The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 889 - 887: Holding Hands, Growing Old Together (Grand Finale)_2

Chapter 889: Chapter 887: Holding Hands, Growing Old Together (Grand Finale)_2

Ning Yuan glared at the overly delicate-looking doorman, "Is this the driver you mentioned? Zhuang Xueqi, do you think I’m dead or what? Let me tell you, if you dare let him step into Mingyuan, I’ll make sure he leaves the mountain horizontally tonight, believe it or not?"

This threat hardly intimidated Zhuang Xueqi, but it was more than enough to scare the doorman witless.

"Ouch, my stomach suddenly hurts terribly, I’m sorry, madam; I can’t drive for you."

Having said this, he ran off in a flash.

Zhuang Xueqi turned to look for another employee, but before she could pick a new target, the staff around her scattered like birds, disappearing without a trace.

Three minutes later, a blue Lamborghini roared and left the club.

"How much did you drink? You reek of alcohol."

"None of your damn business."

"You think I want to bother with you? You are a mother now; can’t you set a better example for the kids?"

"Manman and Enbao are on a study tour in Singapore; they won’t be back until next Wednesday."

Ning Yuan paused, then raised his voice, "Ha, I realize now you’re paying less and less attention to me. How can you not even discuss such an important matter as the kids going abroad with me?"

Zhuang Xueqi sneered coldly, "Manman told you about it last month. It’s not my fault if your pig’s brain can’t remember. Who are you going to blame?"

After being scolded, Ning Yuan vaguely recalled that his eldest daughter might have mentioned going on a study trip last month.

"Why are you so fierce? I’m busy with so much company work every day; what’s so surprising about forgetting some trivial details?"

Zhuang Xueqi rolled her eyes, not wanting to waste more words, and turned away to rest with her eyes closed.

The tint of the car window reflected the woman’s delicate and beautiful face.

Ning Yuan slowed down the vehicle and coughed lightly before speaking, "So, are we going to your room, or should we go to mine?"

"Whatever," Zhuang Xueqi replied with closed eyes.

Ning Yuan swallowed, "Then, how about we do it outside today?"

Zhuang Xueqi opened her eyes and saw that the car was slowly pulling over in front of the hotel entrance.

The two entered the presidential suite on the top floor one after the other.

Upon entering, Zhuang Xueqi threw her bag aside, kicked off her shoes, and began stripping down.

Ning Yuan closed the door behind him and turned around to see her undressed down to her underwear. He couldn’t help but say, "Can’t you be a bit more playful and romantic? It feels like you’re just completing a task."

Zhuang Xueqi turned around and tore off the cloth covering her chest in front of him.

"Do it or get lost."

"..."

The passion faded, and the room returned to silence.

As Zhuang Xueqi watched the man sleeping like a log, she covered herself with a robe, walked towards the light, and lit a cigarette. Her thoughts drifted back to before she left Jinlan Club.

Her story about her first love in kindergarten was no fabrication.

At the age of five, missing her front teeth from changing teeth, she was teased by classmates and had her favorite chocolate stolen.

Later, a beautiful boy joined the class.

Not only did the boy not tease her about her missing teeth, but he also beat up the person who stole her chocolate and secretly kissed her, promising to marry her when they grew up.

That was the happiest time since she started kindergarten.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long, and the boy left after a few days, transferring to another school.

The brief moments she shared with the boy were deeply etched in her mind—every word he said, every snack he gave her, and his voice, laughter, and face.

They met again five years later.

The boy was as beautiful as he had been as a child, gentle and considerate towards girls, sweet, and heartwarming, but she was no longer the object of his affection.

He had completely forgotten about her.

The faces of the girls around him were always changing, one after another, like chives that grow back after cutting.

As an adult, her family arranged many dates with suitably matched young men, all of whom were scared away by her bad temper.

Until one day, her blind date was him.

Twenty years of longing fell to the ground, took root, and sprouted.

His list of faults—heartless promiscuity, indifference to serious matters, indulging in pleasures—was as long as his romantic history, and everyone said he was far from a good match.

Yet, the one thing you can’t have in youth haunts you for life.

...

"Do you have time tomorrow? Come with me to the nursing home; Shuhuan is not doing well," the man suddenly said.

Upon hearing his words, Shen Mingzhu instinctively looked out the window, realizing with a start that it was already late autumn and early winter.

Before the year was nearly over.

"This is the how many year?"

"You’re asking about his family’s tragedy or his return? It’s been four years since the accident, three since he came back."

Shen Mingzhu nodded, "What time are you going tomorrow?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

"Early morning, I guess. It might be the last time."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t really want to go.

When Zhou Shuhuan had just been sent back to Fengcheng for recovery, she visited once. The face burned beyond recognition had left her heart trembling for days.

The crisscrossed scars seemed to continually remind her of the ferocity of the fire that had struck him.

Zhou Shuhuan truly looked to be in a dire state, emaciated to the point where only his bones remained, his severely burned facial tissue sunken, and on his head a few sparse strands of grey hair, he appeared as weak as a skeleton.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t enter the ward, merely glanced through the glass window before stepping out to the garden for fresh air.

Inside the ward.

As though he were aware that his time was drawing near, Zhou Shuhuan’s damp eyes were filled with deep reluctance and yearning, and an intense sorrow that couldn’t be dissolved.

"Pei Yang, I’m not going to make it."

Pei Yang encouraged, "Medical science has advanced a lot since the old days, you’ll definitely pull through."

Zhou Shuhuan shook his head, a gesture that seemed to exhaust all his strength, and after several breaths, he began to sob, "Pei Yang, I truly have regrets, deep regrets..."

"Let’s not think about the past now, what’s important is to recover."

...

"Auntie Shen."

In the pavilion, Shen Mingzhu looked at the young man’s face, partially unfamiliar yet somewhat recognizable, and hesitated, "Are you Zhou Hao?"

Zhou Hao smiled, "It’s been so many years, I didn’t expect Auntie Shen to remember me. But I recognized you from a distance. You haven’t changed much, still as beautiful as when I was little."

Shen Mingzhu smiled, "The top half of your face resembles your father."

Upon the mention of his father Zhou Shuhuan, Zhou Hao’s expression filled with more sorrow and melancholy, "My father might not make it past the next couple of days. He has come to this because of that evil woman. She not only destroyed my family, but also ruined my father’s life."

Those words sounded oddly familiar.

"Ah Hao."

A young girl in a white woolen coat approached them, affectionately holding onto Zhou Hao’s arm and eyed Shen Mingzhu with sparkling curiosity.

"This is Auntie Shen, who used to live in the same residential compound as me, Auntie Shen, this is my girlfriend, Xia Lu."

"Nice to meet you, Auntie Shen."

The girl was well-dressed, cheerful and outgoing, obviously from a well-to-do family, which fit the plot of the original book where Zhou Hao marries a beautiful and wealthy woman.

Watching Zhou Hao and Xia Lu walk away, Shen Mingzhu finally remembered where she’d heard those familiar words—

"Ziheng came to this because of his wicked stepmother, she destroyed his life."

In the original book, when Pei Ziheng, the antagonist, was exiting the story, Zhou Hao lamented to his childhood friends with the same sentiment.

"Let’s go, let’s head home."

Pei Yang had appeared beside her at some point, leading her out of the place.

"I just met Zhou Hao, with his girlfriend. Quite pretty. Looking at these grown-up children, it just feels like we really have gotten old."

"That’s a good thing."

"?"

Facing Shen Mingzhu’s puzzled look, Pei Yang took her hand, intertwined his fingers gently with hers, and said with tender eyes,

"Whether we should live or die, we’ll make our vows together; I hold your hand, and grow old together with you."

"At our age, and still so cheesy."

Shen Mingzhu tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t, so she let the man lead her forward.

The deep autumn maple leaves fluttered and scattered across the ground, and in the distance, a beautiful and moving song played—

"The most romantic thing I can think of

is growing old with you,

Collecting little bits and pieces of laughter along the way,

To talk about slowly later in our rocking chairs..."

—The End—