Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The aroma of tea lingered as Yan Changde lifted his cup again and took a small sip.

Luo Mu, however, was not reconciled: “Uncle Yan, Yan Qingzhu…“

“Luo Mu!“

Before Luo Mu could speak further, Yan Qingzhu suddenly lost control of her emotions. She pressed down hard on Luo Mu’s wrist and rebuked her.

For a moment, an oppressive atmosphere spread through the room, eery and silent, save for the ethereal, lingering melody of the konghou in the distance.

The two women locked eyes, neither willing to take a single step back.

“Ah-Qing,” Yan Changde set down his teacup and tapped his knuckles three times on the wooden table. “Go find Nanjiao and get a different pack of tea leaves.“

Yan Qingzhu fell silent instantly, her rationality slowly returning. A few seconds later, as she prepared to leave her seat, she said: “I’ll have the server change it…“

“Ah-Qing,” Yan Changde repeated, his voice carrying undeniable weight.

“Go find Nanjiao and get a different pack of tea leaves.“

This time, both Luo Mu and Yan Qingzhu understood the subtext.

He was telling Yan Qingzhu to leave so he could speak privately.

Yan Qingzhu paused, her gaze lingering on Luo Mu. Luo Mu nodded slightly, signaling her to be at ease.

“Okay.” Yan Qingzhu’s mind was a mess; even that single word carried a distinct tremor.

She closed the wooden door and returned to the corridor alone. The crisp chirping of night birds echoed around her, but her thoughts were a tangled web, and even her breathing felt exceptionally heavy.

By chance, Ye Nanjiao was passing by, and Yan Qingzhu immediately asked her to prepare different tea.

“You could just tell the service steward that; he can brew it and swap out the tea set for you.” Ye Nanjiao didn’t quite understand the situation and looked at her with surprise.

Yan Qingzhu explained: “My dad told me to step out.“

“Oh ho! He thinks you’re redundant,” Ye Nanjiao said as the realization hit her. Then, as if understanding something deeper, she looked horrified. “Wait, is Luo Mu alone with your dad? That’s terrifying!“

Ye Nanjiao didn’t dare recall her childhood memories; even her eldest brother couldn’t bear to scold her loudly, yet Yan Changde had once lectured her until she cried so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

Yan Changde’s traditional, patriarchal style was truly suffocating.

“No way, I’ll get them to prepare it right now. You need to get back in there fast.” Ye Nanjiao was so spooked her high heels wobbled, nearly making her stumble.

When the door was knocked upon again, the service steward replaced the tea and the set with fresh ones. Yan Qingzhu’s first glance was at Luo Mu. Luo Mu merely gave a calm, faint smile; her face showed no signs of distress.

Yan Qingzhu took Luo Mu’s hand. The temperature was normal, as if nothing had happened. She deeply regretted not learning how to take a pulse from Luo De’er; she couldn’t gauge Luo Mu’s current emotions at all.

Luo Mu, however, could feel that this fool before her was sweating from tension.

“I’m fine.” Luo Mu patted the back of Yan Qingzhu’s hand with her other hand to comfort her.

Yan Changde watched this and seemed to understand everything. He gave a faint laugh, picked up his chopsticks, and said in a level tone: “Let’s eat.“

Luo Mu nodded, while Yan Qingzhu kept her eyes fixed on her throughout the meal.

Luo Mu’s emotions were stable, and her face was exceptionally calm and gentle, as if no storm had ever occurred.

But the more she acted this way, the more Yan Qingzhu worried.

Finally, after the meal, Yan Changde said nonchalantly: “You two head back first. I’m still waiting for Elder Ye to join me.“

“Okay,” Yan Qingzhu replied softly. She took Luo Mu’s hand and looked at her father one last time. “Dad, we’re leaving now.“

“Uncle Yan, goodbye.” Luo Mu bowed slowly.

Yan Changde said nothing, only nodded.

As the two walked out, fingers interlocked, occasionally whispering to one another, the dignified New Chinese attire and the small cocktail dress faded into the distance of the quiet, ancient courtyard. Yan Changde watched them leave, a smile flickering on his face for a moment.

He remembered a young Yan Qingzhu practicing calligraphy in his office—the place where the sunlight was most abundant, warm and bright.

Little Yan Qingzhu would mimic the copybooks with great seriousness, her writing upright and delicate. Yan Changde would occasionally ask her: “Ah-Qing, what are you writing?“

Yan Qingzhu was going through the phase of losing her baby teeth, so her speech wasn’t quite clear, but she tried very hard to read the copybook word for word: “In the deep… boudoir… step by step… following in song… also… like a husband and wife.“

“Does Ah-Qing know what that means?” Yan Changde, full of paternal love, rubbed her head.

“Two girls, singing back and forth in a room, just like…” Yan Qingzhu hadn’t heard the teacher’s explanation, so she followed her own guess and spoke randomly.

“Just like a husband and wife.“

The clear moonlight fell upon the courtyard. A cool summer night breeze blew, adding a layer of serenity to the grounds.

“In the deep boudoir, step by step, following in song, also…“

Yan Changde recited softly. The sound of the konghou was like water flowing in a mountain stream, echoing like the source of life. In a daze, he realized the past was merely living in a hazy mist.

He paused, and then a smile slowly touched the corners of his mouth.

“Like a husband and wife.“

The sound of high heels echoed in the ancient corridor, dress hems fluttering. Ye Nanjiao crossed her arms and teased with a smile: “Uncle Yan, did you agree to the two of them?“

Despite being scolded as a child, Ye Nanjiao was never afraid of authority, and jokes always came easily to her.

“She is my daughter. I respect her choice.“

“Uncle Yan, there’s something I probably shouldn’t say.“

Ye Nanjiao’s nose felt a bit prickly as she said emotionally: “Among our group of friends, no one would be willing to walk the path Ah-Qing took to get here.“

It was truly… too hard.

Too convoluted.

Outside the car window, light and shadow blurred. A hazy atmosphere filled the interior of the car. Luo Mu took two lemon candies from her bag. She tore the glass wrapper off one and put it in her mouth. She tore the other open the same way and placed it directly into the mouth of Yan Qingzhu, whose eyes had never left her.

“Why are you staring at me so intently?” Luo Mu asked, her voice muffled by the candy.

The fresh scent of lemon hit the taste buds—sour and sharp, with a hint of sweetness hidden within.

Not too much, not too little.

“What did my dad say to you?” Yan Qingzhu didn’t want to avoid it and asked directly.

Luo Mu glanced at Brother Wang in the driver’s seat. With an extra person present, it was indeed difficult to speak. “We’ll talk when we get home.”

Yan Qingzhu caught her meaning. She immediately pressed the control on the door, and the glass between the front and back seats instantly switched to privacy mode.

The small space suddenly became narrow and intimate.

“Luo Mu.”

Yan Qingzhu leaned in close, her eyes dark and deep. She held Luo Mu’s wrist, and Luo Mu could clearly feel the heat of her palm.

“Yan Qingzhu, I am your chess piece, right?” Luo Mu’s eyelashes tilted slightly, forming a beautiful curve in the light. Stray hairs on her forehead covered the corners of her eyes, making them look somewhat alluring.

In a moment of mental stall, Yan Qingzhu’s silence was agonizing; she didn’t know where to begin.

Just as Yan Qingzhu was about to speak, Luo Mu touched her fingertip to the corner of Yan Qingzhu’s lips and smiled faintly: “But your chess piece just won a round for you.”

The person before her was momentarily dazed. Even though the scent of lemon and mint seemed to control her nerves, allowing her to retain her last shred of reason and dignity.

“What… do you mean?” Yan Qingzhu’s voice was humble, like a child who couldn’t find her way home, desperately grasping for the last olive branch of life.

Luo Mu pulled Yan Qingzhu into her arms. In the dark back seat of the car, the flecks of light weren’t too piercing.

The continuous warmth merged with the cold air of the car. Luo Mu’s fingers tangled in her hair as she whispered slowly: “Uncle Yan told me that all along, the best candidate in his heart…”

The curtains in the car were closed, so Luo Mu couldn’t see the eyes of the person in her arms, but she could clearly feel the violent beating of her heart.

She had seen Yan Qingzhu at her proudest, and she only wished to preserve her final dignity.

“Was you.”

Yan Qingzhu froze. The sudden ringing in her ears felt as if it had swallowed her sanity whole.

A giant wave rolled over her. No matter how she struggled, she could only watch herself sink into the deep sea.

“Azhu, calm down. Listen to me.”

Luo Mu patted her back, feeling her shoulders tremble involuntarily.

“He said if you are willing, he wants you to take over his enterprise. Besides you, your father never considered a second choice.” Luo Mu tried to keep her words continuous, but clearly, every sentence was a needle pricking the Yan Qingzhu who had blamed herself and felt embarrassed countless times.

What was this? After living in damp darkness for so long, day and night, her skin had long been covered in cold sores. After years, she finally accepted and endured this torture, only to have her eyes suddenly stung by a blinding light, with the world telling her she shouldn’t be there—she should walk into the light.

Human emotions are uncontrollable and completely irrational.

For years, the identity of an unmentionable illegitimate daughter living under labels was torn to shreds at this moment.

For a dozen seconds, Luo Mu heard no sound; it was a deathly silence. Yan Qingzhu kept her head bowed low, so Luo Mu couldn’t see her face. Her knuckles curved, gripping her dress tighter and tighter.

After a moment, Luo Mu heard her laugh—a low, short laugh, as if her breathing couldn’t keep up with her emotions.

Luo Mu half-closed her eyes and held her tightly. The sandalwood hairpin fell onto the car mat, and Yan Qingzhu’s hair cascaded down like a waterfall, along with her cheap self-esteem and confidence.

Soon, the sound of sobbing swept over and replaced the laughter like a tide. The trembling became more violent. Her former defense mechanisms completely collapsed at this moment. Crystal-clear, scalding tears fell onto the back of Luo Mu’s hand. The person in her arms could hardly make a sound—she was pained and quiet.

Like a child, inexperienced and unarmed, gambled against this world.

Hiding in the shadows, seeing the light of day again is bound to bring stinging tears.

She must have been wronged.

She must have suffered a monumental grievance.

Luo Mu couldn’t bear to look back at her; a grey heartache filled her chest. The current Yan Qingzhu had completely lost the flamboyance and arrogance of her seventeen-year-old self.

Or perhaps she hadn’t lost it; rather, she had forged it all into a cold, sharp dagger. She had refined and polished the blade repeatedly, aiming it at her own throat.

When the morning sun rose, no one was injured but her.

Luo Mu slowly lowered her head and placed a kiss on Yan Qingzhu’s forehead—it was compassion, it was heartache.

Yan Changde had indeed said those things, but Luo Mu only told Yan Qingzhu the first half.

As for the other half… it was like ruins entwined with vines, where weeds had swallowed the remnants; nothing existed anymore.

Luo Mu recalled the kindly Yan Changde. He had lifted his chopsticks and placed a piece of fish in her porcelain bowl.

Like an elder taking care of a junior, it was warm and harmonious.

Luo Mu nodded and said softly: “Thank you, Uncle.”

“Young Miss Luo, I have one more request of you.” Yan Changde set down his chopsticks and looked at the girl before him.

“Actually, I know about your relationship.”

A flash of startle crossed Luo Mu’s face, but the smile remained on her lips. She said directly and honestly: “Yes, Azhu and I are indeed…”

She had to catch the words Yan Changde threw out steadily.

But before she could finish, Yan Changde gave a kind laugh and waved his hand.

Luo Mu realized then that he had no intention of objecting.

“Ah-Qing has seemed very capable of handling things for many years, carrying everything alone. But I still hope she can have a shoulder to lean on.” Yan Changde sighed, as if reminiscing about the past.

Luo Mu could see it clearly: this was a father aching for his daughter.

Even if this daughter was not related to him by blood.

“Young Miss Luo, you are so smart, so good at handling things.”

Yan Changde fixed his gaze on Luo Mu again, his tone peaceful and gentle.

“Are you willing to stay by her side forever, to be her confidant?”

Stay by Yan Qingzhu’s side forever? To accompany her?

Luo Mu shifted her gaze to the warm water in the glass, which was giving off faint wisps of steam.

After a long silence, she finally spoke with difficulty.

“Uncle Yan, forgive my presumption. Right now—”

Outside, the low, melancholy melody of the konghou tore the last fairy-tale illusion to shreds.

“I cannot promise you that.”