Shan Murong's eyes went dark, and she nearly fainted.
Gu Fanming's mouth hung wide open as he stared at Gu Yan in disbelief.
"W–wait… didn't she… reject you?"
As expected, both of them had thought that after meeting Yan Qingqiu, she would most likely reject their son outright.
Gu Yan frowned slightly and said with obvious displeasure,
"Reject me? No! Qingqiu and I hit it off the moment we met. I fell in love with her at first sight! How could I possibly let her go?"
"I can't even take care of her enough—let alone break off the engagement!"
"Dad, Mom, please don't try to match me with someone else!"
Picking up his chopsticks, Gu Yan calmly continued eating. His tone was firm and unquestionable.
"Your only job now is to find an auspicious day to announce to the world that I am married to Yan Qingqiu of the Yan family!"
Boom!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Shan Murong's mind.
You… you're simply… simply trying to…
"Wrong! Absolutely wrong!"
Both parents instinctively turned their heads toward Lao Gao, who had been silently standing by the side.
Lao Gao gave a respectful bow and said,
"All the formalities have already been completed at the Civil Affairs Bureau."
Shan Murong's expression twisted, and she glared fiercely at Gu Fanming beside her.
"Like father, like son!"
Gu Fanming immediately understood what she meant and scratched his head awkwardly, replying with a guilty smile,
"Well… you were so charming back then. I couldn't wait to marry you home."
Hearing this, Gu Yan nearly laughed out loud.
Oh? So that's their story. Great, now I have an excuse too—blame it on Dad. Like father, like son.
Shan Murong's face turned cold as she muttered in her husband's direction:
Didn't you say she would definitely reject our son?
"This… I don't know either… But according to the information I got, she should've rejected him without question. A hundred percent!"
Don't you know what kind of person our son is?! He must've tricked her into marriage!
"Ah?!"
Gu Fanming was speechless. He lowered his head and began eating his rice gloomily.
Shan Murong, equally furious, also chose to vent her anger by eating in silence.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan looked at his parents' expressions and smiled faintly.
That smile instantly made both Gu Fanming and Shan Murong alert. Their bodies stiffened, and they held their breaths, silently observing their son. Concern flickered in their eyes.
Although Gu Yan claimed he was married, as his parents, they knew their son well. Both of them were almost certain that he must have tricked Yan Qingqiu somehow.
"Don't look at me like that. I really am serious about her."
Gu Yan's voice carried a rare solemnity. His expression was firm and genuine.
!!
This startled the couple.
"Son! Are you serious?!" Gu Fanming asked again, unable to believe what he was hearing.
He was shocked to his core. Over the years, he and Gu Yan had quarreled countless times about marriage, and Gu Yan had always contradicted him. Yet now—he was suddenly married?!
"Of course! Dad, Mom! I've truly changed this time. I'm ready to live a good life with Qingqiu!"
"I hope you won't look down on her just because she's disfigured. She's a good girl."
His voice was steady, filled with sincerity.
This tone made both Gu Fanming and Shan Murong feel his seriousness for the very first time.
After a long pause, Gu Fanming suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Whatever you want! At worst, it's just an extra pair of chopsticks at home!"
Shan Murong also nodded slightly. "Since you're already married, then let it be."
Gu Yan's lips curved as he looked at them. "Thank you, Mom."
Shan Murong froze for a second. Thank you? Did my son just… thank me?
Her heart trembled. Warmth surged through her chest.
Then Gu Yan turned to his father with a sincere look.
"Thank you too, Dad. I was ignorant before and quarreled with you unnecessarily."
Gu Fanming stiffened, quickly looking away. With a dry cough, he muttered,
"Ahem… it's good that you've changed."
Unbelievable! Just what kind of fairy daughter-in-law is this?! How could she make my son so polite?!
In that moment, Gu Fanming fully accepted his daughter-in-law—even without meeting her yet.
But Shan Murong was different. Though happy, she still carried a trace of regret.
What she wanted was for her son's love life to be normal—meeting a girl, falling in love, bringing her home to meet the parents, an engagement, and finally a grand wedding. She wanted to witness it all… because she herself had never experienced such things.
Back then, she had been married off too quickly. Though her husband loved her, she had always missed the small romantic steps before marriage. She had hoped to see them in her son's journey.
But now, it was too late. So this is my fate…
Looking at her son with tender eyes, Shan Murong asked softly,
"Why did you decide to marry her directly?"
Gu Yan, sensing the doting gaze in her eyes, felt a pang of guilt. He knew what his mother had always wanted, but he had skipped everything.
He stood, walked to her side, crouched down, and gently placed her hands on his cheeks, covering them with his palms.
"Sorry, Mom."
Shan Murong simply smiled. "You're happy with this marriage, right?"
Gu Yan nodded firmly.
"Then I am happy too. There's nothing to apologize for. As long as you are happy, I am happy."
"Thank you, Mom. I love you so much."
She stroked his head lovingly, but then asked again,
"You still haven't answered my question."
Gu Yan blinked, remembering. He glanced at his father, who was drinking water, and whispered inwardly, Sorry, Dad.
Then, looking back at his mother with a bright smile, he replied,
"Well… she was so charming, I couldn't wait to marry her home."
Puff!!
Water sprayed out of Gu Fanming's mouth. He stared at his son in disbelief before slowly turning his head toward his wife.
Shan Murong was already glaring at him, her eyes like daggers.
Gu Fanming froze. He didn't know what to say.
Then he heard her cold voice:
"Don't you dare come to bed tonight."
...
Early the Next Morning
At the Yan family's gate.
Yan Ling'er stepped out with a schoolbag on his back, yawning sleepily.
"I'm so tired… why do I have to go to school?"
But after a moment, he seemed to recall something. His drowsiness instantly vanished.
He glanced around nervously, scanning the street. Only after confirming that everything looked normal did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hmph, seems like that pervert actually listened to me. Good. Crisis averted!"
Cheerfully, he hopped onto his flashy, modified electric scooter parked at the intersection, put on his helmet, and sped off toward school.
Not even a minute after Yan Ling'er left—
Click.
The door of a luxury car slowly opened.
Gu Yan stepped out.
Watching Yan Ling'er's figure growing smaller in the distance, his lips curved.
"What a silly brat."
Then, as though returning to his own home, he walked straight into the Yan family residence.
In the Study
Yan Qingqiu was once again immersed in her routine of self-improvement.
She read tirelessly—finance, biomedicine, management, advanced research papers…
She was the most talented and most beautiful woman in Sichuan City. If she claimed to be second in beauty, no one dared to claim first. Her intelligence was unmatched, her memory photographic. She was destined to stand at the top of the world.
But after her disfigurement, when she locked herself away, the world had rejoiced.
Some pitied her. But many more were secretly pleased that this once dazzling genius had finally disappeared.
For years, there had been no news of Yan Qingqiu. Rumors spread that she had fallen into decadence, that she would waste away her life in isolation.
But in truth—this was all a carefully constructed illusion.
The enemy was hidden in the dark. So she hid herself in the dark as well, sharpening her blade in secret.
Behind the scenes, she had already formed a small team of loyal subordinates.
They had even uncovered fragments of the truth behind the incident back then.
The murderers were not ordinary people.
They were a gang of professional criminals!
As her mind churned with endless thoughts, Yan Qingqiu's temples throbbed painfully.
"Huh… let's take a short break."
She leaned back against her chair, tilting her head slightly, trying to ease her fatigue.
For so many years, she had woken at four every morning to study and work.
Not only did she have to push herself to grow stronger, but she also had to handle major affairs of the Yan Family Group.
After all… she was the true leader of the Yan family. Yan Xing'an was merely a puppet head, pushed to the front by her.
At the same time, she was secretly investigating the truth of that tragedy.
But what she didn't realize was—
When she leaned back, closing her eyes in exhaustion…
Gu Yan was already standing silently behind her.