[Chapter 071] Bian Tingâs Letter & Father PK Small Aunt
He ignored the car and took Uncle Liâs car together with Lu YunFei. As he prepared to board it, he heard Yuan Shuo call after him, âJin Jin.â
Lu YunFei turned to look at him, âJin Jin?â
Yuan Shuo had already walked over. He smiled at Lu YunFei, âYou must be Xiao Fei. Iâm business partners with your father and have heard about you from him. Youâre a handsome boy like he said.â
Lu YunFei smiled politely, âHello uncle.â
âHello to you too,â Yuan Shuo looked at his son after greeting Lu YunFei, âAre you going to tutor Xiao Fei? Let me send you home after your tutoring session.â
âNo need, uncle Li will send me.â
âI also wish to treat you to a meal,â Yuan Shuo said truthfully.
âNot today, Sunday is better.â
Yuan Shuo didnât argue, and only said, âOkay then.â
He took out his phone and asked Bian JinYuan, âCould you tell me your phone number?â
Bian JinYuan didnât refuse, and calmly recited his phone number.
Yuan Shuo didnât bother them after this. He bid them goodbye and went back to his car.
Sensed that something was up, Lu YunFei pulled Bian JinYuan into the car and asked him what was happening.
Bian JinYuan didnât hide it from him and told him plainly, âHe said that heâs my dad.â
âWhy would he suddenly appear, where had he been all these while?â
âHe didnât know of my existence before. Now that he suddenly appearedâŠâ Bian JinYuan said to this point, and then slowly gazed at Lu YunFei, âYou heard it too just now didnât you, heâs your fatherâs business partner. Your father had randomly talked a bit about me to him, thatâs how he knew.â
Lu YunFei thought about that night when his mum told him, âOf course itâs an important partner. Speaking of, the other party is quite handsome. Not only that, he also looks very familiar.â
So it had turned out to be Bian JinYuanâs father⊠it really was⊠no wonder his mum found him familiar!
Lu YunFei was dumbfounded for a moment. After a moment of silence, he asked, âThen what do you think about your dad whoâs suddenly appeared?â
Bian JinYuan said calmly, âHeâs just a passerby.â
Bian JinYuan shook his head.
âThen do you like him?â
âHow is that possible.â
Bian JinYuan looked out the window, âIâm someone whoâs scarce with emotions. The majority of people are just passersby to me. You wonât hate a passerby, nor would you like one. Apart from you, my small aunt, and Shuang Shuang, I donât have any opinions towards anyone else.â
Lu YunFei was surprised, âIâm also included?â
Bian JinYuan looked at him, âDo you feel honoured?â
Lu YunFei nodded, âVery honoured.â
Bian JinYuan smiled and reached out to pinch his face.
The tutoring session went by quickly that night, and Uncle Li sent Bian JinYuan to the train station. Bian JinYuan thanked him and walked home quietly.
The night sky was dark. As he walked on the road, he slowly recalled a letter from a long time ago.
It was a letter that Bian Ting had written and passed to him on her deathbed.
Bian JinYuan had read it numerous times, to the point where he could memorise its contents.
âXiao Yuan, are you sad because your mum is no longer here? If so, then mum can only apologise to you. Mum also doesnât want to leave, but it canât be helped, so please donât blame mum alright? Everyone will have to depart at a certain point. If they meet sickness or other disasters, they would quicken their pace towards the end.â
âDo you still remember your grandparents? You probably donât, but you had met them when you were very young, so young that you were still being carried by me. But they had to leave because their time was up. It is now mumâs time to go. After I leave, I can reunite with your grandparents in another world. So, you donât have to be sad.â
âXiao Yuan you canât come over, because your small aunt is still here. If we were to all go over to the other side, Small aunt will be all alone. She would be too pitiful. Small aunt treats you very well, so you could not bear for that to happen to her right? Anyway, mum canât bear it, so mum hopes for you and small aunt to be live happily together.â
âI still remember when you were just born. You were so small, and youâve grown so much in a blink of an eye. You once asked me where your dad was when you were younger. Why didnât our family have a father? I donât know when but you somehow stopped asking. Now, mum wants to tell you something about your dad, because youâll never hear about it if I donât say it now. If you donât understand the contents, or if you donât wish to read it, then please store this letter away. You can read it when youâre older or when you meet your father.â
âXiao Yuan, do you believe in fate? I do. So, if you meet your dad one day, donât be surprised. Donât be upset either, and donât be angry. He doesnât know of your existence. In this aspect, heâs innocent. When you appeared in my womb, it was at the height of our love, filled with love and warmth. And so, I gave birth to you.â
âYou were conceived with love, the same as all the children in the world. I love you, and I love your father too. I donât know if youâll ever meet each other someday in this big world, but I hope that if you do, that you would follow your heart. If you wish to get closer to him, then get closer to him. If you wish to keep away from him, then keep away. You belong to yourself. Your life is up to you.â
âOnly, this entire situation was built on the foundation of him not wanting to form a family. Your father is someone who cherishes his freedom. He hates restraints, and so he rejected the notion of marriage and families. This was also the reason why we didnât stay together. Iâm an ordinary woman, I want to form a family and have children at a certain age, but he doesnât think so. His life is rich with wealth and freedom; heâs given a lot leeway in this respect. But I donât, and so I chose to leave him.â
âIf you meet him, and heâs yet to form a family, then you should follow your heart. Make sure that youâre happy whether you grow closer to him or keep away from him. If he already has a family, then you should steer away from him. Your birth was outside of his expectations. Itâs irrelevant to him, only to me. Your growth is also irrelevant to him, so he should respect your decision.â
âI love you. In this life, I love you the most in this world. And so I wish for you to always be happy. Small aunt will take care of you after I leave. She is the other person whom I love most apart from you, and so Iâll be at peace leaving you with her. Our relationship is too short in this lifetime. I canât bear to leave before seeing you grow up, but I canât help it. The only reprieve is that there are still people whom I trust in this world, so that I can leave you to her.â
âXiao Yuan, live your life happily, and grow into someone whom you wish to become. This world is a beautiful place for you to savour. My greatest gift to you is to have brought you into this world. Here is a place which presents unending opportunities and dreams, and you will achieve them.â
Bian JinYuan unconsciously halted his steps. He looked up at the starless night sky in the city, and resumed walking forwards.
Iâve met him, he said soundlessly in his heart, but I donât feel anything for him. Mum, I donât hate him, nor am I upset. No resentment, and no love. So donât worry, Iâll settle this situation my way.
He pushed open the door to the yard and entered it. His home was emitting a warm light.
Bian JinYuan had never regretted having been born in this world. He had never harboured such feelings even during the hardships his family had gone through. This world was the greatest gift that Bian Ting had given him. She had brought him into this world and given him all of her love. He lived among love and dreams. Even after she had departed, Bian Jie had continued to light up his world, never ceasing this light.
And so he didnât hate or resent Yuan Shuo, and he also didnât feel like he needed Yuan Shuo in his life. He lived completely, possessing familial, friendly, and romantic relationships. He didnât want for anything else.
However, Yuan Shuo was different, he needed him.
At the appointed Sunday, Yuan Shuo entered the yard of Bian JinYuanâs house, following him through the door. He looked at the cramped house in shock, an overwhelming pang of heartbreak at the sight.
Bian Jie had already made a meal. Shuang Shuang had also been sent to a friendâs house. Bian Jie said, âSit.â
Yuan Shuo looked at her face that was strikingly similar to Bian Tingâs. In that moment, he felt a revelation.
He seemed to have seen a young Bian Ting in her, yet also seemed to see a middle-aged Bian Ting as well. But he knew that the person in front of him wasnât the girl he liked, but her younger sister, the one whom she often talked aboutâBian Jie.
Yuan Shuo sat on the sofa, and Bian Jie and Bian JinYuan moved two stools over to sit in front of him.
Yuan Shuo was about to speak when he heard Bian Jie say, âIâve heard about you from Xiao Yuan. But I want to clarify something with you, can I?â
Yuan Shuo answered naturally, âSure.â
Bian Jie didnât beat around the bush, âMay I know if mister Yuan is married?â
Yuan Shuo hadnât expected her to be so direct. He was momentarily stunned, and then answered truthfully, âNot yet.â
Being single at his age was uncommon. However, Bian JinYuan and Bian Jie had heard about his resistance towards marriage from Bian Ting, and so they nodded in acknowledgement.
âMister Yuan is still the same as when you were young, disliking restraints. Not being married at this age, Mister Yuan is probably living freely, right?â
Bian JinYuan glanced at his small aunt, now understanding why she wanted to meet his cheap father. He hadnât thought that, for all that his small aunt was sweet and gentle, that she would be able to say such barbed words.
Yuan Shuo naturally was able to detect what even Bian JinYuan could see. He recalled what Bian Ting had said, that she and her younger sister were very close. He smiled and replied amiably, âI am so, but not that freely.â
âThen does mister Yuan plan to get married?â
âWeâll see in the future.â
Bian Jie scoffed, âMister Yuan is really banking on there being many days in the future. When probed on marriage in your youth, you left it to the future, as there was no hurry. Now that youâre middle-aged, mister Yuan continues to push the matter of marriage to the future. Mister Yuanâs future is so difficult to wait for. Itâs a good thing that my sister left early, otherwise Iâm afraid that she would be waiting until her death, and still never hear a word from mister Yuan about marriage.â
Yuan Shuo raised his head sharply, as he glared fiercely at Bian Jie.
Bian Jie didnât seem to notice his anger. She looked at Yuan Shuo, her eyes filled with resentment and disdain. She knew about Bian Ting and Yuan Shuoâs relationship better than Bian JinYuan, and knew how much Bian Ting suffered in order to take care of Bian JinYuan. As Bian Tingâs younger sister, she stood by Bian Tingâs side unconditionally, and so in her heart, Yuan Shuo had long ago been marked as scum. It wouldnât matter if Yuan Shuo had never appeared before them. Now that he had, she wasnât going to be polite to him.
Bian JinYuan looked at the two people before him, and poured a drink for Bian Jie, âSmall aunt, drink something.â
Then, he placed the jug back and reminded the man sitting opposite him, âRetract your gaze. If you arenât able to speak properly to my small aunt, then you can scram.â
Yuan Shuo looked at his son in shock. Was it him who didnât want to talk properly? It was obviously the other party who didnât want to talk properly. He was innocent!