Chapter 31 He may not dislike it
After spending an afternoon together, Ye Mei's affection for Ruan Yao had reached its peak.
She not only comes from a respectable family and has an outstanding appearance, but what's even more remarkable is her insightful and kind nature, as well as this rare and invaluable connection.
She was practically a daughter-in-law tailor-made for the Huo family by God.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ruan Yao got up to say goodbye.
Ye Mei held her hand, her face full of reluctance.
"Yaoyao, come to my house often from now on. Treat it like your own home. Come chat with me and help me with my cooking anytime."
Upon reaching the entrance hall, Ye Mei seemed to remember something, took out a gold-embossed invitation, and stuffed it into Ruan Yao's hand.
"Oh right, I almost forgot the important thing. Auntie doesn't know how to thank you properly. After thinking about it, everything seems too tacky."
Ye Mei's tone was sincere, "There's a charity gala at the beginning of next month, which is a fairly important occasion in the Beijing circle. I think it's always good for you to make more connections since you've just started working."
This gift truly touched Ruan Yao's heart.
She didn't pretend to refuse and accepted it generously.
"Thank you, Auntie, you've thought of everything."
Seeing how readily she accepted it, Ye Mei felt even more satisfied.
After seeing Ruan Yao off, Ye Mei's smile hadn't faded when she turned around, took out her phone, and dialed Huo Yanzhi's number.
"Son, are you busy?"
Huo Yanzhi's deep voice came from the other end of the phone: "Yes, at the company."
"Oh, I just wanted to share some good news with you!" Ye Mei's tone was full of undisguised joy. "Guess who came to our house today? It was Miss Ruan, Ruan Yao, who saved me last time!"
Huo Yanzhi paused for a moment while holding the pen.
"She came to visit today, and let me tell you, that girl is absolutely wonderful! She's beautiful, has a great personality, and is incredibly well-mannered. What's most remarkable is that she also knows about incense! We chatted all afternoon and got along incredibly well!"
Huo Yanzhi listened in silence without responding.
Does Ruan Yao understand the art of incense?
How could he not know?
Ye Mei, oblivious to her son's unusual expression, excitedly continued, "The more I look at her, the more I like her. She's such a wonderful girl; I figure just giving her a small gift won't be enough to express my gratitude..."
“A thank-you gift is enough,” he interrupted. “There’s no need for her to make a special trip.”
"What?" Ye Mei's excitement was instantly extinguished. "Why? What a wonderful girl! I think she's a perfect match for you..."
“She’s not familiar with our family, so don’t bother her.” Huo Yanzhi’s voice was devoid of emotion. “She doesn’t like it, so don’t do it again.”
He clearly remembered her restraint and unease at home in her past life.
She disliked the Huo family and disliked being surrounded by the people and things around him.
Ye Mei was so angry by her son's words that she felt a lump in her throat.
"Oh, you child..." She was completely confused by her son.
dislike?
She saw that Ruan Yao was smiling sweetly and softly at her, and there was no sign of dislike at all.
He clearly likes her a lot!
She wanted to say something more.
"I still have meetings."
After Huo Yanzhi finished speaking, he hung up the phone immediately.
Ye Mei held up her phone, listening to the busy tone, and spun around twice in anger.
When Huo Wenbo came out of the study, he saw his wife looking both angry and helpless.
"What's wrong?"
"It's all because of your son!" Ye Mei threw her phone onto the sofa. "When I mentioned Miss Ruan to him, his attitude was as cold as ice. He told me not to bother her and said that she didn't like him."
"What is he thinking? I, as his mother, went to great lengths to find him such a wonderful daughter-in-law, and he just pushes her away!"
Huo Wenbo smiled and poured her a glass of water: "Our son is all grown up now and has his own ideas."
"How can I not worry?" Ye Mei's voice suddenly lowered, the anger from before dissipated, replaced by a sob.
"Wenbai, I'm scared."
“I’m afraid that Yanzhi will really live his whole life alone. He doesn’t even have anyone he can confide in. The company is so big, and there are so many things to do. When he comes home, the house is so cold and empty… The thought of him being like this when he’s old makes my heart ache like it’s being pricked by needles.”
Huo Wenbo's smile also faded.
He sat down next to his wife and gently patted her shoulder. For a moment, only the two of them breathed silently in the living room.
After a long while, he finally sighed.
"That incident had a huge impact on him."
The words "that matter" acted like a switch, instantly bringing tears to Ye Mei's eyes.
The year Huo Yanzhi turned ten was a nightmare for the couple for the rest of their lives.
The ten-year-old boy was exquisitely beautiful, intelligent, and the apple of the Huo family's eye.
A living, breathing child disappeared right at their doorstep.
They mobilized all the resources of the Huo family and searched frantically for a full six months, but there was still no news.
Ye Mei was completely devastated during that time, waking up from nightmares every night and only being able to fall asleep with the help of medication.
It wasn't until six months later, in Nancheng, a thousand miles away, that they finally found their son.
When Huo Yanzhi was found, he was thin and small, wearing ill-fitting tattered clothes, covered in injuries, and his eyes were frighteningly empty, like a soulless doll.
No one knows what he went through in that mountain village, and he refuses to say a word.
Then came several years of psychotherapy.
Huo Yanzhi finally returned to 'normal', but Ye Mei knew that her son had used a thick shell to isolate himself from the whole world.
"It's all our fault." Ye Mei's voice was choked with sobs. "We failed to protect him, which is why he suffered so much."
This guilt, like a mountain, has weighed on the couple's hearts for more than a decade.
So they treated him even better, giving him everything they could, hoping he could be happier and live like a normal person.
But the older he got, the tighter he closed his heart.
"Didn't the doctor say his illness was cured a long time ago?" Ye Mei wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But I feel that it's not cured at all. He just hid everything, hid it too well."
She turned her head and gripped her husband's hand tightly.
“But Wenbo, when I saw Ruan Yao today, I felt that she was different.”
"When she speaks, her eyes crinkle, and her smile is sweet and gentle, as if she's radiating light. Looking at her, I feel warm inside, and I feel a sense of closeness, as if we were family in a past life."
Ye Mei felt more and more regretful as she spoke.
"But Yanzhi isn't interested in her. I can't just tie the two kids together with a red thread. Oh, Miss Ruan, I really like her."
Huo Wenbo listened in silence.
He wasn't as sentimental as his wife, but he was much more observant of his son.
He suddenly spoke.
"I don't think Yanzhi necessarily dislikes it."
Ye Mei was stunned, not understanding her husband's meaning for a moment.
"What?"
Huo Wenbo looked at her, his expression becoming somewhat meaningful.
"How do you think the Ruan family managed to secure that cultural tourism project in the south of the city a while ago?"
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