“Afan, where are you going?” Su Wanqing, who had just finished trying on a bag, chased after him, only catching a glimpse of He Fan’s hurried retreating figure.
“Wait for me, I’ll be right back.” He Fan didn’t even turn his head, sprinting to the direct elevator in a few strides.
The elevator descended slowly from the upper floors, every second feeling like agony to He Fan.
When it reached the first floor, he strode quickly toward the exit, his heart pounding and his mind in a mess.
Bursting out of the mall’s side door, he found himself on a pedestrian street, bustling with people coming and going.
He Fan looked around frantically, but couldn’t find the two figures he was searching for.
“Afan!” Su Wanqing caught up to him, panting, her face showing hurt and confusion. “Why are you running? What’s wrong?”
Only then did He Fan snap back to reality, realizing he’d lost his composure. He suppressed the irritation in his chest and forced a faint smile. “Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew.”
Su Wanqing looked at He Fan’s grim expression and felt a vague sense of unease, but she was smart enough not to press further. Instead, she coaxed, “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
He Fan’s mind was completely occupied with Yu Yan and the man beside her.
“Afan?” Su Wanqing tugged at his arm.
“Alright, whatever you say. Let’s go eat.” He Fan closed his eyes briefly, and deep within them, a shadow of gloom settled.
He took out his phone and sent a message to a number: “Check for me—whether Yu Yan is really married. If she is, who is her current husband, what does he do, what’s his background. As soon as possible.”
After sending the message, he put his phone away and wrapped an arm around Su Wanqing’s shoulder. “Let’s go, babe.”
Meanwhile, at a small inn in Lingcheng.
“Young Master He is quite generous.” Zhang Guilin counted the thick stack of cash she’d just withdrawn from the bank. “He gives out tens of thousands like it’s nothing.”
Yu Jianguo and Zhang Guilin, thinking of their son, boarded a train back to their hometown with the cash in hand.
“His father, what do you think Young Master He means by this?” Zhang Guilin lowered her voice. “He told us not to tell Yu Yan. Is he having a tiff with her?”
“Who cares what he means.” Yu Jianguo shot her a glare. “Rich people—what slips through their fingers is enough to feed us for a year. If he gives, we take. I think he’s treating us like proper in-laws already. This is his way of showing filial respect in advance!”
Zhang Guilin thought about it and found the reasoning sound. A smile bloomed on her face. “You’re good at figuring these things out. Once Yu Yan marries into that family, our good days are just beginning. The money for our son’s house, the bride price—it’s all taken care of now.”
“That’s not all.” Yu Jianguo calculated. “Once they’re married, we’ll be the He family’s in-laws. We’ll move to Lingcheng, have Young Master He arrange us some easy jobs, and get our son a position at Bohe…”
The two of them grew more excited as they talked, as if they could already see a future gleaming with gold.
Five hours later, they arrived at the station and took a cab to their son Yu Wei’s rented apartment.
“Dad, Mom, you’re finally back!” Yu Wei shuffled to the door in his slippers. At twenty-four, he had a listless, washed-out look about him. “Did you get the money?”
“Got it, got it!” Zhang Guilin hastily pulled the stack of cash from her cloth bag. “Fifty thousand. Use it for now!”
Yu Wei took the money, and his brow immediately furrowed. “Just fifty thousand? Didn’t you say Yu Yan’s hitched herself to someone high up now? They give you this little? That’s like tossing scraps to a beggar!”
“It wasn’t Yu Yan who gave it.” Yu Jianguo explained. “It was her boyfriend, Young Master He.”
“Young Master He?” Yu Wei’s eyes darted around. He’d heard of this brother-in-law—the young master of the He family in Lingcheng, genuinely loaded. “Why would he give you money?”
“He saw we’re having a hard time and wanted to help out.” Zhang Guilin spoke up in He Fan’s defense. “Young Master He is a good man. He really cares about Yu Yan.”
“And you only asked for fifty thousand?” Yu Wei looked at them like they were hopeless. “Are you stupid? Fifty thousand to them is pocket change—the cost of one meal. You should’ve asked for more!”
“Well… we didn’t think of that.” Yu Jianguo rubbed his hands together, somewhat regretful.
Yu Wei pocketed the money and flopped back onto the sofa, crossing his legs. “What can fifty thousand even do? Lili’s family wants eight hundred thousand as bride price, and the down payment for an apartment in Lingcheng is at least two million. You need to go back and ask Young Master He for more.”
“But…” Zhang Guilin hesitated. “We just took fifty thousand from him. Going back for more doesn’t seem right, does it?”
“What’s not right about it? He and Yu Yan are dating. We’ll be family soon. A brother-in-law helping his wife’s younger brother—that’s only natural.” Yu Wei said it with complete self-righteousness.
Zhang Guilin’s expression turned sour. That money wasn’t so easy to get.
Yu Wei’s eyes darted again, then he asked, “Mom, those old things of Grandma’s—they’re still locked up at home, right?”
Zhang Guilin’s face changed. “Why are you asking about that?”
“What else would I ask for?” Yu Wei leaned in closer. “Grandma was from a wealthy family. She brought a lot of good stuff when she married in. Those old jewelry pieces, jade bracelets, silver dollars—they’re worth a fortune now. Sell a few pieces, and that’s enough for my down payment!”
“Absolutely not!” Yu Jianguo cut him off sharply. “Those are your grandmother’s most treasured possessions. You don’t touch them.”
“Grandmother has Alzheimer’s now, and after Yu Yan took her away, we don’t even know where she’s been placed,” Yu Wei said dismissively. “Her things are just locked up anyway. Might as well sell them for cash and let her grandson use it. If Grandmother knew, she’d be happy too.”
“Shut up!” Yu Jianguo rarely lost his temper with his son, but now his chest heaved with rage. “Those things cannot be touched unless absolutely necessary.”
Zhang Guilin also tried to persuade him: “Xiao Wei, Mom promises you, I’ll go find Young Master He again and see what we can do. Let’s leave Grandmother’s things alone for now, okay?”
Yu Jianguo and Zhang Guilin knew their son all too well. The reason he needed so much money wasn’t just for a bride price.
Their son had fallen into gambling.
The moment they gave in, he’d sell those things and gamble it all away.
This was a line they couldn’t easily cross.
Lingcheng, Hengtian Gongguan.
Every Saturday morning, Yu Yan would visit Grandmother at Nanshan Sanatorium.
This week, she’d missed it because she’d gone with He Chiyan to pick out rings.
She dialed the number of Sister Liu, the caretaker at the sanatorium.
“Sister Liu, how has Grandmother been these past few days?”
“The old lady’s doing fine. She eats and takes her medicine on time. She just keeps muttering about Manman. Are you coming by today?”
Manman was the nickname Grandmother had given Yu Yan.
“I probably can’t make it today—something came up. Could you please keep Grandmother company and chat with her a bit more? I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Alright, sure. You go do what you need to do. I’ll take care of the old lady.”
After hanging up, Yu Yan let out a soft sigh.
Grandmother was the only warmth she’d ever felt in that family.
When she was little, her parents favored her younger brother. When they went to work in another city, they took her brother along and left her behind. She was raised by Grandmother.
Later, when she got into university and her parents cut off financial support, Grandmother gave her the retirement savings she’d put aside. Grandmother said, “Manman, study hard and fly out of this family.”
Then later, Grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her parents found it too troublesome and sent her to a poorly equipped public nursing home in the county town.
Yu Yan was still in university then. When she found out from relatives, she gritted her teeth, brought Grandmother to Lingcheng, and placed her in the private sanatorium with good facilities and medical care where she was now.
Grandmother was her greatest weakness.
The monthly sanatorium fees and medical expenses were no small sum.
That was also one of the reasons she’d unhesitatingly demanded a hefty breakup settlement when He Fan proposed ending things.
She needed money—lots of it—to ensure Grandmother would always receive proper care.
At dinner, He Chiyan announced something that caught Yu Yan completely off guard.