Slow to mature after marriage

Shen Ruoqing gently closed the door, turned around, and met Zhou Shuyan's gaze.

He had been waiting outside the door.

Shen Ruoqing could no longer hold back.

She quietly clenched her small fist and placed it against her chest. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. Her lips trembled, and her voice was extremely low, "That's wonderful, honey! An'an agreed to let our family go shopping!"

She sniffed, then became nervous again. "How did I do just now? Did I seem abrupt to her? I'm having trouble controlling my emotions... An'an is more like an adult than I am now."

Zhou Shuyan reached out and pulled his wife into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head and gently patting her back. "You did very well just now. We'll take it slow as a family; there's plenty of time."

Shen Ruoqing gave a muffled "hmm" in his arms and wiped her tears on his shirt.

Zhou Shuyan thought of Shen Ruoqing when she was young. Before Zhou Yu'an went missing, she always had this kind of temperament—gentle, yet adorable, able to get along well with a group of children, squatting by the sandpit to build sandcastles with them, even more earnest than the children themselves. He was happy that his wife's temperament had recently slowly returned to its former state.

The two went downstairs. Shen Ruoqing reached the corner of the stairs, then suddenly quickened her pace, blocking Zhou Xubai's way into the study.

She and Zhou Shuyan stood one in front and one behind, sandwiching the person in the middle.

"Xu Bai, quickly tell your mother how your sister has been doing all these years?"

The couple pressed Zhou Xubai on the phone many times, but each time the topic came up, he always gave evasive answers.

But at this moment, he was surrounded, with his father on his left and his mother on his right, and they all seemed determined that no one would leave until he spoke up.

Zhou Xubai lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it, it was that he was afraid to. His mother's health was poor, and she had only recently improved somewhat because of his sister's return. He didn't want to break down again after knowing the truth.

But he will not let any of those scores go unresolved, and he has already made arrangements to teach those who deserve a lesson.

Now that Zhou Xubai knew he couldn't hide it any longer, he had no choice but to tell them everything they had investigated and all the information that Bo Yan had sent him.

Shen Ruoqing burst into tears on the spot.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud, but tears welled up between her fingers and she couldn't stop them.

"They have children too... Why are they treating my children like this..."

She remembered the time her daughter was locked in the attic; she was sitting in the Zhou family's living room embroidering a handkerchief, stitch by stitch, embroidering gardenias and the character "An" (meaning peace). She remembered the time her daughter huddled in the dark, hungry, while she was in the kitchen simmering pork rib soup, serving bowl after bowl, placing them on the table, and silently drinking them all herself. She remembered the time her daughter was being pointed at and told, "You're not my biological daughter," while she was writing a birthday card, writing, "My An'an, Mom will always love you."

Her An'an, the An'an she cherished so dearly, afraid of dropping her or melting her in her mouth.

She couldn't even bear to speak loudly.

How dare they?

Zhou Shuyan sat next to Shen Ruoqing, gently putting one arm around her shoulder, his fingers tightening slightly, to support her and himself.

His eyes also reddened.

But years of ups and downs in the business world taught him a lesson—no matter how many tears are shed, it's better to make those who should pay the price pay the price.

Is the Mu family's case still in court?

"Yes. Mu Cheng is still fighting like a cornered beast; he can probably hold out for another half a month."

Zhou Shuyan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Add more fuel to the fire."

-

upstairs.

Zhou Yu'an lay on the bed, staring at the big, clumsy bear for a long time. It tilted its head, its black bean-like eyes sparkling, and a curved line at the corner of its mouth, making it seem like it was always smiling.

She tossed and turned.

The pillow was too soft, the blanket too light, and the air smelled of sunshine, unlike any scent she had ever smelled before.

She couldn't sleep. She turned over, took out her phone, and dialed Bo Yan's number.

The video call connected. On the other end of the screen, Bo Yan was in his office, with the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of Yanhe International in the background. The sky above Beijing was hazy, which matched his dyed black hair perfectly.

Suits and ties, impeccably dressed.

Zhou Yu'an stared at his hair for two seconds, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes. "Why did you dye your hair back?"

Bo Yan leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow, the sour undertone in his voice practically palpable even through the screen. "What's wrong? You like silver hair, but now that you've dyed it back, you don't want to be with me anymore?"

He gave a soft snort, his gaze piercing through the camera lens and landing directly on her face. "So you still only like eighteen-year-old silver-haired boys, huh?"

Zhou Yu'an fell silent.

Bo Yan tapped her fingers lightly twice on the desk, then pressed on, "Really? You only like eighteen-year-olds?"

"...No, not really." The reply was slow and hesitant, barely audible.

Bo Yan clicked his tongue, deciding not to bother with this little AI. He shifted his position, resting his arm on the table, and leaned closer to the screen. "You suddenly called me because you missed me?"

Zhou Yu'an shook his head and said honestly, "No. I don't have time to think about you."

Besides, they've only been apart for half a day, okay?

Bo Yan was so angry that his head was practically steaming.

He took a deep breath, then another, silently repeating three times in his mind, "This is the wife I married, the wife I married, the wife I married," before gritting his teeth and asking, "So what do you mean by calling now? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"

Zhou Yu'an looked around the room, which perfectly matched her aesthetic, and then the camera flipped to show Bo Yan the cozy little nest that her parents had carefully prepared.

When the camera turned back, Zhou Yu'an's eyebrows curved into a smile, and he finally couldn't help but jump for joy.

"I just wanted to call and tell you that you're absolutely right, Bo Yan."

Bo Yan paused for a moment.

Zhou Yu'an said, "My parents seem to really like me."

Bo Yan's eyebrows and eyes softened as well.

He stared at the girl on the screen and chuckled softly.

"What did I say? Our An'an certainly deserves to be loved."