A night of drizzling rain left the lush courtyard, teeming with trees and flowers, feeling particularly chilly. Dew drops clung to the green leaves, and the interwoven grass glistened with moisture.
The main door of the villa was pushed open from the inside. Guo Xuehua, dressed in a light brown sweater and with her hair still unkempt, stepped out and looked towards the large iron gate.
She hadn't slept well the entire night, her face looking tired and bearing dark circles under her eyes. But Guo Xuehua didn't care about that. Yang Chen hadn't co ho all night, and no one had inford her of his whereabouts. She was deeply worried.
Aunt Wang erged from the house, sighing wearily, and said with concern, "Xuehua, I've made so porridge. You should have so. It's cold outside in the early morning; standing around isn't good."
"Yulan, where do you think Yang Chen could have gone? So many people searched the whole Zhonghai for him, yet he still can't be found," Guo Xuehua said anxiously, having no appetite for porridge.
This was her son, lost for over twenty years and just recently found, now missing again. If she weren't ntally strong, she might have collapsed by now.
Aunt Wang wore a bitter expression. "I may not have children, but I understand how hard this is for you. Even though the young master hasn't returned, no one has said anything bad has happened to him. If he cos back and finds you unwell, he would feel terrible too."
"I know waiting like this is useless, but my heart is not just troubled, it's breaking," Guo Xuehua said, her face showing an indescribable sorrow.
Aunt Wang sighed helplessly, "Our family always seems to have these worrying incidents. At least Zhenxiu is staying at school these days. If she were ho and saw this, given her bond with the young master, she'd be in an uproar, making the house even more chaotic."
Guo Xuehua paused, frowning. "Right, I was so worried I forgot. Zhenxiu didn't co ho last night; is she staying at school?"
Aunt Wang nodded, speaking tenderly, "She called after you left, saying they're intensively reviewing sothing at school these days, so the whole senior year is staying on campus. I don't know what's up with these schools, always having intense training. They're just students but work harder than adults."
Guo Xuehua forced a smile, "Students preparing for college entrance exams naturally have it tough, but they might fondly rember these tis later on. Sotis when I look at Zhenxiu, I often think if our Yang Chen had grown up at ho, gone to school like other kids, I would have been like other mothers, urging him to study and do howork.
Thinking about it, those days would have been aningful, watching him grow and learn more each day.
But Yang Chen, and my younger son Yang Lie, one disappeared when he was young, and the other went off with his master to learn skills. I never got to take care of them properly. I feel so inadequate as a mother, just wanting to make up for it with the ti I have left. At least I saw Lie often when he was young, but I couldn't take care of Yang Chen at all."
"No wonder you treat Zhenxiu like your daughter, filling the gap of never having raised your own children," Aunt Wang joked lightly.
Guo Xuehua smiled faintly, but the worry in her brows remained.
The two watched the gate for a while, not seeing anyone return, so they turned back towards the house. Just as they were about to close the door, there was a knock on the large iron gate outside.
Guo Xuehua and Aunt Wang imdiately ran out again. Sure enough, there was a figure outside, knocking on the iron gate.
Seeing this, Guo Xuehua's eyes turned red, tears of joy welling up. The person returning was none other than Yang Chen!
"Young master!"
Aunt Wang was equally delighted, quickly pulling Guo Xuehua to the gate to excitedly open it for Yang Chen.
As Guo Xuehua took a closer look, tears began to flow uncontrollably. Yang Chen looked utterly "miserable" at the mont.
He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, both stained with grass and mud, still damp in many places. His hair was a ss, resembling a bird's nest, and there were smudges of dirt on his face. His sneakers were caked with mud, and his calves were speckled with yellow mud, likely splashed by muddy water.
This disheveled appearance made Yang Chen, who was never particularly handso, look like a holess person or even a ntally unstable individual. Yet, Yang Chen himself seed completely unfazed, grinning and laughing foolishly at the two elders, his mood exceptionally good.
"Mom, Aunt Wang, I'm sorry. My phone ran out of battery, and then I got caught up in sothing and lost track of ti. Seeing how miserable I look, please don't be mad," Yang Chen said, scratching his head and giving a few playful winks.
Seeing her son laughing carelessly, Guo Xuehua's lips quivered as she hugged him tightly, crying. She then lightly punched him a few tis, wiping her tears and saying, "You rascal! What could be so important that you'd forget to co ho? You didn't even consider how worried we'd be! Do you know how close I was to losing my mind with worry?"
Yang Chen let Guo Xuehua pound on him, each punch making him feel a mix of guilt and sweetness. The concern of family mbers was sothing he both regretted and enjoyed.
After Guo Xuehua vented her emotions and cald down, her spirits lifted quickly. Having her son ho safe and sound was more important than anything else, so she didn't bother asking Yang Chen more questions. She hurriedly pulled him into the house.
Once inside, Guo Xuehua took a look at Yang Chen's "beggar outfit" and frowned. "Did you get lost in so remote mountain? How did you end up like this? Weren't you driving to the airport? Where did you actually go?"
Yang Chen didn't hide anything and said directly, "I was going to the airport, but sothing ca up, so I ended up in a wasteland near the airport and stayed there all night."
"Wasteland?" Both Guo Xuehua and Aunt Wang were puzzled. "What were you doing in a place like that?"
Yang Chen thought for a mont and said, "Honestly, I'm not even sure what I was doing. Soone talked to about sothing, and then I started thinking about various things. Before I knew it, the night was over. The car broke down, so I had to jog back ho, treating it as morning exercise."
Guo Xuehua and Aunt Wang had no idea what Yang Chen was rambling about. He didn't seem to be lying, but his words made no sense.
"Young master, why didn't you take a taxi? Even if you didn't have money, you could still get a ride," Aunt Wang said, feeling sorry for him.
Yang Chen looked frustrated and said indignantly, "Aunt Wang, you don't know! Those taxi drivers thought I was a beggar. So even thought I was crazy and refused to let in their cabs!"
It dawned on the two won that, given Yang Chen's current appearance, no one would dare pick him up. Even if they weren't afraid of getting their cars dirty, they'd worry about encountering a fugitive.
Eventually, Guo Xuehua, torn between laughter and tears, decided not to ask her son what he'd been doing. For her, as long as Yang Chen was safe, that was all that mattered. She pushed him and said, "Never mind that. Go upstairs, take a shower, change your clothes, and co down for breakfast. You must be hungry after not eating for so long."
Yang Chen glanced at the steaming porridge and side dishes on the table, swallowed, and said cheekily, "How about I eat first?"
"No way. You're not eating in this state. You'll get mud all over the carpet," Guo Xuehua said, showing no rcy despite Yang Chen's pitiful look. So things she wouldn't compromise on, even with the guilt she felt in her heart. Besides, Yang Chen didn't look like he'd faint from hunger.
Yang Chen scratched his head, indifferent, and started to head upstairs.
Guo Xuehua suddenly rembered sothing and urgently called out, "Oh, Yang Chen, did you know that Lu Min was murdered?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Chen didn't even turn his head. He just waved his hand dismissively, "I know. Don't worry about it. Let them think whatever they want."
Guo Xuehua was taken aback. Lu Min was the person Yang Chen had been insanely determined to kill. She thought that hearing about Lu Min's murder would elicit so reaction from him, especially since those people were clearly trying to fra him. But to her surprise, Yang Chen seed completely indifferent.
Watching Yang Chen head upstairs, Guo Xuehua pondered for a mont, furrowing her brows. She turned to Aunt Wang and said, "Yulan, don't you think Yang Chen seems a bit different this ti?"
Aunt Wang was puzzled. "What's different? The young master has always been like this. Though he can be nonchalant, he's very dependable when it matters. I've told you before, ever since he married the young lady, many problems in our family have been resolved, all thanks to him."
Guo Xuehua shook her head and smiled. "I don't an it that way. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like there's sothing different about him this ti. I can't quite pinpoint it, but it's definitely not a bad thing."
Aunt Wang chuckled. "Maybe it's just a mother's intuition."
Knowing Aunt Wang was teasing her, Guo Xuehua rolled her eyes and was about to say sothing when she suddenly rembered. "Oh dear, I forgot to tell Yang Chen that An Xin is sleeping in his room!"
Aunt Wang was surprised. She had gone to bed early last night and hadn't known. "You let Miss An Xin sleep in the young master's room?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Guo Xuehua nodded. "Yes, it was very late, and I didn't have the heart to send her away. Letting her sleep in Ruoxi's or Zhenxiu's room didn't seem appropriate, so I let her sleep in Yang Chen's room."
Aunt Wang gave a bittersweet smile, unsure of what to say.
"It should be fine. Ruoxi is still in Europe, and An Xin should leave once she sees Yang Chen," Guo Xuehua added, feeling guilty. But even she knew it wasn't fair, especially in front of Aunt Wang, who was in so ways a guardian to Ruoxi.
Aunt Wang sighed. "This isn't about one night or a few nights. Even if we don't ntion it, the relationship between Miss An Xin and the young master is obvious. Xuehua, first it was Miss Rose next door, and now there's Miss An Xin. I've watched our young lady grow up. I know her temperant well. Once she sets her mind on sothing, she's as stubborn as a mule. If this continues, how are you, as her mother-in-law, going to handle it?"
Guo Xuehua's mind was a ss. She was happy her son was back, but his lifestyle was becoming a serious issue.
Just then, the phone rang. Aunt Wang naturally walked over to answer it. "Hello, who is this?"
After a mont, her expression turned complicated and sowhat surprised. "Miss? You're ho?"
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