Chapter Forty: The Second Struggle
Inside the classroom, the elderly professor with gray hair looked at Yun Yao with a kind and gentle gaze, filled with reminiscence.
As if remembering that his old friends had passed away many years ago, the old professor's eyes welled up with tears. He gently patted Yun Yao's shoulder and asked, "Your name is Yun Yao, right? That's good. You've grown up so much. You even look a bit like Yun Qingjingchen... We don't have any classes left. Would you like to accompany this old man for a walk around the campus?"
Just then, at the classroom door, the Fourth Young Master and the Third Young Miss also walked over. The Fourth Young Master's voice preceded his arrival, "Yun Yao, we've come to pick you up. You have to come with us today..."
The two walked into the classroom and saw Yun Yao talking to an old professor. They stopped and looked at Yun Yao in confusion. "Yun Yao, aren't you done yet?"
Yun Yao struggled internally, but he really didn't want to miss the opportunity to remember his grandparents. Heaven knows how long it had been since he had been able to talk to anyone about his beloved relatives. His interpersonal relationships in Nanhang had also become distant because of his move to the North and his current special status.
So Yun Yao nodded to the old professor, then turned to the Third Miss and the Fourth Young Master and said, "I'm sorry, I have some things to do today, so I'm afraid I can't go back with you. I'll have to trouble you to make the trip."
"Oh, Yun Yao, why are you being so polite with us!" the Fourth Young Master exclaimed. "My Third Sister and I have come all this way, so how about this, whatever you're going to do, we'll just follow behind."
"Who are these two...?" The old professor looked at Yun Yao and the two obviously not ordinary people, the third young lady and the fourth young master, with a puzzled expression.
Having no other choice, Yun Yao reluctantly introduced them, "Professor, these are two of my friends." He then said to the Third Miss and Fourth Young Master, "This professor is a friend of my maternal grandparents. We happened to run into each other today. I'd like to take a walk and chat with the professor on campus for a while, you two..."
"Oh, what's the big deal?" Fourth Young Master waved his hand and said straightforwardly, "Then you and the professor can go ahead and chat, and Third Sister and I will follow behind. It just so happens that Third Sister and I haven't explored this place yet, right, Third Sister?"
The third young lady looked at Yun Yao and the old professor, her eyes flickering slightly. She nodded, agreeing with the fourth young master's suggestion.
So what was originally a conversation between Yun Yao and the old professor turned into a conversation with two little tails following them.
On a quiet lakeside path on campus, the old professor told Yun Yao stories of her grandparents' youth. He reminisced about how the three of them first met, and then sighed to Yun Yao:
"Don't let your grandma's cheerful demeanor after having you fool you. She was incredibly strong-willed when she was young. She came from the poorest family in our class, but she was also the hardest working. She not only studied incredibly hard but was also very resilient in life. Back then, she worked many jobs outside of school to earn her tuition and living expenses. One winter night, we were all shivering from the cold when we went out, but we still saw your grandma wearing a thin cotton coat, selling scarves and gloves she had knitted herself on the street... We really had never seen a girl more hardworking and resilient than Yunqing."
"Back then, quite a few sons of officials were pursuing her, using money to seduce her, which shocked us all. But Yunqing rejected them all without hesitation. She was a very independent and self-respecting girl who stuck to her principles no matter how much she suffered. In the end, Yunqing accepted your grandfather Jingchen, who had been silently by her side for many years... Ah, finally, true love prevailed, and it was a beautiful story among us students at the time."
As the old professor spoke, he added with a sigh, "Fortunately, things got better later. Both of them passed the civil service exams, your maternal grandparents had your mother, and then you..."
He turned to look at Yun Yao, his eyes filled with relief, "You've grown up so well, Yun Qing and Jing Chen would be very pleased if they could see you in heaven."
Yun Yao was originally immersed in the old professor's description of his grandmother's past, his eyes filled with tears, but when he heard the old professor's words, his face stung. His heart was instantly swallowed by icy seawater. Could his grandparents really be comforted if they saw his current situation...?
"By the way, Ayao, are you already working? This training program is mostly for children of upper-class families who have already graduated or are currently employed and taking time off to study. Why are you studying here?" the old professor suddenly asked, his eyes full of concern, wondering how he could see the descendants of his old friends who should have been in Nanhang in this place.
“When your grandparents were still alive, they often corresponded with me. They were so proud of you, saying you had a talent for dance and worked hard, just like your grandparents did when they were young. And now? Are you still learning to dance? Have you joined some opera house or dance troupe?”
Yun Yao opened his mouth, but a thousand words failed him in front of the old professor. He couldn't utter a single sound; his face burned with shame, and he could only lower his head and whisper, "I... I've already graduated from the dance academy, and now..."
Yun Yao bit his lip, unsure how to continue the conversation. He had disgraced his noble grandparents. What he was doing now, and why he was here, was a secret and a shameful matter that could not be spoken of.
Just then, the old professor's phone rang. He answered it, spoke a few words to the caller, and then hung up. He said to Yun Yao, "It's really unfortunate today. Some of my former students came to visit me. Yun Yao, come to my house next time. My wife is a great cook, and we can have a good chat then."
Yun Yao nodded obediently, but secretly felt a sense of relief. He escorted the old professor to his car, and after they said their goodbyes, Yun Yao returned to the lakeside somewhat absentmindedly.
At this moment, the Third Miss and the Fourth Young Master, who had been following them at a distance, came up. They were both surprised to see Yun Yao looking so distraught. The Fourth Young Master asked bluntly, "What's wrong? What did that old professor say to you? Why do you look like you want to jump into the lake right now? Please don't do anything rash, or how will my Third Sister and I explain to Madam?"
The third young lady patted the fourth young master and said speechlessly, "Don't talk nonsense."
She glanced at Yun Yao's sorrowful expression and comforted her, "I heard that your grandparents have passed away, but they are gone, and those who are alive should cherish themselves even more."
Yun Yao took a deep breath, composed herself, and forced a smile at the two of them, saying, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things. I'm sorry to have worried you."
The third young lady, Ming Xiao, glanced at him quietly and asked softly, "I accidentally overheard your maternal grandmother's name just now. Do you have your maternal grandmother's surname?"
Yun Yao glanced at the composed Third Miss in surprise. He nodded and said with a touch of nostalgia, "I take my mother's surname, and my mother takes my maternal grandmother's surname. My maternal grandparents had a very good relationship. When my mother was born, my grandfather said that he had brothers and sisters, but my grandmother was all alone. Also, my grandmother's surname sounded very nice, so he let my mother take my grandmother's surname."
"How romantic..." The third young lady gazed at the calm lake and sighed softly, "Your grandparents must have been very loving."
“Yes,” Yun Yao said softly, “My grandparents loved each other very much and were very good to us. Whenever they were around, the atmosphere at home was relaxed and happy. They were very good people…” He recalled the wonderful time he spent growing up with his grandparents and the warm scenes of his family together. A huge sadness welled up in him. It hurts much more to have something and then lose it than to have never had it at all.
"Sigh, Yunyao, you have to look forward. Don't be so sad. Look, aren't you doing quite well now? Being able to stay by Madam's side is something many people can only dream of," the Fourth Young Master innocently advised Yunyao.
Yun Yao laughed self-deprecatingly, shook his head, and looked at the desolate sky in the distance. Remembering what the old professor had just told him about his grandmother's experiences in her youth, his eyes became vacant, and he murmured painfully, "I... I've disgraced Grandma and the others. How did I become like this? What am I doing..."
His voice was very soft, and the Fourth Young Master didn't hear it clearly, but the Third Miss's eyes flickered. She waited until Yun Yao calmed down a bit before she said softly, "Yun Yao, there's a saying: 'When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up.' You're still young, and there are many possibilities for you in the future."
Yun Yao glanced at the Third Miss quietly, nodded, and said nothing.
Today's encounter with his maternal grandparents, old friends, was like a sharp blade, slicing through Yun Yao's long-concealed facade and exposing the immense pain in his heart. He was like a fish thrown onto parched ground, struggling and thrashing about hopelessly, unwilling to give up yet powerless to escape.
At this moment, Yun Yao's heart seemed to pound again. Should he just accept his fate like this? Was he really willing to be a mistress of the powerful and wealthy, with no freedom, no future, and no chance to see the light of day? Why couldn't he try again? Maybe he could escape this cage of fate and become an upright person again, someone who wouldn't bring shame to his family.
The temptation to rebel was so great that Yun Yao almost forgot the lesson she had learned last time and couldn't wait to try it.
However, he had no clue how to implement this plan, so he could only be patient and wait for the right opportunity.
As the sun set, Yun Yao returned to Muxi Garden with the Third Miss and the Fourth Young Master. He still didn't know how to break free from this wealthy cage, but he decided to start by giving up some of the privileges his wife had given him.
After that day, he stopped going to Lanyue Hall. He also stopped using and accepting the various dance equipment and valuables that his wife had Butler Xing purchase for him. When his wife asked him about it, he simply said that he wanted to focus on other things first.
As for the training program, Yun Yao had already decided to stop attending after this semester. He wanted to gradually reject everything he didn't deserve, and even learn to slowly refuse his wife's advances until she rejected and banished him, then he would be free.
Yun Yao sincerely looked forward to it, hoping that day wouldn't be too far away.
With this plan in mind, Yun Yao felt hopeful every day. He became more at peace and cherished the remaining learning opportunities even more.
He spent more time at the training course, and at the same time, in order to avoid his wife's closeness, he began to find any excuses to stay at school, either in the study room or in the library. In order not to implicate others, he was always alone.
One day, the lady called out to Yunyao, who was about to rush to school again. Although the lady had a smile on her face, there was no smile in her eyes. She hugged Yunyao and stroked her little lover's soft waist and back. Her voice was devoid of any emotion. "Yun'er, you've been busier than me lately."
Yun Yao lowered his eyes, hardened his heart, and made up some excuses to brush it off. He even deliberately told his wife that he hoped she could give him more time to study and more personal space, and that he was no longer going to obey her in everything. Seeing his wife's surprised look, Yun Yao left resolutely. He turned back for one last look, but only saw his wife's thin and lonely figure.
Yun Yao hated his current situation, but his feelings towards the lady were complicated.
However, ever since what happened at Cuiwei Manor, he no longer harbored any illusions about unequal relationships. His wife, even without him, could have countless other devoted suitors to choose from, while he only had himself left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
