It rained at night.
The dense sound of rain came from outside the window as Xuan Yang was having dinner with her adoptive parents and Xuan Yao in the dining room. The table was unusually harmonious, like the calm before a storm. Xuan Yang ate slowly, not much, since the dinner was prepared according to Xuan Yao's tastes, which were opposite to her own.
After dinner, Xuan Yang went to the kitchen to prepare some fruit and brought it to her adoptive father's study. It was getting late, and she felt that after all this铺垫, it was time to get to the point. During dinner, her adoptive mother had wanted to speak several times, but was restrained by her adoptive father's glance. Xuan Yang guessed that what they wanted to talk to her about was related to her marriage to Zhou Dang.
"Dad, have some fruit," Xuan Yang said after receiving permission to enter the study.
Her adoptive father was sitting at his desk reviewing documents, wearing glasses and frowning, as if he was very dissatisfied with the content. He responded to Xuan Yang perfunctorily, then closed the document, tossed it aside, took off his glasses, and walked over to the sofa area. Xuan Yang had already placed the fruit plate on the coffee table and stood to the side. "What did you want me to come back to discuss?"
She didn't intend to beat around the bush, and neither did her adoptive father. He sent a message to Xuan Yang's adoptive mother, and soon she also came to the study. The setup gave Xuan Yang a vague sense of foreboding. But she had already mentally prepared herself. No matter what her adoptive parents said, it wouldn't动摇 her marriage to Zhou Dang.
Sure enough, Chen Yinrou had barely sat down on the sofa when she frowned and blurted out impatiently, "Xuan Yang, your father and I have discussed it. You must divorce Zhou Dang." Her tone was forceful, just like before. The look she gave Xuan Yang was filled with undisguised dissatisfaction and reproach.
Xuan Yang lowered her eyes. Although she had prepared herself mentally, she still felt disappointed. After a moment, she calmed herself and asked quietly, "Did the Zhou family put pressure on Dad again?" As she asked, she looked at her adoptive father, Xuan Yinnian. Because her adoptive mother had previously mentioned that the Xuan Group was being squeezed out by the Zhou family. She also said that although the Zhou family hadn't taken any action, they clearly weren't satisfied with her. Xuan Yang thought it might be Zhou Dang's father's doing. He had indeed threatened her with her family.
Xuan Yinnian frowned. "Not exactly." "After all, we have some marital ties with the Zhou family. Even if the Zhou family is dissatisfied, they wouldn't go so far as to break ties completely."
Xuan Yang understood. When she had chosen Zhou Dang, she had also considered this aspect. Even if the Zhou family wasn't happy with her, they would likely show some courtesy due to the marital relationship and wouldn't go after the Xuan family harshly. Besides, Zhou Dang had assured her that their marriage wouldn't affect the Xuan family. After having dinner with Zhou Dang's mother that day, Xuan Yang had become even more certain that her marriage to Zhou Dang wouldn't have any impact on the Xuan family. The Zhou elders weren't unreasonable people.
Xuan Yang nodded. "Then why are you forcing me?" Repeating over and over again that she should divorce Zhou Dang. Was it out of fear of the Zhou family's pressure, or did they think she wasn't worthy of marrying Zhou Dang, that she was reaching above her station? Xuan Yang didn't want to think too deeply about it.
But Chen Yinrou showed no consideration for her feelings. "Force you? If you marry Zhou Dang, what will happen to Yaoyao in the future?"
Xuan Yang was stunned. She hadn't expected that, after all this talk, her adoptive mother was still concerned about Xuan Yao. Chen Yinrou continued, "That child, although she doesn't say it, has always been sensitive and fragile inside. From the moment she returned to the Xuan family, she's been working hard to become excellent, to surpass you. Do you know how much effort your father and I put in over the past nine years to help Yaoyao build her confidence? And now, just because you married Zhou Dang, she's been pushed back to square one. Xuan Yang, we are your benefactors. Is this how you repay kindness with enmity? Do you have to push Yaoyao to the point of no return before you're satisfied?"
Xuan Yang's expression froze. She couldn't describe her feelings at that moment. It was somewhat absurd, somewhat sad, a mix of crying and laughing. Despite all the education she had received, she still couldn't understand her adoptive mother's way of thinking. Why did both she and Xuan Yao always believe that her existence affected Xuan Yao's life?
Xuan Yang swallowed, feeling a dull ache in her heart. She looked at Chen Yinrou, took a deep breath, but her voice still trembled slightly. "So you mean I should be sensible and give Zhou Dang to Xuan Yao? Is that it?"
Chen Yinrou froze, her expression shifting. She looked away uncomfortably. She didn't admit it, but she didn't deny it either. In her heart, of course, Xuan Yao was more worthy of Zhou Dang. In fact, during this time, she had been very angry. Angry that Xuan Yang was restless, not only refusing to obediently marry into the Chen family and be a good wife and mother, but also getting involved with Zhou Dang. Even more angry that Zhou Dang chose Xuan Yang over Xuan Yao. She had actually asked her cousin to set up a match between Xuan Yao and Zhou Dang before, arranging a dinner together. But in the end, Zhou Dang didn't show up. At that time, Xuan Yang was still abroad. Zhou Dang's bluntness hadn't bothered Chen Yinrou too much, because she had always known that Zhou Dang had high standards, and given their family background, it was normal that her daughter couldn't catch his eye. But in the end, the high-standard Zhou Dang had taken a liking to her adopted daughter. This made Chen Yinrou feel a burning discomfort, as if she had been slapped in the face. She couldn't understand why Xuan Yang was so lucky. And she couldn't help thinking that if they hadn't adopted Xuan Yang back then, their biological daughter wouldn't have to suffer so much under her! And Xuan Yang, how could she be so inconsiderate? She was just an adopted daughter, yet she dared to dream of marrying a catch like Zhou Dang. There weren't many men in Jingbei who could compare to Zhou Dang, and if Xuan Yao couldn't marry a better man, wouldn't she have to be humiliated by Xuan Yang for the rest of her life? Chen Yinrou wouldn't allow that; she didn't want her daughter to suffer. That's why she had contacted Xuan Yang repeatedly, using both soft and hard tactics to make her voluntarily give up Zhou Dang. But Chen Yinrou hadn't expected that Xuan Yang, who had always been obedient and sensible, would become so rebellious after spending nine years abroad. Not only did she refuse to divorce Zhou Dang, but she also didn't hesitate to expose her thoughts.
Thinking of this, Chen Yinrou's face grew even darker.
Xuan Yang, however, ignored her. "In that case, you shouldn't have let me come back to the country." She paused and added expressionlessly, "Going further back, you shouldn't have chosen me as your daughter in the first place."
"Xuan Yang!" Chen Yinrou stood up from the sofa in anger, her voice becoming shrill. "Are you trying to anger me to death?"
Xuan Yang looked at her calmly and curled her lips. "Isn't that what you were just thinking?"
Chen Yinrou froze. She looked away again, flustered at having her thoughts guessed.
The atmosphere in the study became tense. Xuan Yinnian pulled his wife back down onto the sofa and looked at Xuan Yang with a cold and stern expression. "Regardless, we have raised you. Yangyang, how can you talk to your mother like that?"
Xuan Yang lowered her eyes, her tone softer. "I'm sorry." She had tried to control her emotions, but the void in her heart was too hard to fill.
Xuan Yinnian said, "You were such an obedient child when you were little. How did you become like this after a few years abroad?"
Xuan Yang clenched her hands on her knees.
Her adoptive father continued, "Forget it, your mother and I won't say much more. Right now, we give you two choices."
Xuan Yang looked up.
Her adoptive father's voice came down cold and heavy. "One: you divorce Zhou Dang. Two: you sever ties with the Xuan family." As if to compensate, he added, "Since you insist on going your own way, don't expect the Xuan family to support you." Without the Xuan family, Xuan Yang's status would only make the Zhou family look down on her even more. Even if she could get by for a while relying on her good relationship with Zhou Dang, once the feelings faded, what kind of fate awaited her? Xuan Yinnian didn't believe Xuan Yang couldn't understand that.
Xuan Yang did understand, but compared to the unknown future, the threats and coercion in front of her chilled her to the bone.
...
After a long while, Xuan Yang finally composed herself. She looked at Xuan Yinnian across from her, her eyes burning slightly, enduring the dull pain in her chest. "Is this what you called me back to talk about?"
Xuan Yinnian frowned, a bit impatient. "It has come to this. Don't look at me like that. Just tell me your choice."
Xuan Yang stared at the couple for a moment, and a memory flashed through her mind: when she was five years old, first meeting them at the orphanage. They were still young back then, but the pain of losing their daughter made them look haggard and worn, as if they could barely go on. When they asked if she was willing to be their daughter, their eyes were cautious and full of hope. Xuan Yang could never forget that look. They were like people standing at the edge of a cliff, and she was the hope they desperately wanted to grasp. Xuan Yang thought they needed her as a daughter more than the other couple did. So she agreed to be their daughter and came to the Xuan family. But they had forgotten all that. It seemed that, from beginning to end, only she herself was still living in that time when they first became a family.
...
After who knows how long. The rain outside was loud and dense, very noisy. Inside the vast study, there was a stark silence.
"Yangyang, have you decided?" Xuan Yinnian spoke, having lost his last bit of patience. "Whatever decision you make, your mother and I will respect it."
Xuan Yang closed her moist eyes, swallowed the bitter sting, and opened her eyes again. "I've decided." She stood up and asked Xuan Yinnian for paper and pen. Returning to the coffee table, she crouched down, lowered her head, and began to write on the white paper. "Thank you for raising me all these years. This handwritten agreement is my guarantee to you." Xuan Yang wrote quickly, not daring to look up. "From today onward, I am no longer a member of the Xuan family." She wrote a compensation agreement, which could also be called a "repayment of kindness" agreement. "You can calculate all the expenses spent on me over the years and compile a list for me. Within one month, I will repay the principal plus interest for your upbringing." Over the years in the Xuan family, Xuan Yang had been provided with food and clothing. Even if she never felt a sense of belonging or received true familial love, she still needed to repay the financial kindness. When she finished writing, tears rolled down. Xuan Yang casually wiped them away and signed her name on the agreement. She pushed the handwritten agreement toward the Xuan couple. "Take a look at this agreement. Let me know if there's anything to add."
Xuan Yinnian was stunned, his stern face showing rare surprise. Obviously, he hadn't expected Xuan Yang to choose Zhou Dang. Was she crazy?