TYAM Chapter 86

Although the stay was short and they would return to Cizhou after the sixth day of the new year, Du Wenjuan had been in high spirits the whole time.  

She was happy seeing Xingwang sleep in and just as happy watching him jump rope in the courtyard. Even when the child wandered around the kitchen without actually helping, his few words could make her laugh so hard she couldn’t stand up straight.  

After laughing by herself, she would sometimes pull Jiang Wang over to share the joy.  

“You know what? Xingwang doesn’t have nightmares anymore. He sleeps so well at night.” Seeing the little bear cub she was raising grow so strong filled her with genuine relief. “The first few nights after I arrived, I kept waking up to check on him. But he was snoring and even smacking his lips in his sleep, completely worry-free. That’s really great.”  

Jiang Wang glanced at Du Wenjuan, nodded slightly, and quietly observed from the side.  

During the school term, Peng Xingwang was overwhelmed by heavy coursework. Now, finally free on break, he took his mother all around Yuhan to explore. He even used his New Year’s money to buy her a big bouquet of tulips.  

They spent the days out and about. The adults would come home exhausted and turn in early, but the child could recharge after a meal and be full of energy again, chatting excitedly with his friends on the phone.  

“Yang Kai, you know what? Our winter break homework actually includes raising fish!”  

The little philosopher yawned lazily. “I finished mine ages ago. By the way, after you left, Teacher Xu was still the same. I went to wish her a Happy New Year, and she even asked how you were doing.”  

Peng Xingwang smacked his forehead. “I totally forgot to call her! I’ll do it tomorrow!”  

“How’s Yuhan? Is anyone bullying you?”  

“No way,” Peng Xingwang said proudly. “I get along great with my new classmates. They all like Gauss Ultraman, so now I like him too! We talk about it all the time!”  

Yang Kai grew wary. “You don’t like Tiga anymore?!”  

“Uh… he’s still okay…”  

“Okay?!” Yang Kai said sternly. “You’ve only been in Yuhan for a few days, and you’re already betraying the organization, Peng Xingwang!”  

“I refuse to talk to traitors. I’m hanging up!”  

“Hey— hey!!”  

The child huffed and rolled to the far end of the sofa, lying flat on his stomach.  

“Fine, then I won’t talk to you either. We’ll see who wins.”  

Du Wenjuan had taken a short nap before getting up to make dinner. Before long, Jiang Wang also got up, rubbing his messy hair as he sat in the living room, munching on a pear while reviewing reports.  

Ji Linqiu happened to stop by to discuss business and stayed for dinner. The two sat side by side, each with a laptop, gradually becoming absorbed in their work.  

Du Wenjuan brought them two cups of water before returning to her cooking. As the fragrant fried lotus root fritters came out of the pan one by one, she glanced through the kitchen’s glass door.  

Before, when she didn’t know about their relationship, she hadn’t thought much about their playful banter.  

Now that Jiang Wang had confessed, she still felt worried for them, but surprisingly, she didn’t feel any disgust.  

In the living room, the two were focused on their work, occasionally taking a sip of water and exchanging a few words.  

Jiang Wang, after drinking, habitually pushed the cup to the side, signaling Ji Linqiu to drink as well.  

Sometimes Ji Linqiu remembered, sometimes he was too busy typing away at the keyboard. When he forgot, the man would tap the rim of the cup with his fingers as a reminder.  

Du Wenjuan continued frying lotus root and chicken wings, then carefully tended to a simmering pot of fresh fish soup. She occasionally glanced over at them, unexpectedly feeling a sense of warmth.  

She realized that even knowing about their relationship, she still respected and felt close to these two people.  

Being “gay” seemed like some kind of a stigma.  

But after living for over thirty years, she had seen too many unreliable men.  

And all of them were straight. So what good did that do?  

Many of them didn’t even know how to be decent human beings. 

Ji Linqiu finished his glass and instinctively refilled it with the teapot, taking a small sip before pushing it back toward Jiang Wang.  

Jiang Wang casually took a sip, then turned his laptop screen toward Ji Linqiu to show him some data.  

One cup after another, before they knew it, the teapot was already half empty.  

Du Wenjuan poured the fish soup into a clay pot, then took the time to brew them another pot of tea.  

Ji Linqiu looked up and smiled. “Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”  

When he smiled, his eyes were like a clear spring—pure and bright.  

Du Wenjuan suddenly felt embarrassed to look directly at him. She returned his smile politely and went back to the kitchen to finish making the tea.  

As the steam rose, a gentle fragrance filled the air.  

Watching the floating tea leaves, she had a fleeting, absurd thought.  

If her little brother had someone like this by his side, he must be very happy every day.  

And if that was the case, did it really matter whether they were the same gender or not?  

The thought startled her, like she had realized something wrong, and she quickly suppressed it. Carrying the teapot outside, she forced herself back into a state of worry for them.  

After all, there would still be many challenges ahead. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen in the future.  

Peng Xingwang, bored with watching TV alone, grabbed his homework and ran over to work on it with them.  

Du Wenjuan poured him a small cup of tea as well and said softly, “Mom is leaving the day after tomorrow, sweetheart. You can take a break from homework for now, let’s spend more time together these next two days.”  

Peng Xingwang hesitated, then asked with an uncertain tone, “—You’re leaving the day after tomorrow already?”  

“We agreed before coming, didn’t we?” Jiang Wang said casually. “We’d arrive before the Little New Year and leave on the sixth. Your mom has to go back to work.”  

Peng Xingwang suddenly couldn’t focus on his homework anymore. Even his grip on his pen became stiff.  

He looked at Du Wenjuan, his voice stretching out in a pleading tone.  

“Mom, can’t you stay a few more days?”  

Du Wenjuan hesitated but still shook her head.  

“Your little sister hasn’t seen me in a long time. She needs my care too, right?”  

Peng Xingwang lowered his head. “Mm.” But after a moment, he looked up again. “Then… will you come back during summer break?”  

Du Wenjuan reached out to touch his forehead. “I still have some vacation days. Whenever you miss me, I’ll come be with you. I promise.”  

Peng Xingwang felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to argue, but in the end, he swallowed the words.  

He couldn’t be selfish. He had to be a good child.  

And he always had been, hadn’t he?

Although it was the New Year, Jiang Wang rarely had the chance to stay home for meals.  

As the head of a company, he constantly had to stay attuned to business trends and maintain relationships with various industry contacts.  

When it came to important connections, socializing—especially drinking at business banquets—was unavoidable. He had to handle these occasions as smoothly as possible to facilitate future collaborations.  

Du Wenjuan was leaving on the sixth day of the New Year, but on the fifth, Jiang Wang still had to attend a banquet with several key clients from Beijing.  

Among the guests were a well-connected young heir and his girlfriend, along with a few teachers from his own company.  

Since Jiang Wang was the host, he arrived first to check on the dishes, ensuring the flavors and seasoning suited everyone’s tastes.  

As the guests gradually took their seats, he suddenly noticed a woman who looked very familiar.  

She wore heavy makeup, and her voice carried a metallic sharpness. It took him a moment to recall who she was.  

“This is my girlfriend, Guan Hong,” the young heir introduced with a smile. “Come on, sweetheart, say hello. This is Boss Jiang.”  

Their eyes met, and in that instant, Jiang Wang remembered—  

This woman was Peng Jiahui’s ex-girlfriend!  

He had never been able to accept his parents having new partners, so his impressions of Chang Hua and Peng Jiahui’s previous girlfriends were vague at best. It was only when her name was mentioned that he realized who she was.  

Guan Hong also seemed momentarily thrown off upon recognizing Jiang Wang as the host, but she quickly composed herself and engaged in pleasant conversation with the others.  

The banquet went smoothly, and Jiang Wang didn’t dwell on it. At one point, he stepped outside under the pretense of making a call, taking a breather from the heavy smoke in the private dining room.  

A short while later, Guan Hong followed him out, standing beside him in the cool night air.  

She lit a cigarette with practiced ease, tapping it against the pack before lighting up.  

Then she raised an eyebrow at him. “Want one?”  

“No, my throat isn’t great.”  

She took a slow drag, exhaling without saying anything.  

Jiang Wang thought for a moment before turning to her. “Peng Jiahui and I are friends.”  

“He hit you before. On his behalf, I apologize. I’m sorry.”  

Guan Hong glanced at him, letting out a quiet laugh. “Do you know why he hit me?”  

Jiang Wang simply hummed in response.  

“Back then, I was angry too. Every time I thought about you and that guy of yours, I’d remember how I caught my ex-boyfriend cheating on me.” Her voice was icy as she flicked her cigarette ash against the railing. “Looking back now, it was childish.”  

Jiang Wang had no interest in seeking forgiveness or engaging further. He just let the night air clear his head, sobering him up a little.  

“But do you know why he broke up with me?”  

“It wasn’t because of you two.” Her tone carried a hint of mockery. “It was… because of his son.”  

“I never understood it.”  

“If he really cared about his kid, why did he always leave that boy with you two to raise? Why send him all the way to Yuhan for school?”  

“If he cared so much, why didn’t he do something sooner? He has money now, doesn’t he? Why hasn’t he taken his son back?”  

Guan Hong looked at him, snuffing out her cigarette against the railing.  

“Tell me, doesn’t that seem contradictory?”  

Jiang Wang hadn’t known about this side of things. He found it surprising as well.  

Peng Jiahui, who had been so entangled in romantic flings over the years, getting drunk after every heartbreak — had he really placed such importance on Xingwang?  

Jiang Wang had always seen his biological father caught up in his love life, never imagining that he had been held in such regard.  

Realizing Guan Hong was still waiting for an answer, he finally spoke.  

“It’s actually quite simple.”  

“My boyfriend once told me something,” Jiang Wang said calmly. “Some parents simply lack the ability to love their children.”  

At the words “my boyfriend,” Guan Hong’s eyebrow twitched, but she still listened.  

“Some people spend their entire lives unable to move past that, clinging to the hope that their parents will one day gain that ability and love them in the way they long for.”  

“Others, however, spend their whole lives convinced that they do have that ability, and that whatever they give is love.”  

“Peng Jiahui is neither of those.”  

“He realized he didn’t have that ability, so he simply sent his child to a better environment while he slowly tried to become the right person for him.”  

“He broke up with you, insisted on keeping a place for his son at home, yet didn’t immediately take him back.”  

“Perhaps because…” Jiang Wang’s gaze softened. “He wants to reunite with Xingxing in the future.”  

In the right circumstances, with the right kind of love.  

And that, too, was what Jiang Wang was waiting for.