"What? Cat got your tongue?" Lu Qingfeng asked when Yun Xiang hadn't uttered a single word in response to his earlier statement.
Did Yun Xiang think that, like him, everyone was blind to see how he perceived and treated Su Xiaofei? The way he looked at Su Xiaofei wasn't familial at all. It was his fault that he didn't realize it sooner and even if he was aware of it now, there was nothing else he could do because Su Xiaofei held a grudge against him from her previous life.
"Su Xiaofei isn't Aunty Qing's real daughter." Yun Xiang said after a long silence. He wasn't even sure why he was telling this to Lu Qingfeng.
"And you think that it would change anything?" Lu Qingfeng chuckled darkly. "It seems like you and Ye Mingyu are trying to conveniently forget that Feifei is also legally adopted by Aunty Qing, hence, making her your legal tangmei."
Yun Xiang's jaws hardened as he couldn't find any words to refute what Lu Qingfeng had just said. Indeed, even if Su Xiaofei wasn't biologicslly his aunt's, legally speaking, she was Yun Qingrong's daughter.
"I suppose I don't need to remind you then, Lt. Yun. Don't do anything reckless that could hurt Feifei or I wouldn't let you off the hook." Lu Qingfeng said, with an underlying threat in his tone, that Yun Xiang didn't miss. He didn't think that this young man, who was usually calm and collected, wouldn't mince his words at all.
Yun Xiang didn't know what to say, and he was lucky that his younger brother and other cousins had come to join him and Lu Qingfeng at the patio to convey their greetings over his engagement with Su Xiaofei.
Unlike the cold treatment Lu Qingfeng had given him earlier, Yun Xiang noticed that the young man responded to the rest of their family with respect and politeness. It made him wonder if Lu Qingfeng was singling him out, because he knew what he was feeling towards Su Xiaofei.
Yun Xiang fell silent and didn't dare to say anything, allowing his brother and cousins to talk with Lu Qingfeng. He didn't want to admit it, but Lu Qingfeng was right. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Su Xiaofei to despise him.
However, something about Lu Qingfeng was making Yun Xiang uncomfortable. He couldn't point out what that something was, but there was something about Lu Qingfeng that irked him.
Wasn't Lu Qingfeng only twenty-one right now? Was he always so mature in mental age despite this young physical age? For Yun Xiang, the way Lu Qingfeng spoke and presented himself was like a man who had experienced a lot more than his actual age.
Before Yun Xiang could dwell longer on such thoughts their elders arrived with disheartened expressions on their faces. His father, as well as his uncles had reddened eyes, as if the three of them had cried before meeting them.
It was only then that Yun Xiang realized what the cryptic words Lu Qingfeng said earlier meant. He had no doubt now that Lu Qingfeng was deeply involved in their family affairs.
Their family was facing a serious problem. Yun Xiang thought. He could also see on his father's face that he wasn't pleased with whatever his aunt discussed with them earlier.
"Dad, what's wrong?" He asked, when Yun Yuanzhi summoned the rest of the family for a private meeting, minus the head of their family.
Even Yan Mei and Yun Shao's wife had no idea what was going on and why they were all summoned for a meeting late at night.
"Has your grandfather retired for the night?" Yun Yuanzhi questioned him in return, purposely avoiding answering Yun Xiang's question.
"He already left for bed as usual. He isn't going to join us tonight?" He dared to ask his father back, but Yun Yuanzhi only shook his head.
"Not today." It was his Uncle Zhaonan who answered him instead. "And we expect the rest of you to keep this news to yourselves and allow us to talk about it with Father later."
Yun Zhaonan looked around at all of them with a serious expression on his face, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.
Once everyone had taken their spots inside the large study, Yun Yuanzhi took the opportunity to head their meeting, his eyes glancing towards his precious younger sister seated next to Lu Qingfeng.
"Allow me to explain Qing'er's situation, but first and foremost, we want you to keep this from your grandfather for the time being, at least until we decide how to proceed from here."
He then informed the rest of the Yun family about the diagnosis Yun Qingrong received for her illness and her intention to step down from her post at Bluemedia to seek treatment.
Yan Mei covered her mouth in shock and looked worriedly at her sister-in-law. Aside from Old General Yun, Su Xiaofei was also missing this meeting.
"Qing Jie, you haven't told Xiao Fei, right?" She asked Yun Qingrong.
As a mother like Yun Qingrong, how could she not understand her? Yan Mei had no doubt, given Yun Qingrong's personality, that she hadn't informed her daughter yet. She must have been worried about how Feifei would take the news.
Yun Qingrong shook her head in response, her hold on Lu Qingfeng's hand tightening as she realized that she couldn't prolong hiding it from her daughter much longer.
"Not yet, but I intend to tell her myself once she returns from her business trip." She answered. Yun Qingrong hadn't thought that sharing this with her family would somehow lessen the burden in her heart.
Yun Xiang looked at his aunt, then at Lu Qingfeng. The latter's earlier words were now starting to make sense to him.. Lu Qingfeng had warned him earlier because he knew that Su Xiaofei wouldn't be able to handle another problem once she found out about her mother's illness.
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