Yan Yu looked at Meng Ting’s particularly serious and solemn expression, resisting the impulse to reach out and touch his forehead. He gave a small cough and turned his head away, still choosing not to respond. After all, not everyone could be like Meng Ting—able to speak openly about what they liked or disliked so easily.
He wasn’t ready for that yet, but he also realized that Meng Ting, who seemed soft and gentle, could exert quite a bit of pressure when he got serious.
Hearing no reply, Meng Ting puffed out his cheeks and gave a little huff as he turned his head away. “Dad Yan is being a little naughty. He must’ve been spoiled by Dad He.”
He continued with conviction, “Yan Sui spoils me too, but I’m still very well-behaved.”
Every time Meng Ting mentioned or even thought about Yan Sui, his whole demeanor changed—his eyes lit up, and his expression turned warm and obedient. But it was also just as he said: even though Yan Sui spoiled him, he remained very well-behaved.
Yan Yu felt that if he didn’t nod his head, Meng Ting would continue to talk for who knows how long. He turned back and gave a soft ‘Mm’. It might still feel awkward or difficult, but he would try to like Yan Sui in the future.
He also knew full well that Yan Sui neither needed nor wanted his affection. But regardless of what Yan Sui thought, whether or not he himself made the effort was a separate matter.
Seeing that Yan Yu had finally become obedient, Meng Ting’s frustration dissipated. His eyes curved into a smile as he nodded and praised, “Dad, you’re being good now.”
Yan Yu’s expression grew even more awkward, but he still gave another small nod—and was rewarded with another proud, approving look from Meng Ting.
***
When Yan Sui came back downstairs after taking a phone call, he noticed right away that Meng Ting seemed to be in a much better mood. Yan Yu, on the other hand, looked oddly stiff and awkward around them. He was somewhat curious and sat beside Meng Ting, gently ruffling his hair, but chose not to ask about it immediately.
Meng Ting tilted his head, immediately wrapping his arms around Yan Sui’s arm and whispering in his ear, “Why have you been getting so many calls today…”
Actually, Yan Sui always received a lot of calls, but usually he didn’t have to find a private place to take them. Since he never left the room, Meng Ting hadn’t really noticed before. But today was different; Yan Sui had already gone up and down several times.
“Just some matters, they’ve been taken care of.”
Yan Sui’s hand slid from Meng Ting’s hair to his cheek, giving it a gentle caress before guiding Meng Ting’s head to rest on his shoulder. They sat in silence, continuing to stand guard there.
Not long after, Yan Manjia also came down, bringing some food, as those busy in the ward hadn’t had time to eat yet.
Dr. Gu Li and Dr. Bart had mentioned that the surgery would take about four hours, but by the time it was past one in the afternoon, there was still no sign of it ending. Yan Yu couldn’t help but feel nervous, though he knew better than to disturb the ongoing procedure. All he could do was wait.
At three in the afternoon, Zhen Han finally opened the door again. Dr. Gu Li and Dr. Bart, having performed such a complex surgery, looked visibly fatigued. Dr. Bart gestured to Dr. Gu Li and went to the adjacent pharmacy to prepare some medication, while Dr. Gu Li stayed behind to speak with Yan Sui and the others.
“The surgery was a success. We’ll perform the second surgery in half a month. If that goes well too, with proper recovery and rehabilitation, he’ll be able to stand again,” Dr. Gu Li explained. A good start was half the battle[mfn]好的開始，就是成功的一半 (hǎo de kāi shǐ, jiù shì chéng gōng de yī bàn): T/N: from the proverb 好的開端，是成功的一半 (hǎo de kāi duān, shì chéng gōng de yī bàn), lit. well begun is half done. If you have a good start, you are halfway to success. It means that it is important to lay a good foundation for everything. Without a good foundation, it will be difficult to carry out. With a good foundation, everything will go smoothly.[/mfn], and with this surgery’s success, He Yue’s chances of standing again had risen to eighty or ninety percent. This was undoubtedly good news.
Yan Yu’s back stiffened for a moment before he nodded and said, “Thank you.”
After speaking with Gu Li, he turned to Yan Sui and thanked him again, “Thank you.”
Yan Sui nodded in acknowledgment.
Gu Li then went into more detail with Yan Yu about He Yue’s condition before finally going to rest. Yan Yu went inside to stay with He Yue, while Zhen Han and Li Yi grabbed a bite to eat before returning to the surgery room.
He Yue likely wouldn’t wake until evening, so there was no need for Yan Sui and Meng Ting to continue waiting. Yan Sui and Meng Ting went in to check on He Yue before heading out and walking down the hallway.
“Dad He will be able to stand and play with Dahuang and Maoqiu again, and even take walks with us. That’s really wonderful.”
Meng Ting spoke, tilting his head to glance at Yan Sui. In that glance, it seemed as if he had peered deep into Yan Sui’s heart. He wouldn’t feel this way with anyone else, but he and Yan Sui were too close. In that moment, it was as if he understood himself and, in turn, could discern Yan Sui’s current emotions.
He paused in his steps, then suddenly took the lead, pulling Yan Sui along. Instead of heading to the living room, Meng Ting led him toward the backyard.
Yan Sui allowed himself to be pulled along, though he didn’t understand why Meng Ting was taking him to the backyard—what he wanted to say or do.
Yan Sui asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Hearing this, Meng Ting stopped and turned around. His eyes suddenly turned slightly red. He let go of Yan Sui’s hand but then embraced him tightly.
“Yan Sui, it’s okay now. Everything’s okay…”
For a moment, Yan Sui’s expression froze in surprise, but he quickly realized what Meng Ting was comforting him about.
When he had sought doctors for Yan Yu and He Yue, it wasn’t just because he hoped they would be well. He was also trying to make up for the tragedy caused by He Wan. Because he was He Wan’s son, Yan Sui had unconsciously taken on the responsibility without even realizing it.
But now, Meng Ting was telling him that those tragedies had nothing to do with him. He had already done his best, and he didn’t need to carry any guilt for it anymore.
“I understand.”
Yan Sui responded, then tilted his head to kiss Meng Ting’s hair. The softness of it felt just like Meng Ting himself. In that moment, he was probably moved by Meng Ting once again.
“Mm,” Meng Ting murmured, still resting his head against Yan Sui’s shoulder. His emotions were still a bit hard to control for the moment, and Yan Sui could sense it, so he continued to gently stroke Meng Ting’s back.
What had started as him comforting Yan Sui had now turned into Yan Sui comforting him.
Realizing this, Meng Ting’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I’m still a bit useless…” He couldn’t even comfort Yan Sui properly.
“No, you’re great,” Yan Sui lifted Meng Ting’s chin and kissed him gently on the lips. A genuine smile spread across his face, completely unforced. The clarity and peace he felt now were all thanks to Meng Ting. “Thank you.”
Meng Ting’s cheeks flushed even redder at the praise. He looked at Yan Sui, wrapped his arms around his neck, and leaned in to deepen the kiss that had been too brief.
“Cough cough cough…”
Uncle Xiao lowered his head and coughed vigorously, not daring to get too close. He bowed slightly and said, “Master, Madam, we have guests at home.”
Yan Sui pulled away from Meng Ting’s lips and held the blushing, shy person in his arms before replying to Uncle Xiao, “Go ahead and receive them. We’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes,” Uncle Xiao responded, then turned away without a glance and hurried off. He thought to himself that he should better discipline the servants. While it was natural for the master and his wife to be affectionate, it was the servants’ duty to be more perceptive and tactful.
After Uncle Xiao left, Meng Ting, still nestled in Yan Sui’s arms, mumbled softly.
“What guests? I haven’t kissed you enough yet…”
Yan Sui’s gaze softened, and Meng Ting’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Yan Sui brushed his lips against Meng Ting’s and whispered soothingly, “We’ll kiss more tonight.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting nodded, then finally let go of Yan Sui’s neck. Yan Sui took Meng Ting’s hand and led him toward the living room.
After a few steps, Yan Sui turned his head slightly and said to Meng Ting, “The guests are from the Xiao family. We’ll just meet them briefly. This is our home, so there’s no need to be afraid.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting replied again, but his grip on Yan Sui’s hand tightened. The blush on his cheeks still remained, but his entire demeanor became noticeably more guarded.
***
Xiao Huimin and Ning Zhou had just gotten off the plane. Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo picked them up and, without stopping at a hotel to rest or discuss anything, headed straight to the Yan residence.
Xiao Huimin and his two children were relatively composed. They were equally eager to see Meng Ting, but they still had to think about how to interact with Yan Sui and how to get Meng Ting to acknowledge them.
As for Ning Zhou, her anxiety was almost impossible to hide. To have lost and then found, to have thought him dead and then alive again… Before seeing the person, she still felt like this entire journey was like a dream too beautiful to be true, and she feared waking up to find everything back to reality.
“Is this real? Are we really here to see Nuo Nuo?”
Standing in the living room of the Yan residence, Ning Zhou still felt nervous and incredulous. But before she could receive any reassurance from Xiao Huimin, her gaze fixed on one spot and refused to move.
Soft, slightly curly hair, naturally alluring peach-blossom eyes, and the way he looked at her—the bond between mother and child—Ning Zhou was more certain than anyone else present that Meng Ting was her child. But as that certainty settled in, the emotions she had been barely holding back were on the verge of collapse.
She walked step by step toward Meng Ting, no longer seeing anyone or anything else. Her throat choked up again and again until she finally managed to make a sound.
“Nuo Nuo, Nuo Nuo… I’m your mother, I’m your mom…”
Meng Ting stopped in his tracks and also looked at Ning Zhou. He instinctively moved closer to Yan Sui’s side, but his gaze also remained fixed on her.
Ning Zhou was crying, and Meng Ting’s heart suddenly trembled as well.
Perhaps Ning Zhou was too overwhelmed. The short distance of about ten steps seemed particularly difficult for her. Her steps faltered, and Meng Ting took two steps forward to steady her. Immediately, Ning Zhou embraced him tightly, “Nuo Nuo, I’m your mother…”
Meng Ting, suddenly hugged by someone other than Yan Sui, felt at a loss. Moreover, an inexplicable instinct prevented him from pushing her away. This was a woman he had never met before—he stumbled over his words in response.
“My… my name is Meng Ting. Please don’t cry.”
Ning Zhou was so thin she seemed like a bundle of bones. Her eyes were red, and tears fell one after another, making her look particularly pitiful.
Meng Ting didn’t struggle further. He let her hold him. Seeing her sob uncontrollably, his eyes suddenly turned red as well. He reached up to gently pat Ning Zhou’s hair, saying, “Be good, don’t cry anymore…”
However, Ning Zhou cried even more sorrowfully and intensely… because of these completely unexpected yet tender words that made her want to cry her heart out. She held her child and even received his comfort.
Along the way, they had all prepared themselves to be treated coldly Meng Ting, but completely unexpectedly, Meng Ting didn’t seem to reject Ning Zhou much.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 075.1″]
振振有詞 (zhèn zhèn yǒu cí): to speak forcefully and with justice (idiom); to argue with the courage of one’s convictions; to speak plausibly and at length; argue vehemently; speak plausibly and volubly; speak with fervor and assurance; speak confidently and forcefully; speak with conviction; o be confident and righteous. It describes the person who thinks he has sufficient reasons and keeps talking.死而復生 (sǐ ér fù shēng): to become alive after death; to resurrect; rise again; revive; rise from the dead; to die and come back to life, describing the continuation of life.
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