TL: Hua

Chapter 108: This chapter is now complete

While the entire internet was feasting on the Xuan family’s drama and enjoying their downfall, there were those who couldn’t bring themselves to be happy at all.

The members of the Lin family, young and old, had been heartbroken for the past few days.

Xie Roufei, in particular, as a mother, couldn’t sleep all night when she thought about her child’s past experiences.

It was already 3:00 AM when Lin Yanhui returned home, but Xie Roufei was still awake.

“How is it?”

Upon seeing Lin Yanhui, Xie Roufei immediately looked up and stared at him anxiously.

Lin Yanhui nodded. “It’s settled. All the negative news about our baby has been deleted. That man surnamed Bai won’t be releasing anything else. Yunzhe has also mostly finished dealing with the Xuan family’s side.”

Hearing this, Xie Roufei finally nodded with a bit of relief, though her eyes couldn’t help but turn red again.

What they could do for the child now was merely post-traumatic compensation.

But the actual harm done back then… she had no way to turn back time to protect her child from being hurt.

Her child had never received the love he deserved growing up; he was abused for sixteen years and later locked in an internet addiction treatment center, where he became so depressed he nearly committed suicide…

The thought of the helpless Lin Yanran back then caused Xie Roufei immense pain, her heart twisting in agony.

If only she had been more careful back then, her child wouldn’t have been lost, and he wouldn’t have suffered so much.

Seeing the tears in the corners of Xie Roufei’s eyes, Lin Yanhui knew she was blaming herself again, so he gently embraced her.

“This will never happen again. We will protect Ranran.”

“Get some sleep. He’s coming back tomorrow.”

Because Bai Tianyu had been arrested, Lin Yanran, as a witness, had spent the last few days shuttling back and forth to the police station.

Coupled with handling the aftermath of the Xuan family, he had been so busy he only managed to talk to his family over the phone.

However, from beginning to end, he hadn’t told his family about these specific matters.

He was afraid they would worry.

Especially his mother. Losing her child before had been a huge blow to her, and she had always blamed herself.

Now that she had finally begun to recover, if she were to find out what the original owner of this body had gone through, she would undoubtedly be devastated.

But Lin Yanran soon realized that even though he hadn’t said anything, everyone in the family already knew.

After all, a corporation as large as the Xuan Group had been fine until it suddenly ran into trouble these past few days.

Such a swift and decisive approach was very much his brother’s style.

Before the car could even enter the villa’s garage, the driver stopped.

Lin Yanran, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to find his family waiting for him at the doorstep.

He quickly opened the car door.

As soon as he stepped out, his family strode toward him.

Xie Roufei, in particular, trotted forward and pulled her son into a tight embrace.

She had spent a long time mentally preparing herself, telling herself to control her emotions for fear that bringing up the past would trigger Lin Yanran’s depression again.

But the moment she saw her son, her tears fell uncontrollably.

Looking at his mother, who had clearly grown thinner, Lin Yanran felt equally pained.

He apologized to her in a low voice, “Mom, I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Xie Roufei held him tightly, shaking her head and choking back sobs. “Don’t say sorry. Baby, you don’t owe anyone an apology. You are so brave; you are my pride…”

“It’s me who should be sorry.”

“No.” Not wanting her to be so sad, Lin Yanran comforted her softly, “Mom, it’s all in the past.”

The past was too tragic, and since the Lin family had used all their connections over the past few days, they knew everything they wanted to know.

Therefore, once Xie Roufei’s emotions stabilized, everyone tacitly agreed not to bring it up.

They didn’t want Lin Yanran to tear open his scars again while recounting the story.

Lin Yanran also didn’t want to trigger his family with such painful events.

They were all trying to protect their beloved family members.

Dinner was personally prepared by Xie Roufei and Lin Yanhui, featuring all of Lin Yanran’s favorite dishes.

Xie Roufei didn’t eat much herself; she was busy piling food onto Lin Yanran’s plate.

Lin Yanran met her gentle gaze. “Mom, you should eat some too.”

Xie Roufei nodded and finally ate a little.

To the side, Lin Yunzhe intentionally said in a sour tone, “Mom’s cooking is so good. It’s a pity I only get to eat it a few times a year.”

Xie Roufei hadn’t cooked for many years; her delicate fingers usually didn’t touch household chores.

She only returned to the kitchen when Lin Yanran came home.

Lin Yanhui also laughed and patted his stomach. “Ranran, you should come back every day so I can benefit from it too.”

Lin Yanran’s eyes met his father’s and brother’s, and he then jokingly tattled to Xie Roufei, “I get it, I get it. Mom, Brother and Dad have a problem with me.”

Looking at the three of them, a smile finally appeared on Xie Roufei’s face.

She cut the baked chiffon cake into small pieces and stuffed one into Lin Yanhui’s mouth. “Eat your cake and talk less.”

Lin Yanhui, who almost choked, deliberately added, “So sweet, my wife!”

Lin Yunzhe shook his head, looking like he couldn’t bear to watch.

Lin Yanran also finished the cake on his plate with a smile and handed the empty plate to his brother.

“Brother, the cake is delicious. Give me half of yours~”

Lin Yunzhe quickly cut a huge piece of his own cake for Lin Yanran.

The two brothers shared a secret smile.

The big brother, Lin Yunzhe, didn’t actually like cake or sweets, but he didn’t want to dampen his mother’s spirits.

So in the past, whenever their mother baked a cake, Lin Yanran would find all sorts of excuses to help his brother take away more than half of it.

Even now, it is exactly the same.

Afterward, Lin Yanran rested at home for a few days. During this time, his parents stayed by his side constantly until he finally left, citing work as an excuse.

Upon returning to his residence, Lin Yanran drew all the curtains and lay prone on the sofa alone, quietly watching a movie.

As for what was playing in the film, Lin Yanran didn’t actually take in a single word. In the darkness, his mind was a chaotic mess.

Scenes from the past few days at home flashed through his mind repeatedly.

Although his family members hadn’t mentioned a thing, he could feel that his parents were doing everything in their power to make it up to him, trying to give him redoubled care and affection.

Yet the more they acted this way, the more conflicted Lin Yanran felt.

He realized he was getting a bit stuck in his own thoughts.

Rationally, he was well aware that he didn’t need to be so pedantic about it. The reality was what it was: he had transmigrated into a book, and the parents in this world were his parents.

But emotionally, he felt as though he couldn’t accept this love so easily.

He couldn’t help but keep thinking that the original owner had endured so much suffering; if he had just held on for a few more months, perhaps he could have reunited with his parents.

Although he knew that in the original plot of the book, the owner’s final end was death without ever reconciling with his parents, Lin Yanran still felt an unspeakable sadness.

In the past, when he had no family, he could accept these settings quite easily.

But now, not only had he found a family, but they also felt guilty because of what the original owner had suffered and were compensating him, allowing him to enjoy this love…

Every time he faced them, Lin Yanran felt as if he had stolen the love meant for the original owner.

When Gu Siye returned, what he saw was Lin Yanran in this conflicted and dejected state.

In his impression, Lin Yanran was a decisive, confident little sun that radiated brilliant light.

This was the first time he had seen such a lost expression on the other man’s face.

Gu Siye walked to Lin Yanran’s side.

It was only after a long while that Lin Yanran slightly lifted his head.

After seeing Gu Siye’s face clearly, Lin Yanran spoke softly.

His voice was low and a bit muffled.

“Teacher Gu.”

Knowing Lin Yanran was in a bad mood, Gu Siye simply gave an acknowledging hum but did not say anything more.

He sat down beside Lin Yanran and accompanied him quietly for a while.

Lin Yanran hadn’t sorted out his thoughts yet, so naturally, he had nothing to say to Gu Siye.

But he didn’t want Gu Siye to misunderstand or worry too much, so he lay across the other’s lap and closed his eyes, trying hard to organize his emotions.

Lin Yanran didn’t know how long he stayed like that. In a daze, he felt a warm hand gently stroking his hair.

Then, Gu Siye’s low voice came from above his head, asking, “Do you want to go out for a walk?”

Lin Yanran originally wanted to shake his head, but then he felt his hand being enveloped by a wave of warmth.

“We’ll bring Ultraman along.”

Gu Siye’s tone was truly too gentle, as gentle as a clear spring, making it impossible for Lin Yanran to refuse.

So, he sluggishly got up and bent over to scoop Ultraman into his arms.

He said they were going for a walk, but Gu Siye took him directly to the underground garage and drove out.

Lin Yanran sat in the passenger seat. Because his heart was in such turmoil, he didn’t pay any attention to the scenery outside the window.

It wasn’t until Gu Siye parked the car at a Chinese-style garden villa situated halfway up a mountain that Lin Yanran realized with a start that the other had brought him quite far away.

“Where is this?”

Lin Yanran glanced around. The environment here was very serene, the scenery exceptionally beautiful, and even the air felt much fresher than usual.

Standing there gave him the feeling of being in a hidden paradise.

Gu Siye locked the car and explained to Lin Yanran, “A property I bought a long time ago.”

Before Lin Yanran could respond, Ultraman suddenly jumped out of his arms and began howling happily as it ran forward.

“Ultraman, wait for me!”

Lin Yanran hurried to chase after it, but Gu Siye stepped ahead and picked Ultraman up.

“Don’t run around. Wait a moment; I’ll take you somewhere.”

After Gu Siye spoke to Ultraman, his gaze landed on Lin Yanran, seemingly a silent invitation.

Lin Yanran understood Gu Siye’s meaning and asked back, “Are you bringing me here for a stroll, Teacher Gu?”

As he spoke, he reached out a hand.

There was no one to disturb them here; they could freely engage in intimate gestures.

Gu Siye nodded, walked to Lin Yanran’s side with a low laugh, and firmly grasped Lin Yanran’s hand.

Then, with one hand holding the naughty Ultraman and the other holding his lover, Gu Siye led him deeper into the garden.

After rounding a few courtyards, a cherry blossom forest suddenly appeared before Lin Yanran’s eyes.

It was currently the season for cherry blossoms to bloom; the pink snowballs on the trees were clustered together, looking incredibly beautiful.

When the breeze blew gently, bits of petals fell to the ground, laying down a thick layer.

The warm, reddish sunset glowed diagonally across Lin Yanran, making his cheeks appear a bit flushed.

Lin Yanran felt his mood suddenly brighten significantly.

Seeing so many cherry blossoms, Ultraman went absolutely wild with joy, struggling to jump down.

This time, Gu Siye let it frolic happily among the cherry blossom petals.

Gu Siye pointed to a lush cherry blossom tree ahead and said to Lin Yanran, “I planted this one ten years ago.”

Lin Yanran looked toward that tree laden with blossoms, a spark of light gradually returning to his eyes. “It’s as handsome as Teacher Gu.”

The yard was very large, and the roads were lined with cherry blossoms.

Lin Yanran walked down the path and found that it actually looped around the mountainside.

Ultraman seemed to love these cherry blossoms very much; stepping on the petals, it was like a perpetual motion machine that knew no fatigue, happily running ahead to lead the way for the two of them.

However, after Lin Yanran rounded a curve, he found Ultraman had stopped under a nearby bench.

Immediately, he heard a cat’s meow.

A beautiful little ginger cat was lying on the bench, sunbathing.

The sunset only illuminated half of the bench. Lin Yanran approached the kitten, standing on the shadowed side, and leaned over to greet it, “Hello, kitty.”

The kitten turned its head to give Lin Yanran a lazy look, then meowed at him as if acting spoiled.

“The cat’s name is Mengmeng.”

Gu Siye introduced to Lin Yanran. “It has a very gentle personality; you can pet it however you like.”

After hearing this, Lin Yanran sat down beside Mengmeng.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on the kitten’s head, stroking it; the texture was soft and very comfortable.

Ultraman was probably tired too, so it curled up by Lin Yanran’s feet and began to snore softly.

The sunset sank a bit lower, sprinkling specks of light on Lin Yanran’s face.

With the spring breeze blowing on his body and a cat in his hand, Lin Yanran felt quite at ease.

He narrowed his eyes and said to Gu Siye beside him, “Teacher Gu, I’m a little sleepy. Lend me your shoulder to lean on.”

Gu Siye put his arm around Lin Yanran and gently drew him onto his shoulder.

More cherry blossom petals fell unknowingly.

After several petals had also landed on his shoulder, Gu Siye heard the person beside him finally speak.

Lin Yanran slowly told Gu Siye the words he hadn’t finished saying last time.

His thoughts were in disarray, jumping from one topic to another; he didn’t even know if he was making any sense.

But from beginning to end, he could clearly feel the warmth being transmitted to him through Gu Siye’s palm.

“Teacher Gu, I’m so conflicted right now.”

“Every time I’m with my parents, I get into a daze, feeling as if they never actually left me.”

“But every time I think of the original Yanran… think of his past experiences, I know with absolute clarity that even though my family looks the same, they aren’t the ones from my memory.”

“Even though we are standing face-to-face, it always feels like there are twenty-plus years missing between us.”

“I don’t want them to worry about me because of those past experiences, because we aren’t actually the same person.”

“So I’ve always felt that I don’t have the right to enjoy this familial love in his stead. The better my family treats me because of those tragic past events, the more confused and guilty I feel.”

“Teacher Gu, what should I do… I don’t seem to know how to handle this relationship.”

“Teacher Gu, I miss my parents so much…”

After pouring out the words he had kept buried in his heart, Lin Yanran fell asleep.

In his grogginess, he felt someone embrace him very gently.

Feeling the familiar scent surrounding him, Lin Yanran, like a kitten, rubbed his cheek against the other’s clothes and then fell fast asleep in peace.

Vaguely, he seemed to hear the man talking to him.

But he was simply too tired; he didn’t catch a single word.

In his dreams, he dreamed of his family… and then he dreamed of Gu Siye.

The sunset faded into the afterglow, and a single petal landed softly on Lin Yanran’s cheek.

His brow, which had been furrowed all this time, finally relaxed.

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