As the car drew closer to the person and Zong Jinghao was able to recognize who it was, he roused Lin Xinyan. “Peichuan is here.”
Lin Xinyan reacted right away as she had been awake all the while. She opened her eyes and looked towards the entrance. With Shen Peichuan was a young woman carrying a backpack.
Lin Xinyan assumed that this must be Sang Yu.
Zong Jinghao pulled over quickly on the driveway. Lin Xinyan then unbuckled herself and stepped out.
Shen Peichuan approached her with Sang Yu. “Xinyan.”
Lin Xinyan smiled warmly. “When did you get back?”
Shen Peichuan replied, “We just got off the coach.”
He went on to introduce Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan to Sang Yu. “Just follow my lead.”
Sang Yu had seen Zong Jinghao before but she was meeting Lin Xinyan for the first time. She learned from Shen Peichuan that Lin Xinyan was young. Now that she had seen her in the flesh, she thought that Lin Xinyan was not only youthful but also very pretty.
“Pleased to meet you,” Sang Yu greeted.
Considering that the affair between Shen Peichuan and Song Yaxin was yet to be settled, she did not feel comfortable calling her “Xinyan”.
Lin Xinyan smiled. “It must have been a long trip. Let’s go inside the house.”
Shen Peichuan denied their weariness. “I have another matter that I may need to trouble you with on this visit.”
When Lin Xinyan heard that, she glanced at Zong Jinghao beside her before turning back to glance at Shen Peichuan. “If there’s anything you feel that we could help with, just ask away.”
She felt that it was only right to offer help, given what Shen Peichuan had done for them.
“I have to make a trip to the station and then settle some things at the Songs, so I was wondering if I could have Sang Yu stay with you for a couple of days while I sort out her schooling matters.”
Sang Yu had quit studying previously. Now that she wanted to resume her studies, there were some administrative processes with the school that needed to be attended to.
Lin Xinyan agreed right away. Shen Peichuan must have trusted them enough to keep Sang Yu with them.
Lin Xinyan could not say no to that.
“Let’s go inside first,” Lin Xinyan said with a smile.
Shen Peichuan nodded.
Zong Jinghao was silent as he gripped Lin Xinyan’s hand. He actually did not want to host visitors, let alone strangers, during this time. Still vexed about Lin Xinyan’s situation, he had hoped for some quiet time at home, but he and his wife were indebted to Shen Peichuan who had almost lost his life on his account. Furthermore, Shen Peichuan was someone who seldom asked for favors, so Zong Jinghao could not bring himself to refuse the former.
Zong Jinghao was mostly just worried about Lin Xinyan. Despite all her troubles, she still had to put on a cheery disposition to pander to others.
That did not make him feel good at all.
As the four of them pushed through the door, they were greeted by the sight of a living room filled with toys. Two children were playing, accompanied by two elders. It was a cozy scene.
“Yanxi.” Lin Xinyan called out to her daughter. Although the little girl was no longer clingy, she was not chatty like before. When Zong Yanxi looked at her mother and saw Shen Peichuan, she put down her toy wok and scooted over. The little girl then stopped close to where Shen Peichuan was.
Seeing Shen Peichuan brought back some traumatic memories, and that led Zong Yanxi to start bawling.
Her sudden outburst caught everyone off guard. Lin Xinyan went up to comfort her daughter. “There, there. Mommy’s here.”
As she rubbed her daughter’s back, Lin Xinyan’s heart tightened.
Zong Yanxi would not stop crying, no matter what anyone tried.
Lin Xinyan kept wiping at Zong Yanxi’s tears. Her eyes reddened when she saw how distressed her daughter was. The mother desperately smothered that little face with kisses in an attempt to soothe her tormented soul with her own love.
Zong Jinghao knew how Lin Xinyan must be struggling inside, so he took their daughter from her and cradled the child in his arms.
As he reached out to dry Zong Yanxi’s tears, the little girl suddenly turned to greet Shen Peichuan. “Uncle Shen.”
Having braved the same ordeal together, the sight of him triggered memories she would rather forget. Those heart-stopping scenes replayed vividly from the recesses of her mind.
Shen Peichuan approached and patted her on the head. “It’s over and we’re fine now, Yanxi. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Zong Yanxi blinked beads of tears and sniveled. “Really?”
“Really.” Shen Peichuan affirmed. “If you keep this up, you won’t look pretty anymore.”
Zong Yanxi’s shoulders were still shaking when she rubbed her eyes. She pointed to Sang Yu and asked hoarsely, “Who is this?”
Shen Peichuan looked briefly at Sang Yu before he replied, “I was about to introduce her to you. She is my girlfriend, Sang Yu.”
Zong Jinghao was a little confused. “Haven’t you introduced a girlfriend to us before? Is this a new one?”
Shen Peichuan was dumbstruck.
Sang Yu seemed embarrassed, too, as she stood beside him.
The air was still for a moment before Lin Xinyan said to her daughter, “This is the lady Uncle Shen really fancies.”
Zong Yanxi blinked as she snuggled against Zong Jinghao. “Daddy, their relationship is so confusing.”
Zong Jinghao felt relieved.
He ran his thumb across the underside of his daughter’s teary eye. Although he did not voice his concerns, he was deeply worried that the bad experience might have left a scar on Zong Yanxi’s psyche. Zong Jinghao did not expect that Shen Peichuan’s presence would expedite her recovery.
Had he known, he would have invited Shen Peichuan over much earlier.
Lin Xinyan introduced Sang Yu to Zong Qifeng and the others. “This is Shen Peichuan’s girlfriend.”
Sang Yu bowed politely. Lin Xinyan said, “Make yourself at home.”
As she pursed her lips, Sang Yu replied, “Thank you.”
“You are welcome. As Peichuan is close to us, we are very happy to have you here.”
Lin Xinyan smiled graciously.
Sang Yu looked at Lin Xinyan and thought how wonderful she looked when she smiled. She found Lin Xinyan to be very amiable without any air of arrogance. It was something she did not expect of a very wealthy person, and that left Sang Yu vastly impressed.
Sang Yu felt more at ease now. She had been worried that Lin Xinyan would be hard to get along with, or might even despise her.
She did not expect Lin Xinyan to be so congenial.
“Aunt Yu,” Lin Xinyan called out, “Please tidy up the room Qin Ya previously stayed in.”
Aunt Yu replied, “Understood.”
There was not much tidying that needed to be done as the sheets had already been changed. Only the toiletries in the bathroom needed to be replenished.
Seeing there was still some time, Shen Peichuan wanted to step out. He said to Lin Xinyan, “Xinyan, I’ll be taking my leave. Please take care of Sang Yu. I’m worried that the matter at the Song family would take a while to resolve, so it would not be a good idea for Sang Yu to be seen there. I can’t have her staying elsewhere, so…”
“I get you.”
Lin Xinyan understood that Shen Peichuan was concerned that Song Yaxin might not be amenable to parting ways with him, so it might prove quite problematic if Song Yaxin became aware of his relationship with Sang Yu.
Shen Peichuan had thought right.
If Song Yaxin saw Sang Yu being brought home by Shen Peichuan, all hell would break loose.
It was the right call by Shen Peichuan to settle Sang Yu with the Zongs.
Sang Yu nodded. “You go on ahead; do what you have to do.”
Shen Peichuan exchanged pleasantries with Zong Qifeng before he left. After Aunt Yu was done with the room, Lin Xinyan brought Sang Yu over. “You’ll be staying here. It used to be occupied by a friend of mine. Should you need anything else, feel free to let either Aunt Yu or me know. You must be tired from the long drive. Rest up for a while. We’ll let you know when dinner is served.”
Sang Yu gripped her sleeves tightly. Even though Lin Xinyan was very hospitable, she was still in an unfamiliar environment. The place was sublimely done up and the guest room itself was fitted with its own washroom. The opulence of the family made Sang Yu feel a little self-conscious and maladjusted.
“I’m so sorry to impose,” Sang Yu said. She felt bad to have a heavily pregnant Lin Xinyan on her feet tending to her.
“It’s alright. Make yourself comfortable. Peichuan will make alternate arrangements for you in time.”
Lin Xinyan trusted that Shen Peichuan had a plan, as he would not have Sang Yu brought here otherwise.
Sang Yu nodded.
After leaving Sang Yu behind, Lin Xinyan went back to the living room. Cheng Yuwen came up to her and asked quietly. “How old is this girl?”
Lin Xinyan was not sure, so she assumed that Sang Yu was a freshman.
Cheng Yuwen smiled as though she thought Sang Yu a little young.
By comparison, Zong Qifeng was not particularly curious about Sang Yu. He was just glad to see Shen Peichuan unscathed and in a stable relationship. As happy as he was for Shen Peichuan, his focus was on his own grandchildren. He took Zong Yanxi over from his son. “Come, let us continue to play house.”
Zong Yanxi sniffled and nodded, her face still wet with tears. “Okay.”
Zong Jinghao was glad there was someone to look after his daughter. He and left her to his father and helped Lin Xinyan upstairs.
He closed the door behind him before settling his wife down by the side of the bed. “We need to talk.”
“What about?” Lin Xinyan raised her head and asked.
