Chapter 35: Shu Yan Rejects Lu Chengfeng's Confession

Shu Yan wanted to explain to her mother that she and Lu Chengfeng would never marry, nor would they ever have children.

Lu Chengfeng, however, shook his head at her, signaling her to remain silent.

He patiently coaxed Zhou Yu with a smile, "You must listen to the doctors, cooperate with their treatment, and work hard to get well so you can be discharged soon. We will pick you up and bring you home to be reunited."

A rare smile appeared on Zhou Yu’s face. "I know, I will cooperate with the doctors."

Lu Chengfeng spent a full hour chatting with Zhou Yu. It was mostly Zhou Yu doing the talking, recounting stories about Shu Yan’s childhood. Shu Yan found it tedious, but Lu Chengfeng listened with genuine interest.

When the two of them left the nursing home, Zhou Yu emotionally took Lu Chengfeng’s hand and said, "Yan-yan is my only daughter. She was raised in the palms of our hands by her father and me. She is introverted and sensitive, so you must be more proactive and more tolerant of her."

"Don't worry, Auntie," Lu Chengfeng promised. "I will take good care of Shu Yan. You must also take care of your own health."

Zhou Yu truly liked Lu Chengfeng. "Don't worry about me; there are many people here to look after me."

Shu Yan choked up several times as she instructed her mother, "Mom, listen to the doctors, cooperate with the treatment, and I will wait for you to come home."

Zhou Yu nodded. "I know, I'm not a toddler. Alright, you two should head back."

Once they were out of the nursing home, Shu Yan could no longer hold back and buried her face in her hands, weeping. Lu Chengfeng, his heart aching, gently pulled her into his arms and accompanied her in silence, letting her cry to her heart's content.

After a while, having released the pent-up negative emotions, Shu Yan felt much better. Only then did she begin to feel embarrassed. She quickly pulled away from Lu Chengfeng’s embrace.

"I’m sorry for making a scene," she said softly. "My mother is mentally ill; please don’t take what she said to heart. She will forget it soon enough; she doesn't remember things for long."

"Don't apologize," Lu Chengfeng said, gazing at her. "Shu Yan, your mother was right—you are introverted and sensitive. If you trust me, I am willing to be your listener. You can tell me all the worries in your heart."

"I know the past ten years have not been easy for you and your mother. I think it is time for you to move forward. Give me a chance to accompany you both as you move forward, will you?"

Shu Yan looked up at Lu Chengfeng, stunned for a moment. Once she regained her composure, she deliberately replied with a sharp tone, "You know nothing about this. You haven't realized how complicated my family situation is. With your credentials, you won't have any trouble finding a good partner."

"Thank you for making dumplings with me today and for accompanying me to visit my mother. I think it’s better if we keep our distance from now on—it’s better for both you and me. You will thank me for this later."

Lu Chengfeng watched her intently. He had already prepared himself to be rejected. Her internal trauma was so deep; how could she possibly open her heart after just a few words?

"I understand. I will wait for you," he said gently. "I will wait until you are willing to accept me, until you see my sincerity. You are right, with my background, I have no trouble finding a suitable partner."

"But I don't want a partner based on credentials. To be honest, before I met you, I never thought about marriage or children. I assumed I would be single for the rest of my life."

"But after meeting you, I realized that it wasn't that I didn't want to marry, but that I was waiting for the person I wanted to spend my life with to appear. And you are that person I have been waiting for."

Lu Chengfeng’s attitude was earnest and his words were sincere. It was hard for Shu Yan not to be moved. Yet, she reminded herself to be rational—she could not be as impulsive as she had been that night. She was rejecting him for his own good. He deserved a better woman, not someone with a family as complicated as hers.

After that day, Shu Yan began to deliberately keep her distance from Lu Chengfeng. She refused to take his car, declined to eat in the cafeteria with him, and even avoided the afternoon tea gatherings he invited everyone to.

The staff at the Forensic Center noticed the change in Shu Yan; her silence worried everyone. But no matter who tried to probe, she evaded them. She was like a turtle, drawing her head back into her own world.

Lu Chengfeng watched all of Shu Yan’s changes, and he grew so anxious that he developed sores on his lips. Yet, he dared not push further, fearing he might upset her. Seeing Lu Chengfeng so listless, Shi Wei also grew impatient and agitated.

Time flew by. A month later, one evening, Shi Wei invited Lu Chengfeng to his bar. He personally mixed a cocktail for him. Placing the drink in front of Lu Chengfeng, he asked, "Do you know the name of this drink?"

Lu Chengfeng lifted his eyelids to look at him, too lazy to respond.

Shi Wei sighed helplessly and said, "This drink is called 'The Oblivion'."

Lu Chengfeng frowned slightly, staring at Shi Wei. "What does that mean?"

Shi Wei leaned over the bar and analyzed, "You know that mental illness can be hereditary, right? Have you ever thought that Shu Yan might have inherited her mother’s illness? Her recent behavior suggests she might be having an episode."

Lu Chengfeng’s jaw tightened. With eyes as sharp as blades, he locked onto Shi Wei. "If you want to die, just say so."

Shi Wei went all out. "Lu Chengfeng, if you weren't my brother, I wouldn't bother with this nonsense. Think about it yourself—do you think her current reaction is normal?"

"With your credentials, how many women pursued you back in Hongcheng? Any normal woman would be captivated by you. But Shu Yan? She rejected you."

"Of course, she didn't just reject you; she rejected everyone else. Would a normal woman act like that? So, I’m telling you, don’t waste your energy."

"No matter how hard you try, she won't accept you, you know? Just be colleagues. I’ll introduce you to some other pretty girls later—guaranteed to be prettier and gentler than her..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a glass of alcohol was splashed onto his face. Lu Chengfeng slammed the glass onto the bar, stood up abruptly, and walked away.

The bartender nearby hurriedly offered a napkin. Shi Wei took it to wipe the alcohol off his face and asked the bartender, feeling dejected, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

The bartender paused, then nodded. "Yes, Boss."

Shi Wei: "Then do you love your girlfriend?"

Bartender: "Of course I do, otherwise why would I be with her?"

Shi Wei narrowed his eyes at him. "Good. Then tell me, what is love?"

The bartender was stunned.

Shi Wei continued, "Let me ask you another question: if one day you discovered your girlfriend had mental health issues, would you still love her? Would you dare to marry her and have children with her?"

The bartender hesitated, "To be honest, Boss, I don't know. We haven't reached the stage of talking about marriage yet."

Shi Wei looked triumphant. "See? You would actually mind if your girlfriend had issues, right? So I was right, wasn't I? As a friend, I am advising him to forget Shu Yan and find someone else—it's for his own good."

The bartender frowned and thought for a moment. "Boss, I think that if my girlfriend were sick, I wouldn't leave her. I would stay with her and go through the treatment together. I believe love can overcome everything."