replied.
Shao Chengzhang suddenly thought of the last time they went home together. After Shen Zhuo and Nora came down from upstairs, the way they looked at him seemed different. She also played the role of a considerate and gentle good wife in front of the Shao family, and how they loved each other.
Shao Chengzhang lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on Ares, but he looked somewhat dull. After a moment, he said, "Chen Zhuo, you don't need to pity me."
"No pity!" Chen Zhuo explained, "Why would you think that?"
Shao Chengzhang raised his head and looked at her blankly. His eyes fell on hers, wanting a real and correct answer.
Shen Zhuo took a step forward and hugged him.
"I'm not treating you well because I feel sorry for you," she said softly, "I'm treating you well because I like you."
Shao Chengzhang was stunned for a moment. He slowly raised his hands, put them around her waist, and hugged her tightly as if he was using all his strength.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a low, muffled voice.
"Do you know how my mother died?"
Before Shen Zhuo could speak, he had already said it himself.
"It was suicide."
Those three short words were like a heavy stone dug out from deep within his chest. His voice trembled, as if even the air had frozen in that moment.
That was the memory he least wanted to touch.
He lowered his head, his Adam's apple rolling up and down a few times before continuing, "It was a very ordinary day. She didn't wake up when it was time for me to go to school. I knocked on the door but she didn't answer. I opened the door and found her lying on the bed. There was an empty bottle of sleeping pills on the bedside table."
He took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red, as if he had returned to that silent morning. "I don't know when she ate it, and I don't know if she thought of me before she left."
Chen Zhuo's heart suddenly felt like it was gripped by something, and she felt the pain along with him.
"Afterwards, I was sent back to the Shao family, and no one said anything about her. It was as if she had disappeared from the world overnight."
"But I know they don't welcome me either. They say I have a weird temper and am difficult to get along with. They say I'm like my mother and have some problems."
"No one will like me, Chen Zhuo." He finally raised his head, but there was a long storm hidden in his eyes. He even smiled, "I don't know why you like me."
Chen Zhuo looked at him, and for a moment, a suffocating feeling welled up in her. She raised her hand to trace his eyebrows, eyes, and nose, and placed a very light kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"Shao Chengzhang," she called him softly, her voice filled with unquestionable firmness, "I love you." She looked at him with warm and moving eyes.
These three words were like a glimmer of light that pierced through the night, illuminating his dark heart.
"Because I found that you never gave up on yourself."
Even though he experienced a heavy burden in his childhood that he shouldn't have to bear, he still has respect for people, is serious about relationships, and persists in life. There are so many reasons that could make him become cold, selfish, and bad, but he didn't.
Even when not loved, she still chooses to live well. This is so rare.
She paused, tears welling up in her eyes, but she tried hard to hold them back.
"You asked me why I like you... I can't really say when it started. But I know I want to be with you forever. You deserve to be loved, and you deserve someone who won't leave you. I don't feel pity for you, I feel distressed for you, and I love you very clearly, very clearly, very clearly."
As she finished speaking, Shao Chengzhang stared at her blankly, his eyes gradually becoming misty.
At that moment, all his disguises and calm shell were pried open and broken by her voice, and finally collapsed like a flood.
His throat tightened and his voice was hoarse. "If one day you discovered that I wasn't as good and strong as I seemed, that I might be fragile and timid, selfish and sensitive, or even worse than that, would you still love me?"
Chen Zhuo patted his back gently, as if comforting a child. "No one is perfect, including me. I don't need you to be perfect. In fact, I'm not a very strong person, but isn't it the case that two people who are together should tolerate each other?"
"So you ask me if I will still love you?"
She whispered seriously, "Of course I will. I will love you, all the good and bad parts of you."
Shao Chengzhang hugged her tightly, murmuring her name.
"My love will always be loyal to you throughout my life."
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