Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 215 These years, I've been doing very well.

Upon seeing the text message, Tang Xu quickly looked away, raised her glass to greet Yan Shiyu as usual, and smiled as she clinked glasses with him.

When Yan Shiyu put down her wine cup, she realized that Yan Shiyu had already drunk the wine in the cup in one gulp.

"So you're planning a big drinking session tonight?" Yan Shiyu said. "If that's the case, then this bottle of wine probably won't be enough."

Tang Xu poured himself another drink and said, "Let's drink and be merry while we can. Whoever drinks first gets to drink first."

After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank the second cup.

Yan Shiyu simply looked at her, and as she poured herself her third glass of wine, he called out, "Yaoyao."

Tang Xu paused slightly as she poured the wine, then put the bottle down, looked up at him, sighed softly, and said, "You know what? After Dad and Aunt left, I thought no one would ever call me by that name again... but it turns out there are still people who call me that."

Yan Shiyu realized that the person Tang Xu was talking about was not him.

Therefore, he didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently grasped Tang Xu's hand.

Tang Xu was still smiling at him.

Even though she herself probably didn't understand the meaning behind that smile.

Just then, her phone rang again.

Tang Xu looked down and saw a new message—

"Yaoyao, I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so I might only have time to see you tonight. Can you come see your mother?"

This time, Tang Xu did not look up immediately.

Instead, her gaze lingered on the text message, reading it word by word many times, seemingly trying to decipher its meaning.

At this moment, Yan Shiyu spoke again: "Go."

Tang Xu slowly raised her head to look at him, and after a moment of quiet eye contact, she finally spoke: "I'm sorry, I was planning to have a nice meal with you tonight."

“There’s plenty of time,” Yan Shiyu said. “I’m not in a hurry.”

……

Half an hour later, Tang Xu drove to the new residential area she had seen in her travel log.

She was still a little dazed when she rang the doorbell, but when the door opened and she saw Tang Lan's still radiant face, Tang Xu suddenly came to her senses.

The moment Tang Lan saw her, her eyes welled up with tears.

Then, she walked out the door and reached out to hug Tang Xu.

Tang Xu instinctively tried to back away, but she was already held in her arms and couldn't move.

"Yaoyao..." Tang Lan's voice was also tinged with moisture, "You've grown up..."

Tang Xu neither moved nor answered.

After a long while, Tang Lan finally let go of her, turned around and pulled her into the house, but still couldn't bear to let go of Tang Xu's hand. After pulling her to sit down on the sofa, she reached out and gently touched Tang Xu's face, carefully touching and looking at her with tenderness in her eyes.

Throughout the entire process, Tang Xu remained completely calm and composed, showing neither deliberate rejection nor any intention of getting close.

Her gaze even shifted from Tang Lan's face to survey the villa.

This place should be Tang Lan's temporary residence in Huai City. Firstly, it's a new residential area, and secondly, there are no signs of habitation in the house.

However, next to the floor-to-ceiling window was a huge oil painting, the canvas of which was covered with Tang Lan's favorite red roses.

So either the house belongs to her, or the person who lent her the place is very attentive to her, even arranging the decorative paintings according to her preferences.

Tang Xu withdrew his gaze and looked at Tang Lan again.

Over the years, Tang Lan has hardly changed from her memory. She remains as graceful and beautiful as ever, and even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes are just part of her charm.

The hand that was touching her face was also delicate and fair, and the diamond ring on her finger was dazzling.

It's clear that she's been doing quite well all these years.

After sitting quietly for a long time, Tang Lan spoke again, her voice soft and gentle: "Yao Yao, I'm so sorry about this morning. I know you were behind me, but it wasn't convenient for me to meet you at the time, so..."

Tang Xu finally spoke her first words: "Why did you come back?"

"I..." Tang Lan paused for a moment before saying, "I had some things to take care of, so I came back."

“You’ve been gone for eighteen years,” Tang Xu said. “It’s quite amazing that after eighteen years, there are still things here that need your attention.”

The tears in Tang Lan's eyes stopped flowing for a moment. She looked at her and whispered, "Yao Yao, I'm sorry—"

"You don't need to apologize to me." Tang Xu looked at her calmly. "You have nothing to apologize for. I've been doing very well all these years. My father and aunt were incredibly kind to me... Although they are no longer here, I will always remember everything they left me with."

Upon hearing this, Tang Lan couldn't help but turn her face away, her shoulders twitching slightly. After a long while, she finally turned back, touching Tang Xu's arm and saying, "I know, I know he's a good person, I know he'll definitely treat you well..."

Hearing this, Tang Xu almost laughed. "Should I say 'thank you' to you?"

Despite her best efforts to hold back, Tang Lan's tears still streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Yaoyao, I'm sorry, I know you blame Mom... I'm really sorry..."

Tang Xu gently closed her eyes. "I told you, you haven't wronged me, and I won't blame you, Mrs. Shao."

Hearing Tang Xu address her, Tang Lan lowered her head again, paused for a long time, and then raised her head to look at Tang Xu, saying, "No matter what, I'm really happy to see you again. My daughter, you've grown so much, and you're so beautiful..."

"Is this why you asked me to come over?" Tang Xu said. "If I had known, I would have just made a video call, and I wouldn't have had to come all this way in the middle of the night."

Tang Lan gently pursed her red lips, trying her best to control her trembling mouth, and whispered, "Mommy just wants to see you, wants to see you with her own eyes, and hug you..."

She was on the verge of tears, a pitiful sight, but Tang Xu remained frighteningly calm, his first question being simply, "Is this your first time back in Huai City?"

Tang Lan fell silent again, looking at Tang Xu without answering.

Tang Xu pressed on, "Did you come back last year?"

Tang Lan was slightly taken aback, and after a long while, she slowly nodded.

"Have you seen your father?" Tang Xu asked again. Tang Lan nodded again.

Was it when he was hospitalized?

Tang Lan nodded again.

"When exactly did this happen? What was the date?"

Tang Lan looked at her and realized that Tang Xu didn't seem to be questioning her about "mother" at all; she seemed to be asking about Song Yuting.

"I...I don't remember." Tang Lan lowered her eyelids and said softly, "It happened last year, I can't remember..."

"Then we can check your itinerary from that time, right?" Tang Xu said. "You are Mrs. Shao, your itinerary should be recorded by someone."

In Tang Lan's view, every time Tang Xu mentioned "Madam Shao," it was an insult to her. However, Tang Xu's tone was too flat, so flat that it seemed as if she really was just "Madam Shao," someone who had nothing to do with her.

Tang Lan was very upset. After sitting for a long time, she finally stood up and said, "If you really want to know, then I'll have someone investigate."

"Then I'll leave it to you," Tang Xu said.

Tang Lan paused for a moment, then quickly went upstairs.

Tang Xu was left alone in the downstairs living room. After a long while, she stood up and walked towards the rose painting next to the French windows.

She didn't know anything about painting, but by sheer chance, she spotted the painter's signature hidden on a rose leaf.

Shen Xi, a renowned contemporary artist.

This painting, though quite valuable, was merely something she used to decorate her window.

People's lives may indeed be different.

Tang Xu stood in front of the painting for a long time before finally waiting for Tang Lan to come downstairs.

She seemed to have calmed down up there, and when she reappeared, she was much calmer.

She walked over to Tang Xu, phone in hand, and told her, "I returned to Huai City on April 2nd last year, and I must have gone to see Yu Ting on the 3rd..."

Tang Xu turned her head and saw the flight information on her phone.

Tang Xu looked up at her. "At that time, Dad had already woken up, right? I didn't know you two had met."

"Yes," Tang Lan said softly, "we discussed it and decided not to let you know I had come back. But at that time I also—"

Tang Xu interrupted her directly, saying, "What I mean is, at that time, the hospital where Dad was was not a place that ordinary people could enter. Even if someone went to see him, even if he didn't tell me, I should have received news from other sources. Why didn't I know that you two had met?"

Tang Lan opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke: "It was actually a coincidence... I went to that hospital for other business. I didn't expect him to be hospitalized there as well... We didn't meet in the ward, but in the garden..."

Seemingly afraid that Tang Xu might misunderstand something, Tang Lan added after speaking, "Qin Yun was also there at the time, and she knew that we were meeting."

Tang Xu looked at her quietly for a moment and said, "No wonder. You told your father that you would never go back to Huai City, but you still came back to see him. It was just a coincidence."

Tang Lan's eyes welled up with tears again, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch.

"He even told you all of this..."

“Yes,” Tang Xu said. “Dad will tell me everything I’m supposed to know. As for your coming back to see him, that’s not something I should know, and it’s right that he didn’t tell me.”

"Yaoyao..."

Just as Tang Lan was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang.

She picked up her phone, and both of their eyes fell on the screen at the same time.

The caller ID on the screen read "My dear daughter".

In that instant, Tang Lan clearly panicked and tried to hang up the phone, but somehow it got connected again. In her haste, she hung up the phone.

Compared to her panic, Tang Xu was much calmer.

She simply watched the series of actions quietly, her face expressionless.

However, the next moment, Tang Lan's phone rang again.

She is still my "precious daughter".

"Let's answer the phone first," Tang Xu said. "Otherwise, Miss Shao might worry."

"Yaoyao, wait for me, just a moment..."

As Tang Lan spoke, she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Even though she closed the kitchen door and spoke very softly, Tang Xu could still vaguely hear a few words coming from inside—

"Mom accidentally hung up..."

"Mom is busy..."

"Go to sleep early, Mom will call you again tomorrow morning..."

When Tang Lan hung up the phone and hurriedly walked out of the kitchen, Tang Xu was still standing there, calmly watching her.

Tang Lan lowered her eyes and slowly walked forward. When she reached out to hold Tang Xu's hand again, Tang Xu quickly withdrew her hand, avoiding her movement.

"Thank you for telling me all this tonight," Tang Xu said. "I should go now, so I won't bother you any longer."

She turned to leave, but Tang Lan called her back once more—

"Yao Yao!"

Tang Xu stopped and turned around again.

Tang Lan's tears fell again. "You blame me, you hate me... I really have wronged you."

“I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you,” Tang Xu said. “But if you really feel guilty, could you tell me one more thing?”

Tang Lan quickly walked up to her and said, "Go ahead."

"After you met your father last year, has Mr. Shao come to Huai City? Or... has he sent anyone to Huai City?"