53 The Moon Hides the Egret
"Li Xiran, you'll always have me."
Back in Cambridgeshire, the English winter was even more intense.
Li Xiran, who has never liked driving, personally picks up and drops off Shang Xinuan from school every day, and the heavy winter clothes that the young lady bought are used to wear the back of the classroom chairs.
Every time he returned home, Li Xiran would have already turned on the heating throughout the entire apartment.
The dull and monotonous life in Britain is made quite enjoyable by young couples.
Cambridge also announced its holiday schedule ahead of Christmas.
For two whole weeks, Shang Xinuan took advantage of dinner time with Li Xiran to plan a trip to Europe.
Li Xiran was preparing hot pot broth when the young lady counted on her fingers and said to him, "Let's go to Paris first, see the Louvre, take a night cruise on the Seine, and I also want to take a picture with you of the famous City Hall kiss."
"Next, we'll go to Milan, then to Florence with Xixi, and my last stop is Rome." She spoke with great enthusiasm, the entire itinerary planned out in advance. "What do you think?"
Li Xiran smiled and nodded, "I think it's great. How long have you been planning this?"
Shang Xinuan paused for a moment, then didn't immediately admit it, "I just thought of it casually."
Li Xiran didn't expose her, but simply echoed her, "After dinner that night, I had someone book plane tickets and accommodation."
The young lady tiptoed and planted a kiss on the corner of his lips.
After arriving in England, Li Xiran was not idle; his days were almost entirely scheduled from morning till night.
He had to take her to and from school, and he needed to travel to London for business meetings. He was constantly attending international conferences and submitting reports. Occasionally, on weekends, he would also travel to nearby cities to meet with clients.
Shang Xinuan's face had become rounder, while Li Xiran's custom-made shirt from before was now much looser.
The European trip was something Shang Xinuan had planned when she first arrived in the UK, but she felt sorry for Li Xiran, so she tried her best to cooperate with his work schedule when she went out to play, squeezing out a movie or a meal in her spare time.
She knew that Li Xiran would definitely agree if she brought it up, which is why she hesitated to speak.
"I knew it, my brother dotes on me the most."
The word "brother" almost touched Li Xiran's heart. He held Shang Xi's warm waist and pinched her buttocks. "Call me 'brother' again."
The young lady wouldn't listen. Taking advantage of his inability to leave the stove, she hid in the living room and acted spoiled, saying, "I won't call you, come and get me!"
Just as Li Xiran turned off the stove and was about to teach the arrogant young girl a lesson, the cell phone on the coffee table rang.
Li Xiran walked over, and upon seeing the incoming call, he became serious.
Shang Xinuan also quieted down, hugged Li Xiran's arm, and sat down next to him.
He had no intention of hiding anything from Shang Xinuan and directly turned on speakerphone.
The hospital across the street claimed to be affiliated with the sanatorium where Chen Shaoyi was staying. Just ten minutes earlier, Chen Shaoyi suffered a sudden heart attack and died despite all efforts to save her.
"Chairman Li, will you be sending a representative, or...?"
Li Xiran seemed to be calming down before finally saying in a low, hoarse voice, "I will go there in person tomorrow."
After hanging up the phone, he rested his elbows on his knees and kept massaging his temples.
Shang Xinuan couldn't see his facial expressions, but she could sense that the calmer he appeared on the surface, the more turbulent his inner world was.
She remained silent, simply hugging Li Xiran and gently stroking his back.
After a long while, Li Xiran finally hugged her back, his voice low and sorrowful, "My last mother in name is gone too." He longed for a family so much.
Shang Xin sniffed. "Li Xiran, I'm not going on the European tour. I'll go back with you."
-
An international flight in the early morning, at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters.
The first-class cabin was dimly lit, and Shang Xinuan held Li Xiran's hand tightly amidst the turbulence.
Even though the young lady was already in a deep sleep, she still clung to him tightly.
It was as if she was telling him with a silent force that she would always stand by his side and would never let him be all alone.
When we landed, Chen Ti was already waiting outside the terminal.
After picking them up, we went straight to the hospital.
The morgue feels even colder in winter.
Li Xiran stopped in front of the door, released Shang Xinuan's hand and said, "Be good, wait for me here."
Shang Xinuan simply nodded and straightened his collar. "Okay, I'll wait for you outside so we can go home together."
Watching Li Xiran walk into the room alone, she rubbed her hands together and chose to sit on a bench in the corridor.
When Chen Ti arrived, her nose was already red from the cold.
"Miss Nuan Nuan, the car is outside, it's cold in here."
Shang Xinuan put her hands in her pockets and shook her head. "I don't want him to not see me after he comes out."
Li Xiran is gentle and polite, but he is actually aloof.
But she knew that whether he was distant or gentle, it was all a disguise to protect his delicate and abundant emotions.
When Li Xiran came out again, as expected, he was looking for Shang Xinuan first.
His face warmed up when he saw her sitting in the corridor.
Shang Xinuan immediately got up and snuggled into his arms.
Li Xiran whispered, "It's alright, sweetie, it's alright."
Upon hearing this, Shang Xinuan finally released her grip on him.
But as she walked out of the hospital, she couldn't help but want to see the emotions and expressions on his face.
Li Xiran remained indifferent, showing neither sorrow nor joy, and gently rubbed her hand in his palm to warm it.
"Nuan Nuan, I still have some things to take care of. Shall I take you to the Shang family first?" he said gently.
Shang Xinuan bit her pale lips and whispered, "I want to stay with you."
He gently patted the back of her head, his voice even more tender, "Be good, listen to me, I'll come find you as soon as I'm done."
Shang Xinuan didn't want to distract or embarrass him at this time, so she nodded and said, "Then you must come back today."
She also has a selfish side; she doesn't want to be separated from her lover for even a moment.
"Okay, I'll be back later, I'll definitely be there."
Li Xiran escorted Shang Xinuan to the Shang family's door, but left without going inside.
-
The Shang family heard early on that the eldest daughter had returned to the country, and the old man immediately postponed his group meeting and waited at home.
But a whole morning passed and still no one was seen.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the gatekeeper reported that Shang Xinuan had returned.
As soon as she stepped onto the front porch, she saw Shang Zun striding towards her, beaming with pride. "Oh my, my precious princess is back."
Perhaps it was seeing her grandfather that instantly dispelled Shang Xin's melancholy, and she ran straight into Shang Zun's arms, exclaiming, "Grandpa, I missed you so much!"
"She kept saying she missed her grandpa, but her flight landed this morning and she didn't get home until this afternoon." Shang Zun glanced behind her. "Where's that kid?"
The Li family has not yet announced the death of Chen Shaoyi.
After she explained to Shang Zun, the old man couldn't help but sigh, "In the second son of the Li family, only Xi Ran is left."
The Li family has two branches. The eldest branch almost fell out with the family years ago because of his marriage.
As a result, the second wife was unable to conceive for a long time and died young.
If it weren't for the friendships maintained among the younger generation of siblings, Li Xiran would probably be the only one left in the entire Li family.
“Grandpa, let him stay at our house tonight.” Shang Xinuan helped Shang Zun up. “He still longs for the warmth of a family.”
Shang Zun sighed, "I have no objection. You young people can decide for yourselves."
At his age, he hears news of old friends' deaths every year.
Besides sighs and lamentations, there is a great deal of helplessness regarding life and death, so the only wish is for the happiness and safety of one's children.
With Shang Xinuan returning home, the entire Shang family became very busy.
Shang Chenxi and Chu Ling were on a business trip in Suzhou, and they drove home around noon.
After Shang Dan and Qiao Xi met each other's parents, the young couple moved out and told the cleaning lady early in the morning that they were going home.
The large Chinese courtyard suddenly became noisy, just like during the Chinese New Year.
The whole family sat around in the living room, having a lively time.
Just then, the kitchen lady came over and said that the dinner was ready.
"Grandpa, you guys go first, I'll call Li Xiran." Shang Xinuan seemed a little distracted while chatting, glancing down at her phone every now and then.
Shang Zun waved his hand, "No rush, let's go to the restaurant and wait for him."
Before Shang Xinuan could even dial the number, Li Xiran pushed the door open and came in. "Sorry I'm late."
Shang Zun looked him up and down. "You look much thinner than before."
"The environment abroad might not be as good for people," Li Xiran replied jokingly, his face showing no trace of sadness.
“Xi Ran looks thinner, but our Nuan Nuan hasn’t lost any weight at all; she’s actually gotten quite rounder,” Shang Dan immediately chimed in.
The young lady glared angrily, "You too! I think Xixi is feeding you until you're as round as a ball!"
After the siblings finished bickering, Shang Xinuan went to Li Xiran's side, took his arm, and whispered with concern, "Have you taken care of everything?"
Li Xiran nodded and rubbed his chin against the top of her head. "It's all taken care of, don't worry."
During this meal, everyone intentionally avoided mentioning the Li family, trying their best to change Li Xiran's mood.
After dinner, Li Xiran was called to the study by Shang Zun to chat, while Shang Xinuan followed Aunt Hui to change the bed sheets and duvet covers in the room.
“Red is much better,” Aunt Hui muttered as she packed up the red bed sheet with dragon and phoenix embroidery that she had prepared earlier. “It looks festive, and it’s your first time bringing your son-in-law home, so it’s a good omen.”
Shang Xinuan sat on the carpet picking up the jewelry she had scattered all over the floor. "My dear Aunt Hui, if you put up a few more double happiness symbols on the window, people would think it's our wedding day."
Aunt Hui sighed, "I've watched you grow up little by little, and now you've finally brought a son-in-law home. I'm so happy for you."
She always treated Shang Xinuan with the tenderness and affection of a younger generation, feeling sorry for her because she had lost her parents at a young age. When Shang Xinuan first returned to Shanghai, she was as thin as a kitten, and every night she would curl up in a corner, trembling with fear but too afraid to say anything.
Now that she has grown up and blossomed into a beautiful young woman, she feels both gratified and happy.
Shang Xinuan's feelings for Aunt Hui were like those of family, like a mother in another sense. To allow Aunt Hui to work with the Li family with peace of mind, she even settled the whole family in Shanghai.
"Aunt Hui, just wait a little longer. I promise I'll let you put on the red sheets for me soon," Shang Xi coaxed. "Let's use the pink ones today."
"Mr. Li, you're such a big man, sleeping on pink sheets?" Aunt Hui teased with a smile.
“If he feels uncomfortable, he can sleep on the gray sheets in the guest room.” Shang Xinuan held the jewelry box and placed it on the table.
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Xiran pushed open the door and entered. "I think the pink sheets are quite nice, better than the gray sheets in the guest room."
Aunt Hui smiled, her eyes crinkling, looking every bit like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law with increasing delight.
While making the bed, she kept grumbling, "I never imagined that Chairman Li would become my son-in-law. Sometimes fate is truly wonderful."
Shang Xinuan was getting pajamas for Li Xiran when she heard this and turned around. The two smiled at each other.
"Alright, you two should get some rest." Aunt Hui smiled and closed the door for the two of them.
As soon as Aunt Hui left, Li Xiran realized that the young lady's room was a sea of pink.
Even the pajamas and underwear she gave herself were pink.
"Goodness, you don't have to be pink from head to toe." He shook the boxer shorts in his hand.
"I love pink, now go take a shower," she said coquettishly.
Li Xiran hugged her in an unusually frivolous manner, his lips close to her ear, "So eager?"
"Ouch, your breath is tickling my ears," Shang Xinuan struggled. She had noticed the obvious dark circles under Li Xiran's eyes when she handed him his clothes. He definitely hadn't slept well that night on the plane. "Go take a shower quickly, then go to sleep."
Li Xiran suddenly dropped the clothes in his hands, hugged her tightly, and didn't say a word for a long time.
Shang Xinuan stood quietly in place for a long time before finally saying, "Li Xiran, you will always have me."
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