novelraw Chapter 491 - 408: Out of Reach
Chapter 491 - 408: Out of Reach
And the matter between our daughter and Han Mingxue, both of them carry guilt in their hearts!
If it weren’t for this matter, would Li Fei have ended up the way she is now?
How to describe it? It feels like a life spent aimlessly, as if she’s just drifting through the days!
Thinking about it like this, it’s whatever.
But now, look at the kind of friends she has?
Since that post exposing their family went viral a while back, why have those so-called friends stopped talking to her?
Turns out, Zhou Rou’s post—though it was later deleted—had already been seen by others, and word-of-mouth spread fast. North City isn’t a big place, so some people found out!
But given it’s 2007 now, platforms like forums aren’t as trendy as they would be later, so the exposure was mostly seen by young people and internet enthusiasts.
Among those were Li Fei’s classmates and friends.
Because of this exposure, Li Fei ended up feeling miserable. She never expected such a small place like North City to stir up so much chaos. Back then, Mr. Han Sr.’s matter wouldn’t even have been such a big deal.
The key issue was the exposure of her romantic relationship with Han Mingxue. Suddenly, friends and classmates around her were all gossiping about her.
Even the few girlfriends she used to hang out with started distancing themselves from her.
Zhang Meihua was already nearing menopause, and her temperament had started spiraling—anxious, nervous, ready to explode at the slightest provocation!
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have lost her temper so dramatically during the New Year just because she heard Li Guozhi and Zhou Rou discussing the issue with Mr. Han Sr.
Li Guozhi is ridiculously timid. Who’d think she’d spill everything to others like dumping beans from a bamboo tube just for some petty favor?
Exactly where has their family wronged her?
For so many years, hasn’t their family helped her countless times? Comparing her family to Li Si’s, isn’t it clear how much they’ve supported her?
Every single time Li Guofu comes back from a business trip with local specialties, hasn’t he shared plenty with Li Guozhi’s family?
She’s just an ungrateful wretch! No matter how well you treat her, it’s useless!
Back then, when Little Li Si introduced her to that private kitchen job, anyone else in her shoes would’ve maintained the good relationship properly.
Yes! Back then, they were indeed shortsighted. Had they known earlier that Li Si would marry into a wealthy family, would they have caused the relationship to sour over a mere tens of thousands?
Ah! Thinking about it now, Zhang Meihua can only stomp her feet in regret. How did she not notice earlier the resemblance in facial features between that woman surnamed Tian and Li Si?
If she had noticed earlier, surely back then they could’ve leveraged the situation for greater benefits!
Also, why did her brain feel so muddled at that time, thinking Li Si was at best just being kept as a mistress, bound to get discarded sooner or later!
Looking at it now, it’s clear the Li Family is only doing well because of her! She’s thriving! She’s succeeding!
Rumor has it that Li Si even gave birth to a son for the Leng Family!
That makes her completely settled in their household!
If their relationship hadn’t fallen apart and was still as good as it was, wouldn’t their family have benefited immensely?
Even crumbs from Li Si’s fingers could have them living lavishly in North City!
Attempting to reconcile, she failed to seize the opportunity last time. Now every time she looks at her own Fei’er, she gets frustrated!
But maybe, using Li Si’s wedding this time as an occasion—traveling all that way to show their support—people say no one punches a smiling face. Li Si likely wouldn’t make things too harsh for them in public, would she?
Considered from this angle just now, Li Guofu came home. The Li Family’s circumstances have improved immensely from before.
But recently, due to the stuff that was exposed, Mr. Han Sr. had been furious. In North City, he’s someone with both fame and reputation.
This sudden revelation made him so angry and embarrassed that he became physically ill.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhou, having gone to Beijing for her back treatment and having failed to locate Zhou Rou, still hasn’t returned.
Currently, the family is relying entirely on the help of a cook at home, and Li Guofu had just come back from visiting Mr. Han at his house, standing beside his sickbed and showing his filial concern.
"Any improvement?" Zhang Meihua took his hand-held bag and asked.
Mr. Han Sr. is practically their family’s golden goose; he can’t leave this world too soon.
Li Guofu shook his head, wearily rubbing his nose bridge. "At his age, how could things improve so readily? Still bedridden! And the cook isn’t doing a good enough job! Mrs. Zhou still hasn’t come back! Earlier, he was complaining to me about it—these late stage helpers, what’s there to expect? Useless! Can’t count on them!"
Zhang Meihua pursed her lips. "I say, eh? Zhou Rou and her mother—clearly they’re just putting on an act! Maybe that forum post was even their doing! How could they dare come back now?" Ever since the matter came out, she felt it must have been plotted by Zhou Rou and her family.
Since the New Year, she’s felt Zhou Rou was up to no good, with that sinister air about her, eyes full of malice.
Maybe she was already plotting to harm their family back then.
Using the guise of going to Beijing for back treatment—she doesn’t believe it at all!
Back then, it was just a light fall, but she screamed and made a fuss—clearly faking!
Li Guofu nodded in agreement. "I suspect the same! Actually, deep down he doesn’t lack suspicion either. I heard from the cook who quietly told me that yesterday he secretly called the Han Family in Beijing. No one knows what business he was calling about!"
Zhang Meihua paused while wiping the coffee table. "Why would he call the Han Family? Could it be asking the Han Family to help investigate the Zhou Family mother-daughter pair?"
Li Guofu shook his head. "I can’t say for sure about that! Han Mingxue and his brother aren’t in Beijing, so the one answering the call would’ve been that old lady from the Han Family. Apparently, he’s never had a good relationship with her; who knows why they’re in contact now!"
That’s what puzzled him. In the past, whenever the Han Family in Beijing was mentioned, Mr. Han Sr.’s expression showed clear anger, as if there had been some unpleasant history between them.
Now that he’s sick, why is he calling Beijing?
Zhang Meihua also fell into deep thought, replying only a while later: "I can’t figure that out! But even if there’s contact, it’s no big deal! Guofu, speaking of Beijing, there’s something I want to discuss with you!"
"What’s it about?"
Zhang Meihua hesitated before saying, "It’s about Li Si’s wedding on June 1st. I was thinking, regardless of how distant the child has become from us, we are still her proper elders, aren’t we? When a child gets married, isn’t it unbecoming for none of her family’s elders to show up?"
That Leng Family is one of those sorts of families, right? She’s just a young girl facing such a grand occasion—if none of her family shows up, wouldn’t people gossip?
So, how about we bring Fei’er along and attend the wedding with a gift? Not a lavish one, just showing some thought! If there’s anything she needs, we can help out a little.
Maybe through this opportunity we can mend the relationship a bit, which would benefit Fei’er in the future too, right?"
After saying this, she nervously watched Li Guofu, who hadn’t said a word since she started speaking, quietly sipping tea.
"Do you think I’m making sense?" Ever since the day she told Li Guofu about the connection between the woman surnamed Tian and Li Si, Li Guofu has been unusually silent.
Even after over 20 years of being together as husband and wife, she feels she can no longer discern what’s on his mind. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please head to m.qidian.com to read.)