Chapter 222 - Chapter 222: Chapter 173: Madam Chu, what do you mean by "serving"?_3

Chapter 222: Chapter 173: Madam Chu, what do you mean by “serving”?_3

Translator: 549690339

She could not overcome the hurdle in her heart no matter what, and if she truly made a mistake that impacted Lu Chen’s great undertaking, she might regret it for the rest of her life, feel guilty for the rest of her life.

Lu Chen gazed into Chu Yuqin’s beautiful eyes and continued, “Yuqin, I admit, I do desire your body.”

“But my affection for you is not solely because I desire your beauty. I have liked you since I was a child. Do you remember what my mother once said? She told me that when I grew up, she would marry you off to me, for you to become my woman, to look after me for a lifetime. Since that time, I’ve always thought of you as my wife.”

“Yet afterward, you became engaged to the Wang Family. The day I learned you were going to marry someone else, my heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife. For a long time, I couldn’t eat, I even thought about having someone snatch you away in a bridal raid, to bring you back.”

“Fortunately, you didn’t marry that man from the Wang Family, as he perished suddenly for some reason. If he hadn’t died, I would have lost you forever.”

“I can’t imagine what my life would have become without you.”

“It was not easy for you to remain, but because you are a generation older than me, you’ve always treated me as a child.”

“I am more than tired of having the person I love right in front of me, yet being unable to be together just because of a man-made generation gap.”

“My mother, in your presence, promised you to me for when I grew up, and you agreed. You care so much about my mother’s words, yet you’ve completely forgotten about this matter.”

Chu Yuqin was left speechless by Lu Chen’s torrent of words.

Chu Yuqin remembered a sunny and pleasant afternoon in a pavilion in the Imperial Palace, holding the one or two-year-old Lu Chen, who had just learned how to speak.

Seeing that Lu Chen seemed to love staying in her arms, Madam Chu said to him, “Chen’er, since you adore Yuqin so much, when you grow up, Mother will marry her off to you, to be your woman, to take care of you for a lifetime, alright?”

The Lu Chen in Chu Yuqin’s arms joyfully replied, “Yes, yes!”

Madam Chu looked toward Chu Yuqin, “Yuqin, are you willing to marry Chen’er and take care of him on my behalf for a lifetime?”

Chu Yuqin responded, “Yue, of course I’m willing. Chen’er is so adorable; what woman wouldn’t like him?”

As she spoke, Chu Yuqin bent down and rubbed her forehead against Lu Chen’s continuously, while saying, “Little Chen’er, I will be your woman in the future; you mustn’t bully me, all right?”

Time had passed for so long that Chu Yuqin had almost forgotten the words she had said back then, considering that Lu Chen was only one or two years old at the time.

Moreover, she had always remembered that she had been married and did not deserve to be Lu Chen’s woman, so she forcibly assumed the role of an elder in Lu Chen’s life.

When a mask is worn for too long, it cannot be removed, and she indeed always regarded Lu Chen as her junior.

At this moment, the study was engulfed in silence.

After what seemed an eternity, Chu Yuqin stuttered, “Chen… Chen’er, I… I have been married…”

Lu Chen, looking into Chu Yuqin’s eyes, said, “I don’t care.”

Chu Yuqin didn’t know what to say, freezing again.

Seeing that Chu Yuqin remained silent, Lu Chen knew it was almost enough and said, “Madam Chu, let it be. I will act as if none of this has happened. From now on, you are still my aunt and I am your Chen’er.”

With that, Lu Chen let go of Chu Yuqin.

All of a sudden, being released from Lu Chen’s embrace, Chu Yuqin felt as if she had lost something inside.

She panicked, even more flustered than when Lu Chen was doing bad things to her, although she herself didn’t understand why she was panicking.

A wave of guilt immediately took over her brain; Chu Yuqin couldn’t help but wonder if she was being too selfish. Although she claimed that she was doing it for Lu Chen’s sake, she never considered that Lu Chen might truly like her.

Avoiding Lu Chen all the time, wasn’t she hurting him?

“Chen… Chen’er… I…”

Chu Yuqin cut herself off, unsure what to say.

At this point, Lu Chen said, “Madam Chu, you don’t need to take my previous words to heart. I’ve come to understand—everyone has their choices. If you’re unwilling, I won’t insist. You will still be my aunt in the future, and I will continue to treat you as such. Our relationship will not change.”

Although Lu Chen said this, Chu Yuqin felt as if they could never go back to how things were. It seemed that a rift had formed between her and Lu Chen.

Lu Chen did not say anything further and simply turned to leave.

Seeing Lu Chen about to leave the study, Chu Yuqin’s internal turmoil erupted, and she quickly grabbed his hand.

Lu Chen was taken aback, turning his head to look at Chu Yuqin.

At this moment, Chu Yuqin’s face was full of confusion, but she still mustered the courage to say, “Chen’er, give your aunt some time, alright…”

Hearing her words, Lu Chen was momentarily taken aback. This time, he had intended to cut ties abruptly, although the cut turned out to be a bit deeper than expected. His main goal was to remind Chu Yuqin of the promise she had made to his mother to marry him.

He hadn’t expected the shackles in Chu Yuqin’s heart to loosen.

Surprised, Lu Chen asked, “Madam Chu, what kind of time are you talking about?”

Chu Yuqin, with a flushed face, replied, “I certainly can’t marry you; the Wang Family won’t easily let me go, but I can attend to you…”

Chu Yuqin’s voice became fainter; she felt her face growing hotter and had not expected herself to speak these words.

Lu Chen was also stunned by Chu Yuqin’s words and remained silent.

After a moment, Lu Chen recovered from his shock and tentatively asked, “Madam Chu, when you say attend to me, what do you mean exactly?”

Chu Yuqin with a red face said, “However Zixuan and the others attend to you, I will attend to you in the same way…”

As she spoke, Chu Yuqin wished she could find a crevice to crawl into, and then she added, “Don’t ask anymore; just give your aunt some time to calm down…”