Liu Yuan and Chen Yan returned to Beishi with Beibei.
Throughout the journey, Liu Yuan felt gloomy, staring out at the scenery rushing by, a wave of melancholy washing over her.
"Mom, the houses here are different from ours," Beibei remarked curiously, gazing out the window.
"Mm," Liu Yuan replied absentmindedly.
"Mom, look! The mountains over there are so tall!" Beibei exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the distant peaks.
"Mm," Liu Yuan continued to be distracted.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Beibei noticed her mother's low spirits and quickly asked.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired," Liu Yuan said, pulling herself from her thoughts and offering a faint smile to her daughter.
"Then you should close your eyes and rest for a bit," Beibei suggested thoughtfully.
"Okay," Liu Yuan said, gently patting her daughter's head before closing her eyes to feign sleep.
Chen Yan glanced at his wife through the rearview mirror, noticing her downcast mood, and furrowed his brow slightly.
After more than an hour of driving, they finally arrived in Beishi.
Instead of taking Liu Yuan and Beibei to a hotel, Chen Yan led them directly to an empty house he owned.
"When did you buy this?" Liu Yuan asked in surprise.
"A few years ago," Chen Yan replied casually.
"What did you buy a house here for?" Liu Yuan questioned, puzzled.
"Just to stay for a few days occasionally," Chen Yan said as he opened the door and stepped inside.
Liu Yuan took Beibei's hand and followed him in, surveying the surroundings. The environment was quite nice, and the decor style was one she liked.
"You two rest for a bit; I'll take you out for dinner later," Chen Yan said as he set down their suitcase.
"Okay," Liu Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Dad, I'm hungry," Beibei said, clutching her stomach and looking up at her father with wide eyes.
"Then let's go eat now," Chen Yan immediately changed his mind upon hearing this.
"Okay!" Beibei nodded eagerly.
Thus, the three of them set out for dinner together. Chen Yan took Liu Yuan and Beibei to a French restaurant.
As soon as Liu Yuan walked in, she felt uncomfortable all over.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yan noticed his wife's unease and quickly asked.
"It's nothing, I just don't really like the atmosphere here," Liu Yuan replied, shaking her head.
"Then let's go somewhere else," Chen Yan suggested.
"No need, let's just stay here," Liu Yuan said, not wanting to cause any trouble.
"Are you sure?" Chen Yan confirmed again.
"Mm-hmm," Liu Yuan nodded.
"Alright then," Chen Yan said helplessly.
The family of three found a table, ordered their food, and began to eat.
"Mom, you don't like this," Beibei said, noticing that her mother was only eating salad and avoiding the steak, looking puzzled.
"Mom doesn't like it," Liu Yuan forced a smile.
"Mom, if you don't eat the steak, you'll be hungry," Beibei worriedly pointed out.
"Mom's not hungry," Liu Yuan shook her head.
"Honey, if you don't like it, we can change places," Chen Yan said, noticing his wife's lack of appetite and feeling concerned.
"No need, I'm really not hungry," Liu Yuan declined her husband's kindness.
"Okay then," Chen Yan said resignedly.
After finishing their meal, Chen Yan took his wife and daughter home. Liu Yuan felt a bit down since they were close to her hometown.
"Honey, if you don't want to go to the hospital to see Dad, you don't have to," Chen Yan noticed his wife's low spirits and became worried.
"It's fine; I have to face it sooner or later," Liu Yuan replied with a bitter smile.
"Then I'll go with you," Chen Yan said, holding his wife's hand.
"No need; I can go by myself," Liu Yuan refused her husband's offer.
"Alright then," Chen Yan didn't press her further.
The next day, Liu Yuan went to the hospital to visit Liu Wenguang. In the ward, besides Liu Wenguang, there were also Liu Xiaomin and Liu Yuan's mother, An Qiao.
Liu Yuan walked in and looked at Liu Wenguang, calling out, "Dad."
"You’re here," Liu Wenguang said, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he saw his eldest daughter.
"Yeah," Liu Yuan nodded.
"Liu Yuan, how dare you come back?" Liu Xiaomin's anger flared as she noticed her sister's presence.
"Xiaomin, she is your sister," Liu Wenguang frowned at his younger daughter’s harsh attitude.
"Dad, have you forgotten how she treated you back then?" Liu Xiaomin retorted indignantly.
"That was in the past; don’t bring it up again," Liu Wenguang's expression darkened slightly.
"Dad, you're just too easy to bully, which is why she keeps stepping all over you," Liu Xiaomin continued to express her frustration.
"Liu Xiaomin, be quiet!" Liu Wenguang scolded.
Feeling wronged by her father's reprimand, Liu Xiaomin glared at Liu Yuan with teary eyes.
Liu Yuan completely ignored Liu Xiaomin and turned to Liu Wenguang, saying calmly, "I’m leaving now."
"Yuan Yuan, you just got here; why are you leaving?" Liu Wenguang asked anxiously as he saw his daughter preparing to go.
"I'm afraid if I stay any longer, someone might not be able to hold back and take action against me," Liu Yuan replied with a smirk directed at Liu Xiaomin.
"Liu Yuan, you little witch!" Liu Xiaomin shouted angrily and lunged at her sister.
Liu Yuan dodged aside, causing Liu Xiaomin to fall to the ground.
"Yuan Yuan, are you okay?" Liu Wenguang looked at his eldest daughter with concern.
"I'm fine," Liu Yuan shook her head.
"That's good," Liu Wenguang sighed in relief.
"I'm leaving now," Liu Yuan said, not wanting to stay any longer as she turned to walk out.
"Yuan Yuan!" Liu Wenguang called after her.
"Is there something?" Liu Yuan paused and looked back at her father.
"Yuan Yuan, do you plan on leaving again after this visit?" Liu Wenguang asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Liu Yuan nodded.
"Yuan Yuan, actually, Dad hopes you can stay," Liu Wenguang hesitated for a moment before expressing his true feelings.
"Dad, my life is good right now; please don’t worry about me," Liu Yuan replied softly.
“Yuan Yuan, Dad knows that what happened back then was his fault, but you can't hold it against me forever,” Liu Wenguang sighed, guilt etched across his face.
“Dad, I’m not blaming you,” Liu Yuan shook her head.
“Then why don’t you come back?” Liu Wenguang asked, puzzled.
“Because I’ve gotten used to life over there,” Liu Yuan casually offered a reason.
“Yuan Yuan, please come back. I'm getting old, and I can't manage the company alone. Help your dad out, okay?” Liu Wenguang pleaded.
“Dad, you should find someone else,” Liu Yuan refused.
“Yuan Yuan, just help your dad a little,” Liu Wenguang continued to plead.
“Dad, if you keep this up, I’m going to get angry,” Liu Yuan said sternly.
“Sigh.” Liu Wenguang let out a deep breath.
“I’ll be going now,” Liu Yuan said before turning and leaving.
As soon as Liu Yuan left the hospital room, she ran into Liu Xiaomin.
“Liu Yuan, Dad has already agreed to let the the Fu Family come to propose. Get ready to get married,” Liu Xiaomin said smugly as she looked at Liu Yuan.
“Oh really? Congratulations then,” Liu Yuan replied with a hint of sarcasm in her smile.
“What do you mean by that?” Liu Xiaomin frowned.
“I think Fu Shaokang is quite suitable for you. Marrying him should make you very happy,” Liu Yuan said with a cheerful smile.
“Liu Yuan, what nonsense are you talking about!” Liu Xiaomin exclaimed angrily.
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Liu Yuan replied innocently.
“Liu Yuan, stop trying to sow discord. I won’t fall for it,” Liu Xiaomin huffed coldly.
“Well, we’ll see about that,” Liu Yuan shrugged and walked past her.
After leaving the hospital, Liu Yuan found Chen Yan and Beibei waiting for her downstairs.
“How did it go?” Chen Yan immediately asked upon seeing her.
“It’s nothing much; we just chatted a bit,” Liu Yuan replied nonchalantly.
“That’s good to hear.” Chen Yan sighed in relief.
“Dad, can we go out and play now?” Beibei asked eagerly.
“Of course we can,” Chen Yan said affectionately as he ruffled his daughter’s hair.
"Yay, that's great!" Beibei cheered with excitement.
"Let's go home first," Liu Yuan said, looking at her daughter with a gentle smile.
"Okay," Chen Yan nodded.
The family of three got into the car, and Chen Yan drove them home.
On the way, Liu Yuan suddenly spoke up, "Chen Yan, is something wrong with the Liu family?"
"Yes," Chen Yan nodded.
"What happened?" Liu Yuan asked curiously.
"The Liu family's financial chain has encountered problems and needs to marry into the the Fu Family to resolve it," Chen Yan explained without holding back.
"The the Fu Family?" Liu Yuan frowned.
"Yes," Chen Yan confirmed.
"Fu Shaokang?" Liu Yuan guessed.
"Yes," Chen Yan nodded again.
"Then isn't the Liu family doomed?" Liu Yuan said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Not necessarily," Chen Yan shook her head.
"What do you mean?" Liu Yuan asked, confused.
"If you marry Fu Shaokang, I would actually be happy about it," Chen Yan joked lightly.
"I don't want to marry him," Liu Yuan flatly refused.
"Okay," Chen Yan nodded.
"Chen Yan, thank you for telling me all this," Liu Yuan said gratefully.
"No need to be polite with me," Chen Yan smiled indulgently.
"Then I'll head back now," Liu Yuan said as she got out of the car and waved to her husband.
"Alright, go back," Chen Yan nodded.
Liu Yuan turned and walked into the house.
"Dad, is Mom unhappy?" Beibei asked after her mother had left.
"Mom is not unhappy," Chen Yan shook his head.
"Then why doesn't Mom want to marry Uncle Fu Shaokang?" Beibei asked, puzzled.
"Because Mom already has a dad," Chen Yan explained.
"Oh," Beibei replied, half-understanding.
"Come on, let's go out and have some fun," Chen Yan said, patting his daughter's head.
"Okay," Beibei nodded happily.
---
Liu Yuan returned to her room and lay down on the bed, quickly falling asleep.
In her dreams, she relived the tragic experiences of the original owner from her childhood.
She was pinned against a wall by a strange man, who slapped her harshly.
The original owner struggled desperately but couldn't break free at all.
The man cursed and used both his hands and feet to beat her mercilessly.
The original owner cried out for mercy, but the man only grew more violent.
Liu Yuan wanted to save the original owner, but her body wouldn't move; she could only watch helplessly as the original owner was abused.
Liu Yuan felt trapped in a vicious cycle; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape this nightmare.
Suddenly, Liu Yuan opened her eyes wide and sat up in bed.
She gasped for breath, sweat covering her forehead.
That dream had been terrifying.
Liu Yuan took a moment to calm herself before getting up to wash up.
After finishing her morning routine, Liu Yuan went outside to take out the trash.
Upon returning from throwing away the garbage, Liu Yuan received a call from Chen Yan.
"Hello," Liu Yuan answered the phone.
"Wife, what are you doing?" Chen Yan's gentle voice came through.
"I'm at home," Liu Yuan replied casually.
"Wife, what are you doing at home?" Chen Yan asked curiously.
"Nothing much," Liu Yuan said, not wanting to elaborate further.
"Dear, are you feeling down?" Chen Yan detected the displeasure in his wife's tone.
"No," Liu Yuan denied.
"You can't fool me, dear," Chen Yan sighed.
"I'm really fine," Liu Yuan insisted.
"Dear, if something's wrong, you must tell me, okay?" Chen Yan said seriously.
"Mm," Liu Yuan nodded.
"I love you," Chen Yan confessed deeply.
"I love you too," Liu Yuan replied before hanging up the phone.
---
It was the weekend.
Chen Yan took Beibei to visit Grandma Qian Yuqin.
"Xiao Yan, you're here," Qian Yuqin smiled warmly upon seeing her grandson.
"Grandma," Chen Yan greeted respectfully.
"Xiao Yan, who is this?" Qian Yuqin asked, looking at Beibei.
"Grandma, this is Beibei, my daughter," Chen Yan introduced.
"Your daughter?" Qian Yuqin was shocked.
"Yes," Chen Yan nodded.
"Xiao Yan, what on earth is going on?" Qian Yuqin asked anxiously.
"Grandma, it's a bit complicated; I'll explain it to you later," Chen Yan hesitated slightly.
"Alright," Qian Yuqin said, though she was anxious, she could only wait patiently.
"Daddy, who is she?" Beibei looked curiously at Qian Yuqin.
"Beibei, she is Great-Grandma," Chen Yan patiently explained to his daughter.
"Great-Grandma?" Beibei blinked her eyes in surprise.
"Yes," Chen Yan nodded.
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