Lu Jingyan frowned. Had his father failed to win over his mother?
Shi Wan glanced at Lu Jingyan and then walked to the entrance to open the door. Before Shi Wan could react, she heard Chu Ningxuan shouting loudly.
Lu Jingyan frowned even more deeply. They had just seen off the Buddha, and now another great god had come to disturb their time together.
"Wanwan, I heard you haven't been eating or sleeping well lately, so my mom and aunt made some tonics for me to bring over."
Ignoring Lu Jingyan's dark expression, Chu Ningxuan carried a large food box to the dining table with a beaming smile.
Shi Wan looked at the large table of dishes with some difficulty, "So much food, it's too much trouble for the two aunties. My aunt has been bringing the meals over these past few days, which is actually quite good."
"Xiao Shiwan, this is just a small token of their appreciation. They originally wanted to come and see you in person, but they were afraid of disturbing your rest, so they didn't..."
Before Chu Ningxuan could finish speaking, the doorbell rang.
This time, it was Lu Jingyan who opened the door. His face, which had been dark, was slightly stern when he saw the person who came in. He nodded and stepped aside to make way.
Chu's mother and Chu Zhi went into the living room first, followed by Chu Xiao, who was carrying two large baskets of fruit.
"Xiao Shiwan! You must have been frightened the other day. You've lost weight again. Auntie specially made you some soup today. Try it and calm your nerves!" Chu Zhi lifted a bowl of soup from the table and placed it in front of Shiwan.
"Auntie... I can do it myself, thank you for your trouble." Shi Wan had met with the elders of the Chu family a few times before, and at first she was not used to this kind of warm hospitality.
However, after getting to know Chu Zhi and Madam Chu more often, he gradually became more accepting of their hospitality.
However, Shi Wan looked at Chu Xiao behind the two of them with some confusion as to why he had also come. But since all guests are guests, she didn't pay too much attention to it.
After greeting the three of them, I asked them to sit down and have a meal together.
Shi Wan gestured for Lu Jingyan to get the bowls and chopsticks, while Chu Ningyi sat down at the table without any hesitation.
Chu Xiao hadn't had a chance to see Shi Wan before. This time, he heard that his wife was going to make some tonics to send to Wanwan, so he dumped his work on Chu Ningyi a day in advance and then came over eagerly.
Looking at Shi Wan, whose features resembled his younger sister's, Chu Xiao felt a pang of panic. He couldn't accept that his lively and energetic little sister had left this world at such a young age.
How could that couple bear to leave Wanwan alone to endure so much pain? How could they bear to not contact their family for decades?
Yes, back then, my elder sister and I were only thinking about the interests of the family, forcing my younger sister to do things she didn't want to do and marry people she didn't want to marry.
They only cared about family interests and never considered their family members.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiao couldn't help but feel sad, and his overall aura became heavy.
Seeing that Chu Xiao was in a bad mood, Madam Chu hurriedly asked Chu Ningxuan to arrange the dishes.
"Hurry up... the food is getting cold, everyone eat quickly."
The atmosphere at the dining table was eerily quiet. Chu Xiao sat opposite Shi Wan and Lu Jingyan, glancing at Shi Wan from time to time as they ate.
At first, when Shi Wan saw Chu Xiao's gaze, she politely smiled back as a response. However, after only half a meal, Chu Xiao kept glancing at her so many times that even Chu Ningxuan couldn't help but react.
Just as she was about to speak after slamming down the bowl in her hand, Chu Xiao interrupted her with his mellow voice, "Miss Shi is so outstanding, your parents must have put a lot of effort into raising you. My two sons, despite their tall and strong appearance, are sometimes not presentable."
Everyone: ...
Chu Ningxuan: Here I am, here I am, it's the same old awkward chat.
Madam Chu: This old man, he can't talk about anything else, he just has to talk about these things.
Chu Zhi: Give me a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Shi Wanqing cleared her throat and replied politely, "Uncle, my parents used to work at the Royal Academy of Y Country. They were scientists themselves, so they were quite strict with me when I was a child."
"Hmm...that's true. Experts who do academic research are respected everywhere, unlike us businessmen who are covered in the smell of money."
"But I think Miss Shi is so beautiful, she must have inherited more from your mother, right?" Chu Xiao thought of how his younger sister was one of the most beautiful women in the famous families of Kyoto back then, and felt a surge of pride.
Madam Chu looked at Chu Xiao with a complicated expression, thinking to herself, "Let whoever wants this husband have him."
Shi Wan nodded gently, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Yes, my mother is very beautiful. Back then, many people thought she was a celebrity from China and didn't believe she was a researcher."
"I told you so!" Chu Xiao slammed his hand on the table in excitement.
The other five people were startled by the sudden sound before they could react.
Madam Chu, who spoke first, clutched her chest and exclaimed, "Oh dear! What are you doing, old man!"
Embarrassed, Chu Zhi rubbed her forehead, "Big brother!"
Chu Ningxuan, his face turning green with embarrassment: This old man is really... hard to judge.
Lu Jingyan calmly raised his eyebrows and looked at Shi Wan with interest.
Shi Wan squeezed Lu Jingyan's hand, trying hard not to laugh.
She glanced at Chu Ningxuan, then at Chu's father, and finally realized where he inherited his chuunibyou (delusional) personality.
...
Dinner ended in a relaxed atmosphere with Chu's father engaging in some awkward small talk.
As soon as they left, Shi Wan jogged into the kitchen to help Lu Jingyan clear the dishes, but Lu Jingyan pushed and blocked her way, so Shi Wan couldn't get a chance to help.
He slunk back to the living room, picked up his tablet, and started scrolling through it furiously. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up at the busy figure in the kitchen.
"Ayan, don't you think Ning Xuan's father looks like someone else?"
"Hmm?" Lu Jingyan paused. "Besides resembling the Chu brothers, Chu Ningxuan and Chu Ningyi, who else could they resemble?"
"That's true... but I also feel that Chu Ningyi looks very familiar."
"Is that so?" Lu Jingyan paused, his gaze turning to Shi Wan with a deep look.
"Hmm...of course, but it's just familiarity." Shi Wan casually picked up the strawberry and swiped her tablet.
After a long while, Lu Jingyan's deep voice came, "Wanwan, I'll take you somewhere in a few days."
He knew that the truth about the Chu family and Wanwan's mother would eventually come out, and he had promised Wanwan that he wouldn't hide anything from her. If this matter caused a rift between them, would he follow in Feng Yunzhou's footsteps?
Lu Jingyan felt increasingly frightened as he thought about it. Given the Chu family's actions today, Wanwan would eventually figure out the truth. Rather than letting her find out herself, it was better for her to confess on her own.
The old lady of the Chu family's greatest wish was to see Chu Yun one more time. The old lady was getting old and didn't have many years left to live, so even seeing her granddaughter one more time would fulfill her last wish.
Thinking of this, Lu Jingyan quickly went upstairs to contact Chu Ningyi. An hour had already passed when the two discussed the plan to postpone it for a few days.
When he came downstairs, he saw her sleeping on the sofa, her soft, black hair lying on her slender white neck. The warm light from the living room shone on her fair and delicate face, and he could see her chest rising and falling with her even breathing.
Lu Jingyan's eyes softened, and he gently stepped forward, wrapped the person in a blanket, and carried them upstairs.
...
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