Meng Ting raised his eyebrows when he heard Yan Sui's reply. He knelt on the bed, leaned forward, and embraced Yan Sui. He pasted and rubbed his face against the man.
When the door was suddenly opened, it was reasonable to say that he should not only feel angry. He might as well as be scared, but no. When facing Yan Sui, he could not be angry or frightened. He even hoped that Yan Sui could be like him.
After Yan Sui replied 'okay,' he felt pleasantly sweet, as if he just drank honey tea. Then like before, he rested his chin over Yan Sui's shoulder. He felt that he was ecstatic every time they got close with each other like this.
The look on Yan Sui's face gradually eased up. His hand, which was on Meng Ting's hair, slipped to the back of the boy's body, then he held Meng Ting's hand.
Meng Ting straightened up his body and got out of the bed. Yan Sui tidied Meng Ting's clothes up again and then he led the boy out of the door.
Outside, there was only Zhen Han who was still close to the door. He Wan had already disappeared.
"How did she get the key? Have Uncle Xiao investigate it thoroughly."
Yan Sui's expression, under Meng Ting's interruption, was not as unsightly as before, but when he was saying this, the coldness in his eyes could not be contained, but it was not aimed at Zhen Han and Meng Ting who were beside him. "One more thing, have someone guard the wedding room and the study."
Even if there were many guests who came and went, it was unlikely for them to run around the second or third floor without permission. At most, they would go around the drawing room downstairs. The lawn in front of the Yans' residence had already been nicely arranged for rest and play, but they could not be sure because He Wan was still considered as one of Yans.
"I think Aunty probably wanted to look for and talk to Sister-in-Law."
In the room where Yan Sui placed the important documents, there were combination locks and fingerprint locks. He Wan should be clear about this. She should not be reckless like this for those things. In order to look for Meng Ting, she purposely broke into the wedding room with the key. This action of hers was quite outrageous.
Zhen Han spoke as he measured Meng Ting with his eyes, then with his keen eyesight, he noticed marks on Meng Ting's neck. He cleared his throat, then he looked away. No wonder Yan Sui was so angry. He really took Meng Ting into the room to do something unspeakable.
No matter what, it was difficult for a married couple to restrain their own feelings. Moreover, they were in their own room with no one in their way. What else should they care about except for a peeping Tom?
After Yan Sui was taciturn for a while, he said, "You have to work harder today. Help me be on the lookout regarding this matter. There's no need to be polite to those who wanted to make trouble. I'll ask Zhao Bing to bring people and coordinate with you."
As a newlywed, Yan Sui himself naturally could not put much effort into this situation. Although Zhen Han was also busy, he was more relaxed and free than Yan Sui.
"Okay," Zhen Han did not make an excuse. With his relationship with Yan Sui, of course he wished Yan Sui's wedding would be perfect. Yan Sui and Uncle Xiao also had arranged these aspects before today, but right now, Yan Sui felt that this matter needed more attention.
"Thank you, Cousin."
Meng Ting nodded and gently thanked him when Zhen Han was about to leave. Although Zhen Han loved to speak ill about Yan Sui to him, in a crucial moment, he was still Yan Sui's cousin and he was a pretty good younger brother.
When Zhen Han heard this, a little smiling expression reached his eyes. He nodded back then he turned around and left.
While Yan Sui was leading Meng Ting down the stairs, Uncle Xiao appeared at the head of the stairs. He looked ashamed of himself. He also did not know how He Wan got the key from him. The control and monitoring had been investigated, but it was undeniable that he was derelict of his duty.
"Have all of the Mengs arrived?" Even though Yan Sui did not ask much about this in front of others, he still had the need to ask about this to Uncle Xiao.
Meng Ting did not come from the Mengs' old residence. That day when Yan Sui went to find Old Master Meng, they had made an agreement that both families should host the banquet together and both sides could invite their own guests. It was obvious that the Mengs had taken advantage of him. How could a man as shrewd as Old Master Meng disagree?
"They've arrived. Eldest Miss is greeting them in front. I'm here to find you and your wife."
"Hmm," answered Yan Sui. After that, his gaze fell on Meng Ting and he saw that Meng Ting's expression did not change, so he continued leading Meng Ting to the small hall to receive the Mengs.
Old Master Meng had arrived, so did both of his wives—Feng Zejiao and Li Yifei, including their children and grandchildren.
Of course, there were also Meng Ting's foster father and mother—Meng Yide and Han Xuejun, as well as their two sons, illegitimate son, and illegitimate daughter.
As he was about to enter the hall, Meng Ting's gaze fell onto an old woman who was around fifty or sixty years old.
She was dressed in an evening gown, but the smell of the vicissitudes of life could be smelled from afar. She and He Wan were talking with flattery. There was nobody in the room who talked and pointed at her but despise overflowed in their eyes from time to time.
Yan Sui's gaze followed Meng Ting's line of sight to the old woman. He immediately grasped Meng Ting's hand tighter and his expression also became colder. No wonder his people could not find this woman in Donglin Town. As it turned out, that woman had been taken to Haicheng in advance.
Meng Ting pursed his lips and did not greet the woman. When he was with Yan Sui, he could say that she was his grandmother, but when he unexpectedly saw her like this, he could not greet her. Nevertheless, as soon as she and He Wan quieted down in the small hall and looked over, they saw Yan Sui and Meng Ting.
As soon as the old woman noticed Meng Ting, her eyes moved to Yan Sui. The expression in her eyes was not only greedy but also pleasantly surprised, as if she was looking at a lump of gold that suddenly fell from the sky. She strode across in a way that she thought would be delicate and graceful. She was in distinct contrast with He Wan, who was by her side. He Wan was truly dignified. They looked like they were Xishi and Dongshi [1] walking together.
([1] Go to this page to know more about this two: http://chinesegarden101.blogspot.com/2011/09/story-of-dong-shi.html?m=1)
"Pffft!" Meng Qin laughed, then followed by Meng Xiao's laughter. They were aware of their lack of manners, so they lowered their head, but needless to say, they had the intention to mock the old woman.
Although they were also illegitimate children, they did not have such an embarrassing grandmother as Meng Ting.
At the moment, it was not only Meng Ting who looked embarrassed. Yan Sui must have been embarrassed as well, so could he still like Meng Ting? There were a lot of people in this room who thought like this, and there were one or two who was or were extremely slick, so they also thought that they could see others thoroughly.
Since he was little, Meng Ting was able to ignore most of the outsiders' gazes, but that did not include the gazes coming from the Mengs. They had left too many bad impressions for him. Their every frown and every smile naturally became incomparably distinct in his eyes.
Nevertheless, there were times as well when Meng Ting really felt at a loss, afraid, and overwhelmed by these emotions and did not know what to do.
However, now that Yan Sui was standing by his side, he should not and could not be weak. He said he wanted to be good to Yan Sui, so how could he shove all of his troubles onto this man?
He took a deep breath and looked at the old woman, "Grandma, you've arrived."
Meng Ting's voice was as cold as ice. He did his best to control his own emotions.
Wu Fengjiao swept a glance at Meng Ting and then her gaze fell on Yan Sui. The smile on her face inflated a few times more, "Ting Ting, so this is my…"
"He's Yan Sui, my husband, but he's got nothing to do with you."
Meng Ting interrupted Wu Fengjiao's words. The smile on his lips disappeared as soon as he saw her. His expression had become a lot colder. This was Meng Ting's usual expression before, but now it was colder.
The hand that was being held by Yan Sui, slightly broke away. Then Meng Ting grabbed Wu Fengjiao's arm with one hand. He gave no one the chance to urge him to stay and immediately dragged her out of the small hall.
"This…this child." He Wan was about to say something, but her eyes suddenly came into contact with Yan Sui's and all of her words became stuck in her throat.
"Meng Ting and his grandmother are reminiscing, so you don't need to disturb them." Actually, Yan Sui was worried about Meng Ting, but after hesitating, he still chose not to stop him. This was the Yans' residence after all. It was impossible for him to let others bully Meng Ting here.
Yan Sui's words were smooth and did not cause any commotion. It was completely impossible to determine whether he was angry or not. Even Old Master Meng had no objection on what he said, so there was no room for others to say theirs.
At this time, Meng Qi patted Feng Zejiao's hand and nodded gently as he passed by Yan Sui, then he went out of the small hall. It seemed that he was going to see Meng Ting. Yan Sui suddenly looked colder.
Yan Manjia, who had finished talking with Feng Zejiao and Li Yifei, looked at Yan Sui. She paused and smiled, "What are you doing? Bring back your wife. Your aunt and mother are here."
Yan Sui nodded lightly but he did not look at He Wan and the others' expression. He then went out to chase after the person, too.
Meng Ting dragged Wu Fengjiao and took her to the back of the house, in front of Rhubarb's kennel. Rhubarb looked up and saw Meng Ting, then it continued to lie down on its stomach again.
Nobody came to this place today, so it was very quiet here.
Throughout the way, Wu Fengjiao wanted to cause an uproar to force Meng Ting let go of her, but every time she had this idea, the expression in Meng Ting's eyes grew even colder.
She had seen this kind of expression before. That day, when she opened the door, the strong smell of blood rushed to her brain and made her dizzy. The scene before her eyes made her scream.
The dark red bloodstain covered that small room. An old man with no clothes on his body was suspected to be dead. A teenager was holding a fruit knife and sitting in the corner of the wall as he looked straight at her. This scene had been haunting her a lot in her dreams all these years, and every time it did, it made her curse her bad luck for days.
Undoubtedly, since then, she had been somewhat afraid of Meng Ting. She did not consider Meng Ting as her grandson and she did not think that Meng Ting would consider her as his grandmother. When she learned that Meng Ting was sent to the reformation boarding school, she was relieved. If she could, she did not want to see him again in her life.
However, she had to show up again because she had no choice but to come.
She had used up all of the money that the Mengs had given her during those days. In the past two years, she was barely getting by each day, so when the Mengs invited her to come, she agreed without thinking.
Right now, looking at Meng Ting's cold eyes, her fear from that time gradually returned.
"Ting, your life's already going well. It won't cost you anything if you'd help your grandmother financially for once."
She had never been to the Mengs' old residence and she had never stayed in such a good hotel all of her life. In her opinion, the Yans were undoubtedly a rich and powerful family. As one said, 'When a man gets to the top, all of his friends and relatives get there with him,' and no matter what, she was still Meng Ting's grandmother.
Meng Ting let her arm go and gently took a step back. He looked at Wu Fengjiao more carefully than before and finally, he reached to a conclusion, "You've aged."
He had not seen her for three years, no, counting in his previous lifetime, as a matter of fact, it had been years. Wu Fengjiao and the woman in his memory, who was short-tempered and always cursing when she was talking, was rather different. Previously, he unwillingly regarded her as an attractive middle-aged woman, but now, she really had aged.
Wu Fengjiao stopped smiling when she heard this. Her meticulous pretense expression to fawn on Meng Ting also faded away. She snorted softly, "I won't talk to you. I want to talk to Yan Sui, my grandson-in-law. Since today, you won't give me pension, then I'll stay here."
Meng Ting lightly shook his head, "You've provided me for seven years, but in the end, you sold me, so I don't owe you any money. Pension?" said Meng Ting as his expression became even colder. He took a step back. He was not afraid of Wu Fengjiao; rather, he was afraid that he could not control himself and do something that would make Yan Sui worry about his affairs. "I won't provide it. Yan Sui won't provide it as well." Then he added, "I know what the Mengs asked you to do. To expose that I almost killed someone? Or to expose that I've been molested?"
In his previous life, the Mengs had asked Wu Fengjiao to do this thing, but at that time he was the top student in the university, while now he was Yan Sui's wife. "It's worth it even if I bring shame and ruin upon myself, so you and him could be locked up in jail."
As a matter of fact, he could not bring himself to say that he brought shame and ruin upon himself, but in the days to come, he would be labeled as a criminal who attempted murderer and was defiled by an old man when he was young. Those people would not care whether it was true or not, or what the inside story was. They would just look at him with fear and curiosity, then subconsciously distance themselves from him and point their fingers at him. "I injured that man for self-defense. Grandma, you and him deliberately plotted to frame me."
Originally, the seventeen-year-old Meng Ting did not understand this. He was able to understand this later on. However, it was after he was almost forced into despair that he was able to understand this.
During that time, he also wanted to change for the better. He also wanted to break free from the Mengs' cage, but he could not make such decision at that time. Now, he was just a good-for-nothing. If Yan Sui did not want him, he would be just a good-for-nothing. The Mengs had nothing to destroy him.
He hated to part with Yan Sui, but he was more unwilling to go back to his previous path.
However, there was no doubt that when he said these words, he was sad. It was just that these days, he came to like Yan Sui so much and he hated to part with him.
"I didn't…" Wu Fengjiao wanted to defend herself, but faced with Meng Ting's gaze, she could not justify herself, "You're the patriarch's wife. What do you want people to think of you and Yan Sui? Don't be impulsive…"
Thinking about Yan Sui, Meng Ting looked even more unsightly, "You don't need to worry. I won't marry him."
Wu Fengjiao's arrival made Meng Ting understand the reality even more clearly. Previously, he wanted to take advantage of Yan Sui to escape the Mengs, but he had already fallen in love with him. He wanted to be good to Yan Sui. He could not bear to think about taking advantage of him anymore.
"You, you…" Wu Fengjiao was really frightened. She watched Meng Ting grow up. How could she not know that he was unable to tell a lie. He spoke like this, then this was what he was thinking. It was his decision. Furthermore, normally when he had decided, it was difficult to be change back.
"What did you say?"
Yan Sui's voice emerged from behind. There was Meng Qi by his side, who was also as startled as Yan Sui. However, when Meng Ting turned around, he could only see Yan Sui. There was no more joy of their intimacy upstairs left in Meng Ting's eyes. The faint grief was looming, and finally, everything had vanished.
Yan Sui approached step by step. Meng Ting still looked like this. Even though there was no smile like before and he did not take the initiative to take a step forward as well nor did he stretch his hand to Yan Sui, he pursed his lips and slightly lowered his gaze. Only then could he raise his eyes and look at Yan Sui in the eyes.
"Yan Sui, I'm sorry. We can't get married."
Meng Ting's unprecedented sorrows, but those sorrows just revolved in his eyes and was already being concealed back. They could not get married. They could not be husband and wife. He also did not have the qualification to open up his feelings to Yan Sui.
"It doesn't matter if you don't hear it. I'll tell you again."
Yan Sui continued approaching and listened to him as his grim scar was maliciously torn apart once again.
"I almost killed someone when I was almost fourteen, and I was almost forced to…"
Yan Sui did not stop at all. He directly stepped forward and took Meng Ting into his arms. He hugged him with all his might that Meng Ting could endure, "It doesn't matter to me. No matter what happened in the past, it doesn't matter. It's not your fault, it's their fault."
Originally, Meng Ting thought that he was strong and resolute enough. However, being tightly embraced by Yan Sui like this, that seemingly strong barrier melted without a trace in the twinkling of an eye. All of the sadness blotted out the sky and covered the earth and he could no longer maintain his indifferent manner.
"It matters, it matters to you, Yan Sui. I like you, and how can I let them also see you like that?" His gaze looked completely sorry that Yan Sui would definitely be troubled. "I'm sorry, I'm not good. How can I…"
Yan Sui slightly let go of Meng Ting. With two fingers, he lifted Meng Ting's chin, then soon after, he gently kissed him, "You're very good. If I say you're good, then you're good. Why don't you believe in me?"
Meng Ting subconsciously shook his head. He trusts in Yan Sui. He wanted to believe in Yan Sui.
Yan Sui continued embracing Meng Ting's head in his arms, then he coldly looked at Wu Fengjiao, "It's Li Yifei who contacted you to come, right? Tell her I'll help him get back."
Yan Sui dropped his words. He stooped down and picked up Meng Ting in his arms. Meng Qi, who was not far from them, was still lost in shock. Yan Sui swept his gaze over him, then he passed by him with Meng Ting in his hands and left.
Meng Ting buried his face beside Yan Sui's neck. He did not speak, did not raise his head up, nor did he look at the man. They passed through many people along the way, but Yan Sui ignored those people's gazes. Those people might have had a few questions, but they could not get the answer. No one was brave enough to chase after Yan Sui.
"Carry on the wedding as scheduled. Otherwise, other people will think highly of that woman. She came to the Yans' residence and thinks could just leave easily like that."
It was the Mengs themselves who delivered the person to the Yans' doorstep, so they could not blame Yan Sui to settle the account earlier.
After he told this to Uncle Xiao and Zhen Han, Yan Sui carried Meng Ting back to their wedding room. Before he put the boy down, he suddenly turned around. Uncle Xiao also stopped closing the door, "Ask Nanny Wang to bring some food."
"Yes." Uncle Xiao nodded then he closed the door.
Yan Sui placed the boy down on the bed, but he discovered both of Meng Ting's hands did not let him go. It seemed that he did not want to let him go at all. Meng Ting buried himself on his neck. Meng Ting did not speak, did not look up, nor did he let the man go.
Yan Sui had no other choice but to continue holding Meng Ting as he sat down.
Nanny Wang came up with the food and placed it on the table next to the sofa, then she left the room, while the couple still remained in that position.
"Do your legs feel numb?" Yan Sui asked gently.
"Yeah." Answered Meng Ting, but he still did not let go of Yan Sui. It was like if he let go, Yan Sui would run away. Although a moment ago, it was Meng Ting himself who kept saying that he would not marry him.
When he remembered this matter, Yan Sui felt a little angry. However, he raised his hand and placed it on Meng Ting's back, then caressed the boy, "Let me go first. I won't leave."
After a few moments hesitating, only then did Meng Ting let go of the man. His eyes were a little red and his face was somewhat unnaturally pale. His sense of insecurity was extremely strong.
He still could not believe that Yan Sui already knew about it and still wanted him.
"Have you forgotten? We already took our marriage certificate seven days ago, and three hours ago, we paid our respects to my ancestors. Whether you like it or not, we're already husband and wife."
"I haven't forgotten," Meng Ting said gloomily. Finally, his gaze no longer forced itself to disguise his emotions and gradually became sadder, then he repeated it once again, "I haven't forgotten."
The tears in his eyes gradually dropped. He knelt then sat up once again. Then with both of his hands, he held on to Yan Sui. They looked at each other closely and then he spoke honestly, "I'm so sorry for what I said a moment ago."
When he was unyielding, it seemed that he did not feel sad when he said those words.
"I want to marry you. I don't want to divorce. I never wanted to."
While Meng Ting was not aware of it, tears rolled down from the corner of his eyes, and fell down on Yan Sui's chin.
Yan Sui hugged the boy. He felt that he should say something to comfort Meng Ting, but when he was about to say something, he felt that his words were too weak.
After a while, he unexpectedly pushed Meng Ting's shoulder and made them part from each other forcefully.
Meng Ting's eyes suddenly opened wide. However, he did not have enough time to feel dejected when Yan Sui suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of their bed. "Meng Ting, I still owe you a proposal. At first, I wanted to make it up with you during our honeymoon trip, but I can't wait until that time."
"Now, I'm asking you, I want to marry you, will you marry me?"
After Yan Sui said this, he leaned his body to the bedside cabinet, where Meng Ting kept their marriage certificate, and took out a small box. Inside, there was a pair of men's rings.
Yan Sui did not wait for Meng Ting to answer, he took out the ring and pulled Meng Ting's hand, then he took the ring and put it on Meng Ting. The whole process lasted less than ten seconds.
He reached out to take the other ring, but Meng Ting stopped him. He looked at the box with a more solemn expression. He pulled Yan Sui's hand and took a good look at it, then he carefully put the other ring to Yan Sui.
"Why are you so impatient? You can't even wait for me to say I will."
Yan Sui's eyes revealed helplessness. As a matter of fact, he was afraid that Meng Ting would suddenly tell him that he was not willing.
"I will."
Meng Ting said determinedly, he looked down at the glimmering rings on their hands, then he took Yan Sui's hand and pressed it against his chest, "It says, it will."