While all of them had lunch, Yu Mei could not help but think back to Shen Lihua's words.
'We don't know much about Li Na. She was a transfer student and because of how nice she was, it didn't take much time for the three of us to become friends. She had helped me a lot. All I know is she came from a rich family but we never knew anything in detail. The next time we met, she was your father's mistress and was pregnant with you. I..had asked her to leave that man but she said she was happy. But I knew she was not so we argued that day before I left. We did not meet each other for years as a lot was going on in my life. But when Zixuan was a few months away from turning 21, I received a letter from her reminding me of the betrothal. A few days later, she was no more.'
If she was rich, then why would she become a mistress?
The next day, Shi Luo left the villa along with Yu Jinhai who insisted on going with her. Mu Shen and Jun Boyan stayed with Shen Lihua. Yu Mei and Jun Zixuan too left as the latter had some unfinished work while the former wanted to meet Li Shuang.
"That way…" Yu Mei showed him the way to Li Shuang's apartment.
Jun Zixuan paused, "What's wrong?"
"What?" She blinked.
"You have something that is bothering you."
She gazed at his side profile quietly.
*Flashback*
Yu Mei walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe as she grabbed a dress from the wardrobe since they had to leave in 30 minutes.
'Knock Knock.'
"Come in," She raised an eyebrow. Who could it be? Jun Zixuan will never knock before stepping inside the room. On the contrary, the man would suddenly pop from behind and hug her, scaring her at times.
"Are you ready?" Shen Lihua stepped inside.
"I…"
"I have something I want to talk about. You can dress up after that."
Yu Mei nodded under her solemn gaze.
As they sat on the bed while facing each other, Shen Lihua was initially quiet before she spoke up, "Ah Xuan is indeed a member of the Amaranthine Royalty."
"You overheard our conversation?" Yu Mei's eyes widened. Did she hear everything…?
"I just heard the last sentence," The lady softly said.
Yu Mei inwardly let out a sigh of relief. They had discussed a lot about her previous life and luckily, she did not overhear all that. She blamed it on herself for not locking the door properly. "Wait, did you just say he is from the Amaranthine Royal Family?"
"Did you hit your head as a kid? Why are you so slow?"
"_"
"Mother-in-law, can you not insult me all the time?" Yu Mei was speechless.
Shen Lihua shook her head, "He is the son of the current head."
Yu Mei was stunned. She took a deep breath, "So, Eminence belongs to them and he as the heir is the current CEO?"
Shen Lihua was a bit surprised that she knew about his identity. But then considering the progress in their relationship, this was normal. "No, he did not take a single penny from them. Everything he has belongs solely to him."
"How could that be?" Her jaws dropped in disbelief, "Eminence has been ruling the business world for 8 years and Zixuan is just 23. Back then, he must be around 15…"
"Be it his IQ or wits, no one around his age could be compared to him. He started working in a company as an advisor when he was 11. But he knew he would not be taken seriously because of his age so he always worked from the shadows, never showing his face. Two years later, Eminence was established and by the time he was 15, Eminence had risen to fame, growing constantly with no looking back."
Yu Mei did not know what to feel. It was something she should be proud about but for some reason, she just felt sad. 11 years is the age for a kid to play with toys, isn't it? She has seen her brother going all through the struggles to possess at that President's throne. Was Jun Zixuan's childhood equally rough as well?
"Why?"
She remained quiet for some time before opening her mouth, "It's my fault. I tried to fit somewhere I never belonged to. I come from a middle-class family but I married into royalty when their Prince pursued me," There was a hint of melancholy in her tone as she lowered her head, "But everything was like a sandcastle. Dreamy yet fragile. It was all over within a few years."
"You regret it?" Yu Mei frowned. She was not aware of the details but given how complicated the royal families can be, it was not too tough to guess.
"I have got both my sons. There is nothing to regret," She took a deep breath before holding Yu Mei's palm, "I've always felt guilty towards my elder son. No matter what I do, I cannot redeem myself. I've been a bad mother who only made him suffer one way or another."
Yu Mei did not know why she was saying all this to her but she wanted to know more about it.
"I should have left the Jun Family when he was young, when everything started. But I was stupid to think that everything will be fine. As a three year child, my son was labeled as trash, a bastard. To them, I slept with another man and conceived him," The usual elegance in her tone remained but Yu Mei could feel that pain in her eyes.
"Did he…not believe you? Your husband?" She softly asked.
"He did," Shen Lihua nodded, "And that was enough to hold me back. I thought we could go through this but everything worsened as time passed by. Ah Xuan was always a special child. He did not speak a single word as years passed by. He would always stay silent and look around. I took him to a doctor and although the reports were fine but that family called him a lunatic, a mute…."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢