Chapter 14 Banquet Revelations
The Pei family held a banquet.
Gu Yan invited me to attend with her.
I heard her parents had returned from abroad and would be there too.
I agreed.
The manor was decorated beautifully. Guests came and went, all rich or noble.
Gu Yan smiled as she linked arms with me.
"Let's go eat. There are tons of delicious foods over there."
She stuffed food into her mouth and suddenly sighed.
Vaguely she told me, "Speaking of which, My Brother has been acting strange lately. He keeps staring at his phone and grinning foolishly."
"Gu Xu said he seems unable to forget that scumbag ex who dumped him before. The two have reconnected."
"I don't want My Brother to be fooled by the same person twice. I'm thinking about how to advise him."
I was about to explain when Madam Gu arrived at the tea room.
The real reason I came to the banquet today was to find her.
Gu Yan was called away to socialize. I walked up to Madam Gu.
She smiled at me.
"Wen You, sit down."
I took the seat opposite her.
She lifted her hand to brew tea and poured a cup for me.
The tea room was semi-transparent. I could see Pei Yuchuan outside, surrounded by people.
He wore a sharply tailored custom suit and moved through the clamor with ease.
I drank the tea and stated my purpose.
I want to be with Pei Yuchuan again.
She was not surprised. She simply smiled.
"Wen You, you're very different from three years ago."
"Back then you didn't even dare look me in the eye."
I had just graduated and had not yet been shaped by society. As Pei Yuchuan's mother, Madam Gu carried an overwhelming presence.
I had been respectful to the point of fear.
"Actually I have been observing you these past three years."
"I know you work hard and regularly send your savings to left-behind girls in the mountains."
"Every month you volunteer at the disabled association."
"When you learned the disabled heritage artisans had poor sales, you fought for company resources to build an online sales platform for them."
She let out a soft sigh.
"I married Pei Yuchuan's father through an alliance marriage. In our plans Pei Yuchuan was supposed to follow the same path. He enjoys the family's resources so he should contribute to the family."
"But after watching for so many years I realized I was too narrow-minded."
"The power of some emotions may outweigh the benefits of alliances."
At the end a gentle smile appeared on her face. She told me sincerely,
"Wen You, follow your heart. I won't interfere anymore."
Pei Yuchuan spotted us in the tea room. He pushed aside the surrounding toasts and walked over.
Madam Gu wanted to give us space. After a couple of steps she paused, turned back, and told me,
"Previously Pei Yuchuan wanted to contact you but didn't know how to start. I suggested sending some photos of Pei Xi."
"But he refused. He said he shouldn't bind a mother to him using their child. If you choose to reconcile he hopes it is because of love, not out of maternal duty."
It was exactly something he would say. He always respected my individuality.
She left as he approached. One turned away while the other came toward me.
"What did you talk about with my mom?" he asked curiously.
"A secret."
I smiled and reached out, placing my fingertips in his palm.
He paused briefly before interlocking his fingers with mine.
"Wen You, I have something to tell you..."
As we walked out we ran straight into Gu Yan.
She hurried over, eager to share some gossip.
Her eyes landed on our joined hands.
"What is your relationship?"
I winked at her.
"I'm the scumbag ex your brother had, the one you mentioned."
Pei Yuchuan smiled and explained, "She is Pei Xi's mom. His biological mom."
After a brief silence Gu Yan let out a shriek.
She glared angrily at Pei Yuchuan.
"Then why did you push me to bring Wen You back for a blind date with Gu Xu? My Brother, is there something wrong with your head?"
"Oh, I see now. I was just your tool. You used me to bring her home?"
The reunion I thought was fate had been his careful planning all along.