Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Yue Chen’s Curiosity
The atmosphere turned tense after his statement. The two brothers glared at him, and they felt awful. It would have been better if they found their sister before she got married to Huo Feng.
Lu Jiang’s gaze rested on Huo Feng’s hands which were tightly holding Yue Ning’s, and he sighed.
Lu Ting took a deep breath as she consoled herself. "Your daughter is not dead, that’s great. You only need to win her heart."
She looked at Yue Ning with her tear-stricken face, and she smiled. "I will wait for my daughter to accept us with open hands. I don’t care how long it would take, but I’ll wait."
Yue Ning stared straight at the older lady, and she could see sincerity written all over her face.
She wanted to run over to her, hug her, and cry. But she held back. She didn’t know how she should act.
She expected it, but once it happened, she had no idea how she could embrace it.
"Let’s leave. She will come around. All that matters is that she isn’t dead." Lu Ting whispered to her husband.
Lu Jiang nodded, agreeing with her words. He looked at his daughter once again, and relief washed over him. At least... she wasn’t dead. She was alive and kicking.
He got up, and they all rose to their feet, apart from Yue Ning and Huo Yan.
"We will be taking our leave now," Lu Jiang cupped his palms into fists.
Huo Feng smiled lightly. "I will walk you out to the door." He gestured for them to walk in front of him.
After they all left, Huo Yan held Yue Ning’s hands.
"Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?" She asked, snapping Yue Ning out her thoughts.
She turned to stare at Huo Yan, and blinked her big, doe eyes.
"I was expecting it." She whispered.
Huo Yan breathed out through her mouth. "This explains why you were treated horribly by the Yue couple. It is because you didn’t originally belong to them."
Yue Ning nodded her head. "I actually got your brother to investigate. The results were similar to what they found, but we didn’t reach the final stage."
"I know I was expecting this. They are my real family, but I don’t know how to embrace them, and accept them as mine." Yue Ning confessed.
Huo Yan rubbed her hand, "you’ll be able to do so one day. They lost you when you were a kid. I can’t imagine the suffering they had to go through just because of that. No parent deserves to lose their kid."
"And I hope that the day you’ll accept them as your family won’t be too long. They need you just as much as you need them." Huo Yan advised.
.
Yue Ning chuckled softly. "You have grown quite well."
Huo Yan stuck out her tongue cheekily. "Perhaps, I was forced to grow up after losing my parents and grandmother." She sighed before adding, "you still have your parents, and they are ready to love and cherish you. Accept it."
"Yan is quite correct."
Huo Feng’s voice interrupted the two ladies. He had his hands in his pocket as he walked into the living room.
They turned their attention towards him without hesitation.
He walked further, and took a seat beside her. "When you found out that you might not be the real daughter of the Yues, you’ve always wanted to find out the truth about your identity."
"Now that you’ve known who you really are, do you dare back away?"
Yue Ning lowered her head as she seriously considered their words.
Meanwhile, the Lus were in their car, driving back to their home when Lu Ran spoke up.
"Does Sister despise us?"
Lu Quan sighed. He also had the same question as Lu Ran.
"She doesn’t despise us," she whispered as her hand tightened around her handkerchief. "She wants to come closer, but her wounds won’t let her. All those years at the Yues... they scarred her."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes sharpened. "They raised her in cruelty while I mourned her disappearance while thinking she died. They made her believe she was unloved and unworthy." She inhaled shakily, her gentle mask cracking.
"I was wrong to think patience alone could heal this. They don’t deserve forgiveness. Jiang..." Her gaze lifted, hard as steel. "
They robbed me of my daughter, and now they dare cower like rats. I want them ruined. Every tear they made her shed—I want it repaid."
Lu Jiang and the boys shivered. They had never seen her like this before. The gentle, grieving Lu Ting, transformed into a mother lioness, ready to bare her fangs at her enemies.
Unfortunately for the Yues, they had stepped on her bottom line which happened to be her daughter... Xiao Ning.
"You don’t have to worry, Ting. I’ll make sure they pay for their actions. They have to pay." Lu Jiang vowed, his eyes glinting with danger within them.
Lu Ting nodded, satisfied by his vow.
_______________
Ever since the meeting with Lu Jiang yesterday, the Yue couple have been cooped up in their rooms.
Yue Chen had seen them rush into their rooms with scared expressions. She had tried to find out what was wrong but they ignored her.
Currently, she was sitting in her room as she tapped her nails against the vanity table feeling restless. Ever since yesterday, her parents had been acting like frightened mice.
They hadn’t come down for dinner. This morning, breakfast had gone cold on the table without them.
"Just what is going on?" she muttered, got up to her feet and began pacing around the room.
Unable to bear it any longer, she left her room and walked down the hallway. Pausing outside her parent’s door, she pressed her ear against it.
Muffled voices drifted out—her father’s deep tone, her mother’s strained sobs, she heard all of these.
"Lu Jiang... he will deal with us ... I can feel it..."
Yue Chen’s brows knitted. Lu Jiang? The Lus? Her heartbeat quickened, and her gaze darkened. Why were her parents talking about them in such a fearful way?
She stepped back quickly when the door creaked open, and she met her mother’s tear-stricken face.
Forcing a smile, she called out lightly, "Mother? Father? Are you unwell? You’ve locked yourselves in since yesterday. I’m worried about you both."
The door slammed shut in her face causing her to gasp in fury.
Her smile faltered, anger and curiosity bubbling together. "Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll find out myself."