At the end of the kiss, both of their breaths were a little unstable.
Meng Ting's back was against the wall, his head was resting on Yan Sui's shoulder, and it took a while for his breathing to slow down.
He looked up at Yan Sui and his heart beat even faster. They actually kissed many times, but for each occasion, his reaction was particularly strong. When Yan Sui tried to help him up, Meng Ting hurriedly hugged his waist and said in a low voice, "Wait a little longer."
Yan Sui somewhat understood the meaning behind Meng Ting's "wait." He stroked Meng Ting's cheek and "waited" with him.
"I'm okay now." Meng Ting let go of Yan Sui. His cheeks were still flushed and he poked Yan Sui's chest. "Let's go back to our room and kiss again later." It was too embarrassing on the streets.
Yan Sui looked at Meng Ting, then swiftly held his face up, and kissed him on both cheeks. "Meng Ting, I can't help it." Meng Ting was shy by nature and different from ordinary people's frankness. He could not resist him at all.
"Hmn?" Meng Ting was puzzled, but Yan Sui did not answer him. He pulled his hand and continued walking.
Meng Ting soon understood what Yan Sui meant. They kissed by the purple lavender fields, in front of the wishing well in the center of the town, underneath the old weeping willow tree that was swaying in the breeze…and all over the town. They kissed each other until their hearts floated in the wind.
"Shall we go home?" Yan Sui looked at Meng Ting as he asked softly.
"Okay." Meng Ting nodded. He glanced from the corners of his eyes to Yan Sui and the corners of his mouth could not help but overflow with a smile—a sweet and warm smile.
After walking for a while, before they reached the parking space, Meng Ting shook Yan Sui's leading hand.
"Do you have anything to say to me?" For several times, Yan Sui made it as if he wanted to say something, but when Meng Ting looked over, Yan Sui did not say anything.
Having heard what he said, Yan Sui looked sideways, leaned over, and gently hummed. He pulled the boy closer, kissed his hair, and by then, he said, "Let's go home and talk."
"Okay," Meng Ting replied with a smile.
And yet, something kept on making Yan Sui hesitate to open his mouth and unable to relax. Furthermore, it was only their second day here; of course, they should be having a great time, but he would not conceal the truth about the things that must be known by Meng Ting. Meng Ting had the right to know and he should know about this.
Back at the Rose Manor, after dinner, Yan Sui received a handpicked bouquet from Meng Ting again. While holding the bouquet, he led the boy back to their room and placed the new bouquet in a vase. The bouquet from yesterday was sent back to the living room downstairs.
When Yan Sui came back to the room, Meng Ting was not on the sofa, but was taking a shower.
He did not hesitate anymore. He took out the laptop, opened the email from yesterday, moved the mouse around, and looked at it again. His expression started to become heavy, little by little.
When Meng Ting came out from the bathroom, Yan Sui waved at him. "Come here. Let's read something together."
Meng Ting nodded without much thought. He walked over quickly and sat on the sofa. Yan Sui then took him into his arms. Meng Ting looked up at him and smiled before turning to look at the laptop's screen.
Not long after, the smile on Meng Ting's face disappeared. He reached over, pressed the mouse, and then slowly scrolled down. It took Meng Ting nearly an hour to read the email. After a long time, he muttered, "It turns out…this is the case."
He let out a soft sigh and Yan Sui was somewhat surprised by his calm face.
Meng Ting let go of the mouse, then he turned, and hugged Yan Sui. "Yan Sui, thank you."
He had been living in a great mess. In his previous life, even until death, he did not know that he was not related to the Mengs. He may still be an illegitimate child, but he was not an illegitimate child of the Mengs. He was only made into a scapegoat.
If it were not for Yan Sui, he would not have known. What he could not figure out in his past life had suddenly became so clear that his heart was at peace. He gave it some thought and said, "Although my surname is Meng, I've never felt that I'm one of them. We've never been a family."
What it was like having a family, he only understood that when he met Yan Sui. He could be calm because he held no expectations for the Mengs. Without expectations, you could not be hurt more deeply. This was one of Meng Ting's biggest realizations in his previous life.
"I didn't have a family before, but now I have you. Yan Sui, thank you."
Meng Ting was indeed very calm. Sadness, anger, hatred—these were not present at all. Those emotions were too tiring. He did not want to be tired. He only wanted to be with Yan Sui hereafter and be good together.
Yan Sui felt distressed by Meng Ting's optimism. He pushed the laptop aside, then he picked the boy up, and went straight for the bed.
He placed the boy on the bed. Meng Ting lifted his chin, wanting to kiss him, but Yan Sui avoided him. He asked Meng Ting with a very serious look, "According to your age, you're considered an adult. You can decide whether you want to be with me or not."
If Meng Ting wants him to wait, he would wait.
Meng Ting had never feared Yan Sui's seriousness. He continued to lift his face up and finally kissed Yan Sui's lips. He raised his hand and touched Yan Sui's cheek. "Of course, we have to be together."
He pulled Yan Sui down a little, placed a kiss on his chin, and softly whispered, "Yan Sui, let's be together."
"I want…" us to be together…
Meng Ting only managed to speak those words before his lips were sealed by Yan Sui's. Yan Sui's eyes turned red as his endurance reached its peak. He never thought that a few words could cause him to lose himself, but Meng Ting's words had such an effect on him.
At the end of the kiss, Meng Ting licked his lips and said what he thought he should say, "I don't…really get it, but you should know it." Because he learned about Xia Country's same-sex marriage at the research institute, Meng Ting intentionally searched for more information on it, but it was limited. It was certainly not as well-informed as Yan Sui.
Meng Ting was quite frank and sincere about this kind of thing. Although this frankness and sincerity did not affect his natural shyness, the more it was, the more it confused people.
"I know." Yan Sui said these words from the depths of his throat and pressed Meng Ting back on the bed.
He lowered his head and sucked Meng Ting's lips. He seized the other's breath as he went in and did his best to plunder it. This was deeper and more intense than their previous kiss. The entanglement of their tongues and the throbbing it brought had caused the two men's breathing to be chaotic. Their chests were violently undulating, still failing to stop their entanglement.
Yan Sui and Meng Ting's foreheads oozed with sweat, and the spurt of their breaths was hot, scalding the two.
Meng Ting's cherry lips were slightly opened, and his pants were unceasing. Yan Sui's kiss landed on his ear and a wet feeling scoured his ear. Meng Ting could not help but cry out, "It tickles…"
Yan Sui let go of his ear but sucked on his earlobe. Meng Ting slightly arched his body. Here was undoubtedly one of his sensitive points. "Yan Sui…"
There was a sobbing tone in his voice and had some coquettish feeling. Yan Sui's dark red eyes continued to expand. He let go of Meng Ting's earlobe and the kisses fell on his white neck, one after another. At the same time, he spread open Meng Ting's thin pajamas with both of his hands.
Meng Ting squinted. When he lifted his hands, he went for Yan Sui's clothes. "Yours are in the way, too."
Therefore, it could not be only him who was naked.
In view of the facts that Meng Ting was too slow to undress him last time and Yan Sui's endurance was at its limit, he could not bear the torment. He began taking his own clothes off. Piece by piece, his clothes fell on the ground. Meng Ting's eyes widened slightly when he had finally noticed the difference between Yan Sui with clothes on and Yan Sui without them on.
But when he wanted to get away, he was locked between Yan Sui's arms. "Regretting?"
Meng Ting subconsciously shook his head but stayed silent. He was kissed again, but this time, the kiss was longer and more arousing than any previous ones. The gentle strokes on the body which had originally been set ablaze became more and more vigorous.
Yan Sui remembered something and opened the bedside cabinet. Inside was something which the manor's butler, Li Yuan, had prepared for the newlyweds.
For Meng Ting, this was his first time; for Yan Sui, it was the same. Meng Ting did not understand at all, but he cooperated quite well. Whatever Yan Sui asked him, he would reply accordingly. Yan Sui's patience had been somewhat inhumane, even more so when dealing with matters related to Meng Ting.
Although he wanted to take complete possession of the boy, he did not want Meng Ting to be bedridden for days because of his injury. His patience and gentleness soothed Meng Ting's fear. "Meng Ting, I love you."
Yan Sui whispered softly and slowly kissed Meng Ting's face again.
"Yan Sui…"
Meng Ting slowly opened his eyes. The slight blush out of shyness on his face could not fade, but there was something glimmering that had appeared in his eyes. When Yan Sui said he likes him, he was happy, but when he said that he loves him, Meng Ting felt like crying.
"Be good. Don't be afraid. I'll always love you."
Yan Sui's lips fell on the corners of Meng Ting's eyes, kissing away those overflowing teardrops.
Meng Ting nodded gently and kissed Yan Sui back on the cheek. He was not particularly sure whether he loves Yan Sui or not, so he could not say it casually. He was too stupid. He had only learned how to like someone and did not have the time to understand how to love yet. Still, he knew that it would not be long before he would fall in love with Yan Sui.
"Hmn…hng…"
"Gentler. No, a bit slower…"
Intermittent ambiguous and light chanting, in addition to these overly straightforward statements, had made the night filled with an amorous atmosphere. It was so warm and intoxicating, and also embarrassing.
An excessively strenuous session had ended. Two men were snuggling up to each other, feeling the aftertaste and fulfillment after the physical and emotional bonding. Yan Sui's kisses fell on Meng Ting from time to time, as if it was not enough. They seemed to express those emotions that had transcended beyond words.
He fell in love with Meng Ting faster than when he started to like Meng Ting. His emotions were more intense than he had expected, but this was the truth—he had fallen into an incurable love.
After a while, he pulled Meng Ting by the arm and picked him up.
"Let's take a bath then go to bed, or else you'll get sick."
Yan Sui had done a lot of homework ever since he realized his desire for Meng Ting, but it was of no use. At the critical moment, no amount of homework could help. Just now, they could only depend on each other to mutually explore. As it ended, he did a little recollection.
Meng Ting, who was still clinging on to Yan Sui, nodded. "My legs have turned weak…"
His legs felt even weaker than when he was drunk; hence, he could not refuse Yan Sui's offer to bathe him.
Yan Sui could not help smiling. He then kissed his forehead and continued to carry him to the bathroom.
"Don't move, Let me do it."
Yan Sui turned on the faucet and checked the temperature, then he took Meng Ting into his arms.
Meng Ting raised his head to look at the man and nodded.
The last time he was drunk and asleep, he was helped by Yan Sui to take a bath. He was completely sober this time, but they did more intimate things. It seemed that there was nothing particularly embarrassing, but the fact was that the slight redness of his face had not dissipated.
Yan Sui asked Meng Ting to raise his hand and he raised it; asked Meng Ting to raise his leg and he did right away. After washing off the bubbles, Yan Sui was even in charge of drying his body. Finally, he wrapped the boy in a bath towel and carried him back to the bed.
Since he had experienced it once, Meng Ting was very cooperative. Yan Sui did not sweat as much this time. Looking at the boy wrapped in a bath towel, revealing half of his face, Yan Sui smiled with a great sense of accomplishment and bent down to kiss Meng Ting's hair.
"I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay," Meng Ting answered softly and looked at Yan Sui walk back to the bathroom. He pulled the quilt over and wrapped it around his body.
He leaned his blushing face on his knees and all the shyness that he had been holding back came out in a flash.
Aaah! He actually did this kind of thing with Yan Sui…and on top of that, his performance was very frustrating. In a moment, he screamed and in a short while, he stopped. Did Yan Sui not like it?
He touched his burning hot cheeks and his mind was in a complete mess. He did not even realize it when Yan Sui came back.
It was not until he was picked up and placed down on the bed again that he was able to look up and see the man.
"Yan Sui, did you dislike it?"
"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
The voices of the two men almost overlapped, but after understanding what they heard, both of them were dumbfounded.
"Dislike what?" Yan Sui asked. He did not wait for Meng Ting to answer his previous question. He pulled the quilt, lifted Meng Ting's legs up gently and examined it himself. His eyebrows were slightly knitted. Although he did not sustain any injury or serious bleeding, it was still somewhat red and swollen.
He put down Meng Ting's legs, looked at his red face, leaned over and kissed him, then Yan Sui turned around and rummaged through the bedside cabinet.
"That…making love with me, did you dislike it?"
Meng Ting asked as he pulled the quilt up and covered his steaming hot face whilst persistently looking at Yan Sui.
Yan Sui stopped looking through the instructions with foreign language and looked back at Meng Ting. He reflected on it and pondered, was he too serious that Meng Ting misunderstood him?
He raised Meng Ting's chin and used his kiss to make Meng Ting understand his feelings. "I like it."
"Hmn," Meng Ting pursed his lips, then nodded. He thought about it for a bit and said, "Then, can we try it again tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Yan Sui's Adam's apple rolled up and down. "Okay."
He could not refuse at all.
After he finished reading the instructions, he called Zhen Han to confirm it. At that time, Zhen Han could not help but roar with rage and immediately hang up the phone. It was past ten o'clock at night local time, but back home, it was five o'clock in the morning. When Zhen Han wakes up on weekdays, he gets up at six or seven o'clock the earliest.
However, after he hung up the call, he pondered over it with a black face. He called Yan Sui back to ask what he wanted. After which, his complexion became worse. As a doctor who was single and also his cousin, Zhen Han's experience was too inhumane!
After Yan Sui finished applying the medicine for Meng Ting, he laid down on the bed and held the boy in his arms, then he kissed him on the space between his eyebrows and forehead. "Good night."
"Good night." Meng Ting whispered, then closed his eyes. Since he was too excited at first, he did not feel tired. It was only now that he started feeling a little tired and a little drowsy. "Yan Sui…"
"Hmm?"
Puzzled, Yan Sui hummed lightly, but after waiting for Meng Ting's follow up, after a few seconds, the boy who called him was already breathing evenly.
Yan Sui had no choice but to rub Meng Ting's hair, then he also closed his eyes to sleep.
In truth, the desire of the body had not been relieved that much, but the satisfaction of the soul was inexplicable. Finally, this night was their actual wedding night.
It was reasonable to say that knowing those matters would more or less affect Meng Ting's mood, but the impact was gradually forgotten in a dense and passionate night. He sensed a safe and familiar smell from Meng Ting with his nose. This sleep was awfully pleasant and deep and void of any dreams.
Once Meng Ting woke up, he wanted to go for a run, but his waist was hugged by Yan Sui. "Let me take a look at it first and see if you're fit to run."
Meng Ting thought over it for a while before reacting to where Yan Sui wanted to inspect. He grabbed Yan Sui's hand that was gradually going down and anxiously said, "No need. I can feel it. I'm already okay."
However, Yan Sui proceeded to undress him. Yan Sui had become even more proficient in undressing Meng Ting than himself. In no time, Meng Ting was stripped of his pants. He could not stop it and could only pull the quilt to cover his head and feigned death.
After completing his examination, Yan Sui dressed Meng Ting again. He wrapped the quilt over the boy and hugged them together. "In the next few days, don't run. Once we get home, I'll run with you."
Meng Ting, himself, was touched when he heard him say this. He then moved closer to Yan Sui and said, "I'm a man. It doesn't matter."
He was not as delicate as Yan Sui thought. The marks on his body showed that he was injured a lot. Even at those times, he could still run as usual. The little discomfort from last night was nothing to him.
"It didn't matter before, but from now on, it matters."
Yan Sui added a little more strength to embrace the boy. He pulled the quilt that covered his head, then he kissed the corners of Meng Ting's eyes. "It doesn't matter if you're injured or sick, it still makes me sad when I see it. It has nothing to do with whether you're a man or not."
Meng Ting pondered for a while before digesting the meaning of Yan Sui's words. "Is it because you love me that it matters?"
"Hmm, I love you."
A smile appeared on Yan Sui's face and another light kiss fell on Meng Ting's lips.
"I like you. Seeing you and touching you makes me happy. But how should I know if I love you?" Meng Ting held out his hands, clasped them over Yan Sui's neck, and then muttered. He had never been loved before and did not know what it was to fall in love.
Yan Sui thought for a moment. He really felt that this question was somewhat abstruse and difficult to answer. After a long time, he gently pulled Meng Ting closer and answered him, "Don't worry about knowing it, once you fall in love with me, you'll know."
Meng Ting blinked and drew a little closer to Yan Sui. "I'm sure I'll fall in love with you."
Yan Sui took him with his hand and kissed him on the lips. As if bewitched, he was unable to control himself and continued to French kiss the boy.
The two men kissed and embraced each other. After waking up, they snuggled for nearly an hour before getting out of bed and washing up. After which, they went downstairs to have their breakfast.
After breakfast, they continued to have some fun in a nearby village, but the two men seemed less focused than yesterday. To be more specific, they only changed villages to continue kissing.
On the bay boardwalk where the sea breeze was gently blowing, in the square where several hundreds of white pigeons were flying, in front of the city wall full of historical charm—anywhere where they were aroused with each other.
Including this night that had not passed, they had stayed in the Rose Manor for four days. Except for the first night, their nightly activities had caused them to stay up late. Meng Ting had not gone for his morning jog for four days. The morning run was overruled, but the evening walk was still preserved.
And so, Yan Sui received a bouquet of flowers every evening that was handpicked by Meng Ting. Each bunch had slightly different fragrances, but they were equally likeable and fascinating.
When they were out sightseeing, Yan Sui let Meng Ting take a lot of photos. He even asked some passersby to take their photos. Yan Sui planned to choose two of them for display: one in the company and one would be hung up in their bedroom.
"Yan Sui, Cousin said he'll send Rhubarb and Furball's photos to me and I have to send him our photos."
Meng Ting, who was holding his phone and resting his head on Yan Sui's thighs, slightly tilted his head and worriedly looked at Yan Sui. He wanted to see Rhubarb and Furball's photos, but he did not want to send him Yan Sui's photos.
Although Meng Ting was still uncertain if he was in love with Yan Sui or not, his desire to monopolize Yan Sui was becoming more evident day by day.
"Say, can I just send him scenery photos?"
"You can." Yan Sui ruffled Meng Ting's hair. "Tell him I said so."
Meng Ting softly hummed and thought over it for a while. After that, he sent a scenery photo with both of their shadows to Zhen Han. The blue ocean, the vast sky, and the two shadows that nestled together—no figures could be seen—yet the overtone of love could be felt.
Zhen Han looked at the photo for a long time and felt depressed and helpless. It was too bad that all of the photos he took were about Rhubarb and Furball's facades or while they were playing around. Certainly, it was nothing like the shadow of this "artistic" photo.
Yan Sui automatically lit up his sister-in-law's artistic side. Indeed…it was too funny!
"Hahaha!"
Laughters could be heard from the second floor of the pet clinic, startling many cats and dogs.
"Meow meow meow…"
"Woof woof…"
After snapping out of his amusement, he sent the photo to his circle of friends. If Yan Sui and Meng Ting were present in the picture, he would certainly not send it, but it would not be a problem if it was only their shadows.
It would be better to oppress the entire crowd than be oppressed alone. In any case, the people in his circle had been mostly "oppressed" by Yan Sui and Meng Ting.
"Oh, he sent it to his circle of friends…"
Meng Ting originally wanted to send the affection photos of Rhubarb and Furball, but first saw the photo that he sent to Zhen Han.
"They're very sharp. They know that it's us." The comments that Meng Ting could see were not as many as Yan Sui's; nevertheless, Gu Lang and Zhong Ming's eyes were awfully sharp. They could recognize them without thinking too much.
Yan Sui also turned on his phone and browsed it a few times, then he took away the phone in Meng Ting's hand.
"We'll be leaving very early tomorrow. Now, go to sleep."
Yan Sui, himself, really could not help but want to compete for favor with the phone, but Meng Ting was already drawn in by Zhen Han and those people recently. Meng Ting really likes to play with his Moments; but of course, it was because he suddenly browsed through Furball and Rhubarb's photos in the afternoon, which made him happy.
In the evening, Meng Ting even took the initiative to contact Zhen Han, wanting to see more photos. One way or another, Yan Sui seemed to have been left out.
"Hmm", Meng Ting responded and rolled himself from Yan Sui's thighs to the side of his neck. He placed his lips on Yan Sui's cheek and kissed him. "Are we doing it again tonight?"
Yan Sui hugged and ferociously kissed him back. "We overdid it last night. Let's talk about it tomorrow night."
In the past, Yan Sui only had to bear with his own impatience. Now, he also had to deal with Meng Ting, who had just had his first taste. This was a lot more difficult. There seemed to be no end to his endurance.
MengTing smiled happily and kissed Yan Sui a few times. "Okay."
He actually knew that Yan Sui was worried about him that he made the decision. This kind of warmth was warmer than the sun in the Rose Manor.
The original plan was to stay in Rose Manor for five days then return to F Country's capital for another two days. Despite their plans, Yan Sui received an invitation from his elder cousin yesterday. He unexpectedly acknowledged a son and, in this banquet, he was going to rectify his son's name.
If Yan Sui was not in F Country, his men stationed here would send congratulatory gifts in his stead. However, since he was here in person, then things had to be done differently.
They got up at five o'clock and, as always, Yan Sui was the one packing up. Meng Ting went to the flower fields to take a walk. He picked a bunch of flowers before coming back because he was itching to do so.
"If only I can make perfume from these, then it'll be nice…"
Meng Ting looked at the bouquet in his hand and suddenly uttered such a line ruefully, in which he, himself, was dumbfounded.
Originally, he had decided that he absolutely would never touch anything remotely related to perfume in this life again, yet when he looked at these flowers and sensed that Yan Sui liked them, he unwittingly took his chances on them once again.
Yan Sui came out from the living room and searched around once before he found his target sitting on a long rattan chair beside the flowing lake. Meng Ting was holding a bunch of white roses while his mind had wandered elsewhere.
Yan Sui approached and stood in front of Meng Ting, ruffling his hair. His voice was deep and gentle, "What's the matter? Reluctant to leave? Let's come here every July from now on. We'll stay as long as you want."
Having heard what he said, Meng Ting gradually focused his sight. He slowly came closer and looked into Yan Sui's eyes. He asked him earnestly, "Do you like the flowers I picked for you? Do you like their scent?"
Having heard what he said, Yan Sui lowered his head and tried smelling it carefully. "I like it."
Meng Ting's handpicked bouquet was very special. Yan Sui could not say that he did not like it. Although he had never been given flowers nor had he used any perfume before, he still liked it.
Meng Ting looked down at the white roses then laughed. "It doesn't suit you. In the future, I'll give you better ones."
Meng Ting, who was talking like this, was quite charming. Although Yan Sui could not explain clearly why he was charming, he was bewildered by it. He looked slightly to the side. When Meng Ting sensed this, he moved closer and kissed him on his cheek.
Little by little, he straightened his body as he stood up. Meng Ting shoved the bouquet at Yan Sui. Before Yan Sui could even hold it properly, Meng Ting closed in once again and directly kissed him on the lips. He kissed Yan Sui very earnestly—even more earnest than any of his previous kisses.
When he was picking the flowers earlier, he also tasted it. His mouth was filled with some fragrance of roses, filling the kiss with fragrance. This was the kiss with the sweetest aftertaste before their departure from Rose Manor.
This time, they travelled by private plane to F Country's capital. Around an hour later, they arrived at the Yans' mansion in the capital.
Yan Sui led Meng Ting down from the plane and Yan Sui's elder cousin, Yan Mu, walked over from a distance.
"For what reason are you being so modest with me? That Rose Manor's just a bit peaceful. How can that compare to the fun in the capital?"
He spoke as he looked at Meng Ting, thought over it for a short while, then immediately smiled. "This is…Brother-in-Law?"
"He's my wife, Meng Ting. You can call him by his name." Yan Sui led Meng Ting and continued to walk over. Yan Mu was thirty-seven years old. He was nine years older than Yan Sui. They did not mingle much, and it could be said that their relationship was neither good nor bad.
"Indeed, this way of addressing you is too strange. Then, I'll just call you by your name." Yan Mu more or less knew about Yan Sui's temper. Him bringing Meng Ting here was already considered as an honor. "Meng Ting, welcome to F Country and to my home."
"Thank you," Meng Ting replied. He did not look around, but from the tip of his nose, he could smell that there were less flowers here and they did not bloom as fine as those in Rose Manor. He thought that Rose Manor was better than here.
Of course, Yan Sui did not refute, nor did he say anything.
While they were talking, a male servant approached. "Mr. Yan, the old master's inviting you over for a chat."
"That's my dad. He's well-informed," Yan Mu said with his eyebrows raised. "Okay, go and see my dad first. I'll introduce you to my son later."
Yan Sui nodded gently, took Meng Ting, then left with the male servant.
It was quite obvious that Yan Mu and his father had not reached a consensus on his son who suddenly appeared, so Yan Mu deliberately waited here, with the stance of wanting to win over Yan Sui.
In the study, Yan Sui and Meng Ting met the patriarch of the Yan family in F Country, who could be regarded as Yan Sui's uncle, Yan Zhenbo. He was in his sixties and bore a rather serious appearance, but when he saw Yan Sui and Meng Ting, his expression eased up a bit.
"Patriarch, please have a seat and let's chat."
"Uncle, there's no need to stand in ceremony," Yan Sui said as he pulled Meng Ting to sit down.
"Hello, Uncle." Meng Ting followed Yan Sui as he greeted the man.
When Yan Zhenbo saw Yan Sui coming in with Meng Ting, he was a little surprised. However, Yan Sui was the patriarch of the entire Yan clan and unlike his usual juniors, taking this boy along with him was just his way of displaying his authority.
Moreover, Yan Sui had done exceedingly well all these years, surpassing everyone's expectations. He stabilized the clan without requiring much assistance from the collateral branches. He had shown them his strength and it was enough to gain their respect.
"Patriarch, you came to F Country to have some fun, so there's no need for you to rush here for Yan Mu."
Having heard what he said, Yan Sui nodded slightly. "You don't need to worry, Uncle. I know how far to go and when to stop."
Yan Zhenbo looked at him and immediately laughed. "If only Yan Mu was somewhat as good as you, I could die in peace."
"Uncle, I really don't deserve so much praise." Yan Sui came here today with Meng Ting mainly to give face to this uncle. Of course, apart from this, he also had other things he needed to ask him personally.
"Eight years ago, my aunt was looking for someone in F Country. Uncle, you should've known this."
Even if Yan Manjia said that she did not alert anyone, Yan Sui speculated that Yan Zhenbo was not just anyone. If she wanted to look for someone, it was impossible to depend on the people in their own manor. Most likely, she would have sought help from Yan Zhenbo.
"Yes, I know." Yan Zhenbo nodded admittedly. His smile faded and his face gradually turned grave. "I've been looking for him all these years. If only your father still showed up in F Country, or even in several countries nearby, I would've been able to find out about it the soonest."
He spoke then shook his head remorsefully. "But no, he never came again."
Yan Sui did not show any regret on his face. As he felt Meng Ting's grip tightened on his, he turned to face him and even reassured him with a calm smile. Just like Meng Ting who did not care that he was not one of the Mengs, he did not hold any longing toward his father as well.
He wanted to find an answer, hoping that he could settle some matters thoroughly and nothing more.
"Uncle, can you tell me, why did he show up in F Country…or, do you know what he was looking for all these years?"
Yan Zhenbo looked at Yan Sui. He was quite taken aback in his heart. He tapped on the table with his fingertips, hesitating whether he should disclose the matter or not.
He turned to look at Yan Sui in the eye and his expression suddenly froze. It dawned on to him that Yan Sui must know something. He only came here to seek confirmation from him.
"Your father lived in F Country for two years when he was a child. I was closer with him, but the things I know are also limited."
He looked at Yan Sui and gave a small sigh, then continued, "You're already this old now. You should also know the truth."
As he spoke, he glanced at Meng Ting. The fact was, he was hesitant about his position in Yan Sui's heart.
"It's no bother." Yan Sui placed Meng Ting's hand on his lap as he said this.
Yan Zhenbo slowly leaned back to the chair and the look on his face was a bit more indescribable. On that very year, when Yan Yu brought a certain person with him, he also said this and also had the same expression.
The members of their family had always loved passionately. The only exception was his son. Yan Mu had wandered about half of his life amidst the clusters of flowers. Yan Zhenbo originally thought that Yan Mu was going to continue loafing about like this, but never did he expect that out of the blue, Yan Mu would bring back a son—a son that he must recognize, but could not.
"If your father's not dead, then it's very possible that…that man's also not dead."
This was Yan Zhenbo's guess, but it was not completely speculative. Otherwise, with Yan Yu's temper, it was quite strange that he did not try to kill He Wan.
"Who's that man?" Yan Sui asked, then looked down at Meng Ting's hand. Those slender fingers—they were not particularly good-looking, but when holding the flowers, they were the most beautiful.
"He Yue, He Wan's eldest brother who's previously gone missing."
The He family was not considered as a big family in Haicheng, but in the recent decades, they had managed to gain some reputation. After becoming in-laws with the Yans, their position was elevated by leaps and bounds and was already considered as one of the top prestigious families.
Regretfully, though they made use of the Yans' connections, there was not much interaction between the two families. Yan Sui's maternal grandparents were alive and well and yet, for his marriage, they only sent gifts. The relationship was awfully cold.
Originally, Yan Sui thought that it was because of He Wan. Now, it seemed that the reason was He Yue, who was He family's eldest son and the one his father truly loved.
Yan Manjia thought that it was He Wan who had forced Yan Yu to his death. How could the Hes have not believed that it was the Yans who caused He Yue's death. However, following Yan Yu's death, no matter how angry they were, they could not vent it at anyone. The relationship between the two families became stale and eventually, they drifted apart. And as for He Wan who had dug her own grave, she was no longer part of the He family.