When Li Heng tilted Pei Huan’s chin up and bored his burning gaze into her eyes, she was overwhelmed by a wave of emotions.
The past three years were hard for her too. The fact that he wasn’t there for her every time she needed him when she jolted awake from a nightmare made her feel resentful of him as days passed. When the last straw broke the camel’s back, she finally left him.
Sensing that Pei Huan was hurting, Li Heng whispered, “Huan, are you okay?”
Pei Huan shoved him away as soon as Li Heng called out to her. As she regained her senses, she glared coldly at him and warned, “Things between us are long over. If you think you can reconcile with me, you are so wrong. Over my dead body!”
Not able to bear his presence without remembering her sorrowful past, Pei Huan ran out. Li Heng could only watch her leave. After staring wistfully after her for a long time, he went in to see Bao.
His mind was whirling with ideas on how to get Pei Huan back, but it was impossible to solve the massive amount of misunderstandings between them.
The frown on his face turned into a smile at the sight of Bao in deep sleep. Despite Pei Huan denying that Bao was his child, he knew she was lying.
As for He Beiting…
Li Heng narrowed his eyes. He thought that He Beiting was familiar, but he couldn’t remember who he was.
Shi Nuan was preparing the ingredients for the hotpot when Pei Huan made her way to the kitchen as if she had seen a ghost.
“What is it, Huan?”
Pei Huan took a deep breath to calm herself down. She watched in awe as Shi Nuan chopped the vegetables skillfully. Ignoring Shi Nuan’s question, Pei Huan exclaimed, “I didn’t know you are good at cooking!”
“Well, you know now.” Shi Nuan nodded her head and searched her eyes while continuing with the food preparation. “Is Bao asleep?”
Pei Huan nodded and went over to Shi Nuan’s side. “Let me help you.”
“Sure.” Shi Nuan shifted aside to make room for Pei Huan. “Do you know how to cook too?”
“Yes. I had to take care of my own meals back when I was in Jiang City. After giving birth to Bao, I usually prepare his meals to make sure that he’s getting the nutrition he needs for his growth.” Rinsing the vegetables, Pei Huan continued, “You and my brother seem to be quite chummy together!”
Shi Nuan smiled at the remark. “So, that time when you didn’t allow Bao to go to the amusement park… Is it because something bad happened to him before?”
Pei Huan shuddered as the sudden change of conversation brought back unpleasant memories. She remained still and quiet for a moment before giving Shi Nuan a slight nod. “Bao was nearly kidnapped when he was two. After that, he became less talkative and more fearful of other people.”
“Is that so?” Shi Nuan was surprised. “Bao doesn’t seem to be afraid around us and Li Heng.”
Noticing Pei Huan tense up when she mentioned Li Heng, Shi Nuan pursed her lips and apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you by mentioning him, but…”
“I know.” Pei Huan smiled helplessly. “I didn’t come back here and expect anything less, but…”
“But what?”
“I thought he would have already been married, you know, since he had… He had someone else before.”
“Did he?” Shi Nuan was perplexed by the notion. “Are you sure? Li Heng has been waiting for you all these years! From what I know, he has never stopped looking for you! I may not know what happened to both of you in the past, but there’s one thing that I can be sure of, and that is that you are the only one he loves.”
Shi Nuan could tell that Li Heng was deeply in love with Pei Huan, or he wouldn’t have waited so many years for her.
Not wanting to delve deeper into the topic, Pei Huan hurriedly changed the conversation and asked, “How did you and my brother know each other? Does the Fu clan know about you?”
Shi Nuan hesitated before replying, “Our encounter wasn’t exactly romantic… To be honest, it was quite a rollercoaster ride, but he treats me well. We were married secretly at first, but now that the Fu clan know about me, they aren’t exactly pleased with my existence.”
Pei Huan snorted. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not as if you married the whole Fu clan! As long as my brother loves you, everything will be fine.”
Li Heng overheard Pei Huan and Shi Nuan talking when he came down from upstairs. He listened for a long while before making his way to the living room.
Su Shaoqing was the first to arrive that night. He didn’t even bother to change his uniform after ending his shift at the hospital. Upon entering the living room, he exclaimed, “This smells really good, Mrs. Fu!”
Shi Nuan came out from the kitchen. Seeing that Su Shaoqing was alone, she asked, “Where’s Li Heng?”
“Yes?” Li Heng appeared at the entrance to the backyard.
“Speak of the devil. I thought you’ve gone somewhere else. Please wait for a moment, as we will be starting dinner as soon as Yan is back.”
“Hey, what about me?” Su Shaoqing demanded. “I’m here too! Why aren’t you informing me to wait?”
Since Pei Huan wouldn’t admit that Bao was Li Heng’s son, the best that Su Shaoqing could do was to suggest a DNA test to clear Li Heng of his doubts. Surely Pei Huan can’t deny the results of the DNA test!
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