Pastoral Daily Life

When Yan Yue arrived home, Yin Qinglan was with Yin Yongde.

Unlike her daughter, Yin Ya, who was lovely and clean, Yin Qinglan was a rare beauty. Although she was already over fifty years old, she had maintained her beauty quite well, and half of Yan Yue’s good looks came from Yin Qinglan’s genes.

Yin Qinglan didn’t know about the previous rumours that Yan Yue was mentally ill. Although she was a shareholder of Hopewell Group, she didn’t care about the company’s affairs at all. Coupled with Yin Ya’s deliberate concealment, she didn’t know anything until Yan Hai jumped out. She didn’t believe that Yan Yue was sick, so she went straight to Yin Yongde and asked him to back up Yan Yue.

Yin Yongde had only one daughter in his life and there was nothing he could do about it. He was so upset by her that he could only say solemnly, “I’ve already arranged for Ah Yue to have lunch with me at noon. It’s up to Ah Yue to decide how to handle this matter.”

Yin Qinglan, who felt that her father was shirking his responsibilities, was displeased and said excitedly, “Ah Yue has already been squeezed out by Yan Shihui like this, and Yan Hai is stepping on his head, how can you still sit still, Father?”

Yin Yongde scowled and reprimanded, “Now you remember that Ah Yue is your son? What did you do before? Ah Yue is under too much pressure, so it’s good to take a break for a while. Yan Hai is not enough to squeeze Ah Yue out of his position.”

“Too much pressure?” Yin Qinglan looked puzzled, “What pressure does Ah Yue have? Neither Yan Shihui nor I have ever forced him?”

Yin Yongde choked hearing her tone and pounded the ground with his cane, “You are not not putting pressure on him, you are completely ignoring him. Even Shihui is better, at least he remembers that Ah Yue is the heir to Hopewell, so he paid him some attention. What about you? Did you take care of Ah Yue all these years?”

Yin Qinglan complained in an aggrieved voice, “Am I the one who doesn’t care about him? He’s the one who won’t let me take care of him. He doesn’t listen to anything I tell him, it’s all perfunctory.” Seeing that Yin Yongde was about to get angry again, Yin Qinglan hurriedly changed the subject, “What’s the matter with Ah Yue’s stress? Is it something about the company?”

Yin Yongde took a deep breath and softened his tone, “Ah Yue has some psychological problems and has been seeing a psychologist abroad. Didn’t that kid from the Ye family study these things, so I guess he has something to do with Ah Yue. What happened this time is actually not a bad thing. Ah Yue has been hiding it from us. If we knew earlier, we could have accompanied Ah Yue to counselling. This kind of thing is not a big deal. Ah Yue is under too much pressure, so it’s good to take this opportunity to rest.”

When Yin Qinglan heard that Yan Yue was suffering from psychological problems, her face distorted a little and she felt even more aggrieved. “Aren’t psychological problems a mental illness? How can Ah Yue have psychological problems? Yan Shihui and I have neglected him a bit, but we haven’t done him any harm. He never lacked in food and clothing. Now that he has psychological problems, isn’t it like accusing us of not doing well as parents?”

“Yin Qinglan!” Yin Yongde knocked his cane angrily.

Before Yin Qinglan could say anything, Yin Ya ran in from outside. “Grandpa, Mother is also too sad to accept the fact that Brother is sick. Don’t be angry.”

When it came to Yin Ya, Yin Yongde couldn’t say anything else and waved his hand, “Xiao Ya, you should accompany your mother and go rest first.”

“I want to wait to see Brother,” Yin Ya hesitantly whispered.

Yin Yongde frowned and was about to refuse when Yan Yue already appeared in the doorway.

“Ah Yue.”

Yin Yongde had a bit of a headache. Yan Yue was too quick to arrive; he had just wanted to send Yin Qinglan and Yin Ya away and meet Yan Yue alone. But now that the two sides met, the old man was afraid that Yan Yue would be irritated again.

Yan Yue was indifferent to the scene before him. He had guessed that this would be the case and was mentally prepared for his mother and Yin Ya’s appearance. “Grandfather. Mother.” Yan Yue greeted calmly, directly treating Yin Ya as if she were air, not even looking at her as he crossed over to sit beside Yin Yongde.

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Yan Yue’s silence and being completely ignored made Yin Ya’s heart itch with hatred, but in front of her grandfather, she didn’t dare to do anything. Besides, Yan Yue’s aura was so strong that although he expressed neither joy nor anger, Yin Ya had a feeling that if she dared to provoke him, Yan Yue could definitely crush her to death with one finger. She shifted uncomfortably, a little frightened but more indignant. Why should she be inferior to Yan Yue when they both were grandchildren of the Yin family? Wasn’t Yan Yue so strong because he had Hopewell? When he had nothing left, she didn’t believe that Yan Yue would still be so confident.

Yin Ya hung her head and looked submissive. When Yin Qinglan looked at her, she felt a little aggrieved for her, so she patted Yin Ya’s hand soothingly and said, “Ah Yue, can’t you see that Ah Ya is here?”

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Yin Ya hurriedly said, “Mom, it’s okay, Brother…”

This sound of “Brother” caused Yan Yue to glance at her without a smile. With just one glance, Yin Ya, who saw a heavy disgust and warning in Yan Yue’s eyes, was immediately silenced.

Yin Qinglan’s expression froze, “Ah Yue.”

“Let’s eat!” Yin Yongde cut off her words with a bellow, interrupting her and taking the lead in standing up with a cold face.

The lunch was as tasteless as wax for them. Yin Yongde looked at Yan Yue and then at Yin Ya, sighing in his heart. He understood what Qinglan was thinking. Both Ah Yue and Xiao Ya were her children, so she naturally wanted them to get along well, and even he hoped so too. But Qinglan was too naive; because Ah Yue was Yan Shihui’s son, she had been cold to Ah Yue and favoured Xiao Ya since she was a child. They had been alienated for a long time; not to mention the brother-sister relationship between Ah Yue and Xiao Ya, even the relationship between Ah Yue and his mother were in jeopardy.

This time… Yin Yongde shook his head. Xiao Ya had also grown up, not the little girl who timidly pulled Ah Yue’s sleeve and asked her brother why he didn’t like her. She also started to have her own ideas.

After a dreary lunch, Yin Yongde ignored Yin Qinglan’s gaze and called Yan Yue to come to the study with him.

“Ah Yue, have a seat.” Yin Yongde said in a pleasant manner, “You know your mother’s temper, she has been like this for so many years, so don’t blame her.”

“I know, Grandpa.” Yan Yue said politely.

Yan Yue’s detachment made Yin Yongde a little sad and he sighed, “Ah Yue, what are your plans for this time? Do you want to go back or…” The old man was in some difficulty, not knowing what to say about the psychologist, just in case it would overstimulate Yan Yue.

Yan Yue hooked up the corners of his mouth and looked natural: “Father and I have discussed it. Work is important but health is more important. I’ve been seeing a psychologist and my father knows about it, so he wants me to rest for a while.”

Yin Yongde didn’t expect Yan Yue to talk directly about him seeing a psychologist. What he wanted to know was Yan Yue’s attitude, not Yan Yue repeating the words of his father.

“What about you, Ah Yue? What are your thoughts?”

Yan Yue’s smile remained unchanged, “Father’s thoughts are my thoughts. I think it’s good to take a break for a while.”

A trace of disappointment flashed in Yin Yongde’s eyes. Ah Yue was not even willing to tell him the truth. As Yan Yue grew older, Yin Yongde became more and more unable to understand Yan Yue’s thoughts. He sighed, “That’s fine, rest for a while and get well before going back. Don’t worry, what’s yours is yours, Grandpa is watching it for you.”

Yan Yue smiled indifferently and didn’t say anything. He believed in himself more than in Grandpa’s promise.

When he graduated from university, he was going to return to China to join the headquarters of Hopewell, but his father sent him to the overseas branch for training, so he stayed abroad until now. At that time, Yan Yue told himself, take a step back, the sky is vast. It was also because he was away from the headquarters of Hopewell that he had time and energy to create Dezhi Investment without alerting his father and grandfather. If he had insisted on returning to China back then, he would probably still be a puppet who listened to his father’s words, a so-called heir without any backbone.

The same was true this time. Lu Lingxi’s appearance was only a trigger. Although this trigger was weighted heavily, it came down to the fact that both Yan Hai and Yin Ya had grown up. Both their father and mother had started to think about their future. Hopewell’s cake was just that big, and if they wanted to eat it, they could only force him to spit it out. Yan Yue’s obsession with Hopewell was not really great. On the contrary, because of his family ties, he had a subconscious distaste for Hopewell. It was just that Yan Yue had always believed that it was one thing whether he was willing to eat it or not, and another if he was forced to spit it out. Since in this position he had become a target, he would take a step back and give up the position. He would like to see how Yan Hai and Yin Ya would fight.

Yan Yue’s decision to take some time off to recuperate was met with strong opposition from Yin Qinglan.

“How can Ah Yue admit that he is mentally ill? What does he mean by that? Is he blaming me for not taking care of him?”

“Mom, it’s already sad that Brother is sick. Won’t you make him more sad like this?”

“I’m making him sad, why doesn’t he think of me?” Yin Qinglan complained discontentedly, “If he leaves Hopewell and Yan Hai takes his place, what will happen to our Yin family? No, I have to talk to your grandfather. Since Yan Hai can enter Hopewell, so can you, Xiao Ya.”

Yin Ya’s eyes lit up and she hugged Yin Qinglan’s arm affectionately, “I love you the most, Mommy.”

Yin Qinglan was easily coaxed by her and smiled, “Oh, if only Ah Yue was half as sweet as you are, Xiao Ya.”

Yin Ya hooked up the corners of her mouth and didn’t say anything.

Outside the door, Yan Yue’s hand that was about to push the door open froze in midair. He turned around and left the Yin family’s house.

It had been several hours since Yan Yue answered the phone and left. Lu Lingxi looked at the time and thought about Yan Yue saying that he would be back in a few hours, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Dahei seemed to see that he had something on his mind and quietly squatted in front of him. Lu Lingxi gently stroked Dahei’s head and asked in a low voice, “Dahei, do you think I should ask Big Brother Yan what happened to him? I feel that as a friend, shouldn’t I care about Big Brother Yan?”

Dahei let out a low whimper.

Lu Lingxi curved his eyes, “Dahei, are you agreeing that I should ask? But if it involves the Yan family’s privacy, will Big Brother Yan be unhappy and think I’m meddling?”

Dahei cocked his head and let out another low whimper.

Lu Lingxi blinked, “Yes? So, Dahei, you also think it’s meddling? Is it better not to ask anything?”

Dahei whimpered twice this time.

Lu Lingxi snorted and flicked his finger on Dahei’s head, “Dahei, why are you so unprincipled? So, to ask or not to ask?”

This time, Dahei whimpered three times and simply changed from crouching to lying down, his furry head stuck between Lu Lingxi’s hands, refusing to come out.

Lu Lingxi was angry and amused, “Are you angry, Dahei? Then I’ll apologise to you.”

As soon as the word “apologise” was uttered, Dahei’s ears swished up and he lifted his head and stuck out his tongue to lick Lu Lingxi’s chin affectionately.

Lu Lingxi felt itchy and laughed, pushing Dahei’s head away, smoothing his fur while muttering to himself, “I feel like Big Brother Yan is unhappy, but I don’t know what to do. I used to be all alone when I was unhappy, there was no Dahei and no friends around me. But I was also alone when I was happy, with no friends around me either. Whether I’m happy or unhappy, I want someone around me who I can share my joys and sorrows with.”

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His voice grew lower as he spoke, and Dahei licked his fingers and whimpered twice. The corners of Lu Lingxi’s mouth curled slightly as he continued, “Actually, it was not that there was no one. My father would sometimes stay with me. But every time my father stayed with me for a long time, my mother would get upset, thinking that my father neglected my brother and was unfair to him. You don’t know, Dahei, that I used to have an elder brother. I heard from the housekeeper uncle that my brother was a premature baby and had been in poor health since he was a child. And then he got sick and his health got worse. I felt that my brother was like a porcelain doll and I had to be careful every time I spoke to him, just in case I blew him over. My mother loved my brother, my father loved my brother, the whole family loved my brother, and I sometimes felt like I was actually a superfluous person.”

“But it’s okay now.” Lu Lingxi changed the subject, “I now have Dahei, I have Mom, I have Yi Hang and the others, I have Brother Dong, plus Big Brother Yan, and Tiny Garden, I already have a lot. Dahei, don’t you think so?”

Dahei stood up and squatted down in front of Lu Lingxi, giving a low bark.

A smile slowly spilled out of Lu Lingxi’s eyes as he reached out and scratched Dahei’s chin, deliberately saying, “Come on, give me your left paw.”

Dahei seemed to be thinking seriously, and slowly raised his right paw and placed it on Lu Lingxi’s palm.

Lu Lingxi was about to laugh to death. Dahei was good at everything, but he couldn’t tell right from left. He sometimes deliberately teased Dahei shamefully, just to see Dahei hesitate to distinguish between right and left.

As the dog and the boy played happily, Yan Yue stood far away across the road, not immediately walking in, but watching them through the glass with a faint smile. The negative emotions after leaving the Yin family were too heavy, and Yan Yue didn’t want to appear like this in front of Lu Lingxi. He wished the boy could always smile as innocently as he did now, preferably never knowing the ugly sides of this world.

The phone rang; it was Ye Kang’s call. Yan Yue reckoned that Ye Kang had also heard about Yan Hai, and sure enough, Ye Kang was a little worried about Yan Yue’s situation. Yan Yue’s reaction this time was too unlike his style; Ye Kang absolutely didn’t believe that Yan Yue would be so submissive, unless Yan Yue had encountered other problems.

Yan Yue laughed, “You have no confidence in me?”

Ye Kang sighed with relief and was in the mood to joke, “It’s good that you’re not falling head over heels. By the way, how have you been sleeping lately?”

Although Yan Yue didn’t admit it, in Ye Kang’s eyes his problem was really serious. It was not just a physical problem caused by chronic insomnia, but more of a hidden psychological problem. Ye Kang actually always suggested that Yan Yue find a girlfriend. He suspected that Yan Yue was subconsciously insecure because of the lack of parents in his childhood. It would be better for him to have someone to keep him company. However, Yan Yue was very reluctant to have a relationship because of his parents’ history, and had been single all the way to the present. Seeing that Yan Yue’s problem was getting worse, Ye Kang could only keep an eye on Yan Yue’s sleeping condition from time to time.

Hearing Ye Kang’s concern, Yan Yue spoke in a lighter tone, “I’ve been sleeping quite well lately.”

Ye Kang was a little disbelieving. In a flash of inspiration he thought of the boy Yan Yue had mentioned last time and hesitantly said, “Ah Yue, are you…”

Realizing what Ye Kang was about to say, Yan Yue paused and tacitly affirmed his words.

Ye Kang was about to jump up in surprise. He didn’t even take it seriously when Yan Yue mentioned it last time, but he didn’t expect Yan Yue to actually tell the truth. Unfortunately, Yan Yue was very tight-lipped and was not willing to say another word no matter how much he asked.

It was only when he hung up the phone that Ye Kang remembered something. Most people like Yan Yue, who lacked affection in childhood and were severely insecure, would show a symptom called “skin hunger”. In layman’s terms, this symptom meant that if they met someone they liked, they would be strongly attracted to the other party and couldn’t help but want to touch the other party uncontrollably. He didn’t know how Yan Yue’s relationship was progressing. If he hadn’t caught up with the object of his interest yet, Ye Kang just hoped that Yan Yue would learn to restrain his reactions and be careful of being taken for a pervert by the boy he was talking about.

Yan Yue didn’t know that Ye Kang was worrying about him. He put away his mobile phone and strode across the road towards Tiny Garden.

Lu Lingxi looked up, curved his eyes at Yan Yue through the glass and greeted him happily.

“Big Brother Yan, you’re back?”

A light smile spread from the bottom of Yan Yue’s deep eyes as he nodded to the young man who welcomed him.

“I’m back.”