Cheng Anya walked out of the cafeteria with the help of the crutch. Yang Zekun ran up to her and supported her. “Anya, be careful!”
“I’m fine! I can still walk!” Cheng Anya replied plainly. She was still able to walk with one of her legs, albeit inconveniently.
“I’ll send you back!” Yang Zekun was slightly happy and his heart also ached. He had a slight understanding of the behind-the-scenes leading to the accident. Ye Chen was the unhappiest about what had happened, and Anya would not have had to endure this guilt had it not been him getting all unhappy.
Cheng Anya shook her head and looked into the cafeteria. “I’m afraid your grandfather, who is in the cafeteria, will have some questions for you.”
“What did my grandfather say to you?” Yang Zekun asked worryingly. There was a hidden uneasiness in his voice, and Old Master Yang did not mention to him his reasons for wanting to meet Anya. Yang Zekun remained doubtful as he was unable to hazard a guess.
“Go ask him then!” Cheng Anya smiled. After hesitating for a moment, she firmly said, “Let’s stop feigning being together!”
Yang Zekun was caught off-guard and looked at Cheng Anya deeply. There was a slight pain in his gentle gaze. While the pain was not obvious, it was still heart-wrenching nevertheless. “Senior, it is impossible for us to be together,” Cheng Anya said with a gentle sigh.
Any more time spent together would be in vain!
The amount of time spent being in love was never proportionate to the depth of the love.
Sometimes, all it took to fall in love with a person might just be a warm smile or a deep emotional gaze. It could even be that momentary heart-warming action.
As long as one was willing, one could find a much better person than me. If only you were willing.
She had hinted these to Yang Zekun countless times, and Yang Zekun also understood. He was ultimately unable to let go, and that vexed Cheng Anya. Although he was an excellent and smart man, he was, however, foolish and stubborn when it came to matters of the heart.
“What did my grandfather say?”
Yang Zekun’s soft voice sounded hurt, distant, and soft.
Cheng Anya shook her head. She did not want to hurt Yang Zekun, the man who had helped her, the man she was indebted to for the rest of her life. Without him, Ning Ning would have died from pneumonia stemming from a high fever as she was unable to foot his medical bills. Both mother and son would not have had today had it not been for him.
She was always very grateful toward Yang Zekun, and so she would not turn down his requests, as long as they were within her means.
She, however, could not afford to give her heart to him.
There were many ways to repay somebody. She would not choose to marry somebody out of gratitude and ruin their future.
“No. I promised you previously because I had neither constraints nor interests in anybody. Hence, acting like a couple did not affect me,” Cheng Anya replied plainly as she endured the pain of watching his face turn white. “Now that I am interested in somebody, I do not want him to misunderstand or be put in a difficult spot,” she said in a firm voice.
As though he was struck by lightning, Yang Zekun felt his world collapse despite being mentally prepared for this outcome.
“Ye Chen?” He was almost certain that Anya had taken a liking to Ye Chen.
“Yes, I have taken a liking to Ye Chen!” Cheng Anya replied without hesitation and calmly nodded.
She would not express her liking for Ye Chen in front of him, unless Ye Chen expressed his liking for her first. However, she was open about it in front of other people.
Cheng Anya was actually quite duplicitous too!
She was clearly interested in him, but she wanted him to admit his feelings first and hide her feelings. Her pride was essentially at work.
I like Ye Chen…
As the statement reverberated in his head, Yang Zekun’s face became a shade paler under the sun. It was not too long ago she confidently told him she would not take a liking to Ye Chen.
Today, she told him in the most confident manner that she had taken a liking to Ye Chen.
Were women so fickle?
Why had he not gained her liking after spending seven years with her?
While Cheng Anya was uncomfortable, she was not one to give way to her feelings.
“Why?” Yang Zekun’s voice was ladened with hurt, coating the surroundings with a layer of pain. “Was Ning Ning the reason?”
“This has nothing to do with Ning Ning. I just took a fancy to him. I do not exactly know why!” Cheng Anya shook her head and smiled.
She was also stifled as to why she took such a liking to Ye Chen.
There was not a single thing good about him—scheming, of a twisted personality, mentally unsound, vengeful, sinister… There was nothing good about him save his good looks, and that left Miss Cheng exceptionally stifled.
But what could one do about it?
She could only blame her poor judgment of character!
“Anya, as Ye Chen’s secretary, you know he has countless women. You also know how much of a Casanova he is, so why are you silly enough to take a liking to him and compete against so many other women for him?” Yang Zekun was heartbroken.
He was extremely unwilling to lose out to Third Young Master Ye.
Was it indeed true that the good guys finished last? Was it true that douches were much more preferred than gentlemen?
“That was his past, and I had nothing to do with it. I want his present and future!” She knew that Ye Chen had not messed around with other women ever since he came to know about Ning Ning’s existence.
That was to say that he had no other entanglements once he considered having a future with her.
That was sufficient!
“Anya…” Yang Zekun suppressed his pain and took a jab at her. “What about Yun Ruoxi? Yun Ruoxi is now pregnant, and even if Ye Chen does not plan to marry her, he is still entangled with her when she delivers the child in the future. Can you bear that?”
“Senior!” Cheng Anya plainly interrupted him. “I do not know what will happen the next second, let alone predict the future. Why must I beat myself up over something that has yet to happen? As I have already said, I have made the choice and accepted it. Since I have made up my mind on him, I will accept what eventually transpires, whether good or bad. That is between him and me. It has nothing to do with you!”
“Anya…”
“Senior, I am sorry!” Cheng Anya feigned a laugh. “I never intended to hurt you, and I am sorry if I had led you on unknowingly. I will regret losing you as a friend for the whole of my life!”
Yang Zekun looked at her deeply. His gaze was ashen, dull, and lost its typical luster.
“Senior, I am sorry!” Cheng Anya was slightly apprehensive.
“Zekun, let’s go!” Old Master Yang’s deep yet enraged voice broke the solemnness between them. He looked at them sharply before turning toward and walking toward Yang Zekun’s car.
Yang Zekun clenched his fists tightly. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away!
The summer wind carried with it a few hints of aridness. As it blew against Cheng Anya’s long hair, it rubbed against her cheeks and kicked up feelings of sadness.
She suddenly felt a slight shiver run through her.
She somewhat understood that she had probably lost a dear friend. It was such a pity as she did not have many friends after seven years.
She only had Li Yun and him as her dearest friends.
She had just known senior in the summer when her purse was stolen. There were a paltry ten pounds in the purse, but the ten pounds were extremely precious to her.
She chased the thief for his dear life and pinned him to the ground. She then grabbed the purse back as she walloped the thief hard.
She was, however, pregnant with Ning Ning for two months when she ran after and beat the thief up. It was a miracle she was unfazed after the incident and had felt incredulous about Ning Ning’s resilience. This kid had always been a tough one right from the start.
The thief totally lost it after he knew there was only ten pounds in the purse and was beaten to half-death for these ten pounds.
She then discovered that a teenager was standing opposite the street with a gentle smile, and he even gave her a thumbs-up!
That was how they knew each other!
She later then knew, after a few candid conversations, that she was his junior. That was how they started to draw close to each other!
Cheng Anya let out a long sigh. She could not tell how she felt. It was as though she was immensely relieved, yet even more burdened!
“An-Anya…” A trembling voice came from the side. Cheng Anya turned around to see Wang Rui and Chen Yingying, only for Wang Rui to discover her and tremble amidst his paling face.
It was as though they had run into a ghost!
They happened to visit this cafeteria for lunch but did not expect to encounter Cheng Anya. Chen Yingying had a terrible look on her face, and she was suddenly pulled by Wang Rui into a BMW and disappeared in a flash!
That said, the BMW was a gift from Ning Ning to them when he was in a good mood.
F***! Cheng Anya was speechless…
When had she become a female Yaksa? Were the two of them so afraid she would swallow them that they ran away upon seeing her?
When they saw her in the past, they could not resist sneering and mocking her. When did they become so nice and turn turtle?
Ning Ning must have shocked them into awe!
Li Yun returned in time to witness the scene and laughed out loud. “Anya, when did you become so aggressive and scared the daylights out of people by not doing anything?”
Cheng Anya shrugged and protested to justify her innocence. It was Ning Ning who was one tough nut, not her.
“Who were they?”
“Classmates from high school?”
“No way!” Li Yun was extremely surprised as Cheng Anya quickly and easily described how they tried to kidnap Ning Ning. “There was a shooting on Huning Bridge a few days ago. Was that your baby’s masterpiece?” Li Yun’s eyes twitched.
“Hearsay has it that was the case!”
“Oh my god! Anya, you have given birth to a Rambo!”
Cheng Anya’s eyelids twitched. She remembered how Li Yun and her watched ‘Rambo: First Blood’ years back. This had left an impression on her as Li Yun was frantically screaming ‘I love Rambo’ throughout the movie and ‘Rambo’ reverberated in her ears for the next few months to the point that she became smitten with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“You’re wrong! My baby is way more handsome and stronger than Rambo!” Cheng Anya replied proudly.
“That is definitely true!” Li Yun broke into laughter.
Since the young kid was cute and had a charming smile, he would definitely grow up to be a lady-killer!
“Why did senior’s grandfather look for you?” Li Yun asked out of curiosity as she drove.
“To allow me to get married to senior!” Cheng Anya replied plainly.
“That was unsurprising! I thought he would allow you to leave Yang Zekun, no?” That would be normal, wouldn’t it?
“He is nuts!” Cheng Anya said as-matter-of-factly. There was a slight irritation in her voice.
“Anya is surely happening these days! Everybody is after you!” Li Yun mused.
“Shall I give one to you?”
“Give Ning Ning to me!”
Oh, f*** off!”
The women looked at each other and laughed. “I have clarified things with senior, and we may not be friends anymore,” Cheng Anya said with a sigh.
“That’s why I say men and women cannot expect to stay the best of friends!” Li Yun said plainly. “Senior is a smart person and knows that you are no longer interested in him. A romance typically blossoms from friendship. Hence, one always starts off by being friends.”
“Yes, yes, yes, you are speaking from experience!” Cheng Anya rolled her eyes impolitely. Knowing that Cheng Anya had indirectly admitted, Li Yun smiled politely!
There was no such thing as love at first sight!
Even if he was interested in her, it was temporary. True love was built up over the little interests and emotions over time. If not, it would be extremely vulnerable!
Love at first sight was like seeing flowers through a fog. It seemed beautiful amidst the blurriness, only for the sun to disperse the fog to reveal a morning glory!
As evening descended, the setting sun added a shade of warmth to the mansion.
After Cheng Anya was inconvenienced due to her leg, her next biggest pastime after watching movies and chatting on the internet was reading! Hence, she was reading in the living room.
She suddenly realized that the life of a housewife was not a good one!
Every day was such an idle day!
How did the rich housewives of upper society go about with their daily lives?
Cheng Anya was puzzled as they did not work for fear of bringing embarrassment to the family by appearing in public. After the parties and cocktail meetings, what did they do in the remaining time?
She felt extremely idle.
As time slowly passed by and she waited into her old years, she then suddenly realized that she had done nothing in her younger days. What a shame!
Perhaps one man’s pursuits differed from another man’s pursuits!
Cheng Anya smiled as she heard the car. The father and son had returned!
The doom and gloom from the story she was reading suddenly disappeared like rain clouds dispersing to reveal the sun, all things bright and beautiful!
She felt a sweetness in her mouth.
It was as though… she really had a family, having somebody wait for her and having somebody to wait for. They were forms of happiness.
“Mommy, we are back!” Ning Ning came over and habitually kissed Cheng Anya. Looking at the book in her hands, he smiled. “Isn’t this very boring?”
In his impression, his mommy hated reading.
She would only read out of extreme boredom!
“I am not that bored, but extremely hungry!” Cheng Anya smiled. “Quickly make dinner and serve me!”
“You are just good at eating!” Ning Ning chuckled as Ye Chen carried four extremely large shopping bags. Unhappiness was written over his delicate features!
It was as though people owed him billions!
“Third Young Master Ye, who pissed you off?” Cheng Anya was stifled and secretly wondered whether the father and son had gone over the top with excessive shopping.
“You!” Third Young Master Ye was unhappy and dropped two shopping bags next to her. That expression spoke for itself!
Cheng Anya took a look and saw the snacks and canned food she liked.
She suddenly imagined Third Young Master Ye pushing a shopping cart with all the snacks she liked as onlookers saw his cryptic gaze. Cheng Anya finally understood why Third Young Master Ye was unhappy.
“Baby, you are so filial!” Cheng Anya praised Ning Ning in laughter.
“I did what I should do!” Ning Ning replied her sweet smile. “Daddy, let’s make dinner together. We must serve the queen!” Ning Ning turned his head around.
Cheng Anya laughed even louder, and Third Young Master Ye was even unhappier.
“Hey, why did that old man look for you?” Ye Chen asked in a deep voice after Ning Ning entered the kitchen.