Kapitel 24: A Surge of Memories Flashing By
"Calix, what's wrong?"
Old Madam Xu slightly frowned when she saw her grandson suddenly look at his behind. He abruptly did that when Rowan was greeting him back.
His grandmother's words pulled Calix's attention. He turned to stare at his family and his in-laws before once again glancing at where Leslie was.
Calix was surprised when out of nowhere, Leslie screamed in agony. It was not too loud yet, the twisted expression on her face showed how much she was in pain while pressing both sides of her head.
"Oh... I just..."
Calix paused, his eyes still locked on Leslie. Now, she was also looking at him.
"Go. Go to them. I'm fine."
Color was drained slightly from Leslie's face yet, she didn't appear to be in great pain like a moment ago. Putting an index finger across her mouth, she gestured at Calix not to say anything and behave as usual.
Calix blinked. He put his focus back on his family and the Li family members. With an impeccable smile on his lips, he bowed to them to apologize.
"I'm sorry, everyone, especially to my parents-in-law. I thought I saw something. There's nothing to worry about."
Old Madam Xu squinted her eyes at her grandson but, she had to hold back from nagging at her. Three guests were with them who were also Calix's new in-laws.
"CEO Xu is a busy man. You probably are still thinking about the company matters," said Rowan. He was smiling albeit awkwardly.
Calix nodded, his action was without flaw as if he didn't do anything weird just a moment ago. He subtly glanced at Leslie before saying.
"Dinner should be served soon. Why don't we move to the dining room now? We can talk while having dinner."
"Yes, let's go to the dining room," Vernon sang the same tune as his younger brother. He looked at Rowan, Bianca and Irene, "Please make yourself at home. You're our in-laws now."
"Thank you for your hospitality," Rowan glanced at Bianca and Irene, "Guests, it's time to eat."
"Come," Old Madam Xu softened her smile, trying to lessen the tension coming from the Li family, "As my eldest grandson had just said, we're in-laws now. We hope you'll have a pleasant time dining with us."
Lucille carried Amelia in her arms while Vernon helped Old Madam Xu to walk. Rowan, Bianca and Irene slowly stood up from the couch to follow them.
"This way."
Calix gestured in a direction. Uncle Gu was already outside to lead the guests to the dining room. It was not that far from the Begonia Room.
Before following them, Calix quietly looked at Leslie. Shaking her head, she told him.
"Calix, I'll stay here for a moment."
"..."
Calix nodded subtly. His expression was laced with worry. He was slightly frustrated because he couldn't openly ask Leslie what made her yell earlier.
Leslie's faint smile was imbued with helplessness. She said again, "Go. Do you wanna act weird in front of them? Control your mouth and action ah."
"..."
Calix raised his brows, trying to signal that he understood. Soon, he walked out of the waiting room.
Leslie was left alone in the Begonia Room. Once Calix disappeared, her smile also vanished. Exhaustion was manifested through her sullen expression.
"I guess... all those are her memories?"
Murmuring under her breath, Leslie looked at her palms. She clenched and unclenched them a few times, trying to register what had just happened within a short time.
As soon as Leslie placed her eyes on Rowan, Bianca and Irene, a massive surge of memories hastily appeared.
Thousands, or probably more moving images flashed in her mind as if they were forcibly rammed into her head. As if her skull would crack open, a piercing pain flared out.
Then, as if nothing occurred, the head throbbing instantly disappeared.
"Their presence... triggered me to receive her memories, right?"
Even though Leslie had stopped feeling the ache, the phenomenon left her unsettled. She wanted to call for Mimo before immediately dropping the idea.
"Let's go to them."
Leslie hovered past the closed door. An image of a nervous Calix appeared in her mind, slowly making her smile.
CEO Xu was so pitiful. If he really called out her name earlier, his action would surely raise suspicions to everyone.
Gently shaking her head, Leslie headed to the dining room. She didn't have any difficulty looking for it. Not far from where she was, she saw a few attendants bringing food trays in a direction.
As expected, everyone was there.
Leslie entered the dining room. She saw Old Madam Xu sitting at the head of the long table. Calix, Vernon, Lucille and Amelia were on the left side, facing Rowan, Bianca and Irene. They were making small talk.
Without saying anything to notify Calix that she was already inside, Leslie headed to the empty chair next to Irene.
"Should I sit there?"
Through the corner of her eyes, Leslie saw Calix glancing at her. Smiling, she made the gesture of zipping her lips, earning a brief deadpan look from him.
Finally, Leslie sat on the chair. She held back from laughing at the sight of Calix trying to be as subtle as possible to look at her way. The conversation that occurred between both sides echoed inside the dining room.
"...my heart truly feels guilty. After all, Charlene is your eldest daughter. I apologize for our family's lack of courtesy toward you."
Old Madam Xu brought up her remorse over Calix's action in hurriedly marrying Charlene Li. She didn't point out the fact that Rowan also played a part as he agreed with the arrangement.
"I'm honored that CEO Xu thinks fondly of my eldest daughter. Charlene has been..."
"Father, please call me by my name," Calix interrupted, "Mother and Irene as well. Aren't we family now? You shouldn't call me by my title."
"Oh, that..."
"Calix is right," Old Madam Xu showed her approval, "Now, Calix is your son-in-law. Shouldn't all of you be less formal by now?"
"That... we understand," Rowan nodded, followed by Bianca and Irene who were quiet, "We'll do that."
As Leslie watched the interaction between the Xu and the Li families, more thoughts were constructed in her mind.
Heiress' Househusband!
My new book is up now! Please show your support :) Thank you!
Kapitel 25: We, the Xu, Treat Everyone Equally
Through the memories, Leslie was able to grasp the strained relationship between Charlene and her parents.
A complicated web of emotions tangled in the unfortunate young lady as her feelings toward her family had a mixture of love and hatred.
After scouring the memories she had just recently gained, Leslie still was not sure why Old Madam Li treated Rowan harshly. All of her attention went to Geoffrey, her second son.
'What leads to the huge difference in treatment?'
Because of this, Rowan became a pushover. He didn't have the dignity of the eldest son that most firstborn males of high society possessed.
If Old Madam Li and Geoffrey demanded Rowan to do something, he would do it without fail even at the expense of his own little family.
Geoffrey's eldest child was a daughter, Gladys. She was of the same age as Charlene. She was as malicious as her father.
Throughout the years, Charlene had to endure different kinds of bullying caused by Gladys. Rowan did little to protect her because Old Madam Li and Geoffrey insisted that the torment was just children's play.
Charlene was constantly disappointed in Rowan, a father who couldn't keep her safe. She wanted to get out of the Li family's ancestral home but, her parents always told her to be patient with Gladys.
In the end, she succeeded, all due to Calix picking her as his bride.
Pressing her lips hard, Leslie kept her gaze on Rowan. He was talking to Calix and Vernon. At the same time, Lucille shared a conversation with Bianca. The women mostly chatted about children.
'Before her accident, what had happened?'
The novel briefly mentioned that Charlene fell from stairs at the Li family's ancestral home. It was the incident that pushed her into a coma.
Most of Charlene's injuries were superficial. Unfortunately, the back of her head bumped into a sharp corner of a cabinet.
'Pendant. She told me to find her pendant.'
Leslie remembered the first time she met Charlene. The latter requested her to find two things, one of them was a pendant.
According to Charlene, the pendant should be with the one who pushed her down the stairs. It meant the perpetrator.
The second thing to find was...
"...huh?"
Leslie blinked. Confusion washed over her heart as she stared blankly at the dining table.
'What's the second thing? She has told me before.'
Leslie was appalled once she realized that she couldn't remember the particular memory. She only recalled that she understood why Charlene wanted her to look for the second item.
Something like...
'No... I can't remember it.'
Horrified, Leslie shook her head a few times. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten one of Charlene's requests.
'Mimo... It should know, right?'
Caught in her trance, Leslie didn't notice that Calix was subtly looking in her direction. He parted his lips slightly, seemingly wanting to speak but, he knew he needed to keep up the facade.
During that time, Old Madam Xu cleared her throat after taking a sip of her tea. When she spoke, her words were directed to Calix despite looking at Rowan and Bianca.
"Even though the children got married in a hurry, Calix still should visit the bride's home on the third day. Because everyone might be busy during the day, how about having dinner together?"
Calix abruptly withdrew his gaze from Leslie. He looked at Old Madam Xu and Rowan back and forth before saying, "I understand, Grandma. I'll pay a visit to... Charlene's home tomorrow."
Calix almost said Leslie's name instead of her legal one Charlene.
"I'll inform my mother, Old Madam Xu. Having dinner together like right now is a good choice," Rowan also agreed. He was actually secretly happy inside.
Calix's visit to the bride's maiden home would show that he was serious about marrying his daughter Charlene. The people of the Li family couldn't wag their poisonous tongues like they had been doing.
"Send my regards to your mother," Old Madam Xu's smiling eyes had a flicker of coldness, "We're all getting older. She should tone down her bad habits, isn't it?"
Rowan momentarily froze because laughing awkwardly. Bianca and Irene said nothing. They didn't expect to hear Old Madam Xu talking bluntly about the Li family's matriarch.
Dinner ended around nine. Everyone was served with desserts at the end of the main meal. Despite sharing conversations for hours, the Li family still seemed to be uncomfortable with the Xu family.
"I won't send you off to the door. My old body can't take it anymore," Old Madam Xu rose from the seat with Vernon's assistance.
Staring at Rowan, she said, "Charlene is the daughter-in-law of the Xu family. We have never treated our sons or daughters-in-law differently than our own children. So, don't worry about your daughter."
Old Madam Xu's words were a jab at the Li family's practice. She knew full well how hostile Old Madam Li could be, no matter if it was her own child or the child's spouse.
In this case, Rowan and Bianca.
Rowan was stunned. He almost stuttered, "...thank you, Old Madam Xu. I'll entrust Charlene to Calix. I really, really appreciate your benevolence act."
Next to him, Bianca looked down ashamedly. Irene worriedly held her mother's hands.
"It's nothing to thank me about. See you again."
Old Madam Xu waved one hand, telling Rowan not to fret about it. She slowly walked out of the dining room, assisted by one of the maids. Vernon had returned to his seat.
Rowan shifted his gaze to Calix. Smiling faintly, he asked, "Calix, can we talk in private? I have something to tell you."
Calix nodded. He briefly glanced at Leslie. Her attention was also on her father.
"We should go to the balcony then, Father. Follow me."
Rowan stood up, leaving his wife and daughter to Vernon and Lucille. His new son-in-law brought him to a balcony near the dining room. The majestic night view of the courtyard greeted them.
"Father, what do you want to tell me?" Calix gestured at the bamboo chair sitting under the extended roof, "It is about Charlene?"
Rowan bit his lower lip. He quietly sat opposite Calix, pondering how should he bring up the matter.
Heiress' Househusband!
My new book is up now! Please show your support :) Thank you!
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
200+ Power-
Rangliste 
20 Power-
Stein Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen
Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen