Chapter 84 Independence

Chapter 84 Independence

Duan Hanyan looked at her cousin in disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what she was saying, her eyes revealing suspicion while her mind slowly digested her words.

"Why..." She clung to one of the sentences, "Why will my child never be able to surpass Jiang Liyuan's child? I am Chi Yanpeng's wife, and the Duan family is no less powerful than the Jiang family. Why?"

Jiang Yichu patiently explained, "There are many reasons. Objectively, Ah Heng and A Yue are too young. By the time they come of age, Chi Xiao might already have control over the Chi family. At that time, he will also have his own children. How could he possibly let his younger siblings share in the spoils?"

Pausing for a moment, Jiang Yichu's face showed a touch of sympathy, as if she didn't want to say it but had to: "Subjectively, your child is simply not as good as Chi Xiao in Chi Yanpeng's eyes. Not only because Chi Xiao is smart and capable, but also because he is Jiang Liyuan's child. Chi Yanpeng really likes Jiang Liyuan; she is his white moonlight. Did you know this?"

Duan Hanyan's eyes widened in shock: "How can that be... Everyone says their marriage is very bad, arguing almost every day for ten years, and they ended up parting on bad terms..."

"Have you been married to Chi Yanpeng for so long and still don't understand his character? If you were like Jiang Liyuan, always flying into a rage and throwing tantrums, do you think he would tolerate you for a month?" Jiang Yichu said, "The Jiang family isn't some noble family, yet Jiang Liyuan has a temper like a firecracker, looking down on everyone. When things don't go her way, she causes a scene at home, making the neighbors come to watch the show. Even so, your husband refused to break up with her, persisting for ten years. After the divorce, he even chased her to America to try to win her back. My friend saw him get turned away from Jiang Liyuan's doorstep. I didn't tell you this before because I didn't want to ruin your relationship."

Duan Hanyan felt drained of energy, collapsing into a chair, "How could he do such a thing..."

"I'm not sure what financial disputes arose early in their marriage, but the rise of the Chi family is evident, and Jiang Liyuan is truly genuine. Such a capable husband, she just let him go."

In Jiang Yichu's view, Jiang Liyuan lacked a sense of the bigger picture, as if a woman should follow her husband's lead, and a husband's honor should become the wife's honor, looking up at the towering tree canopy and forgetting the insignificant grievances in her heart.

She gazed at Duan Hanyan and asked, "Now, do you still want to compete with Chi Xiao?"

Duan Hanyan's lips moved slightly, unsure of what to say.

After a long silence, she picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the cold tea, and suddenly laughed, "Hahaha..."

Jiang Yichu: "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just thinking that men are all scoundrels at heart." Duan Hanyan said, "Chi Yanpeng suffered at the hands of his ex-wife, so he wanted to find a gentle and obedient wife for Chi Xiao, but ended up with another strong-willed one."

"How strong?" Jiang Yichu asked, "Tell me more."

Duan Hanyan stared at her sister for a while, not responding.

Jiang Yichu gently patted her hand, "Still, it's better that her stepmother is me. I can help keep her in check to some extent."

Duan Hanyan thought about it and found it reasonable, "That's true."

-

One evening, Ming Can was taking care of Miaomiao getting ready for bed. Miaomiao, dressed in his pajamas, sat on the bed with a toy, watching his mother tidy up the room. He couldn't help but ask, "When will Dad be back?"

"Tomorrow, or maybe the day after," Ming Can said, folding clothes, "He has some family matters to attend to, so he's staying there for a couple of days."

The room fell silent for a moment. Miaomiao climbed off the bed, walked over to Ming Can in his slippers, and looked into her eyes, "Mom, are you and Dad having a fight?"

Since his birthday, the atmosphere at home had become a bit strange. The times when both parents were home together had decreased significantly, and even when they were both at home, they hardly spoke, which made him feel uneasy.

Ming Can looked down at him and smiled, "No, we're not."

Miaomiao blinked, realizing his mother was telling the truth. His parents were fine, and there was no need for him to worry. His mood brightened instantly, and he hugged Ming Can's waist, bouncing, "Mom, I want to sleep with Xiaoxiao tonight!"

Ming Can hesitated for a moment, remembering that Xiaoxiao had just had a bath a few days ago and was relatively clean, so she reluctantly nodded, "Okay, but you both need to lie down nicely before nine o'clock."

"Yes, madam!"

Ming Can rubbed his head, brought Xiaoxiao's dog bed from the living room to Miaomiao's bedside, and laid two pee pads on the floor in case Xiaoxiao needed to go to the bathroom at night.

Leaving the bedroom to the boy and the dog, Ming Can closed the door and returned to her room. She picked up her phone and checked WeChat, but there were no new messages.

As soon as her mother left, Miaomiao let Xiaoxiao climb onto the bed and nestle beside his pillow.

"Your hairdo is so cool," Miaomiao played with Xiaoxiao's topknot, "It looks like a grenade!"

Xiaoxiao seemed to understand this wasn't a compliment and nudged Miaomiao's hand, whining.

Xiaoxiao: "Where did the person who used to groom me go? This one is so bad!"

"He went home to visit his grandfather," Miaomiao said, lying on the bed, "The person who used to groom you was Dad, and now it's Mom. Call out 'Dad' and 'Mom.'"

Xiaoxiao: "Woof, woof!"

Xiaoxiao: "Dad, Mom!"

"You're so smart!" Miaomiao rolled over, lying flat, and lifted Xiaoxiao, "You're my little sister, and you should call me 'Brother.' Say it, 'Brother!'"

Xiaoxiao: "Woof!"

Xiaoxiao: "Brother!"

Ming Can kissed Xiaoxiao's fluffy face.

A long time ago, he had noticed that although animals don't have superpowers, if they spend enough time with humans, they can understand what humans are saying to them.

Whenever Miaomiao told Xiaoer something sad, Xiaoer would nuzzle his arm and neck with its wet, warm nose. If he could hear Xiaoer speak, it would probably say, "Don't be sad, I'll always be with you."

Miaomiao held Xiaoxiao under his arm, and they lay down together on the bed.

He told Xiaoxiao the story of her dog brother Xiaoer from another world, and as he spoke, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he seemed to be in a very quiet, enclosed room.

A wet, warm dog nose pressed against his hand, and his other hand was held, the familiar and soft touch felt like his mother's palm.

...

The next afternoon, it was dismissal time for Grade 1 at Daystar Primary School.

Teacher Lin led the students of Class 1-1 from the classroom building to the school gate.

From afar, Miaomiao saw a tall, sturdy figure in the crowd. Suppressing the urge to shout "Dad," he said goodbye to his teacher and classmates, grabbed his backpack, and ran over to Chi Xiao.

Under the bright and clear sunlight, the little bean in a blue school uniform darted like a rocket to Chi Xiao, hugging his leg tightly.

Chi Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then bent down to pick him up from the ground. Seeing his little face flushed and glowing in the sun, Chi Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so excited?"

"It feels like I haven't seen you in ages," Miaomiao said, "Dad, I miss you so much!"

Chi Xiao: "I've only been gone for two days."

Miaomiao pouted, "I miss you every day I don't see you."

After spending this time together, Miaomiao had completely forgotten that he used to be accustomed to one of his parents being away for long periods.

When they got home, after a while, Chi Xiao let Miaomiao play by himself and drove to B University to pick up Ming Can.

The sky was still bright when Ming Can finished her class. As she walked out of the teaching building, she saw the familiar black SUV parked by the roadside.

Her friends, who had seen this car pick her up many times, smiled and nudged her, "Your boyfriend is picking you up again, how diligent he is."

Ming Can thought to herself, "How diligent? He didn't come yesterday."

She pursed her lips, her face slightly warm as Chi Xiao got out of the car and came around to open the passenger door for her, helping her with her backpack, which drew a chorus of cheers from the onlookers.

The car door closed, cutting off the outdoor noise, and the atmosphere suddenly cooled down.

Chi Xiao and Ming Can relayed what he had learned about Duan Hanyan's cousin at home.

"Her husband is British and runs a large logistics company. He passed away last year due to illness, and they have an eight-year-old son," Chi Xiao said. "Before today, she hadn't returned to China for several years."

Ming Can nodded. Given this information, this woman seemed to have no connection to Ming Zheng so far.

A two-kilometer drive took just a few minutes, and they didn't talk about anything else after that.

Ming Can occasionally glanced at Chi Xiao out of the corner of her eye, not sure why, but he seemed a bit somber.

Sunlight streamed in from the window, casting a glow on the man's handsome yet distant profile. He held the steering wheel with one hand, the veins on his knuckles standing out, giving off a sense of unspoken pressure.

After dinner, at seven o'clock, the family of three started studying. Miaomiao went to his small study for his online Spanish class, while Ming Can and Chi Xiao sat at the bar in the living room to do their homework.

Since they started dating, they had developed the habit of doing homework together, supporting and supervising each other, gradually preferring not to use the study.

Reflecting on the days since Miaomiao's birthday, Ming Can realized she had indeed been too tense, often cold and distant, which was probably why Chi Xiao hesitated to speak to her.

"Hey, Senior Chi Xiao," Ming Can suddenly called out, pushing her laptop toward him and pointing to a complex equation on the screen, "Can you solve this? Teach me, please."

Chi Xiao nodded, took out a piece of scratch paper and a pen, and carefully worked through it for her.

"Oh, I see."

"Is this the formula you need for your presentation?"

"Yes," Ming Can said, "We have the group presentation the day after tomorrow. If you have time now, can you check the numbers in my PowerPoint for me?"

"Sure." Chi Xiao moved her laptop in front of him and quickly worked through the calculations. Within ten minutes, he nodded approvingly, "They're all correct."

"You deserve it."

Ming Can happily praised herself. Just as she was about to take back her laptop, her arm was gently held.

She paused, raised an eyebrow, set down the computer, and naturally sat on Chi Xiao's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly. She asked gently, "What's wrong with you today? Why have you been frowning all day?"

In that instant, looking into his amber eyes, Ming Can clearly realized that although the news about Chi Xiao's stepmother's cousin had touched her bottom line and was hard to accept, it didn't seem to affect her feelings for him.

She still liked him very much.

She didn't want to break up.

Chi Xiao looked up at the girl who was slightly taller than him, pondered for a moment, and said softly, "My dad seems to know we're dating."

Ming Can was surprised, "How did he find out?"

Chi Xiao: "I don't know."

A hint of evasion flashed in his eyes.

Over the past two days, perhaps because he had shown more willingness to communicate than usual, Chi Yanpeng found time to talk to him about some things.

He told Chi Xiao:

He hoped Chi Xiao would find a wife who could support his career and focus on helping her husband.

He also hinted that he had little confidence in the Ming family and hoped Chi Xiao wouldn't get involved in their mess.

Chi Xiao responded:

He liked a person, not a tool for his career.

She had her own independent will, and what she wanted to do should be supported by those close to her.

As a result, the father and son parted ways unhappily once again.

Chi Xiao loosely wrapped one arm around Ming Can's waist, then pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile, saying, "Can I ask a very cliché question?"

Ming Can nodded, "Go ahead."

Chi Xiao looked into her dark eyes, "If one day I have nothing left, will you still like me?"