Chapter 414 - For Chen

Talking about his family was the last thing on Qing Chen's mind at the moment. He groaned a little when his wife made the suggestion. "What about them?"

"Well, what can you say about having lunch?" she asked.

He could tell that Feng Xuan was nervous just by the look in her eyes. "We just saw her recently."

"I know," Feng Xuan said in a small voice. "But you really should think about reconnecting with your family."

Qing Chen pulled his gaze away from her but Feng Xuan held his face in place. "You don't have to do this for yourself. You should do this for your father. It's not like he has a lot of time left."

He sighed.

Feng Xuan continued, "Is this the kind of family you want to have when your father passes away? Do you think he would want that?"

It was not like it was Qing Chen's fault! Of course he was thinking about these things. It was not like he wanted his family to be this way as well.

But the things was…

"I can't do it," he said to Feng Xuan. "Not now at least."

"But Chen—"

"Let's not talk about it for now," he said.

He didn't need to be lectured by his wife about what he should do with their family. He had far too many other matters that he should attend to.

This problem with his family… he was not yet ready to face it yet.

He was not yet ready to face the fact that he was going to forgive his mother one way or the other.

Feng Xuan looked taken aback. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"Listen," Qing Chen said and gently set her down on her feet. She stood up and he got back in reach with his desk. "I still have a lot to work on tonight." His computer lit up. "I'll come to bed later."

Feng Xuan nodded at him, told him good night, and closed the door behind her.

Qing Chen had never felt that distant with her until now.

====

Her father was right. She shouldn't have tried to fix their family. It was too much of a sensitive subject for Qing Chen. On the other hand, she didn't want to be a part of this kind of family that could not connect.

Maybe the wound was still fresh and Qing Chen and his brothers do not want to fix it now.

But thinking about her father-in-law and his counted labored breaths… Feng Xuan could only sigh in sorrow.

From now on, she was not going to meddle with their problems. She should just focus on herself. If they didn't want to fix their family then so be it, she was just going to be standing on one corner and watch them ignore each other and occasionally bite each other's head off.

====

The following morning, the three brothers received an ominous package each. It had been shipped via the normal post.

Qing Chen found it on the tray of his mail when he entered his office. It was square and felt heavy in his hands. He looked around first before he shook it, waiting for a few seconds if it would start beeping. There was nothing.

He slashed the box open and covered in multiple layers of bubblewrap. He found a shell. There was nothing else inside. He already knew that it was from his mother from the first look of it.

The shell had been painted in her signature colors and style. She loved painting about dark gardens. It was usually before dawn or on a midnight setting. The shell was covered in different shades of violet and blue. Variations of green, pink, yellow made up the plants and dots of white represented the stars.

Qing Chen flipped the shell and engraved on the stand:

For Chen

It was dated years ago from when he graduated college.

Qing Chen scoffed. So she made me a present, he thought in his mind. But he was no longer a child that could be bribed with gifts and whatnot.

He turned over the object a few times, thinking about what he should do with it. Should he throw it away? He looked around his office. He did have the space for it. But did he want to display it?

He was about to push it back down the box when he realized it looked like the painting on the airplane that he kept on his mother's "altar". He had been "visiting" her there ever since she "died".

Qing Chen was irked by this but he could not let go of the box.

Finally, he took a deep breath and gave in. He placed the decorated shell on the lowest shelf on his wall.

That should be enough for now, he said to himself in his mind.

=====

Qing Lok received the same package. He had been staying in The Kingly ever since he left home. He did not want to stay there while his mother was there. He did not want to see her in any way possible.

He had been wasting away the hours in the mornings and the afternoons by watching television, working out, eating, and then sleeping. At nighttime, he went out with Wuming and they attend the matters of Enigma. 

When he found the package in his breakfast cart, Qing Lok opened it mindlessly. He had been having fun with online shopping these days. He thought it was just another package that arrived.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#&apos;s-rose-married-the-ceo_15939261805465305/for-chen_52429471172576761">#&apos;s-rose-married-the-ceo_15939261805465305/for-chen_52429471172576761</a> for visiting.

He almost choked on his vegetables when he saw the design on the shell. It looked almost dark black. A lot of deep shades were used. He could still make out the flowers despite. He had seen enough of his mother's paintings that he knew this was hers.

Qing Lok paid no mind to it, but found himself bringing it down to him on the car when he was about to leave.

He tossed it in the backseat.