Chapter 326 - 324: Re-entering the "Dreamscape" (Part 2)

Chapter 326: Chapter 324: Re-entering the "Dreamscape" (Part 2)

It has to be said, a woman’s intuition can be a scary thing.

The moment Tang Juanmei’s words fell, Luo Hongyi didn’t even try to hide his feelings. He said bluntly, "Mom, if you had come alone or with Dad today, I naturally wouldn’t have arranged for you to stay in a hotel. But you brought someone else, and a young woman at that. If I let her stay here, can you imagine the damage it would do to her reputation?"

"But Yaluo came all this way specifically to meet you for matchmaking." Tang Juanmei waved her hand dismissively and laid out her plans. "You’re something else. Why didn’t you tell me before you had Xiao Zheng buy the tickets? Hurry up and tell him to get them refunded. Yaluo and I will be staying here. Your father and I have already discussed it with Yaluo’s parents. She’ll move in right away and spend some time with you and Shengnan. In a month or two, when you’re not as busy, your father, your siblings, and Yaluo’s family will all come to Beijing to hold the wedding banquet for you."

Tang Juanmei, having made the decision on her own, wore a considerate expression. "I know you’re busy. If you really can’t find the time, we only need to hold the banquet in Beijing. After all, it’s your second marriage, so you don’t need to personally go back to our hometown to hold another one..."

Xia Yaruo’s face instantly flushed red. She couldn’t help but steal a shy glance at Luo Hongyi. Seeing his furrowed brow and look of rejection, she felt a sharp pang of disappointment. ’I’ve been beautiful since I was little. Back when I was seventeen or eighteen, many suitors came to our door, but my parents never agreed to a match. The truth is, even back then, they were already planning for me to marry into the Luo family once I came of age...’

Now that she had finally met Luo Hongyi, however much she might have resisted the idea in the past was matched by how willing she was now. But it seemed the tables had turned; it was a classic case of unrequited love, where the goddess pines for an indifferent king.

She bit her lip, a wave of defiance rising in her heart.

Floating in mid-air, Gu Nuan Nuan took in everyone’s expressions below. She shook her head in amusement. When she looked at Luo Hongyi, his face was impassive, but the back of his hand, suddenly clenched into a fist with veins popping, betrayed his true feelings. She let out a rather wicked "HA HA."

’How could I not laugh? Even I know that Luo Hongyi is, at his core, a man with a very strong will of his own. He absolutely can’t stand it when people make decisions for him without consultation, especially on a matter as monumental as his entire life. The funny thing is, the very family who boasts of loving him more than me—the woman who just appeared halfway through his life—completely fails to understand this part of his personality.’

’Do they really think that just because they’re his parents, they still have the right and the confidence to control him, no matter how old he is or how successful he’s become?’

She shook her head, settling in to watch the show with a touch of schadenfreude.

Sure enough, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t have to wait long. Luo Hongyi’s expression remained unchanged. Instead of addressing Tang Juanmei’s point, he said slowly, "Mom, you two should eat first. Otherwise, the breakfast will get cold."

He turned and called out in a louder voice, "Zheng Bo, go to the kitchen and bring out the hot food."

"Yes, President." Zheng Bo had already placed the various large and small bags on the coffee table and was standing by. Hearing Luo Hongyi’s command, he immediately responded with a loud "yes" and turned to run toward the kitchen.

"Where’s Madam Shan? Why isn’t she here today? Did she quit?" Tang Juanmei asked, puzzled. "And Shengnan, I’ve been here for so long, why haven’t I seen her? Did she go to kindergarten? It’s rare for me to visit; why didn’t you ask for a day off for her?"

"They both went back to my mother-in-law’s place yesterday to stay for two or three days. After you leave tomorrow, I’ll go pick them up in the evening." Luo Hongyi gestured and then led the way to the dining room. Xiao Zheng was quick; by the time the three of them reached the doorway, he had already set out most of the food.

"What are they trying to do? Are they deliberately hiding from your father and me? It’s one thing for your mother-in-law to hide—I don’t want to see her anyway. But what right does she have to take my granddaughter with her? I’m Shengnan’s biological grandmother! Why is the child being taught to only recognize her maternal grandmother and not her paternal grandparents?"

Tang Juanmei flew into a rage. At this moment, she ignored Luo Hongyi’s casual mention of them leaving tomorrow. She had made up her mind. She was his biological mother, after all. As long as she refused to leave, there was no way Luo Hongyi would have the heart to kick her out.

"No one is teaching her who to recognize and who not to. What does a child know? Naturally, she’ll be close to whoever is good to her and treats her with genuine sincerity," Luo Hongyi said, his tone still light.

"What’s that supposed to mean? Who told you your father and I aren’t good to the child, that we aren’t sincere? Whoever dares to teach a child such things behind our backs is truly shameless! Living off my son, drinking my son’s water, and then stubbornly squatting in my son’s house... teaching a child like that, they deserve to be struck by lightning!"

Tang Juanmei’s rage flared. She was on the verge of blurting out Zhang Minzhen’s name, but at the critical moment, she caught a glimpse of Luo Hongyi’s face, which was so dark it looked as if ink would drip from it.

She suddenly remembered how protective her Third Son was of his mother-in-law. She paused, deflating a little, and her tone turned sour. "I swear to God, even though Shengnan didn’t grow up with us, your father and I love her just as much.

"More than half of the things I brought today are for her. You’re my son. Don’t be so easily swayed that a few words from someone else make you feel distant from your own parents."

"You know, your father and I have struggled our whole lives. Now that we’re old, we’ve always thought how wonderful it would be if we could come to Beijing and enjoy a couple of days of comfort with you. But instead, here you are, with your mother-in-law insisting on living in her son-in-law’s house under the pretext of looking after the child..."

"But weren’t you the ones who said you couldn’t get used to Beijing and preferred living in the countryside?"

Luo Hongyi glanced at Tang Juanmei. "Back when Nuannuan was pregnant for the first time, I was afraid she’d be home alone with no one to look after her, so I begged you to come and take care of her for a few months."

"In the end, you and Dad came together, but before even half a month was up, you both insisted on leaving. You said you didn’t know anyone in Beijing and couldn’t get used to living here. Since you put it that way, I had no choice but to eventually ask my mother-in-law to come."

Hearing her third son suddenly bring this up, Tang Juanmei was taken aback. She subconsciously glanced at Xia Yaruo, who was standing nearby with her ears perked, and gave an awkward, dry laugh. "Why are you suddenly dredging up all that old stuff?"

"Your father and I may not have been there for Nuannuan during her first pregnancy, but didn’t I stay and take care of her for a full two months during her postpartum confinement?"