Bab 70: Mei Li’s Aunt Part 1
November 27, 20XX (Tuesday)
Zhao Manor
"My precious grandson!"
Yang immediately braces himself for impact, knowing his hands would be full soon as his grandmother jumped into him without any control whatsoever. With an oomph coming out from his lips, Yang grinned when the elder woman in his arms had begun to pull on his shirt, asking for his attention.
"Grandmother, It's been a while." Yang's eyes scanned the room before he continued to prioritize the woman that had been begging him to start a family when he had assumed headship with the majority of the companies, "I've missed you."
"Oh, you silver-tongued child," His grandmother poked his forehead, toes tipping to reach his height. Grandma Zhao was not your typical short and petite Chinese woman; standing at a whopping five foot eight inches tall, she hovered over his five foot and four inches mother and five foot and two inches aunt even when she was older.
Yue separated the two forcefully with her hands, feeling left out from the enthusiastic greeting while she had none, "Hey! What about me? Just because big brother is taller than me doesn't mean he gets to be the first for hugs!"
"You go to your grandfather. I need to prioritize your brother so he will give me great-grandchildren soon. Now would be preferred." Grandma Zhao shooed Yue away as she began to ask Yang questions about his health, his work, and his love life.
Yue smirked when her brother touched his nose on habit when he feels helpless. If there were anybody more shameless than her brother it would be their grandmother. Her grinned widen in mischief after her eyes had caught her mother's approving nod.
"You don't have to worry about that Grandmother," Yue innocently smiled like she had no plot planned at all, "He's starting to like my best friend now."
The seventy-three woman was still alert even with her age; she had caught what Yue was implying with eyes large in disbelief, "You mean Mei Lin?"
Yue laughed and corrected, "Mei Li, grandma. Her name is Mei Li. You always forget her name."
"Oh," the Grandmother had chuckled nervously before continuing, "it must be my old age."
Yue just giggled obliviously but Yang's eyes narrowed in suspicion, he looked at the rest of his family members who were now shifting their attention away from them and choosing to talk to each other as if they had not tensed when Grandmother Zhao had uttered the name.
His mother had begun to chat with Aunt Qinyang animatedly as if it was forced while his grandfather, father, and Uncle had begun to start betting on different companies' stock movements. Yang was sure now that his whole family but Yue knows about Mei Li's past. They must have known that Mei Li was also a Xue daughter.
Suddenly, a realization froze his whole body as the goosebumps run from the bottom of his spine to his neck. His Mother's best friend was a Xue daughter of the main house while Aunt Qinyang is a Xue daughter of the branch house. Aunt Qinyang had grown up together with the daughter of the main house, and the two was said to have been like sisters. It was the reason why his mother and Aunt Qinyang had always get along well because of their relations with the Xue daughter of the main house. It means that the Xue daughter that had died abroad was Mei Li's mother, Xue Mu Lan. It means the Aunt Qinyang, who was his Aunt through marriage with his blood uncle, was Mei Li's blood aunt.
Now Yang knows why Aunt Qinyang had been terrorizing him every opportunity she can get; it must be because he had ignored and bared Mei Li's presence no mind. In fact, Aunt Qinyang had always been neutral to him before, now that he had thought this more; Aunt Qinyang had only been so against his every move when Mei Li had become best friends with Yue. It must be why Aunt Qinyang had always favored Yue to him. It all made sense now.
"Are you really interested in Miss Mei Li?" Yang looked at his Grandmother when she asked.
He nodded at her with a soft smile; he didn't know plastered in his face, as he answered, "She had agreed to give me a try... I'm still courting her, grandmother, so wait for a little while for great-grandchildren alright?"
Zhao Li Li, commonly called as Grandma Zhao, smiled so brightly that Yang had to shield away in embarrassment. Why did he felt that his grandmother was the proudest of him at this moment rather than the time he had become the youngest billionaire in their family?
"I was worried, you'd grow old alone." the relief in his grandmother's voice made Yang sweatdrop with chagrin. While the loud snort coming from his grandfather had made everyone laugh at his misfortune.
"31 years old and no wife! Your grandfather was 21 years old when we married. Your father was 23 when he married! You're so great with business but so weak in love!" his grandmother had begun to rant at him.
"You need to hurry up with courting, Miss Mei Li. If I know you, currently, Mei Li must still be distrustful with you."
Yang felt like an arrow pierce his heart when his grandmother had started to analyze him.
"She is probably still doubtful of your affections too."
Another arrow had hit the bullseye with Yang's heart and ego baring the brunt of the pain.
"And she still hesitant to speak her mind with you, right?"
Another arrow pierced through.
"You must have started wooing her with wrong gifts, huh?"
Arrow after arrow! No matter what his grandfather say about his grandmother having a soft disposition when she was young, Yang would not believe it!
"Or she is still unused to you to be comfortable a hundred percent?"
Yang gritted his teeth and exhaled loudly before defending himself, "She's comfortable enough to sleep with me!"
He paused at his raised voice and turned sheepish when all heads had turned to him, "... well, not sleep with me. Let me rephrase that, slept in my presence..."
He glared at Yue for giggling in the sidelines and offering him no help at all. He began to explain hurriedly as Aunt Qinyang's eyes had almost turned him into barbeque with its intensity, "she had a migraine, and when I offered to massage her head for her, she slept like a baby after five minutes."
Zhao Yang was the sadistic CEO who was always smiling in the company and erupting like a volcano when angered, but with his family, he was one of the youngest. To the people gathered in the room, he will forever be a man-child to them.
"You massaged her head?" Grandmother Zhao asked with incredulity in her face.
"Not just that Grandma," Yue continued, "He took me to buy stuff for her because he thought she was angry at him."
"Yes, Mother," Yang turned his helpless eyes to his mother who had joined in poking fun at him, "He even let me use his black credit card to shop in Milan for Mei Li's clothes."
"...and I heard from his guards that he had tailed Mei Li in Paris like a lost puppy." Father Zhao chuckled with amusement.
Yang could not believe that even his father had exposed him to his grandmother.
Is this kill Yang by embarrassment day? He had not read the memo if it is.
His grandmother had laughed, but her eyes sparkled with happiness for Yang. Love is always enough reason to be happy even when it is still beginning to form.
All along, Aunt Qinyang's narrowed eyes haunted him even when dinner started.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Lady_Liah
Lady_Liah So, who thought that Aunt Qinyang was Yang's blood aunt?
She is, in fact, Mei Li's aunt. Although they are related, they are not the closest in blood relation. Qinyang is only related to Yang because she had married his uncle.
Sorry, forgot to put this.
Teaser sentence: He covered her exposed leg with a sigh; this woman had the power to break his heart and it would never heal if she did.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
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