Lack of Love

With Yan Hao’s cooperation, Yan’s mother was convinced that her son had been attracted to Lian Sijiao.

Things were going exactly as she planned, unexpectedly smooth. She was delighted that her son would soon be able to break free from Zhong Qiran’s entanglement, but at the same time, she feared that he would fall into another man’s trap again. To avoid too many complications, she took the opportunity when Lian Sijiao came to their house and secretly urged him to take action quickly, to get rid of Zhong Qiran before anything else. As for what benefits Lian Sijiao wanted afterwards, they could discuss it later.

Lian Sijiao had long seen through Yan’s mother’s intentions and smirked inwardly while putting on a troubled face. He said, “I do hope to fulfill your request as soon as possible, but the conditions you’ve set are really difficult. It’s not something I can accomplish in a short time without physical contact with Mr. Yan.”

He deliberately said this because he knew how much Yan’s mother detested homosexuality.

As expected, Yan’s mother’s expression immediately turned ugly. Lian Sijiao’s words reminded her of the time she saw Zhong Qiran kissing her son in the courtyard and noticed the hickey on his neck. Even if the person involved was Lian Sijiao instead of Zhong Qiran, she knew it was just a pretense, but it still made her feel disgusted.

Yan’s mother didn’t give up. “As a specialist in psychology, don’t you have a faster method?”

Lian Sijiao pretended to look troubled as he gazed at Yan’s mother.

Yan’s mother understood his intention but still asked, “Do you want money or other assistance? We can discuss it further. However, after it’s done, you must leave my son and not harbor any illusions.”

Lian Sijiao smiled. “I know.”

Although Lian Sijiao agreed to her, he couldn’t actually drive away Zhong Qiran. It was just a pretense. After secretly negotiating with Zhong Qiran, he went to Yan’s mother and presented the prepared words, “Now, it’s Zhong Qiran who refuses to leave. I can’t do anything about it.”

Yan’s mother was furious. “I knew he was shameless but this is just too much.”

Yan’s mother had calculated everything meticulously. She initially wanted these two men to fight each other to the death while she watched from behind the scenes. That way, Yan Hao wouldn’t notice, and she could save herself a lot of trouble. However, she underestimated Zhong Qiran’s stubbornness. .

Lian Sijiao continued to provoke Yan’s mother. “Yan Hao still has lingering feelings for him. If you want to drive him away, it will take some time.”

Yan’s mother looked at Lian Sijiao, momentarily unsure whether her initial plan was right or wrong. Lian Sijiao had shown his true colors recently, demanding more and more benefits, almost beyond what she could accept. But if she were to give up now, it would all be in vain, and she couldn’t accept that.

Her attitude towards Lian Sijiao was no longer as cordial as before. “Haven’t you already gained enough from me? Don’t be too greedy.”

“Madam, you were the one who approached me first. We agreed from the beginning that this was just a transaction, and I only take what I deserve,” Lian Sijiao said naturally. “After all, the longer this drags on, the greater the risks. Once discovered, it could jeopardize my future and reputation. We doctors have to be careful, you understand…”

Yan’s mother grew increasingly dissatisfied with Lian Sijiao, and she looked at him as if he were a swindler.

Lian Sijiao was well-prepared and timely hinted, “Madam Yan, I’m not threatening you, but I need an exit strategy.”

The negotiation ended without agreement. Yan’s mother didn’t expect things to turn out this way. She contemplated the situation and felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

It might have been better to let Zhong Qiran stay from the beginning.

This thought flashed through her mind but she immediately pushed it away.

Since the conditions were not agreed upon, Lian Sijiao intentionally showed disinterest in the matter. Seeing her son and Zhong Qiran rekindling their love, Yan’s mother became anxious like an ant on a hot pan. She reluctantly approached Lian Sijiao again, only to find that he had new demands, which infuriated her.

After Yan’s mother left, Lian Sijiao called Zhong Qiran and said, “Are you sure this is enough? I think we should play a bit more since what she did to you in the past was even worse.”

“Thank you, but this is sufficient. We’re not real enemies, so there’s no need to go too far.”Li Sijiao didn’t have that mindset of repaying grievances with kindness like Zhong Qiran, but ultimately, this was someone else’s family matter, and he shouldn’t interfere too much. “Since you have made up your mind, I won’t persuade you anymore. I will ask the lawyer to return all the money she gave me to the Yan family without any deduction. If there are any issues with Yan Hao, feel free to call me.”

“What about you and Li Qi…”

“I don’t want to talk about him now.” Just the thought of being forcibly kissed by him that day made Li Sijiao angry, and he hung up the phone with a snap.

After that, Li Siqiao suddenly resigned and never came to the Yan family again. At first, Yan’s mother found it strange. She made several phone calls, but no one answered. Later, she realized that he had blocked her.

A few days later, the lawyer hired by Li Siqiao came to the door and returned the property she had given him exactly as it was. At this point, how could she not understand that she had been played?

Li Siqiao had misled her from beginning to end, and even colluded with Zhong Qiran to put on a show for her. But what saddened her the most was that Yan Hao was also involved.

When she thought about the sacrifices she had made for her son and how she ended up being played, she couldn’t help but hate Zhong Qiran even more than she did.

So when Zhong Qiran returned home that day, Yan’s mother immediately stepped forward and slapped him hard. She didn’t care about her dignity anymore; she just wanted justice. “Zhong Qiran, you must be laughing at my expense, thinking I’m foolish. I worked so hard to raise my son, and now he has conspired with you to deceive me. You must be very proud. Your position in his heart is even higher than that of his own mother. I did it for the sake of my son. What’s wrong with that?”

Zhong Qiran quietly endured Yan’s mother’s anger. Ever since he finished his call with Li Siqiao, he knew that one day Yan’s mother would turn against him. So he deliberately kept Yan Hao occupied these past few days and returned home first. He could imagine how angry Yan’s mother would be when she found out she had been played, but he never expected that she would start crying in front of him.

She had always shown a tough and stern side and had never shown weakness. It was evident that Yan Hao’s actions this time had truly hurt her.

Any parent would be deeply saddened by their child’s disobedience.

Even though Zhong Qiran had a complicated relationship with Yan’s mother, seeing her like this made his heart ache for a moment. Although his parents were open-minded, he had come out too casually and thought he didn’t care about the judgment of others. But later, he realized that the pressure from the outside world fell on his parents. So he deliberately chose a university far from his hometown. As long as he didn’t go back, the idle gossip would diminish.

Over the years, he had only returned home on special occasions. He was afraid, not afraid of malicious accusations, but afraid of seeing his parents being looked down upon.

Putting oneself in another’s shoes, he understood Yan’s mother’s pain.

Zhong Qiran reached out to try to embrace her shoulder but she pushed him away . She wiped away her tears, trying to appear strong, but the tears kept flowing. She was no longer young, even though she took good care of herself, she was still getting older. Her whole life was dedicated to the family, and her hope in life was Yan Hao.

Zhong Qiran didn’t attempt to reach out again, only saying, “You are not wrong, but I am not either.”

Even as Yan’s mother wiped her tears, she continued to glare at Zhong Qiran, probably wondering how he had the nerve to say such things.

Zhong Qiran calmly said, “It’s not that only your son is a person, and others’ sons are not. When you despise me, my parents would also be hurt if they knew. If Yan Hao faced criticism from others like this, I’m sure you would feel indignant. But I really don’t know where we went wrong. We are simply in love, and even though we are different from ordinary people, our feelings are the same. Why is it considered wrong? Why must we be separated?”

Yan’s mother looked at him in a daze, unable to answer for a while. She hesitated for a long time before saying, “But you can’t have children…”

“For you, is continuing the family line really such a big issue?” Zhong Qiran’s tone was light but carried a hint of questioning. “For example, what about infertile men or women? Do they not have the right to love or get married?”

Yan’s mother immediately thought of her infertile sister and retorted, “How can it be the same…”

The words came out, and she realized she had no argument. How could it be the same, but at the same time, how were they different? Apart from not being able to have children, there was really nothing wrong with Zhong Qiran. His feelings for Yan Hao couldn’t be questioned. And her sister, she was also rejected by her in-laws because of being diagnosed as infertile and spent decades alone. It was only after reaching her fifties that she finally found someone to love and be with. What was her fault?

Yan’s mother couldn’t argue with Zhong Qiran and felt both angry and frustrated. “I can’t argue with you.”

“There’s no need for you to argue with me,” Zhong Qiran laughed after hearing that. “I’m not asking you to like me, but at least I hope you can try to accept me as another son. I will take care of Yan Hao, and in the future, I will also be filial to you.”