Chapter 586: Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law

When Xi Xiaye said this, Wang Hui instantly frowned too.

She knew about the grudges between Deng Wenwen, Xi Mushan, and Shen Wenna. Even though she had always been unwilling to interfere much, she still felt outraged over the injustice towards Shen Wenna and Xi Xiaye.

She had never been in contact with Deng Wenwen and Yue Lingsi, but she heard that they were quite reputable in the entertainment industry. Nonetheless, as capable as a woman was, Wang Hui had seen it all, and she did not necessarily favor them.

"You two will have tons to worry with this issue. Okay, let's not talk about it anymore. I'll brew some soup for you in the kitchen. Your mother's coincidentally rushed over to do some inspection work. Later on, she'll come over for dinner, and then go home with me."

Wang Hui sighed, not wanting to talk about unhappy things anymore, so she just stood up.

"Is Mother coming over? Let me be your assistant then."

"Mmm, but she might be a little late. Just sit. It's enough with Sis Wang helping me. You haven't tried my dishes in a while, have you?"

"I'll cook sweet and sour fish then since Sis Wang has bought the ingredients."

"Okay, I'll call her right now. Tell her to buy more ingredients. See if Ah Chen can come back for dinner."

...

After a while, Sis Wang bought the ingredients back home and started to get busy in the kitchen with Wang Hui.

It was getting gradually dark. Soon, the entire sky was engulfed in darkness, and the streetlights in the yard lit up.

When Zhuang Shurong came over, it was close to 8 p.m. at night. Wang Hui was still busy in the kitchen while Xi Xiaye was flipping through documents.

"Yesterday, your father told me that you and Ah Chen seem to be moving about and that you found Sis Lan. Do you have any leads now?"

Zhuang Shurong would occasionally ask about this. Even though Wang Hui did say that she did not allow them to continue to be involved in the matter, Zhuang Shurong would understand Mu Lingshi. Despite she and Mu Tangchuan being closer to her, they still were not her biological parents. If she could have understood this earlier and mentally prepared the children earlier, they wouldn't have...

Xi Xiaye obviously could hear the unnatural tone in Zhuang Shurong's voice. She seemed to sound a little sad and was not quite the same as her usual serious manner. However, the way she was at the moment made Xi Xiaye feel an unnamed closeness.

"Mmm, we did find Sis Lan. Earlier, we heard that she was hospitalized. According to the doctor, she doesn't have much time left. Initially, I wanted to look for her again, but Mu Yuchen went there himself. I'm not sure what happened after that either. I feel like Sis Lan should know more about what happened years ago, but she's not willing to say anything. When I went looking for her the last time, I couldn't get anything useful out of her. She just said some things about Aunty's past."

When Xi Xiaye finished, Zhuang Shurong nodded. "Lu Xinlan is like that. Years ago, when I went looking for her, I played both the hard and the soft card, but she didn't reveal any valuable leads either. After that, because of your grandparents, we left things unsettled. Now that I think about it, it was really... All these years, I know that Lingshi has never given up on the search just like how Lingtian was all those years ago, but because he was worried that your grandparents would know, he did it in secret. All those years I was abroad, my hands were tied, and now that I'm back, he's..."

Xi Xiaye suddenly did not know what to say, so she just called out softly to her, "Mother..."

"Actually, I hoped that they could find them too. I feel that your aunt wanted to reveal these things before she passed away. Unfortunately, she was already very emotionally affected then. Sometimes, she would even be beside herself. Tragically, before she could find herself again, she used that extreme way to end her life. It was a great pity and it broke everyone's hearts. It's been so many years. This tragedy continues to be buried, but we still haven't found that man. Do you really think he doesn't know about your aunt, Lingtian, and Lingshi?"

Zhuang Shurong sighed with a heavy expression. "Of course, that person knows. He's just been hiding and unwilling to reveal himself. Your aunt isn't one of those naive and romantic girls either. The family arranged many young and accomplished men for her to meet, yet she didn't fancy any of them, so I'm sure that man must be someone notable."

"It wasn't our intentions for the previous generation to leave all these things for you two to be worried about. Sometimes, I was even a little unhappy. Do you know what kind of life Ah Chen led before you married him? Even though the Mu family is a prestigious family, we don't live as happily as other normal families."

Xi Xiaye always felt like Zhuang Shurong's words implied something else. She mentioned a bunch of random things that puzzled her. Although she wanted to ask something, she did not know where to begin.

From her impression of her, Zhuang Shurong mostly maintained her serious and elegant image. Even at home, she was still the same, yet today she had moved away from that facade and shared these things with her. What did she mean by it?

Zhuang Shurong seemed to read Xi Xiaye's confusion, so she smiled. "I'm not trying to imply anything. I just wanted to tell you that I'm quite happy with you. I'm very happy that you became a part of the Mu family, and became Ah Chen's wife, but there's one thing I wanted to raise to you. I wonder if Ah Chen told you about it."

"Please explain, Mother." Xi Xiaye felt that something was odd and her body tensed slightly as she looked calmly at Zhuang Shurong.

Zhuang Shurong nodded gently instead. "Okay, before I tell you, I have to assure you that I, Zhuang Shurong, only recognize you as my daughter-in-law. I'm very happy with you. You got that?"

"Thanks, Mother, I know."

"Mmm, good then. I'll keep it short. Did Ah Chen mention his past to you before?" Zhuang Shurong asked.

As Xi Xiaye listened, she nodded. "Mmm, he tells me a little sometimes."

"Well, did he ever mention to you that he had a fiancè before?" As Zhuang Shurong probed, her eyes were fixated on Xi Xiaye.

Xi Xiaye smiled, and spoke softly, "Mother, do you mean Gu Lingsha?"

"You know about Gu Lingsha?"

Xi Xiaye's words stunned her. "You actually know about Gu Lingsha too?" It looked like her son was really quite meticulous with Xi Xiaye, so much so that he even settled this properly.

Xi Xiaye nodded gently. "He told me that he and Gu Lingsha had an arranged betrothal at a young age, but he only found out afterwards."