Bo Yuan didn’t respond, his heart frying in hot oil as he thought of his wife’s enduring beauty. Would her beauty put her in danger outside? Or had she left because she’d found love elsewhere? He was not a man of many words, lacking romance. Over the years, engrossed in his research, had he ignored her? If so, he would hate himself. Perhaps, on the day he received the award, he should have hugged or kissed her and said: “Ying Ying, I’ve achieved my dream. Now, my dream is to make you happy.” But he was tongue-tied and said nothing. Regret spread through him. He clenched his fists and asked, “Mr. Zhou, have you got any news?”
“Sort of.” “What?” He thought he misheard, his eyes wide with shock: “What did you just say?” Ru Yi was also stunned: “Big brother, do you have news about my mom?” Lin Chuan Zhou nodded, and under the intense gaze of father and daughter, he slowly said, “I have some news, but it’s not good news. Do you want to hear it?” Any news was precious, how could they not listen? But bad news… it made them hesitant… Bo Yuan’s eyes were full of conflict, very painful, but he finally said, “Go ahead.”
Ru Yi held her dad’s hand, her eyes encouraging. Lin Chuan Zhou found their tense demeanor amusing and said in a light tone, “It’s not good news, but it’s not bad news either. You don’t need to be so nervous.” Ru Yi was dying of impatience, urging him: “Big brother, stop teasing us. Hurry up and tell us. What’s the news?” Lin Chuan Zhou laughed, “It’s hard to explain. You’ll know tomorrow when you come with me to meet someone.”
