Chapter 156: My Mother's Death Anniversary

Zhu Yuan tucked her hands into her pockets and clenched her fingers, her face flushing with embarrassment the moment her thoughts were seen through.

The words "I hope we never see each other again" that had reached her lips were forced back down.

Watching her flushed, angry face and her inability to lash out, Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow. "Make a wish."

What kind of wish-making was this?

Making someone make a wish, then threatening them to say what he wanted to hear—he was treating her completely like a monkey in a show.

Zhu Yuan simply turned around and continued watching the fireworks.

"Are you going to say it or not?"

A vein on Zhu Yuan's temple throbbed. "I don't have any wishes."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sheng Yu walked behind her, braced his hands on the railing in front of her, and circled her in his arms.

He held a cigarette between his fingers; the smoke was scattered by the wind, and the crisp scent of tobacco blended into the air. Zhu Yuan's every breath was filled with this scent, her toes curled uncontrollably, and her body tensed up.

Feeling her tense body, Sheng Yu stubbed out the cigarette and said in a low voice, "Don't you want Zhu Jingyao to get out sooner?"

The side of Zhu Yuan's face closest to him went numb.

She wanted to, how could she not?

If she didn't want to, she and Sheng Yu wouldn't have become entangled in so many things in the first place.

"What's the use of me just wanting it?"

The patent application alone was a major hurdle.

Sheng Yu looked at her lowered brows and eyes, his gaze deep. He hooked his fingers around the back of her neck through the hood of her robe and rubbed it gently. "Just wanting it is useless. Why not try saying it out loud?"

His touch was very light, yet Zhu Yuan still felt a sense of oppression.

It reminded her of her previous experience of being forced by Sheng Yu; she had already returned to a normal life and did not want to be dragged back in.

Sensing her change, from struggle to clear-headed restraint, Sheng Yu narrowed his eyes. "I'll count to three. If you miss it, it's void."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuan's breathing became ragged.

Sheng Yu was truly a businessman seasoned in the field; he could see through people's hearts, was skilled at manipulating his opponent's emotions, and was invincible at the negotiating table.

Zhu Yuan gritted her teeth.

She had clearly restrained such thoughts, yet she began to waver because of his countdown.

The moment Sheng Yu counted to two, she turned her stiff body around, looked at the man's handsome face inches away, and felt her throat tighten. "I want my brother to get out sooner."

The mountain wind ruffled the ends of her hair pressed down by her hood, and her face was bloodless after the intense psychological struggle.

"I heard you."

The man's crisp reply made Zhu Yuan's eyes turn red instantly.

She quickly turned her face away to look at the fireworks filling the sky. Whether this wish would come true or not, even if Sheng Yu was just playing with her, she didn't take it to heart.

Wishes, more often than not, are difficult to realize.

So, she changed the subject. "Have you been to Yucheng before?"

When they were in the elevator earlier, he seemed very familiar with this place.

"My maternal grandfather's family is in Yucheng."

Zhu Yuan was stunned, only then remembering that Sheng Yu's mother's surname was Yu.

The Yu Family of Yucheng.

She knew of this prominent family.

"So you came to Yucheng to spend the New Year with the Yu Family, then."

She hoped to hear an affirmative answer; otherwise, she would be unable to reciprocate such surging, intense emotions.

Sheng Yu stared at her face. "What else did you think?"

Zhu Yuan quietly let out a sigh of relief, but the man had no intention of letting her off so easily. "Did you think I came here specifically for you?"

"No." Zhu Yuan hurriedly denied it.

"Today is the anniversary of my mother's death. Her ashes are in Yucheng."

The sound of the fireworks stopped the moment the man spoke.

The world seemed to have been pressed on mute.

Zhu Yuan gripped her fingers tightly, looked at Sheng Yu subconsciously, and swallowed the words of rebuttal she had on the tip of her tongue.

No wonder she had heard Lu Huaizhan say before that the brothers would gather together every New Year's Eve to stay up all night, either playing mahjong or games, for the whole night.

So it was to keep Sheng Yu company.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Sheng Yu sneered lightly. "What are you sorry for? It's not like you were the one who killed my mother."

Killed...

This word stirred up waves in the depths of Zhu Yuan's heart.

Sheng Yu looked at her with deep, dark eyes, then suddenly raised his hand to pull her hood down, covering her eyes. "Let's go down the mountain."

On the way down the mountain, Zhu Yuan was uncharacteristically obedient, following by his side without saying a word, without the slightest bit of resistance.

Even Situ noticed her change.

Once they got into the car and the door closed, Sheng Yu cornered her in the corner of the carriage, pinched her chin, and lifted her face. "Pitying me again?"

Zhu Yuan yawned, her eyes moist. "I'm sleepy, I just don't want to talk."

As she spoke, she yawned again, sleepy to the point of tears.

Sheng Yu wiped them away with his thumb in disgust while staring at her face, not saying a word.

Until the car stopped outside the Zhu residence, before Zhu Yuan got out, Sheng Yu pulled her into his arms and warned: "Call off the blind date. You aren't with me, but you can't be with anyone else either."

Zhu Yuan was furious at his overbearing nature, yet powerless to resist. "Am I supposed to grow old alone, then?"

Sheng Yu stared into her eyes, curled his lips, and said indifferently, "It's not like you're the only one who will grow old alone."

……

The morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

A black sedan stopped in front of a villa.

The car door opened, Sheng Hongyao stepped out of the car, and strode into the house.

As soon as Shen Yijing saw him, she immediately threw herself into his arms, "Hongyao, I missed you so much!"

Sheng Hongyao kissed the hair of the woman in his arms, "I'm sorry, I stayed up to see in the New Year with the old lady last night, so I couldn't come to spend New Year's Eve with you."

Shen Yijing shook her head understandingly, "It doesn't matter, it's the same if you come today; you know I don't care about these things."

The woman's understanding made Sheng Hongyao feel a pang of heartache.

He tightened his arms and held her close, "Next year, I will let you marry into the Sheng Family in style, and from then on, we will spend every New Year's Eve together."

Shen Yijing looked touched and happy, but the next second, she sighed, "A Yu won't agree. You saw his attitude last time. It's better to avoid extra trouble; let's not talk about this in the future, so as not to hurt the harmony between you father and son."

"You don't need to worry about him, I naturally have a way to deal with him," Sheng Hongyao snorted coldly.

Shen Yijing held his hand as they sat on the living room sofa, took the teacup handed over by the servant, tested the temperature, and then handed it to Sheng Hongyao, "With you coming here, won't it be too lonely over at the old lady's place? A Yu should have gone to Yucheng too, right?"

"He went last night."

Shen Yijing was stunned, "Didn't he usually go on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year before?"

Sheng Hongyao didn't take it to heart; a few people were missing from Sheng Yu's circle this year, so he probably felt it was lonely too.

"Don't worry about him."

Shen Yijing was peeling an orange when she suddenly remembered something and said, "I remember that Zhu Yuan seems to be from Yucheng. But I'm probably overthinking it; they broke up, and A Yu doesn't seem like the type to pester someone."

A sharp glint flashed in the depths of Sheng Hongyao's eyes.