Chapter 816: Three Women Unite

After chatting with Yuan Wanqing, Ying Zhicheng had already pieced together the truth.

But knowing the truth, he found himself utterly unable to feel happy.

Reason told him this was bound to happen sooner or later—merely a matter of timing.

Since he had already tacitly accepted the relationship between Li Luo and his two daughters, why should he be so angry and depressed? Sometimes, emotion is simply irrational, to the point that just seeing Li Luo's face now made him furious, as if he wanted to punch him.

Yuan Wanqing, however, felt little emotional impact from this.

On one hand, she thought it was perfectly normal—after all, Ying Chanxi and Li Luo had grown up together, so their bond would naturally be closer.

As for Yan Zhusheng, who came later, her current clinginess toward Li Luo had already moved Yuan Wanqing deeply.

On the other hand, even if Yan Zhusheng had truly become intimate with Li Luo, Yuan Wanqing could actually accept it.

Compared to Ying Zhicheng, who had watched Li Luo grow up and was relatively closer as an elder,

Yuan Wanqing actually admired Li Luo slightly more and harbored less resistance toward him.

This may have something to do with gender differences, and also with Yuan Wanqing's personal life experiences.

Her marriage to her late husband had been arranged by their families; affection had only gradually developed after they had their daughter.

At that time, she was barely a young woman just past adulthood, having never even dated before stepping into marriage.

But it wasn't until after her husband's death, when she fled with Yan Zhusheng to seek refuge with Yan Ruqing, that Yuan Wanqing truly understood the taste of "romance."

Or perhaps one should say, unspoken longing.

She knew deep down that if she ever met the right person, but that person already had someone else by their side, she would suffer terribly.

That was precisely why, after learning the situation, she quietly accepted Li Luo's special bond with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng.

More than rigid social conventions, Yuan Wanqing cared about her children's genuine happiness.

If this made them happy and didn't harm anyone else, why not let it be?

Isn't it better than endlessly choosing, only for someone to eventually be left behind in sorrow?

If Li Luo were just an ordinary boy, Yuan Wanqing might have done the same.

After all, people tend to forget things over the years.

But Li Luo's achievements and excellence were simply too dazzling, shining so brightly that no peer could possibly match him.

Asking Ying Chanxi or Yan Zhusheng to forget him was nearly impossible…

Ask herself honestly—even Yuan Wanqing doubted she could forget him.

"I'll go help in the kitchen," Yuan Wanqing said to Ying Zhicheng, then stood up. "Stop obsessing over this. It's already happened—what can you possibly do about it?"

With that, she walked toward the kitchen.

Ying Zhicheng watched her retreating back and sighed deeply.

At that moment, Li Luo had already called out to Li Guohong, planning to first carry the several large bags of trash downstairs and then take the old clothes to the neighborhood recycling station.

Hearing this, Ying Zhicheng braced his hands on his knees, forced himself to stand up, and walked over to them. "Let me help."

The three men immediately got to work, making two trips back and forth, finally clearing everything away.

At this point, the moving company Li Luo had contacted arrived downstairs.

After greeting the two workers and loading their packed luggage into the van, Li Luo told them to set off first.

Meanwhile, the kitchen had also finished its work, and Li Luo said, "Let's go too—there shouldn't be anything else to bring, right?"

"Let's go~" Yan Zhusheng raised her hand in agreement, then ran over to Li Luo's side, wrapped her arms around his, and pulled him toward the front door.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi puffed out her cheeks, then refused to be outdone—she immediately clung to Li Luo's other arm.

Xu Youyu, seeing this, naturally didn't foolishly join in; instead, his gaze quietly flickered among the four parents' faces.

Yuan Wanqing's expression now was mostly one of helplessness and amusement.

Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong, however, first looked stunned, then embarrassed, stealing glances at Yuan Wanqing and Ying Zhicheng's reactions.

Once they realized neither parent intended to stop them, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong both exhaled in relief, their faces lighting up with relief.

As for Ying Zhicheng… let's not mention him.

At this point, everyone understood clearly, silently acknowledging it—all the parents pretended not to notice, yet had all tacitly accepted the situation.

Especially Lin Xiuhong, who, upon sensing that Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing seemed unconcerned, was inwardly overjoyed; when no one else could see, her smile threatened to burst free.

"Control your facial expression," Li Guohong whispered urgently to his wife as he leaned close. "Calm your smile—you're grinning like you've won the lottery."

"Cough…," Lin Xiuhong sheepishly pulled herself together and whispered back, "I'm just happy…"

"Then I suggest you don't get too excited too soon," Li Guohong murmured on. "You can't miss what your son's really aiming for."

"He clearly wants to include Youyu too—what do you think Ying and the others will do when they find out?"

"Besides, Youyu's own family doesn't even know about this yet—do you really think you can handle it?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuhong's expression darkened instantly. She gave him a light shove. "I was just happy, and now you ruin it. Let's deal with this later—things always work out when the time comes."

"I hope so," Li Guohong sighed helplessly.

Everyone put on their shoes and finally stepped out of the front door of Bihai Lanting 1502.

Outside the elevator corridor, Ying Chanxi lingered, staring back at the apartment door for a long time.

Now that they were leaving, they'd likely never return often again.

They were about to have a new home.

Thinking of this, Ying Chanxi grew eager again; once the elevator reached the first floor, she couldn't wait to hop into her Audi.

But this time, they wouldn't be riding together in one car.

After all, this was a move—each of their cars needed to be driven to Sky Ridge Elegant Residence.

So, including Li Luo, the four children each took one car, departing from Bihai Lanting, while Ying Zhicheng drove Yuan Wanqing and Li Guohong drove Lin Xiuhong.

Eight people total, yet six cars in all.

Even though Bihai Lanting to Sky Ridge Elegant Residence was only one or two kilometers away, Yan Zhusheng still started a voice chat in a WeChat group.

Soon, all six vehicles were connected to the call.

"Why did you turn on voice chat?" Ying Chanxi's voice came through WeChat, puzzled.

"It feels interesting," Yan Zhusheng replied. "Isn't it like a convoy?"

"You're so boring…" Ying Chanxi was speechless. "It's only a few minutes' drive—I thought something had happened on your end."

"Next time we can do another motorhome trip," Xu Youyu chuckled over the voice call. "If we bring more motorhomes, we can stay connected like this."

"Still, pay attention to safety while driving," Li Luo's voice came from inside. "We're almost there—Butler Liu has received the luggage. I told him to arrange moving it to each bedroom."

After speaking, Li Luo drove into the underground parking entrance of Sky Ridge Elegant Residence.

The five vehicles behind followed in line, soon arriving at the underground Level 1 entrance of Villa A08.

Li Luo parked his car in the complimentary spot; the others parked in the purchased spots across the road.

Originally, Li Luo had bought five extra parking spots—perfect timing.

But if Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling drove over in the afternoon, they'd have to use temporary spots and pay.

The community has dedicated parking cards; for temporary spots, either guests pay themselves, or the host's card is charged.

Li Luo would never let his beloved in-laws pay—he'd already arranged the parking card, so parking wasn't a concern.

"Wanqing must be here for the first time, right?" Lin Xiuhong walked beside Yuan Wanqing, smiling.

"Yes, I've never been here before—today's my first visit," Yuan Wanqing nodded with a smile.

"Then we can take a tour later," Lin Xiuhong said. "This villa is quite spacious—if all rooms were turned into bedrooms, it could easily hold ten or twenty people."

"Let them settle the luggage first, then I'll have Zhusheng show you around," Yuan Wanqing replied. "We can also take notes—when we have time, we'll come back with Youyu to see the new house."

"I know this place well," Xu Youyu walked affectionately to Yuan Wanqing's side, gently linking arms with her. "I'll join Zhusheng and give you a tour—also show you around the community."

"Great," Yuan Wanqing smiled and agreed, surprised by Xu Youyu's closeness—it felt like gaining another daughter.

The group entered the underground Level 1 entrance gate; Butler Liu had been waiting, bowing slightly to welcome them in.

"The fitness area has been equipped with the latest gym equipment, sufficient for most workouts," Butler Liu led them on a brief tour of this level. "As Mr. Li instructed, a dedicated space has been set aside for boxing practice."

Hearing this, Ying Zhicheng raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Li Luo beside him—his gaze deepened. Rarely, he offered a comment: "Good setup."

Li Luo couldn't shake the feeling—was it his imagination? —that Ying Zhicheng's tone sounded slightly sinister, almost eerie…

"You do boxing?" Lin Xiuhong asked, surprised. "How come I never knew?"

"Cough… I just started training with Uncle Ying these past few months," Li Luo coughed lightly. "It's great for fitness."

"That's good," Lin Xiuhong nodded. "Do you spar with Uncle Ying? You're a big guy—don't hurt him."

"How could I?" Li Luo grinned awkwardly. "He always lets me win—I couldn't beat him otherwise."

Hearing this, Ying Zhicheng's expression remained calm. "He's improved quickly. In just a few months, he can match me—already quite talented."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi bit her lip, forcing her face to stay serious to avoid laughing.

If her father knew Li Luo had been holding back all along, what would he think?

At this moment, Ying Chanxi also didn't know that her image in Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing's eyes had already been completely overturned.

"This is the bar I designed," Li Luo stepped ahead of Butler Liu as they reached the staircase, introducing it to everyone. "Next to it, we've placed a pool table—drinking while playing is quite relaxing."

As he spoke, Li Luo winked at Butler Liu, signaling him not to say anything.

Butler Liu understood, and didn't mention that the bar was Xu Youyu's idea.

If Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing found out, they'd start suspecting again.

After all, if Xu Youyu weren't the mistress here, didn't live here permanently, why would she be involved in the villa's design? Realizing this, Butler Liu led them to the first floor and said nothing more about who suggested the design—only briefly explained each area's function.

Yuan Wanqing and Ying Zhicheng toured, nodding—impressed by the renovation.

The first floor mainly consists of the living room, dining room, and two guest bedrooms.

The second floor is primarily the study and collection room, plus one guest bedroom converted into a cat room.

"You're keeping cats too?" Lin Xiuhong frowned. "Cats are such a hassle—and they smell."

"Don't worry—we'll take good care of them. Don't trouble yourself," Li Luo pressed his hand on Lin Xiuhong's shoulder, urging her to stop.

After touring the study, the four parents were taken downstairs to rest; Li Luo led the three girls to the third-floor bedrooms to unpack.

Between Li Luo's master bedroom and Ying Chanxi's room was a walk-in closet, dedicated to clothing storage, connected to both bedrooms.

Ying Chanxi sorted her and Li Luo's clothes, storing away summer and autumn wear she wouldn't use soon, placing the rest into Li Luo's massive wardrobe.

"Try not to bring Uncle and Aunt up to the bedrooms," Xu Youyu finished packing quickly and now stood at the master bedroom door, arms crossed against the wall, warning. "Or you might give something away."

"Mm," Yan Zhusheng walked in from outside, nodding. "Take them straight to the fourth floor, then down to the courtyard and community."

"No problem," Ying Chanxi stood up and nodded—the three girls were now united. "I'm done too. Let's go downstairs."

(End of Chapter)