Chapter 97 Bonus Chapter

An Qinyan was at the office when her secretary arrived in a rush. She looked up to hear, “President An, there is someone wanting to meet you. She has been causing quite a disturbance in the reception area.”

An Qinyan didn’t need to ask who it was. Ever since she had attained the custody of Lu Xuan, she knew that Old Madam was going to cause a scene. She was not going to let this matter slide.

Snatching Lu Xuan from the old Madam was like ripping her of her reputation and the name that she had created for herself.

“Send her to the waiting room, “An Qinyan sighed.

The secretary gave her a look of helplessness and then nodded. They understood how difficult the old woman could be and felt bad for her boss in her heart. To think that her boss put up with this kind of mother-in-law decades ago…

“An Qinyan! You crossed your limits!” The old Madam growled as soon as she entered the waiting room where An Qinyan was calmly stirring her teacup.

“Good morning to you, Madam Lu, “An Qinyan smiled much to someone’s dissatisfaction.

“You!” The old Madam pointed her finger at the woman sitting on the couch as if she owned the building and felt as if she couldn’t utter a single word because of how angry she was.

“What would you like to have? Tea? Coffee?” An Qinyan asked. “Or iced water to calm yourself down?”

“You are crossing your limits, “The old Madam said once again as she flashed her an angry look. She was so angry right now. She wanted to meet her dear grandson but her son told her that she couldn’t meet Lu Xuan unless An Qinyan gave them permission. How could this woman stop her from meeting her dear grandson?

Actually, it wasn’t true that the Lu family couldn’t meet Lu Xuan, they got visitation rights just like An Qinyan had gotten once upon a time. Unlike An Qinyan, Lu Zhaolin could meet his son whenever he wished but he had to inform his son’s mother first. But since An Qinyan warned him to keep Lu Xuan’s grandmother away from him for the time being, he had to tell his mother a white lie.

Moreover, he didn’t want his mother to cause any problems between An Qinyan and Lu Xuan’s bonding moments.

“What do you want? Why can’t you leave my grandson alone? He is the Lu family’s grandson. You can’t stop him from meeting us, “Madam Lu said as she took a seat across An Qinyan. She was going to calmly inform the woman not to interfere with the Lu family’s matter.

“Madam Lu, wasn’t it your decision to let Lu Xuan return to me?” An Qinyan asked.

Madam Lu was startled. She only wanted Lu Xuan to stay with his mother for a few days not to give him to this woman. She did that because she understood how important it was for the mother-son to bond. Instead of thanking her, An Qinyan played with her. She knew that Lu Xuan wouldn’t follow in his footsteps. No matter how much Lu Zhaolin wanted his son to be a lawyer like him, the boy might not even be able to clear the college entrance test.

But what was the need of torturing the poor boy by making him study all the time? He was a young boy. It was time for him to enjoy his life. He had a billionaire mother. He was An Qinyan’s only son. Naturally, it was her responsibility to raise him. With her net worth, it was not impossible for her to raise tens of Lu Xuans.

According to Madam Lu, it was An Qinyan’s fortune to have a son to inherit her wealth. That girl would be married off to someone in the future but it would be Lu Xuan who would accompany her till her last breath.

“An Qinyan, I don’t mind Lu Xuan following you, “Madam Lu said in a calm tone. “You are his mother. He naturally had affection for you. He is your only son. He is going to inherit your fortune in the future. He is the one who will be with you till your last breath. He will be your only support in old age. You have all the right to seek love from him. But you can’t take him away from us. I’m his grandmother. I can’t live without him. We don’t mind you having his custody. He can stay the week with us and the weekend with you.”

“Weekend?” An Qinyan scoffed at her. They couldn’t stay without him but what about her? Didn’t she spend sixteen years without her son by her side?

“I agree Lu Xuan is my pillar of support not only in my old age but from the moment he existed, “An Qinyan replied. “However, this is not the only reason why I got his custody. And Madam Lu, why do you always forget about your granddaughter? Why is it always Lu Xuan this or Lu Xuan that? What about Xiulan? Is she not your grandchild? Or do you think she is not your grandchild?”

What could Madam Lu say at this time? Calling An Xiulan, not her grandchild, meant calling Lu Xuan the same. It wasn’t that she hated An Xiulan. It was just that she didn’t have any feelings regarding that girl. It was always that girl for her.

“I want both of my children with me. They need to cultivate their feelings for each other. If you miss him, you can come to my house to visit him, “An Qinyan replied. “But Lu Xuan won’t be returning to Lu mansion unless he wishes to meet his family.”

Although there was no screaming and threatening involved, the staff felt the atmosphere on the floor to be very tense. They could see from the stiff smile on An Qinyan’s face that she was barely holding herself back.

….

An Qinyan was back in her office after Madam Lu left. She had only taken a seat when her phone rang, seeing the caller she didn’t know whether to feel touched or fire the snitches from the office.

“Yanyan, “A soft voice called out her name.

“Yanxi, what are you doing?” An Qinyan said with a helpless sigh. She saw the way he positioned his phone and from this angle, she could see the grown-up man wearing the apron and stir-frying the veggies in the kitchen.

“I’m trying to sell myself to you, “Gu Yanxi spoke with a silly smile. These days he wasn’t holding back his flirting. He knew that she would give in to him soon. It was her goal to get Lu Xuan back and now that she had achieved her goal, it was her time to think about her life. And he would make sure that her life involved him in the best way possible.

“Ah? What about it?” An Qinyan played to be oblivious.

“I can cook, “Gu Yanxi informed her.

“So do I, “An Qinyan blandly replied.

“Just imagine for a minute that you can’t cook and you have an amazing boyfriend who cooks for you and massages your feet when you come home from a tiring day at the office, “Gu Yanxi said while imagining the very scene.

“I don’t have a habit of making castles in the air,” An Qinyan rolled her eyes and Gu Yanxi felt as if someone had just poked a needle into his favourite balloon. How could someone be so cruel?

“Yanyan, for the peace of my heart, just imagine, “Gu Yanxi insisted.

As she realised how sentimental he was getting, she helplessly smiled and closed her eyes and began imagining the scene where she was sitting on the chair while he was cooking yummy food for her and when she would be tired, he would give her foot massages. Actually, it didn’t feel as weird as she thought. It was a sweet scene.

But for someone like her who had no right dreaming such a sweet and perfect scene, her heart squeezed in her chest.

“Yanyan?” He suddenly called out her name.

“Hmm?” She opened her eyes.

“You don’t have to worry, “Gu Yanxi said. He knew what she would be thinking. He understood her struggles quite well even if she tried to hide them behind her hard exterior, he knew how tough her life was. He had vowed in his heart to always fight alongside her. It’s alright if she kept on pushing him away, he would still try his best to make a small corner for himself in her life.

“I will always wait for you, “As she heard his words, her eyes teared up.

An Qinyan had never heard such assuring words for a long time.

___

Note:

This is an extra/bonus chapter. It can be read separately from the general flow of the story. I only wanted to show An Qinyan’s struggle as a single mother.