Chapter 116

Because the crew was large, the advance team had booked two full floors of a hotel in the county. By sheer coincidence, Wei Sheng and Liang Yi ended up sharing a room.

Wei Sheng was a man of action, not the type to bottle things up—especially when it concerned his mother’s future happiness. There was no way he was waiting until tomorrow to bring it up.

“Uncle Liang, do you like my mom?” Wei Sheng leaned against the desk, cutting straight to the point as he watched Liang Yi awkwardly unpack his suitcase.

Liang Yi’s thermos slipped from his hand and rolled across the carpet.

Seeing that guilty look on his face, Wei Sheng didn’t need any more confirmation.

“Come on, Uncle Liang, if I remember right, you’re a whole ten years younger than my mom, aren’t you?”

“Nine! I’m only nine years younger than your mom,” Liang Yi corrected quickly.

Wei Sheng rolled his eyes.

Nine or ten, what difference did it make? His own mother being fancied by the guy next door—what son wouldn’t feel a little put out?

“When did this start?” Wei Sheng crossed his arms, staring him down coldly.

To his surprise, Liang Yi just gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “I don’t remember. Maybe when I was thirteen or fourteen. Anyway, it was before you were even born.”

“And I knew Qianqian before your dad did—way before.”

Wei Sheng knew that already. Otherwise, Grandma Hu wouldn’t have been so close to Grandma Liang, like sisters.

“Does my mom know?”

“No. I never dared to tell her.”

Liang Yi looked a little pitiful, which, strangely, made Wei Sheng feel a bit better.

Call him a mama’s boy if you want, but with a deadbeat dad like his, Wei Sheng had grown up with only Hu Qianqian by his side. Other women had husbands to lean on. His mom? She was lucky if Wei Zhiyong didn’t make her life harder.

Because his father was so unreliable, Wei Sheng had taken it upon himself to be the man of the house from a young age. Protecting Hu Qianqian had become second nature to him.

He wouldn’t stand in the way if his mom wanted to remarry. If she could find a man who truly loved and protected her, Wei Sheng admitted he’d feel a tiny bit of loss—but for her happiness, he’d prepare her dowry himself and smile as he sent her off to start a new chapter.

But the guy had to be solid. And definitely not hiding any… issues.

Ahem. He wasn’t just being paranoid. Liang Yi was just too suspicious.

Good-looking, decent family background, successful career. As a partner at a top law firm, he might not be worth billions, but tens of millions? Easily. Rumor had it he owned two properties and drove a luxury car worth over a million yuan. With those credentials, even young girls in their early twenties would be lining up to marry him. So why was he still single?

Was it because… he couldn’t?

Wei Sheng’s intense stare made Liang Yi break out in a cold sweat. Gritting his teeth, Liang Yi decided—since the truth was already out, he might as well win over this “stepson” first. If he could get Wei Sheng’s blessing, then with how much Qianqian valued her son’s opinion, maybe—just maybe—he’d have a real shot.

This was the first time in over twenty years that Liang Yi had ever confessed this long-held crush, one that had lasted from boyhood to now.

And once he started talking, all the past hesitations and embarrassment didn’t seem to matter anymore.

He told Wei Sheng about his and Hu Qianqian’s childhood together. Liang Yi had always been a late bloomer—back then, he was just a scrawny little kid. Because he was a top student, the “model child” of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative compound, he was often bullied by the less academically inclined kids.

Hu Qianqian was kind and soft-hearted. She couldn’t stand seeing him get picked on, so she often invited him over to do homework together. Sometimes, when his parents worked late, Grandma Hu would even have him stay for dinner.

“That doesn’t sound like childhood sweethearts to me,” Wei Sheng scoffed. “Sounds more like a big sister and her little brother.”

He’d never even seen what his mom looked like as a young girl, but he was sure she was gentle and beautiful. Damn lucky Liang Yi, that’s what he was.

“At first, I did think of Qianqian like a big sister,” Liang Yi admitted. “But then we grew up. Your mom didn’t like school, so she started working right after middle school. Back then, early marriage was the trend. Not long after she started working, someone introduced her to a guy with a supposedly good job—your dad.”

“I remember the first time your dad came over to meet the family. Half the compound came to watch. I was in the crowd too. And even then, I already regretted it.”

“But what could I do? Like you said, I was nine years younger. To your grandparents, I was still just a kid. What kind of promise could I make her?”

“Your dad, though, was the golden boy every parent in the compound envied. A fresh college graduate assigned to a job at the tobacco company—a great unit. Handsome, no bad habits, and supposedly very filial. Everyone said your mom had struck gold.”

“Filial, huh? Filial enough to sacrifice our whole family for it,” Wei Sheng sneered.

Damn it! If only he could go back in time. Even if he were nine years younger, he’d tell his mom to wait a few more years. Once Liang Yi got into university, their families already knew each other so well, and Grandpa Liang lived right next door to Grandpa Hu—it would’ve been a perfect match!

Anyone would’ve been better than marrying that man, Wei Zhiyong.

Sure, being filial to your parents and kind to your siblings is a virtue. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be good to your wife and kids.

Especially those so-called “honest men” from his grandparents’ generation. On the surface, they seemed flawless—hardworking, no vices, devoted to their parents. The kind of son-in-law every mother dreamed of.

But only those who lived with them knew how terrifying such “honest men” could be. They’d bend over backward for everyone else, eager to please, but when it came to their own wives, they were endlessly demanding. It wasn’t enough that they wanted to be saints admired by all—they expected their wives and children to sacrifice right alongside them.

All it took was one word from his grandmother, and Wei Zhiyong would practically empty the house to please her.

If the neighbors needed help moving, or their furniture or car broke down, he’d rush over without a second thought. Just one compliment—“Old Wei is such a good guy”—and he’d be over the moon.

But if the toilet at home broke, or the lightbulb needed changing, his mom couldn’t get him to lift a finger.

Hu Qianqian had never suffered like that growing up. She’d once thought about divorcing Wei Zhiyong and even took Wei Sheng back to her parents’ house for a while during their worst fights.

But back then, everyone around her said she was being “too dramatic” and told her to count her blessings. The bar for a “good man” was set ridiculously low.

As long as he had a job, didn’t hit his wife, and gave her money each month, he was considered a rare catch.

And they had a son. If she divorced, Wei Zhiyong would definitely fight for custody. In those days, it was common for daughters to go with either parent, but sons? Sons had to stay with the father—they were the family’s “bloodline.”

So to stay with her son, to give him a “complete” home, Hu Qianqian endured it all. She pretended she didn’t have a husband, while everyone else thought their little family of three was picture-perfect.

Only Liang Yi saw the truth. A woman in a happy marriage wouldn’t be running back to her parents’ house every few days.

If a couple was truly in love, they’d be inseparable. They wouldn’t live like Hu Qianqian, avoiding Wei Zhiyong like he was the plague.

When Liang Yi realized this, he felt heartache for her—and, if he was honest, a tiny bit of guilty joy.

He knew Hu Qianqian was lying low, enduring, waiting for Wei Sheng to grow up.

Once her son no longer needed a father, Liang Yi had no doubt that with her personality, she’d divorce Wei Zhiyong without hesitation.

That belief was the only thing that kept him waiting all these years.

After hearing Liang Yi talk about his secret crush that had lasted over twenty years, Wei Sheng had gone from furious to speechless.

Now that he thought about it, Uncle Liang was actually kind of pitiful.

He’d waited silently for his mom all these years…

But still—

“My mom’s been divorced for almost two years now, hasn’t she? If you like her that much, why haven’t you gone after her?”

Wei Sheng was the definition of a double standard. When Liang Yi had his eyes on his mom, it rubbed him the wrong way. But now that Liang Yi hadn’t made a move, he couldn’t help but doubt—maybe Liang Yi’s so-called deep love wasn’t all that deep after all?

“You think I haven’t wanted to?” Liang Yi said. “Every time I drive past your grandpa’s house, I have to stop myself from buying a bouquet of flowers and just marching up to your mom to confess everything.”

“But then I see her, living her life so happily after the divorce, carefree like a young girl again… and I start to wonder—if she really said yes to being with me, could I be a good husband? Could I keep her living like this, lighthearted and unburdened?”

“You know my parents have always wanted a grandchild. But your mom’s already 46. At her age, having a baby would be dangerous. And I… I just couldn’t bear to put her through that,” Liang Yi said, his voice full of anguish.

“You haven’t even confessed yet, and you’re already thinking about whether my mom should have your baby? Uncle Liang, your imagination is seriously next level,” Wei Sheng couldn’t help rolling his eyes again.

Don’t blame him for being rude—when it came to a man who’d been secretly pining for his mom for over two decades, he figured basic manners were optional.

But then, to his surprise, Liang Yi suddenly smiled.

“Wei Sheng, you’ve clearly never been in love.”

“If you had, you’d know—thinking about having kids is nothing. I’ve already looked into where to buy a double burial plot. I even want to find a top-tier feng shui master to make sure that in our next life, your mom and I meet at the right time. And when that happens, I won’t hold back for anyone.”

There was a dreamy tenderness in Liang Yi’s expression, mixed with a fierce, unwavering resolve.

Looking at his face, Wei Sheng suddenly believed it—Liang Yi really was serious about his mom.

Wait a second!

“Double burial plot? Then where the hell am I supposed to be buried?” Wei Sheng’s eyebrows slowly shot up.

Liang Yi: “…”

(End of chapter)