Chapter 426: Chapter 426
Ye Qian was taken aback by Liu Zhiyuan’s counter-question, leaving her unsure of his thoughts. From her perspective, if Liu Zhiyuan remained silent, it meant he opposed the marriage and lacked feelings for her. If he directly admitted his willingness, there would be nothing more to say. Yet, by asking that question, he took control.
With her mind momentarily shaken, Ye Qian quickly regained her composure. "Brother Zhiyuan, I’ve liked you since childhood, but as I grew up, I realized that mere fondness isn’t true affection, and such feelings won’t last. So, I gave up and dared not imagine anything further. Today, when your family came to propose marriage, I was honestly worried. I am willing, but I don’t know your thoughts. If you don’t like me or the marriage, I think it’s better for us not to be together. After all, one shouldn’t be with someone they don’t like just because of family arrangements."
Liu Zhiyuan nodded, "To me, Xiao Rui is my sister. Now that I’m aware of this, you don’t need to worry. If we marry, I’ll treat you well. You can return now."
Receiving a non-committal promise, Ye Qian felt a bit reluctant, but she knew pressing further would yield nothing. Nodding, she left. Though Ye Qian walked away, Liu Zhiyuan’s heart couldn’t remain calm. He knew thinking about Ye Ling was impossible, yet his mind involuntarily drifted there, especially after hearing about the proposed marriage today. Instinctively, his heart sank, and he continually reminded himself it was wrong to react appropriately.
Liu Zhiyuan was relatively clear on what’s right and wrong, so he wouldn’t knowingly do wrong. This was why he responded to Ye Qian as he did. When he decided to marry Ye Qian, he also resolved to treat this marriage seriously.
Meanwhile, Ye Qian returned to her workplace with apprehension. By dinner time, she slowly came to terms with it. Although she was unwilling about Shen Bin, she couldn’t ruin her life. Now that Liu Zhiyuan agreed to the marriage proposal, it seemed like a good match for her, with no reason to refuse.
Even though the Liu and Ye Families hadn’t disclosed the news, word about Ye Qian visiting Liu Zhiyuan spread, possibly helped along by others with ulterior motives. Wu Mengyi was still picking a date at home but found the news had already leaked before she settled on one, suspecting Bai Xue’s doing, fearing any last-minute regrets would be impossible.
She could only swallow her grievances, with no other options.
Over at Da XingAn Ridge, Ye Ling and her brother Shen Bin took a three-day, four-night train journey before arriving. Though it was July and summer, they felt a chill upon disembarking, with no summer heat. Ye Ling believed it when told snow starts in September each year here.
The workplace sent a car to pick them up. The only surprise was Shen Chun’s unexpected appearance. The assistant said nothing but helped put their luggage in the car trunk, then drove them through a small town and deeper into the forest. Ye Ling, prepared for this remote location, wasn’t surprised, but Shen Chun was speechless with shock.
They alighted around noon and rode all day without eating, arriving after dark. It was past eight by the time they got there; the company had already closed for the night and missed dinner. Fortunately, the canteen saved meals for their arrival.
After a brief introduction to Manager Gao, a nearly forty-year-old man whose wife passed early and had no children, Shen Bin and the others were led to their accommodation. Despite Shen Chun’s unexpected presence, the manager remained composed, placing her in the adjacent vacant room and having food delivered, mentioning nothing more than discussing things the next day before leaving.
The three, hungry and tired from the day’s travel, said little more, eating cabbage stir-fried with potato slices and large buns, each bun thrice the size of those at home. Ye Ling ate two, Shen Bin just one, and Shen Chun half. Awed by Ye Ling’s appetite, Shen Chun eventually lowered her gaze.
"Leave things on the table, Chun’er. It’s late; you should sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow. Stay here these few days until I find you a place. Don’t worry about anything else," Shen Bin said, standing to see her off. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Obediently nodding, Shen Chun cautiously glanced at Ye Ling, "Sister-in-law, I’m going to sleep now."
"Go ahead, call us if you need anything," Ye Ling, despite her personal feelings, wore a kind expression, similar to how she treated everyone, with a courteous warmth that kept people at arm’s length without inviting fault.
Shen Bin accompanied Shen Chun out, while Ye Ling surveyed the room - a prefab unit in the deep mountains, cold in winter as one could imagine. It had a single bedroom, living room, and kitchen, with shared bathrooms outside, divided by gender.
Faced with these conditions and unknown years of residence, Ye Ling felt curious instead of inconvenienced, realizing ingeniously adapting would improve life here.
The arrived belongings lay piled in the room. Ye Ling found the case with quilts, pulling them out. At the bottom was a duck feather mattress her mother-in-law made, laying it on the bed with other quilts, including one for Shen Chun, and stored the rest in the cabinet. Shen Bin came back as she finished. Seeing the spare quilt on the chair, he quietly took it out, later returning while Ye Ling organized the clothes from another box neatly into the cabinet, leaving only empty boxes behind.
Shen Bin flattened the empty boxes and slid them under the bed. Ye Ling, washing her hands, returned to see the room clean and said, "Let’s rest. We have a handover tomorrow."