Chapter 100
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=1363950 This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Zuo Qinghuan walked and walked, somehow ending up at the place where she was born and raised. When she came to her senses, she suddenly remembered that Zuo Yan had passed away.
"Qinghuan." Xiao Qinan came over to check on the house, that she was selling—the house originally meant for Zuo Yan to live in, all part of her assets.
Zuo Qinghuan turned around and saw Xiao Qinan, dressed in a dark black cheongsam, exuding a mysterious aura.
"Aunt Xiao." Zuo Qinghuan calls Xiao Qinan, “Aunt Xiao”.
"I was just about to call you to let you know that your mother left some things behind in my hands, but I haven't had the chance to give them to you." Xiao Qinan went to her car and retrieved an iron box, then handed it to Zuo Qinghuan.
"Thank you, Aunt Xiao." Zuo Qinghuan took the iron box gratefully. She had always been grateful to Xiao Qinan.
"Do you want to come sit at my place for a while?" Xiao Qinan asked. She had vast experience in observing people and was adept at reading their expressions. Seeing Zuo Qinghuan like this, she knew the child was troubled and perhaps she could offer some guidance. This child had always had a special place in her heart.
"Alright." Zuo Qinghuan nodded.
Xiao Qinan boiled some hot water and brewed a pot of tea, her movements as skillful as Qin Wanshu's. Zuo Qinghuan only now realized that Xiao Qinan was also skilled in the way of tea. Previously, she had only seen her drink alcohol. Xiao Qinan was a woman with excellent alcohol tolerance, able to pour down high-proof liquor without changing her expression. She had never seen her drunk, always maintaining that clear-headedness and that mask-like smile. Both she and Qin Wanshu had extremely beautiful hands. The difference was that Qin Wanshu's fingers were long and beautiful yet fair, never painted with nail polish, exuding noble elegance. Xiao Qinan's fingers were equally slender and beautiful, with long, well-kept nails that didn't resemble the hands of a woman in her forties. The painted bright red nails looked extremely charming, a charm that was completely different from Li Xin's.
"Are you troubled?" Xiao Qinan's voice was very pleasant, like aged sake, exuding a kind of charm that made people involuntarily want to talk to her.
"Mm." Zuo Qinghuan took the tea that Xiao Qinan handed her. Xiao Qinan emitted a scent that only Qin Wanshu had, although the nature of their scents was completely different, they were equally powerful.
"Is it related to Miss Qin?" Xiao Qinan guessed right away.
Zuo Qinghuan nodded.
"Her family doesn't accept you." This was expected. Xiao Qinan also felt that the Qin family would never allow Zuo Qinghuan to pluck the rare flower that is Qin Wanshu. Qin Wanshu was not just an individual, she was a precious flower cultivated by the Qin family with great care. How could they allow her to be easily picked?
"Aunt Xiao is indeed Aunt Xiao, guessing everything. Today, Grandpa Qin invited me to the Qin family..." Zuo Qinghuan told Xiao Qinan everything that happened today. She regarded Xiao Qinan as her elder.
Xiao Qinan listened quietly as Zuo Qinghuan finished speaking.
"Aunt Xiao, what do you think I should do?" Zuo Qinghuan asked Xiao Qinan, wanting a third person's objective perspective.
"Grandpa Qin seized upon your sense of inferiority, then dug traps for you to fall into. Three years can change a lot of things. Relationships fear time, fear distance, fear lack of determination, there are too many uncertainties in relationships. Moreover, the excellent standards he has set, without an appropriate environment and external help, the probability of you achieving them is very slim. Grandpa Qin is indeed shrewd, and if you leave, his granddaughter won't blame him. It's just because you weren't firm enough." Xiao Qinan felt that the Qin family's current brilliance was not unreasonable. Grandpa Qin was adept at using methods to govern. He is a sage on the inside and a king on the outside, truly an outstanding figure.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=1363950 This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"In that case..." Zuo Qinghuan's heart trembled. She knew it was a trap, yet she willingly allowed herself to be ensnared by it. She truly was no match for Grandpa Qin.
"Although it's a trap, from the perspective of an elder, I would advise you to jump in." Xiao Qinan sighed softly.
"Why?" Zuo Qinghuan asked, though deep down she didn't want to accept Grandpa Qin's conditions. She hoped to hear from a third party objectively, not to fall into deception, and to handle things on her own.
"A flower that blooms too quickly is prone to wither. Love can shine brightly for a moment, but without enough nurturing to support its lifespan, it won't last long. There's indeed a gap between you and Qin Wanshu, which means you'll inevitably look up to her, making yourself even more insignificant. In the heat of passion, everyone thinks it can last forever, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many promises of eternal love. No one thinks the gap will be a problem. But after love comes life, and life brings many problems. Your values differ greatly, and whether you can compromise, whether you have common topics, whether you can integrate into her social circle, or if she can adapt to yours, these are all issues. And her family's inability to accept you is a negative force, which will inevitably affect her to some extent. No matter how great she is, she's just an ordinary person, remember that. Leaving temporarily does have risks, but it may not be bad. If your love can't last for three years, it shows that your hearts aren't as firm as you think. Even if you don't leave, perhaps love will fade along with life. Unfulfilled love is always the most beautiful. Why are you suffering now? It's because of your inferiority complex, which will torment you beyond recognition. Inferiority in love is unacceptable." Xiao Qinan calmly and coldly provided Zuo Qinghuan with a thorough analysis.
"But I can't bear to leave." As she said this, Zuo Qinghuan felt her heartache as if it were being twisted.
"Twenty years ago, I fell in love with the son of an ancient Japanese conglomerate, our love was passionate. I followed him to Japan. That family, with its strict hierarchy and traditions, had even more objections than the Qin family does now. Originally, I was very outspoken, but for him, I suppressed my outspokenness and rough edges, cautiously learning everything needed in a big family. But I still couldn't gain acceptance. My background destined me to never gain approval from his family, and it also made me feel insignificant. I was very unhappy, even though I still had love, it couldn't make me happy. He also faced a lot of pressure, he knew I was unhappy, and he was also not doing well. I was tortured by that family, far from the person he initially fell in love with. I also feared that his love would eventually fade. So in the end, I cried and begged him to let me go. At that time, I had a three-year-old daughter. He asked if I wanted to take her with me. He was kind and knew I couldn't bear to, but I shook my head and refused. My daughter was my only support in that family. How could I bear to leave her? But I left her there. Maybe she didn't necessarily think being the daughter of a big conglomerate was better. I didn't give her the right to choose. As a mother's choice, it was the best choice for her." Xiao Qinan said calmly as if all the heartache was just a passing cloud. She realized that she was too weak back then, which led to such a bloody price.
"But I'm afraid I can't do it." Tears suddenly streamed down Zuo Qinghuan's face, revealing her inner weakness.
Zuo Qinghuan reminded Xiao Qinan of her own daughter, softening her previously hardened heart. She sighed softly and pulled Zuo Qinghuan into her arms, perhaps this was her last act of kindness, preventing Zuo Qinghuan from repeating her own mistakes.
"Do you want to go to Japan? I can ask that man to take you as his daughter?" Xiao Qinan asked. That man would not refuse her request.
Zuo Qinghuan looked at Xiao Qinan blankly, unsure of what to do.
"You should go back and think about it carefully." Xiao Qinan felt that the decision was entirely in Zuo Qinghuan's hands. Perhaps a brief and uneasy happiness could still be a legitimate form of happiness.
After Zuo Qinghuan left, Xiao Qinan picked up the phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in twenty years.
“Kitano Mine, it's Xiao Qinan." The person on the other end of the line was suddenly stunned. He never expected her to call him after so many years, and for a long time, he couldn't react.
Author's Note:
Every night I tell myself I can't stay up so late tomorrow. Ah, sigh.
