Chapter 42

Chapter 42

It seemed this meeting with Madam Du was unavoidable.

Tian Ruan thought to himself, fine. Even if it were true, as Yu Jingmo had said, that he was Madam Du’s son, it wouldn’t really be him—it would be Tian Yuan, who had already vanished from this world.

He had come from outside the book, an outsider. Not a case of soul transmigration—his entire body had crossed over. He couldn’t possibly be blood-related to anyone here.

Tian Ruan called Yu Jingmo to explain the situation.

Yu Jingmo asked, “Where is the Du residence?”

Tian Ruan turned to the driver.

The driver replied, “They recently bought a villa in Abundance Manor.”

“Abundance Manor?” Wasn’t that just below the Yu family estate? Tian Ruan was startled.

The driver said, “A place with good energy flow is naturally sought after by everyone.”

“Then it’s quite close to… my home.” Tian Ruan caught himself before saying "the Yu family's."

On the other end of the line, Yu Jingmo seemed to chuckle softly at Tian Ruan’s mention of “my home,” his voice calm. “Go ahead first. I’ll join you shortly.”

“Alright.” Tian Ruan felt reassured. It seemed the Du residence wasn’t some den of danger, but rather, just a neighbor. After hanging up, Tian Ruan frowned again. “If they’ve already bought a house, why is Du Henbie staying at a hotel?”

The driver clammed up, realizing he’d overshared.

Lu Qiuyan, who’d been forgotten, piped up, “So, can I still get a ride home?”

Only then did Tian Ruan remember that Lu Qiuyan had been dragged into this. But maybe this was fate’s doing? Tian Ruan gave him puppy-dog eyes. “Just come with me for this visit. I’ve never been to the Du residence before.”

Lu Qiuyan: “…You said the same thing about the amusement park.”

Even so, Lu Qiuyan couldn’t resist this.

Tian Ruan ticked off on his fingers—arcades, gaming centers, comic conventions, anywhere he hadn’t been, he’d drag Lu Qiuyan along. First, to strengthen their friendship, and second, to dodge his doomed fate. Perfect.

The Du residence was located in the eastern corner of the Abundance Manor villa area—a secluded spot. Aside from squirrels, birds, and the occasional sanitation worker, hardly anyone ventured to such a remote edge.

Yet it was precisely this remote corner that offered the most breathtaking view: the sunrise blending with the mountain mist.

Unfortunately, the sunrise had long passed, and the sun now hung high in the sky. The late-summer heat bore down, blasting one last wave of heat. Tian Ruan, wearing a T-shirt and denim jacket, was sweating under his jacket.

The villa’s front gate was unusually low, unlike the grand entrances of other wealthy homes. Instead, it was vibrant with life, the courtyard filled with all sorts of unfamiliar flowers—mostly small blossoms like baby’s breath and daisies, a charming sight.

A tall, slender female housekeeper stepped out. When she saw Tian Ruan, she stared for a solid three seconds before walking forward to greet him. “Welcome. Young Master Tian, my name is *Dew*. I’m the housekeeper of the Du residence.”

“Hello.” Tian Ruan’s skin prickled—everyone here seemed to know him.

Yet he knew nothing about them.

*Dew* led Tian Ruan and Lu Qiuyan into the villa.

The villa was cozy compared to an estate. *Dew* simply called out, “Madam, they’ve arrived.”

After a moment, a woman with delicate makeup and gentle features descended the spiral staircase. Her full, wavy hair cascaded down, and her pale blue cheongsam paired with a mink shawl made her presence fill the villa like the scent of jasmine.

"You..." Madam Du's eyes welled up before she could speak. "Sweetheart, you’ve been through so much."

Madam Du approached Tian Ruan, who was surprised to find she was almost the same height as him. He instinctively glanced at her feet—sure enough, she was wearing two-inch heels.

In addition, she wore a pearl necklace around her neck, a massive diamond ring on her right ring finger, and a vintage thin-chain ladies' watch on her left wrist.

The scent of jasmine came from Madam Du herself. As Tian Ruan gazed at her face—so similar to his own, with a sickly pallor barely concealed by light makeup—a strange warmth welled up inside him.

It was like the sound of melting ice in spring, a soft, endless trickle, winding on and on.

Madam Du had gone all out just to meet him.

"Hello, Madam Du. My name is Tian Ruan. May I ask why you wanted to see me?" Tian Ruan carried a backpack over his shoulders, his messy, uncombed bangs falling across his face, and his plain clothes making him look, to Madam Du, like he’d had a rough life.

Madam Du’s tears streamed down. "How about I show you pictures of when you were little?"

Tian Ruan said flatly, "Madam Du, I'm not your child."

Madam Du took out a handkerchief to dab her tears. "Then why is your name Tian Ruan?"

"?" Tian Ruan frowned in confusion. "What's wrong with being called Tian Ruan?"

"Ruan is my surname," Madam Du said. "Your childhood nickname was Tiantian."

Tian Ruan retorted, "My father's surname is Tian. I chose Ruan myself. My original name was Tian Yuan."

Madam Du: "Tian Yuan? My husband's name contains the character 'Yuan.'"

Tian Ruan: "..." Was there no escaping this?

Too restless to stand still, Lu Qiuyan didn’t just stay beside Tian Ruan. Instead, he wandered around the living room, admiring the paintings on the wall, and remarked lazily, "Why not just get a DNA test and settle it?"

Tian Ruan nodded. "Since Madam Du doesn’t believe me, let’s do a paternity test."

Madam Du scrutinized Tian Ruan’s face before smiling bitterly. "I have a feeling—you are my son."

"We should trust science," Tian Ruan said firmly, plucking a strand of his hair.

"..."

Clenching her jaw, Madam Du also pulled out a strand of her hair and instructed Dew to call for a doctor, who would deliver the samples to a lab.

"The results can be ready as soon as tomorrow," Madam Du said. "Will you stay until then?"

Not wanting to be rude, Tian Ruan stayed with Lu Qiuyan, sipping juice and snacking on pastries. Lu Qiuyan had to admire how Tian Ruan just rolled with it—it seemed he could fit in anywhere.

Before long, shockingly, the villa’s door opened, and Yu Jingmo and Du Henbie arrived simultaneously. Out of courtesy as a guest, Yu Jingmo hung back politely.

Du Henbie entered, scanned the room, and smiled faintly at Tian Ruan. "Fate moves in mysterious ways. God led you here."

Tian Ruan: "Did God also lead you to the swimming pool?"

Du Henbie: "..."

Madam Du: "What swimming pool?"

Yu Jingmo walked in briskly, standing slightly behind Du Henbie, and greeted politely, "Hello, Madam Du. I am Tian Ruan’s husband, Yu Jingmo."

Though Madam Du had heard about this from Du Henbie and was somewhat prepared, it's truly difficult for a mother-in-law to be fully satisfied with her son-in-law. Yet, being gentle by nature, she couldn't bring herself to speak harsh words. She simply nodded and asked, "Are you wealthy?"

Yu Jingmo replied smoothly, "A little."

"Is the estate on the hill yours?"

"Yes."

"Thirty this year?"

"Yes."

"Ten years isn’t a huge difference."

Tian Ruan: "..." This felt way too familiar.

It went kinda like this... when Yu Jingmo met Sha Meijuan for the first time.

Lu Qiuyan felt like an outsider—no, he *was* an outsider. Feeling awkward, he stood up and said, "I’ll let you talk. I’ll head out."

Tian Ruan quickly grabbed Lu Qiuyan’s arm. "Don’t go. Yu Shang will be here soon. He can give you a ride when he gets here."

"...Why wait for him? I’ve got legs. I can manage."

"It takes an hour to walk down the mountain from here. You sure about that?"

"You’ve done this before?"

"..." Of course—Tian Ruan had personally made that run before. At this thought, he shuddered inexplicably. Turning his head, he met Yu Jingmo’s fake-friendly smile.

Tian Ruan: "...Mr. Yu, are you thirsty? Come have some tea?"

Yu Jingmo walked over with ease. Lu Qiuyan politely gave up the best seat, and Yu Jingmo sat beside Tian Ruan. "Thank you."

Madam Du looked Yu Jingmo over carefully and couldn’t help but admire him—handsome and well-connected. Yet, she feared her son might get the short end of the stick.

Look at that outfit.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Yu Jingmo asked Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan: "Like what?"

Yu Jingmo tugged at the ripped threads in his worn-out vintage jacket. "You’ll catch a cold in that."

"...This is called *fashion*."

"Is this a 90s throwback?"

Tian Ruan looked down at his jacket and started second-guessing himself. Was his style really that bad?

Madam Du asked, "Did you buy this yourself?"

Tian Ruan: "Yeah, at a park gift shop. Lu Qiuyan and I both got one. Just fifty bucks a pop!"

[Awkward silence]

Lu Qiuyan: "Total steal!"

Tian Ruan nodded his head. "Right."

Lu Qiuyan: "Most importantly, it looks badass in a fight."

Tian Ruan nodded his head enthusiastically, then suddenly paused. "Right?"

Dead silence filled the room.

Madam Du disapproved and said softly, "Fighting is bad. You're still young and don’t know when to stop. If you get seriously hurt, it could mess you up for life."

Lu Qiuyan didn’t respond.

Tian Ruan changed the subject and glanced at the piano in the corner of the living room. "I can play the piano. Want to hear it?"

He figured they had nothing better to do anyway.

Madam Du beamed. "Of course."

Tian Ruan stood up without hesitation, elegantly seated himself before the glossy grand piano, lifted the lid, and placed his slender, pale fingers on the black-and-white keys—

BANG! CRASH!—Doo-doo-DAH—SQUAWK-SQUAWK—!

Lost in his performance, Tian Ruan didn’t notice his audience’s faces frozen in horror.

When the piece ended, crickets.

If this were the Yu household, the butler and servants would have applauded.

Tian Ruan blinked at them. "...Was it not good?"

Yu Jingmo: "No."

Madam Du managed a strained compliment. "It was lovely. You have talent—just needs a bit more practice..."

Lu Qiuyan couldn’t take it anymore. "You call that playing the piano? Even a cat walking on piano keys sounds better."

Tian Ruan: "You try, then!"

Lu Qiuyan stepped up to the piano. Unsurprisingly, given his former rich kid status, the melody flowed gracefully, like moonlight dancing on a lake. Under the protagonist’s halo, everyone except Yu Jingmo was enchanted.

Tian Ruan was completely awestruck and applauded like an excited puppy. "Lu Qiuyan, you’re amazing!"

Du Henbie watched Lu Qiuyan with interest. "Didn’t expect you to have this skill. Can you paint?"

Lu Qiuyan: "No."

Tian Ruan piped up, "He Lansi can paint. He’s even a guest art instructor at Deyin."

Du Henbie raised an eyebrow. "His family’s in business. Why’s he teaching?"

"Maybe he got hit in the head by a donkey."

Du Henbie nodded solemnly. "Yeah, guy's clearly not playing with a full deck."

As soon as he finished, Du Henbie received a death glare from his mother.

Madam Du: "Creative folks are just wired differently. Being eccentric is normal."

"Exactly," Du Henbie immediately agreed.

Next, Madam Du continued her conversation with Yu Jingmo, both being perfectly polite. Madam Du noticed that Yu Jingmo's words were impeccably guarded—wasn't this just being calculating?

So she asked, "What do you see in Tian Ruan?"

Yu Jingmo: "Everything."

"That's a cop-out. Be specific."

Yu Jingmo found the artist's thought process somewhat perplexing but still tried to provide a concrete response: "He's not exactly well-behaved."

"?"

"Loving someone means loving their flaws too." While no expert in romance, Yu Jingmo was well-versed in business—and the two weren't so different.

Whether in love or commerce, both needed work.

And that work took effort.

Within this work, flaws inevitably existed—some minor, some significant—each to be handled according to circumstance.

Yu Jingmo possessed the confidence and control to navigate these flaws. With just the right words, he could deliver a perfect answer.

Thus, he spoke these words in a perfectly natural tone, completely unaware he'd just dropped a bombshell.

The words hit the young man beside him like a shock, leaving him flustered, his ears turning red, lips pressed together, eyes shining like stars as he gazed at him.

Yu Jingmo: "?"