CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 294: GIFT (1)

But every child has a certain degree of rebelliousness, especially in adolescence. The more Li Ling opposed it, the more persistent An Mingyuan became, insisting on going against her wishes. Even after the college entrance exams, An Mingyuan was determined to apply to the same school as Ruan Pianran, despite her objections, almost infuriating Li Ling to death. This caused Li Ling to despise Ruan Pianran deeply, always giving her a cold shoulder whenever they met. However, after graduation, when An Mingyuan lived in Jin City and received much care and consideration from Ruan Pianran, Li Ling’s attitude gradually changed. Now, she has completely accepted Ruan Pianran, but her son has done unspeakable things, deeply worrying her as a mother and making her somewhat ashamed in front of Ruan Pianran!

"Ruanruan, can you..." Li Ling blushed, stammering as if the words were hard to say.

Ruan Pianran knew what Li Ling wanted to say. From the beginning till now, she and An Mingyuan had shared many beautiful memories. Thinking about those moments still filled her with gratitude. But love needs to be maintained by love; gratitude alone isn’t enough. Moreover, now she harbored a grudge; thinking about catching An Mingyuan cheating on her, that nightmarish scene not only destroyed her beautiful vision of the future but also created an insurmountable rift between them!

She asked herself, can she forgive him? Can she pretend nothing happened?

But after countless silent considerations, she had an unchangeable answer deep in her heart — impossible! She couldn’t forgive someone who was unfaithful! She couldn’t accept an unfaithful person as her husband!

"Auntie, Mingyuan and I have broken up." It was a very short sentence, but Ruan Pianran had to muster a lot of strength to say it. Her chest felt heavy, and for a moment, her heart seemed to tear in pain!

"Broken... broken up?" This was the worst outcome Li Ling had ever imagined, but hearing it directly from Ruan Pianran made it hard to accept. Her pupils dilated slightly, shock evident on her face.

If this had been eight or nine years ago, she would have been overjoyed with this outcome. But things were different now. She had seen clearly what a good person Ruan Pianran was, and also realized how hard it would be to find someone who was as filial, caring to the elders, and unassuming as Ruan Pianran. So, she desperately hoped that Ruan Pianran could forgive her son.

"Ruanruan, I can understand your feelings. I’ve scolded Mingyuan harshly, and once he returns, I will certainly reprimand him severely again. But you’ve been together for so long and have gone through so much. This relationship didn’t come easily. Could you reconsider and give Mingyuan a chance to make up for his mistakes?" Li Ling pleaded urgently.

"Auntie, I’ve really thought it through. Some things, once they’ve happened, can never be erased. It’s not that I’m unwilling to forgive An Mingyuan, it’s that I can’t." Ruan Pianran said, sitting on the edge of the bed, head lowered, appearing somewhat dejected.

"But you are about to get married, and all the relatives and friends know about this." Li Ling said, holding tightly onto the water bottle, somewhat agitated.

"Auntie, marriage is between two people. I don’t want to compromise myself for the sake of others’ opinions." Ruan Pianran said firmly and calmly.

"I..." Li Ling was instantly at a loss for words, realizing her previous statement was somewhat selfish, her face turning red again!

"..." At the moment, Ruan Pianran didn’t know what to say. After all, the fault lay with An Mingyuan, and Li Ling was just a worried mother. She didn’t want to say anything more to upset her.

"Ruanruan, please reconsider, I beg you!" After a brief silence, Li Ling rose, walked over to Ruan Pianran, and bowed.

"Auntie, what are you doing?" Ruan Pianran hurriedly stood up, holding Li Ling’s frail shoulders, saying, "I’ve really thought it through and I’m not acting out of spite. Your actions will only make me uncomfortable, but my decision remains unchanged."

Upon hearing this, Li Ling’s face turned pale. She lifted her head in disappointment and asked, "Is it because of the person who just brought you back? Have you decided to be with someone else?" Li Ling knew there had always been many boys chasing after Ruan Pianran. Initially, she opposed her son being with Ruan Pianran partly because she was too pretty. In her previous views, pretty girls were unreliable, with too many choices, they wouldn’t settle down. So, when she saw Ruan Pianran getting out of a nice car, she wasn’t surprised but more worried.

"Auntie, how could you think that?" Ruan Pianran asked in surprise.

"I... I didn’t mean anything by it, just..." Li Ling stammered, worried that Ruan Pianran misunderstood her.

Seeing this, Ruan Pianran pursed her lips and asked, "Did you see me getting out of someone else’s car?"

"Yes." Li Ling replied with a cautious nod, confirming Ruan Pianran’s guess.

"It has nothing to do with anyone else. I truly can’t accept being betrayed." With these words, Ruan Pianran sighed and continued, "I saw An Mingyuan in bed with another woman with my own eyes, Auntie, can you understand how I feel?" Initially, Ruan Pianran didn’t want to say these things, but at this moment, she couldn’t help it. She had been suppressing these feelings for so long and now found a channel to express them.

"I..." Li Ling had never experienced something like this, but she could imagine. Putting herself in Ruan Pianran’s shoes, if her husband was with another woman, she would go mad. So, even if she couldn’t fully empathize, she could somewhat understand Ruan Pianran’s feelings.

Li Ling could no longer utter any comforting words; they were all stuck in her throat, turning into a helpless sigh. After a while, she left, somewhat dejected.

Meanwhile, Chu Chen had already shaken off the traffic police, nibbling on the small bread Ruan Pianran gave him, leisurely driving back to Jin City.

Ji Dongquan had been away on a business trip for three days, and in the meantime, the slap mark on Xuanxuan’s face had disappeared.

In the past two days, because the slap mark on her face hadn’t faded, Xuanxuan pretended to be sick and refused to go to kindergarten. She was worried the teachers and kids would ask questions or gossip about her, so she found every excuse. First, she claimed her stomach hurt, and half a day later, she said she had a headache and felt dizzy, nearly driving the housekeeper crazy with worry, suggesting to call the family doctor, which Xuanxuan declined. Left with no choice, the housekeeper called Mi Wan, who had been out on business, to come back.