Yibo sat in Granny Fang Yu's sitting room around half past two in the afternoon, following the call from Lan Yi. He had expected to take her back home today as planned, since it had taken no small effort yesterday to convince her to return. At first, Lan Yi had been reluctant, insisting she wouldn't go back to Qiren's house. But after much persuasion.... mostly from Granny Fang Yu, who even expressed her own frustration....Lan Yi finally agreed.
Normally, Granny Fang Yu never involved herself when Yibo tried to convince Lan Yi to return home. In the past, she would simply purse her lips or look away whenever he brought it up. Sometimes, she would even say, "Qiren hasn't come for her, so why should she go back to him as though she has no pride?"
But yesterday was different. She openly urged Lan Yi to let go of her pride and return, not for Qiren's sake but for the sake of her children. That alone showed even Granny Fang Yu had grown tired of the standoff, given that Qiren hadn't once come to check on them since the conflict started.
Lan Yi only agreed because she couldn't bring herself to defy Granny Fang Yu...not because she wanted to return.
Yibo sat quietly as Granny Fang Yu spoke sharply, her tone heavy with disappointment. He was too stunned to respond immediately. Every day, he found himself amazed by Shu's audacity and reckless behavior. The moment Shu had seen him arrive, she had hurried out of the house, clearly aware of what she had done.
After a brief pause, Yibo carefully said, choosing his words to avoid angering Granny Fang Yu or upsetting Lan Yi further, "Granny, Shu isn't telling the truth. Last night, when I got home, she was wide awake in the sitting room. I even asked her how her exam went, and she said everything went well. But now she's telling you she was asleep before I returned? The best thing now is what Mama suggested...we should meet with the lecturers together, maybe you and Mama could come with me so we can hear directly what happened in class. They were there when it happened; they won't lie about it."
Granny Fang Yu cut him off sharply. "And what then? You want to confront them, interrogate them? These are people we should be pleading with, not attacking. She's already in trouble; now the focus should be finding a solution, not making it worse."
Yibo nodded, avoiding an argument. "Alright, then. I'll go to the school on Monday."
Granny Fang Yu frowned. "Why not today? Why wait until Monday?"
"Because today is Saturday, Granny. There are no classes. Monday is the earliest I can go."
She sighed. "Fine, but how is it right to expel a girl who has spent five years struggling in that school, with so much money invested?"
Yibo turned to Lan Yi. "Are we leaving now, Mama?"
"I'm not ready," she said curtly.
He hesitated for a moment, then stood up. "Alright, I'll come back later then."
"No need to trouble yourself," Lan Yi said flatly. "I don't plan to go anywhere today."
Granny Fang Yu shook her head. "No, let him come back later and take you home as planned. On Monday, he can go to the school to speak with the lecturers and settle the matter. If they need something, even money, I'll find a way to get it."
Yibo said his goodbyes and left the sitting room quietly, choosing not to argue further. They seemed to think this was an elementary school situation....where a simple apology and a small offering could fix everything. He got into his car and drove off, his mind already set on one thing: today, if he hasn't had his plan, Shu would no longer be staying in his house.
***
Yibo entered Qiren's sitting room after receiving a call from him. He had not even reached his own house after leaving Granny Fang Yu's place before Qiren called, so he came straight home instead.
From the moment he stepped inside, his mood shifted completely. He hated coming to this house now....it felt painfully empty without Lan Yi and Zhan. The silence was suffocating. Yibo sat on the carpeted floor and greeted Qiren, who was busy reviewing some documents.
Qiren responded and then asked, "So, Zhan has finished his exams, right?"
"Yes, he's done," Yibo replied.
"Good," Qiren said. "Go and bring him home with all his belongings today."
Yibo fell silent, staring at him. He had hoped Lan Yi would return before Zhan moved back home.
"Or have you and your mother been making your own secret plans?" Qiren asked, eyeing him.
Yibo lowered his head and said nothing.
Calmly, Qiren continued, "Let me ask you this: in my own house, do I need permission from your mother and her relatives before making decisions? Even if it weren't about Zhan, if I decided to bring ten kids here today, who has the right to question me? I said bring Zhan home today, not tomorrow or next week. He can finish his project here."
Yibo responded quietly, "I planned to bring him back, Baba. I only thought of next week because he hasn't completed his project yet."
"I said today, Yibo, not next week," Qiren snapped. "He can work on his project here. Do you and your mother have any compassion at all? That boy is an orphan; he grew up knowing only us. Suddenly, his life turned upside down, and instead of comforting him, you want him isolated and abandoned? Do you want to push him into depression at his age?
"He never asked for any of this, but this is how fate turned out for him. What your mother did, choosing her selfish interests and relatives over him, was a deep disappointment to me. Honestly, I would rather have lost millions of yuan than experience this betrayal. I never expected this from her, not even in my worst thoughts. If she thinks she can stay wherever she is and abandon Zhan, then let her. I have already taken steps to ensure Zhan isn't alone...I married a second wife yesterday, Yibo.
"Yes, I married a second wife because of Zhan. I wasn't even going to tell you until you saw it for yourself, but now I'm saying it openly: the woman I married will be moving in today, and she will take care of Zhan. That's why I told you to bring him home immediately.
"If your mother doesn't want to return, that's her choice. I allowed Zhan to stay in the hostel all this time only because I knew he couldn't be alone in this house while I traveled. You have your place, Hai Kuan is away, and the boy needed stability, so I tolerated it. But that ends today."
Yibo stared at his father, too shocked to blink. His face showed nothing but disbelief.
"If you won't go get my son," Qiren said firmly, "I'll go get him from the hostel myself."
Yibo stood up, still staring at Qiren. He was speechless, unable to find the right words. He left the sitting room and closed the door behind him, muttering under his breath, "This can't be happening…"
Halfway down the stairs, he stopped abruptly, turned around, and hurried back into the sitting room, visibly agitated. Qiren looked up at him as he approached and sat down again, pleading.
"Baba, please, I'm begging you...cancel this marriage. Mama said she's ready to come back home today if I bring her. Please, I'm asking you...."
Qiren cut him off sharply. "So what do you expect me to do? Divorce the woman I married yesterday just because your mother suddenly decided to return? Is that what you mean?"
Yibo lowered his voice, almost whispering. "Baba, we need to find a solution...."
"No," Qiren interrupted coldly. "I'm not looking for that kind of solution. Your mother and her relatives disrespected me, humiliated me, and treated me as if I don't matter, all because of their selfishness. I am not a small man, Yibo. The marriage is done, and she is moving in today. I had the room prepared and furnished Zhan's room for her, and he will stay in your old room. As for you, whenever you visit with your family, you can stay in the guest chalet.
"Now go and bring my son home. That's the end of this discussion."
Yibo remained seated in the sitting room after coming downstairs, his mind completely blocked, unsure of what to think. He had planned to pick up Lan Yi that evening, but now with what Qiren had done, he knew she might refuse to return home.
Why would Baba do something like this? Mama didn't deserve it. Yibo rubbed his forehead, feeling truly lost and out of ideas. Slowly, he stood up, wondering who he could even talk to about this.
Then he thought of Aunty Marquis. He stepped outside into the compound and dialed her number.
When she answered and they exchanged greetings, she asked, "Did you take her home, Yibo?"
He sighed deeply, full of worry. Aunty Marquis, who lived in Tianjin, had never been comfortable with Lan Yi staying with Granny Fang Yu for over a month, refusing to return home. She constantly encouraged Yibo to keep visiting, to patiently convince Lan Yi to move back to her own house. Her greatest wish was simply to see Lan Yi back in her own room, and she prayed for that daily.
Sensing his silence, Aunty Marquis asked nervously, "Has she changed her mind again?"
Yibo shook his head slowly and said, "Aunty, Baba just told me he remarried… he's only telling me now."
Shocked, Aunty Marquis exclaimed, "WHAT? He remarried? Yibo, what do you mean he remarried? Are you serious?"
Yibo couldn't bring himself to say more.
She pressed further, alarmed, "I don't understand, he actually told you that himself?"
Quietly, Yibo replied, "I was just in his sitting room, Aunty. He confirmed he got married yesterday, and today the woman is moving in. But Mama and I agreed I'd bring her back today. Now she's going to think I knew all along about Baba's second marriage and that I forced her return under false pretenses. Aunty, he's only telling me now."
Aunty Marquis gasped. "This is madness. This whole mess...Aunt Ai and Shu started it with all their schemes. And where is Zhan? The last time I called, he said he had three more papers. I haven't spoken to him since. Is he still in the hostel?"
Yibo didn't even want to repeat what Qiren had said about marrying just to have someone care for Zhan. That remark had stunned him more than anything else. How could Baba forget all Mama had done....raising Zhan as if he were her own child... when even they themselves had never known who Zhan really was until this situation erupted?
He simply shook his head and said softly, "He finished exams on Friday. I'm going to pick him up today and bring him back home."
Aunty Marquis didn't know what to say. Her entire body went cold, and she felt deeply for her sister. All these years, Lan Yi had never had to deal with a rival wife, and now, at her age, she was facing this humiliation. Tears welled up in Aunty Marquis's eyes as she shook her head.
"Yibo, this is going too far. They're going to blame Zhan again, you'll see. They already believe everything fell apart because of him. Now, with this marriage, they'll claim it's all his fault too. This is chaos, pure chaos. Why couldn't Qiren just be patient? He knows Lan Yi isn't like that, so why repay her loyalty with this? After all they went through together, all those years of struggle… and now he brings in another woman to share her home, just because anger got the better of him?"
Her voice broke, and she burst into tears.
Yibo couldn't say anything; his whole body felt cold. Aunty Marquis pushed aside her food, completely losing her appetite. This news Yibo brought had shaken her badly.
How would Lan Yi handle this? Even she felt like crying, let alone Lan Yi. If not for respect for elders, she would have blamed Granny Fang Yu for stirring everything up. In her mind, Shu was the main cause of all this trouble. Tears slipped down Aunty Marquis's cheeks as she stayed silent, feeling like she herself had been given a co-wife.
They both sat quietly for about a minute, each lost in thought.
Finally, Yibo exhaled heavily and said, "Aunty, please tell me what to do. I don't want Mama to think I betrayed her. She'll feel I knew everything all along. And if she hears about this other wife now, I'm certain she won't return home."
Aunty Marquis wiped her tears and replied softly, "Just leave it for now. Tomorrow morning, I'll come over pretending it's just for a family visit. If possible, I'll go with her to the house, and we'll sort things out there so she at least starts moving back. Because, honestly, if you try to explain everything to her tonight, she won't listen. She'll think you were part of this plan. Let me handle it tomorrow. Just give them an excuse, say there's an emergency at the hospital, and that you'll pick her up and take her home tomorrow instead."
Yibo nodded slowly. "Alright, Aunty… thank you."
She asked, "Has Lee arrived yet?"
He shook his head. "His flight was delayed. He'll arrive tomorrow."
Aunty Marquis sighed. "Alright. And don't take Zhan home today either. It's better if he meets us at the house tomorrow, not the other way around. Things might go more smoothly that way."
Yibo hesitated. "But Baba insisted I bring him home today. That's the instruction he gave me."
Aunty Marquis said firmly, "Just find a way, Yibo. Do whatever you need to do, but make sure he doesn't go back today. I'll call you later. Even my head is pounding from all this stress… what a terrible situation."
She ended the call, leaving Yibo standing there feeling completely unsettled. He got into his car and drove off, his mind in turmoil.
***
Zhan came out because someone had called him. He stood leaning against his car, arms crossed.
Zhan smiled slightly and walked closer, stopping by the car. "Good evening, Gege?"
"Evening," he replied. "How were the final exams?"
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛