Chapter 171: The Relationship is Discovered
An Qingyan and Gu Fei’s relationship was discovered by Song Shuman on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
On the morning of the fourth, Father and Mother An took their three sons to the Gu family for a New Year’s visit. The atmosphere that day had been perfectly harmonious, full of laughter and pleasant conversation.
In the afternoon, everyone was having a barbecue in the courtyard.
Song Shuman was heading back inside to use the restroom when, by a stroke of bad luck, she stumbled upon the two of them hidden in a corner, embracing and kissing. Her precious youngest son was kissing her best friend’s son?!
The moment his mother walked in, An Qingyan immediately pushed Gu Fei away, but they had already been caught. All he could do was stammer awkwardly, “Mom…”
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!!
What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!!
I told him we shouldn’t kiss in a place like this, what if we got caught? I can’t believe we actually got caught!!
Gu Fei, however, remained as calm as ever, greeting her with a simple “Auntie.”
It was as if he had just done nothing at all.
What was meant to happen would happen.
“You two…” Song Shuman looked at them in disbelief, her gaze fixed on her youngest son’s flushed face, which made it obvious what they had just been doing. “Weren’t you just going inside to get drinks? How could you… what have you two been doing?!”
“How could you two…”
The shock of what she had just seen was too much for Song Shuman to process. Her hands were trembling—whether from anger or shock, she didn’t know—and her voice rose several octaves. “Gu Fei, you better explain this to me!”
…
A stark contrast to the earlier harmonious scene, the living room of the Gu residence was now solemn and silent. An Jing and An Yu exchanged glances, deciding to keep quiet for now to save their own skins. Yu Qingtong also felt guilty; after all, it was her pig who had rooted up someone else’s precious little cabbage.
An Qingyan nervously wrung his hands, his head bowed, not daring to look at his parents. Gu Fei stood beside him and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, reached out and took the young man’s hand in his.
Dog Gu is so bold, An Jing marveled.
If Lu Yuqi’s parents ever found out about the two of them, he would probably have to face something even worse than this.
“What do you think you’re doing!” An Lingkang immediately slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, his voice booming with anger. “Gu Fei, let go of his hand!”
Gu Fei’s grip only tightened.
An Qingyan struggled. “Fei ge…”
“It’s fine.” Gu Fei squeezed the young man’s palm, murmuring a quiet reassurance, before turning his gaze to Father and Mother An across from them. He spoke unhurriedly, “Since Uncle and Auntie already know, there’s no need to hide it anymore. Yanyan and I are indeed in a relationship.”
Song Shuman closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to maintain her composure. “When did this start?”
Gu Fei: “Five months ago, before you were reunited.”
It was that early!
Gu Fei had his claws in their youngest son that long ago?!
No wonder the usually cold Gu Fei was so kind to Yanyan. They had thought he was treating Yanyan like a younger brother, but who knew he had other intentions! He wanted Yanyan himself!
What an oversight. They should have realized sooner.
An Lingkang felt a pang in his heart, just short of fuming and glaring. His tone was anything but friendly. “Gu Fei, and here I thought so highly of you before. How could you do something like this to Yanyan? How old is he? How could you bring yourself to do it?!”
“Um…” An Qingyan interjected weakly, “Dad, Mom, I’m almost twenty.”
“Don’t blame Fei ge, I was the one who fell for him first.”
An Jing, watching from the side, sighed helplessly. It was time for his parents to experience the same heartbreak he had felt, the kind that made him want to cut ties with Gu Fei on the spot.
“Yanyan, you… sigh.”
An Lingkang and Song Shuman sighed in unison. They had doted on their youngest son so much, and no matter what, they couldn’t bring themselves to scold or hit him. They couldn’t even bear to say a harsh word.
Yu Qingtong offered a placating smile, speaking up for the two of them. “I think they look great together. Our families are so close, them being together just makes things even better. It’s a good thing, no need to sigh.”
An Yu chimed in, “Dad, Mom, I think so too.”
An Jing cleared his throat. “Um, Dad, Mom, isn’t it a bit wrong to break up a happy couple?”
“Who said anything about breaking them up? Do your father and I look like those kinds of people?!” Song Shuman shot to her feet, looking at her eldest and second sons, and her best friend of many years, in disbelief.
“So, you three knew all along?”
“And only Lingkang and I were kept in the dark?”
Yu Qingtong smiled awkwardly. “Well, I only found out a little earlier than you…”
“Dad, Mom, I was the one who wanted to hide it from you, it has nothing to do with them.” An Qingyan lowered his head, his attitude one of complete remorse. He said obediently, “If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
“Yanyan, how could we blame you? Don’t say that.”
“Uncle, Auntie, I know you have many concerns, but none of them are a problem.” Gu Fei’s expression was serious, his calm tone carrying an unshakable resolve. “Yanyan is someone I can’t live without. I will take good care of him, protect him, and never let him suffer any grievances.”
“So, you can rest assured and entrust him to me.”
“You both know what kind of person I am. Compared to anyone else, I am definitely the most suitable person for Yanyan.”
Hearing Gu Fei say this in front of everyone, An Qingyan blushed slightly, but he still added in a small voice, “Fei ge is right.”
No matter if his parents agreed or not, he would never leave Gu Fei in this lifetime. Gu Fei was just as indispensable to him as oxygen.
Hearing this, An Lingkang nearly fainted.
Why was his Yanyan so biased towards Gu Fei!
Although, Gu Fei’s words did make sense. If Yanyan really did like men, it was better for him to be with Gu Fei than anyone else. They knew Gu Fei well, and he was outstanding in every way.
Moreover, he was truly good to Yanyan.
It was something anyone with eyes could see.
But there’s a saying, “I understand the logic, but I just can’t do it.” This sudden blow was something they couldn’t accept so quickly.
But it wasn’t like they would act out some melodramatic soap opera, break them up, and offer Gu Fei a five-million-yuan check to leave their son. That was impossible; the Gu family was even wealthier than the An family.
Besides, even if they disagreed, what good would it do? Would Yanyan compromise? Would Gu Fei give up? Also impossible.
Thinking it over, he still felt aggrieved. An Lingkang glared at Gu Fei and let out a cold snort. “I can’t be bothered with you young people’s affairs!” With that, he stormed outside.
“I’ll go check on Dad.” An Jing followed him out.
Song Shuman couldn’t help but sigh, but looking at her youngest son’s pitiful expression, her heart softened. How could she bear to make things difficult for Yanyan?
“Yanyan, Mom has no other requests. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
This meant she didn’t object. If his mother agreed, then getting his father on board wouldn’t be a problem. An Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief and went to hug Song Shuman. “Mom, I’m very happy now, because I have you all.”
“Sigh, my good son.”
Watching this harmonious scene, a subtle smile touched Gu Fei’s lips from the side. Everything had gone according to his plan, with no surprises.
Good, he finally had a proper title.
An Yu, sitting across from them, happened to see that fleeting smile and silently complained in his heart. Damn! Why does Gu Fei’s smile look so much like a scheming villain’s!
Yu Qingtong chuckled happily. Now, her best friend was her future in-law. It was a double blessing. She said with a smile, “Isn’t this great? So, are we still having a barbecue?”
Song Shuman’s expression changed in a second. She shot Yu Qingtong a resentful look and retorted, “Barbecue what? I’d rather barbecue you! You kept such a big thing from me, and we’re supposed to be best friends for decades!”
“I was wrong, I was wrong. I was just afraid you’d get angry. How would I dare?” One side was her best friend, the other her son. She had been in a difficult position too. But, her daughter-in-law was more important.
“I was very angry when I first found out the truth. How could that brat do such a heartless thing.”
Yu Qingtong glared at Gu Fei, her face full of helplessness. “I hit him, I scolded him, but it was no use. That brat just likes Yanyan so much, they can’t be separated. Sigh, you tell me, how could their feelings be so…”
“Alright, alright, stop making excuses.” Song Shuman cut her off impatiently. She wasn’t an idiot; she could tell that her friend was speaking up for Gu Fei.
“Yu Qingtong, from now on, we’re not speaking to each other for a week! Don’t talk to me!”
“Yanyan, let’s go home!”
With that, she took her youngest son and walked out.
“Hey, Shuman!” Even if you’re leaving, don’t take Yanyan with you! I haven’t had a chance to talk to my future daughter-in-law yet! Yu Qingtong sighed helplessly, then shot another glare at Gu Fei. “Look what you’ve done.”
Gu Fei: “One week of the silent treatment in exchange for a lifetime of happiness for your son.”
Yu Qingtong: “…”
Well, that was a great deal!
“Then I’ll head back too, Auntie. I’ll try to persuade my mom to shorten the silent treatment by a day!” With that, An Yu took off after them. “Mom! Little brother! How could you forget about me! This is too much!!”
Yu Qingtong: “…”
…
On a bench in the park, An Lingkang and An Jing, father and son, sat side-by-side, both looking at the artificial lake in front of them with the same愁眉苦臉 (chóu méi kǔ liǎn – worried and gloomy) expression. In the lake, a pair of white swans were swimming together, their elegant necks forming a heart shape.
An Lingkang: “Showing off their love, I really want to break them up!”
An Jing: “Exactly!”
“Sigh…”
“Sigh…”
On this festive day, they felt particularly miserable.
After some thought, An Jing spoke seriously, “Dad, how about we put a sack over Gu Fei’s head and beat him up in a corner? I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
An Lingkang nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”
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