Chapter 130: Chapter 120: Tang Yaxuan

After dinner, they had a few cups of tea and chatted for a while. Tang Qingyun asked Gu Shaozheng about recent events in Beijing and the health of their families’ elders. When the clock struck ten, Gu Shaojun and Gu Shaozheng got up to take their leave.

Tang Yaxuan clung to Gu Shaojun, unwilling to let him go. She walked the two brothers all the way to the main gate of the residential courtyard and still wouldn’t release his hand, demanding that Gu Shaojun come again tomorrow. "Tomorrow is Sunday, and you don’t have anything to do at the base, Brother Shaojun. Come keep Xuanxuan company again, okay?"

Gu Shaojun said, "I’ve been busy lately. Tomorrow won’t work. Some other day. When I’m free, I’ll take you and Hao Hao to West Mountain Park. I just promised Hao Hao."

Tang Yaxuan pouted. "That’s a promise you made to him. You have to promise me something else!"

"Alright, what is it?"

"I heard there are a lot of female soldiers at your base, and they’re beautiful and impressive. I want to go see them. Come pick me up next Sunday!"

"Okay. But not next Sunday. How about the Sunday after that? I’ll come pick you and Hao Hao up to hang out."

"Hao Hao likes to read; he won’t want to go. I’ll go by myself! Call me when you get here, and I’ll come out the main gate and wait for you right here!"

"That’s fine too. But you should still ask Hao Hao first. What if he wants to get out for a bit? Right?"

"Mhm, I know. Goodbye, Brother Shaojun. Don’t forget to call me!"

"Okay. Goodbye, Xuanxuan." Gu Shaojun’s arm was finally free.

While the two of them had stopped to talk, Gu Shaozheng had already walked out the main gate and was waiting in the car parked by the road. When he saw his older brother finally approach, he chuckled. "Xuanxuan is really cute. So much more sensible and well-behaved than our Lingling, huh!"

Gu Shaoling was Second Uncle Gu’s daughter and Gu Shao Feng’s biological younger sister. She was about the same age as Xuanxuan. As the only girl in her generation of the Gu family, she was spoiled and indulged by everyone, making her willful, arrogant, and utterly lawless—nothing like the gentle, sweet, and lovable Xuanxuan.

Gu Shaojun just grunted in response, started the car, and drove away without another word.

Gu Shaozheng shut his mouth and didn’t continue the topic.

’Born into a family like this, as the eldest son, you rarely have a say in your own marriage. A family alliance is unavoidable; you have to marry whomever they tell you to. It seems my older brother’s luck isn’t too good. He’s stuck with this one. The Tang family’s eldest granddaughter is still so young, with a full nine-year age gap between them!’

Gu Shaozheng stole a glance at his brother’s stern, cold profile, not without a sense of sympathy in his heart.

Meanwhile, Tang Yaxuan walked back to the front of her family’s building. Seeing Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen still waiting for her by the flowerbed, she ran over, sweetly calling out "Dad! Mom!" She linked her arms with one of theirs on each side and started playing the "swinging basket" game she had loved to play as a child when she went on walks with them.

Seeing their daughter laughing so happily, Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen couldn’t help but find it amusing. Wu Xiaowen said dotingly, "Look at you, you’re just so happy. You light up the moment you see Brother Shaojun. Do you like him that much?"

"Mhm! Of all the big brothers, I especially, especially like Brother Shaojun! Dad, Mom, I want to live with Brother Shaojun every day! If our family had one more room, we could have Brother Shaojun stay with us!"

Wu Xiaowen laughed. "Sweetheart, even if you want to find a live-in son-in-law, you have to see who you’re talking about. That’s the Gu family. How could a son of the Gu family possibly marry into his wife’s family?"

"But I just want Brother Shaojun to live in my house, to honor my dad and mom with me, and to love and keep my little brother company!" Tang Yaxuan said.

Wu Xiaowen was deeply moved. She held her daughter’s pink, apple-cheeked face and kissed it hard. "My good baby, just knowing you feel this way is enough for your dad and me!"

Tang Qingyun also smiled and patted Tang Yaxuan’s head. "That’s not such a difficult thing. Marrying into someone else’s family is never as comfortable as living in your own. If that’s what you want, Dad can make plans for you!"

"Really?"

"Mhm. The condition is that you have to eat more, drink your milk without pouring it out, and grow up big and fast. Only then can your wish be realized quickly!"

"Oh! That’s great! I’ll definitely listen to you, Dad! Thank you, Dad!"

Tang Yaxuan cheered, stood on her tiptoes to reach Tang Qingyun’s shoulder, and gave him a loud smack of a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned, hugged Wu Xiaowen, and gave her a kiss too. The family of three laughed joyfully on the stairs.

Once inside and back in her room, the smile vanished from Tang Yaxuan’s face. She sat at her desk, resting her chin in her hands. ’Brother Shaojun actually forgot the favor I asked of him.’ Another wave of disappointment and sadness washed over her.

’I had set it up so carefully, deliberately locking that box in the drawer, just waiting for the day I could ask Brother Shaojun to get it for me. The box wasn’t sturdy; it would fall apart easily. Inside was my diary. The daily entries, even if they were just a few words, were all about Brother Shaojun!’

’I like Brother Shaojun so much, and I want to make him see my feelings for him, clear as day!’

The Gu and Tang Families were both prominent aristocratic families with histories stretching back over a century. They had been close for generations; an engagement was even arranged for their grandparents’ generation while the children were still in the womb. Unfortunately, both children born were sons. The marriage agreement, however, remained. In their parents’ generation, the Tang family had a son and the Gu family had a daughter, but sadly, fate was not on their side. The Gu daughter ran away from the engagement and married another without a word, while the Tang family’s eldest son remained single, never taking another wife. Because of this, the Gu family felt incredibly indebted to the Tang family. Now, in the grandchildren’s generation, the Tang family finally had a daughter. The Gu family took the initiative to visit and ask to renew the marriage alliance. This engagement was set in stone, with absolutely no possibility of change!

That was why Tang Qingyun could say with such confidence that it wasn’t impossible for Gu Shaojun to become their live-in son-in-law!

’Of course Tang Yaxuan was delighted. Her parents were doing everything they could to protect her and plan for her future. Nothing could be better than this!’

’Growing up, I’ve returned to Beijing twice, and each time, the Gu family would have me over and throw a grand banquet in my honor. I was very satisfied with how much importance they placed on me. But the imposing aura of the Gu family is even more frightening than Old Mrs. Tang’s, and then there’s that willful Gu Shaoling... I adore Brother Shaojun, but the thought of having to move into the Gu family estate after we get married, of living there and facing his parents and elders, makes my head ache!’

’With Dad’s promise, I can finally feel at ease.’

’It’s just that...’

Tang Yaxuan sighed softly. That nagging feeling of insecurity—the one that made her agitated and lose control, the one that often gave her nightmares—quietly crept back into her mind. ’If it weren’t for that secret, if I were really Mom and Dad’s biological child, how perfect would that be!’

’Damn the heavens! They must be blind. It’s despicable!’

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