Sun Shaoyun looked at Qi Chengyue from head to toe and noticed the bag that the latter was carrying. "You're leaving so early?"

She just got out of bed and met Qi Chengyue when she was about to prepare breakfast.

"Uhm, I don't want to bother you anymore. I'll go back to the hotel earlier," Qi Chengyue answered.

Sun Shaoyun looked at her suspiciously before saying in a deep voice, "Chengyue, tell me. Did Cheng Dongge take advantage of you?"

"What? No!" Qi Chengyue shook her head and denied it immediately.

Sun Shaoyun pulled her into the kitchen beside the entrance and said softly, "You don't have to keep it a secret on his behalf. I saw him entering your room last night. Since both of you are already adults, he mentioned before that he's courting you, and your interaction with him showed mutual affection as well, so I didn't interfere. However, if he took advantage of you just because this is his house, you can tell me. You don't have to help him, I'll not let him off easily."

"Aunty, he really didn't do anything," Qi Chengyue waved her hands desperately.

Sun Shaoyun gave a thought before grabbing her hand and said with a lowered voice, "Is it because he's holding a higher position in the company than you, that's why you dare not go against him? He used that and took advantage of you? I can assure you, I know my son. He's not a despicable person. Even if he'd changed after working in B City for so many years and acted differently at home, you can also tell me. I will never let him bully you. If he dares to do something so repulsive, his father and I will break his leg! I've never thought that he would turn out in such a way even though we were very strict about his upbringing! Chengyue, we as parents failed in teaching our child to be a decent human being, I'm so sorry."

Sun Shaoyun's eyes reddened the more she spoke as if Cheng Dongge had done an unforgivable mistake.

Qi Chengyue was on edge right now. She did not expect it to cause such a huge misunderstanding. Cheng Dongge's parents seemed to be very reasonable people and Sun Shaoyun looked like she was absolutely serious about the matter she was saying. She would never want Cheng Dongge to be accused of such profanity.

"Aunty, Cheng Dongge is a good man. You guys didn't do anything wrong teaching him. He'll be the one who makes you proud of your entire life. He's impeccable whether it is his character, career or any other aspects of him. In the office, all of the colleagues respect him very much. He'll never commit such a despicable act and harm others. He's really nice, he didn't take advantage of me." Qi Chengyue felt a numbing sensation on her nose as she spoke.

"Then why are you leaving so early in the morning. It's not even five o'clock yet." Sun Shaoyun glanced at the alarm clock on the table that she usually used it for cooking and continued, "Do you feel pressured because he's interested in you? You don't like him? Actually, you don't have to avoid him, just tell him straightforwardly. He won't bother you then. We'll not let him do that and cause you trouble."

"Aunty, I like him." Qi Chengyue sucked on her lip and did not know how to continue on.

Sun Shaoyun let out a breath of relief. Instantly, she took Qi Chengyue's hand gleefully and said, "That's great, that's great. I felt that both of you were rather competent when I saw you guys yesterday. Also, from the way you described him, I sensed that you have a good impression on him as well. What's the problem then? As long as you guys have mutual feelings, I have no problems with it. Girl, judging from your accent, you're from B City, am I right? Is it because he's from another city and you're afraid that it's inconvenient? Or you don't want to stay here after getting married?

"You don't have to worry, Dongge would definitely stay in B City for his work. If your parents are staying in B City, he won't ask you to stay here as well since your family and job are in B City. He can't ask something from you that's unfair. My husband and I are already used to living here. If one day we become so old that we can't take care of ourselves, you guys don't have to bear the burden. We'll head to the old folks home ourselves. Nowadays, the facilities of the homes are quite decent. You guys would just need to visit us from time to time. Even if we miss our son and decide to live nearer to him in B City, we would not squeeze with you guys under the same room. We are aware of the inconvenience that follows.

"We have some savings on hand. If we sell this house, we won't be able to afford a big house in B City but it's sufficient to buy a small home. Dongge doesn't have to pay any money, it won't affect both of your lives. You young people strive really hard in B City to make ends meet. Both of us are just regular retired folks and we can't help out much, but at least we would never let you guys bear the burden. You don't have to worry about all that, just enjoy your life with Dongge."

Sun Shaoyun felt embarrassed after speaking for a while. She said laughingly, "Look at me, both of you haven't even officially got together. I'm thinking too far ahead, am I? Girl, you don't have to be stressed. Just go with the flow."

Sun Shaoyun was getting more and more fond of Qi Chengyue. She had a very good first impression of her.

However, it was still her first time meeting Qi Chengyue. Even if she had a good first impression, she did not feel deeply for her yet.

The main thing was that she was the person Cheng Dongge liked. She trusted her son's taste. Although Cheng Dongge was wrong about Huang Ziyue, but in their case, Huang Ziyue was the one who went after Cheng Dongge. His feelings for her was more of a responsibility rather than love.

Sun Shaoyun was clearly aware of that.

Qi Chengyue looked at Sun Shaoyun, her throat stiffened and she could not utter a word.

If… if only Cheng Dongge did not have a girlfriend. If she met Cheng Dongge earlier, she would have been with him instead of Jian Yi. How nice would it be?

If only she was not a divorcee; if only she could have a mother-in-law like Sun Shaoyun…

Nevertheless, she was too stubborn back then. Cheng Dongge might not even like her spoilt self and she would not notice his affection and Sun Shaoyun's kindness.

If she did not go through what she experienced, the present would not turn out this way as well.

After going through all of the chaos, she met the right person, Cheng Dongge, at the worst timing.

She was a better person now, but she could no longer be compatible with him.

Qi Chengyue could not hold it in any longer and tears started falling from her reddened eyes. She really wanted to cry her heart out at this moment, to release all her regrets and sorrows.

"Why are you crying?" Sun Shaoyun asked nervously. She did not know what she said that upset Qi Chengyue. She hurried over to reach for the tissue box on the table and passed it to Qi Chengyue.

Qi Chengyue accepted it but she did not use it to wipe off her tears. With her hands shaking, she clenched her jaws tightly for quite some time before saying determinedly, "Aunty."

"I'm here," Sun Shaoyun answered immediately.

Qi Chengyue felt like there was a weight on her chest suffocating her. Her tears started falling more vigorously due to what she was about to say, "If I tell you that I was previously married and just got divorced several days ago. Will you still accept me if I'm a divorcee?"

Tears glazed over her eyes while she observed Sun Shaoyun's reaction anxiously. Sun Shaoyun was stunned and said, "You…"

She let go of Qi Chengyue's hand in surprise and looked at her in disbelief. She took two steps backward as she could not process the information that was revealed so suddenly.

It was not because of her traditional mindset but it happened all too sudden.

Furthermore, she felt that her son was rather outstanding. He could marry any girl he likes, why must he choose one who is a divorcee?

This did not mean that she thinks that a divorced woman does not have the right to remarry again.

If this occurred to some other people, she might be able to understand or even sympathize with the girl.

However, when it happened to her own son, she could not accept it with such short notice.

Her mouth opened and closed but she could not utter a single word.

After seeing her reaction, Qi Chengyue understood her stance.

She lowered her head and stifled, "Aunty, I know that I'm not good enough for Cheng Dongge. I won't allow others to mock him. I would not trouble you guys. I… I'll take my leave now."

She put down the tissue box that Sun Shaoyun passed to her just now. Her hands gripped tightly onto her purse strap, turned around and ran out of the Cheng's house.

Sun Shaoyun's heart was in an absolute mess. She stood there motionless, not knowing what to do next. She took a step forward, thinking about chasing after her but she stopped her foot abruptly. She opened her mouth intending to speak but she could only let out a helpless sigh in the end.

Qi Chengyue felt so embarrassed. She stood in front of the elevator and kept pressing the down button, for fear that someone would appear.

The elevator finally arrived and she dashed into it and shut the door, leaving her all alone in the enclosed space.

It was still too early in the morning, people had not started using the elevator.

Qi Chengyue leaned against the elevator door weakly. Then, she lifted her head to look at the floor that the Cheng family stayed in after walking outside.

She saw the window of Cheng Dongge's bedroom that she slept in yesterday night, but the guestroom that Cheng Dongge slept in was not visible as it was facing the other side.

Qi Chengyue's heart was aching badly. She thought that getting a divorce would free her from misery, but it turned out to be her largest flaw. A flaw that imprinted on her body permanently.

If she did not meet Cheng Dongge, she would not care.

At that moment, she really hoped that she could start all over from the beginning. There would not be a previous marriage and she would be able to leave her very best for him.

Qi Chengyue lowered her head and buried her face into her palm. She cried for so long that her sobs choked in her throat while her shoulders trembled slightly.

…

…

When Cheng Dongge woke up in the morning, he saw that Cheng Zhaohui and Sun Shaoyun were already seated at the dining table.

Both of them were whispering ear to ear. They were talking so softly that he could not hear what they were discussing. When Sun Shaoyun saw Cheng Dongge, she jabbed Cheng Zhaohui immediately and both of them stopped talking right away.

Cheng Dongge glanced at them suspiciously since they were acting so sheepishly. He asked, "She's still sleeping?"

Sun Shaoyun's eyelids twitched and put on an awkward expression. She mumbled to herself and dare not look at Cheng Dongge. Then, she stood up slowly and entered the kitchen to prepare a bowl of porridge for Cheng Dongge and also to distract her from the nervousness at the same time.

After placing the porridge at Cheng Dongge's seat, her head remained lowered and dare not look at him in the eye. She gave her best shot to act naturally and said, "She left early in the morning."

"Left?" Cheng Dongge's face dropped and walked back to open the bedroom door without saying anything. He noticed that the bedsheet inside was arranged neatly. The pajamas that he gave for her to change into were folded nicely and placed on the bed. Her bag was also out of sight.

Cheng Dongge walked back again and said, "When did she leave?"

"I woke up to prepare breakfast. She came out before five o'clock." Sun Shaoyun's gaze was uncertain as she was feeling a little guilty.

"Why didn't you ask her to stay?" Cheng Dongge looked at Sun Shaoyun puzzledly. Her reaction was really weird.

"I did, but she insisted on leaving," Sun Shaoyun said with her jaws clenched. Finally, she raised her head and look at Cheng Dongge. "She told me that she was just divorced a few days ago. Dongge, why didn't you tell me?"

"Just because of this, you didn't stop her from leaving?" Cheng Dongge never thought that his parents would mind a matter like this.

"This…" Sun Shaoyun paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. She raised her head to look at him directly before saying, "I was in shock then. It was really unexpected. Also, it was not that easy to accept such a thing right there and then. You can say that I am traditional, or I didn't sympathize with her as a fellow woman. If this was happening to others, I may be able to be in her shoes and support her from her point of view. However, this is happening to me right now. These things are not easy to digest as it seems.

"Dongge, can you tell me why she got a divorce? Who's responsible for the divorce? Or that…" Sun Shaoyun was not looking very good. "Or did she cheat with you and got involved in an extramarital affair? She said that she was only divorced a few days ago. How is it possible for her to build a relationship with you within such a short period? Does that mean that both of you have already mutual feelings for each other even before she got divorced? Dongge, tell me the truth, did you intrude into their marriage?"

From the looks of Sun Shaoyun, she was ready to smack Cheng Dongge if he said yes.

Even Cheng Zhaohui put down his bowl and looked at Cheng Dongge with a serious expression.

Both of them were already retired. During the day, they would use their smartphone to scroll WeChat Moments. However, the majority of their group of friends were from a similar age group. Their feed was always filled with posts about health and current social issues. They never followed gossip and entertainment, and they could not even remember the names of the Qi family members.

In the past, Cheng Dongge had mentioned Qi Chengzhi's name but both of them did not pay much attention and had long forgotten about it. Even though they knew Qi Chengyue's name, they did not give much thought about it. They were unaware of the hot topics that dominated the news recently.

Cheng Dongge did not try to hide it from them and told them from the beginning to the end since Qi Chengyue was the victim in this marriage.

Sun Shaoyun was stunned. She sat back onto her chair and said, "Not only that she's a divorcee, but she's also the lady of the Qi family?"

The Qi family's existence seemed so unreachable. They function at the top of the world, a place that they would never cross paths with.

Because of the distance, they had no interest in the gossip concerning them. They never saw them on television or the internet. Since they were not present in their life, they were not conscious enough to pay attention to their gossip.

"Mother, it's not her fault that they got divorced. After getting married, she gave full commitment to maintain their marriage. She's a woman who is very loyal to love," Cheng Dongge said in a deep voice and continued, "I just hope that you guys will treat her fairly. It's not like a person automatically loses their right to marry again just because they had gotten a divorce. The only thing different from breaking up from a relationship is that they would have an extra marriage certificate and divorce papers. I also had a fiancée and broke up later, isn't it? Huang Ziyue was kind enough not to wait until we got married and then only get a divorce. If not, I would be a divorced man as well. Am I going to be compatible with her then? If yes, I'll just randomly marry someone and get a divorce the next day, how about that?"

"This child! What nonsense is this?!" Sun Shaoyun stomped her foot angrily and said, "Even if she was not married, she's the lady of the Qi family. How can we match with a family like theirs?"

"Mother, if she cared about that, she wouldn't have gotten married to her ex-husband and allow him to use her." Cheng Dongge clenched his fist. If it was not for Jian Yi, there would not be so many obstacles.

"My mind is very confused now. I don't understand what's happening," Sun Shaoyun pressed her forehead and massaged her temples with her thumb, "Let me calm down for a while, then we'll talk."

"I'll leave first then," Cheng Dongge said.

"Where are you going?" Sun Shaoyun raised her head and asked in surprise.

"I'm going to look for her. I already planned to head back to B City today. I'm worried about her since she just left this morning." Cheng Dongge took his car keys and exited the door.

"Haih!" Sun Shaoyun sighed deeply. How could she stop her son in this state?

However, it was not an easy task to accept a woman who got divorced with the status of being the lady of the Qi family.