After closing the car door and buckling his seatbelt, Lu Jingming drove out of the parking lot, heading toward their small two-bedroom apartment in Heyue Garden.
Approaching ten o'clock at night, the streets of Rong City were no longer congested.
The bustling night view receded outside the car windows. Their two residences were quite close to each other anyway, so they arrived at their destination before even three nice songs had finished playing.
After parking the car downstairs, the two held hands and took the elevator, quickly reaching their cozy little home on the 22nd floor.
When they left this morning, Xu Yanxia hadn't expected they would return tonight, so she had conveniently closed the doors and windows.
Now, Lu Jingming routinely helped her open the windows for ventilation, while she went back to the room to grab her pajamas and head into the bathroom.
She heard him call out to her, "Baby, wait for me, let's go together."
Xu Yanxia thought she had misheard. Her eyes widened as she said, "I'm going to take a shower."
Who knew he would follow her and whisper, "I know, I just want to do it together."
He coughed slightly as he spoke, "We're already husband and wife anyway, and last night..."
Before he could finish, Xu Yanxia suddenly covered his mouth.
Blushing, she said, "The bathroom is too small. You can go later."
With that, she fled inside and even locked the door behind her.
Lu Jingming was speechless.
Alright, he had forgotten about that detail. He had thought it was the bathroom in his room back at the main house.
He had no choice but to wait silently outside. Once his shy little wife came out of the bathroom blushing, wearing her cute Lotso Bear pajamas, and went into the bedroom, he quickly slipped into the bathroom himself.
When he came out, Xu Yanxia had already snuggled under the covers.
Her blow-dried hair was still slightly damp, emitting a sweet fragrance. Her cheeks were fair and pink, as tempting as a juicy peach in midsummer.
Lu Jingming consciously turned off the bedside lamp, slipped into the bed, and pulled her into his arms.
"Baby,"
he whispered in her ear, "It shouldn't hurt today, don't be afraid."
"I'll perform really well tonight..."
"What are you saying..."
Blushing, Xu Yanxia reached out to cover his mouth, but he smiled and kissed her palm, then gently held her hand and lowered his head to capture her lips.
...
A passionate night passed.
Early the next morning, the two got up on time.
After washing up, they had breakfast together at the breakfast shop downstairs, and Lu Jingming went to work at the company as usual.
Tonight, he was going to take the whole family to the beach for a barbecue, so he had to finish his work as quickly as possible and get off early.
Xu Yanxia wasn't idle either. In the morning, she went to the company for a meeting with her colleagues, and then went to Jiushan to review the weekly business reports. When it was about time, she returned to Dongpan Garden to pick up her grandparents and aunt, and headed to the place where they were to meet her biological mother.
When they arrived, her brother was already there.
However, he was just waiting in the parking lot and hadn't gotten out of his car.
Seeing them get out of their car, he finally stepped out and walked over to them, asking her, "Did Jingming not come?"
"The company is a bit busy today, so I didn't ask him to come over."
In reality, it was to give their family enough private space. Neither her sister-in-law Luo Jiajia nor Lu Jingming came today.
After speaking, Xu Yanxia comforted her brother, "Don't feel so burdened, brother. Our family is together."
"Yeah."
Her brother nodded and quietly exhaled before following them inside.
This was a high-end clubhouse located deep within a local forest park, boasting a very tranquil environment.
Following a waiter in a sharp suit, they walked straight in and went all the way up to a private room on the third floor.
The waiter opened the door for them, revealing that someone was already waiting inside.
It was none other than their biological mother, Madame Meyer, Tang Biqiong.
She wore a beige dress today, her hair tied back as usual. She looked much more plain and elegant, though her skin and features were still exceptionally beautiful.
Somewhat surprisingly, she was the only one in the private room right now; her stepson, Feng Yiheng, was not by her side.
Hearing the noise, she immediately looked up. Upon seeing her son and daughter leading their grandparents and aunt inside, she instantly stood up from her seat.
"Dad, Mom, Xuemei..."
"Xiao Qiong? Is it really you?"
Grandpa and Grandma quickly stepped forward to look her over a few times. Gradually, their eyes couldn't help but turn red.
"As long as you're okay, as long as you're okay."
Grandma sighed and said, "It must not have been easy for you living out there all these years, right? Did you suffer?"
This single sentence instantly broke her defenses.
Xu Yanxia watched as their biological mother immediately knelt on the ground, crying, "I'm the one who let you down! I let the two children down, and I let Yunfeng down..."
...
The crying in the private room lasted for a long time.
Xu Yanxia originally thought she was fully prepared, but when she saw her grandparents and aunt with red eyes, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say those harsh words to her biological mother.
Seeing her cry so heart-brokenly, she wondered if, for a moment, she had also recalled the loving memories with her first husband?
Did she regret her initial choice?
She could only tell her, "Grandpa and Grandma are getting older, and Grandpa was sick a while ago. It's not good for them to get too emotional. Let's not cry anymore. Our time is limited, so let's just have a good talk."
"Yes, Sister-in-law,"
her aunt also said. "Mom and Dad never blamed you. We were all just worried about your safety. Now that we see you are doing well, we can finally be at ease."
"Things have passed for so long, so please don't cry anymore."
However, their biological mother continued to shed tears for a long time before slowly calming down.
"It's my fault,"
she said. "When Yunfeng passed away back then, I just wanted to change my environment and earn a good future for the two kids, but I never expected to drift further and further away from them step by step."
"I truly don't deserve to be their mother, and I am sorry to Yunfeng."
Grandpa, however, sighed and said, "Don't say that, Xiao Qiong. Once a person dies, everything is gone. Frankly speaking, it was Yunfeng who couldn't accompany you to continue walking down that path."
"You have a new life now, so live it well. For a young woman to have walked so far step by step is your own ability. Yunfeng, as well as your parents in heaven, all want you to be well."
"Yes,"
Grandma spoke up again, "Xiao Peng and Xiao Xia are our grandchildren, and they are Yunfeng's children too. It was only right for us to raise them. The past was indeed a bit difficult for the two children, but fortunately, they have grown up now. It's good that you could come back to see them today, so they can have some closure in their hearts."
"No matter what, let's all look forward. Living the rest of our days well is better than dwelling on the past."
Indeed.
Xu Yanxia also finally spoke up, saying to her biological mother who had started crying again, "Yesterday, Feng Yiheng also told us the main course of events. It is a pity that we missed out on each other for so many years, but what's missed is missed. Our lives are already heading in different directions, and it would be very difficult to force them back together."
"Grandpa and Grandma are right. Now that we have news of each other, that is enough. Let's just go on living our own respective lives."
"It's obvious that Feng Yiheng still respects you very much. Your sacrifices over all these years haven't been in vain."
As her voice fell, their biological mother wept for a long time once again.
In the end, she looked at the brother and sister with tear-filled eyes and said, "Yao'er, Meiwa'er, I don't blame you for hating me. I was the one who made a mistake."
"I don't expect your forgiveness, but I have one request. Could you add me on WeChat? Don't worry, I won't bother you unnecessarily. I just want to be able to keep up with how you are doing."
"Is that okay?"
