“What do you mean?” Tang Lingyun asked.
“Think about it Mother. Grandfather died two years before Qin Jinghua’s arranged marriage. Back then, Grandfather also insisted to have her marry Xuan Hui. But his will clearly stated that for Qin Jinghua to qualify for the inheritance, she had to be single and her surname had to be a ‘Qin’ at the time of the reading. Do you think Grandfather didn’t want Qin Jinghua to qualify for the inheritance?” Qin Fei asked. This question had been bugging her for a long time. She remembered that her grandfather didn’t favor Qin Jinghua. Hence she found it strange for her grandfather to include Qin Jinghua in his will.
“Now that you mention it, that is weird. I’m sure that your father found it weird as well. Do you think your grandfather knew that Qin Jinghua was a Facci? Perhaps he thought that Qin Jinghua would change her surname to ‘Facci’ in the future? If she had, she wouldn’t have qualified for the inheritance.”
Both of them fell into silence as they recalled Old Man Qin’s apology to Qin Mo at the start of his letter.
“But… I don’t understand why Grandfather would include Qin Jinghua in his will only to set conditions that would make it difficult or even impossible for her to receive her inheritance. Why must he go through all that trouble?” Qin Fei continued after a long pause.
Meanwhile Tang Lingyun was engrossed in her thoughts. Based on the conditions in the will, it was obvious that the old man did not want Qin Jinghua to get the inheritance. Moreover, he was the one who arranged Qin Jinghua’s engagement to Xuan Hui. Why would Old Man Qin do something like this?
Then Tang Lingyun’s eyes widened. There was only one reason why the old man’s written will contradicted his actions: he was forced to write the will that way. But who would force him to include Qin Jinghua in his will? And why?
….
The hues created by the sunset on the horizon was starting to spread across the sky. Lily’s head was resting on Zhuo Jingren’s lap while the latter was silently stroking her head. They were silently enjoying each other’s company while watching the sunset.
The rhythmic sounds of the waves and Zhuo Jingren’s steady breathing were the only sounds that Lily could hear. It was serene and peaceful. This feeling was something that she never had for the last twenty-seven years of her life.
Then Lily shifted her gaze to Zhuo Jingren who was looking out at the horizon. His lips were parted a little and they lifted into a small smile. It made one wonder what happy thoughts he was having right now. The orange glow of the sun made his handsome face even more dazzling.
“What are you thinking?” Zhuo Jingren’s question brought Lily back from her thoughts. She immediately shifted her gaze back to the sunset, avoiding his gaze.
“Life,” she answered shortly. “Life’s so short and every sunset reminds me of that.”
Zhuo Jingren chuckled, causing Lily to turn her gaze back to him. “Why are you laughing?” Lily asked, her eyebrows raised.
“I just found it funny how you have the tendency to think negatively,” he noted. When Lily did not answer him, he continued, “Why don’t you try to think more positively? Appreciate the beauty of life instead. For example, the sunset can be a reminder that no matter how difficult life is, it can still end beautifully.”
“We are the exact opposite,” Lily said after a few seconds of silence. Zhuo Jingren’s words were true. She did have the tendency to think negatively. Her mind would always think about every possibility in life, positive and negative. The negative ones tend to be more than the positive.
She always believed that there was a good side and a bad side to all things. Sometimes people would ignore the bad or even abandon their values in order to get what they want. Lily tend to weigh in more on the negative in order to create countermeasures in advance.
“Hmmm yes we are. But I believe this is the reason why we are attracted to each other, no?” he answered.
In response, Lily let out a hearty laugh. “You are right.” For some reason she also agreed with him. Then Lily stopped laughing when realization hit her. Did he just say that she was attracted to him?
Then she noticed that he was looking at her with a small smile on his face, his eyes were full of gentleness.
“Ehem… I…” Lily felt her face burning in front of the man. She had never felt so embarrassed in front of him before. Her heart started to beat faster against her chest.
“I…” she tried to utter a word but she was at a loss for words. Her face was also getting warmer.
‘How embarrassing!’
“It’s alright. You don’t have to say anything. I always knew that you did not marry me just for my money. It’s also because of my good looks too right?” Zhuo Jingren shamelessly said while poking her nose.
Without a word, Lily got up from her current position and sat next to him. “You are one good-looking specimen, it is inevitable that I’m attracted to you,” she said in a stern tone.
But then she realized how stupid she was for being defensive and she decided that she needed to stop thinking so logically all the time.
Then she cupped Zhuo Jingren’s face before leaning in for a kiss, surprising the latter in the process.
…
Editor: Swaning
