When Mo Xuan first arrived abroad, he had a question he wanted to ask his… two wives.
“My parents?”
“Yes, I had a conversation with your father recently, and it felt… like listening to a memoir of my own.”
Upon hearing Mo Xuan’s words, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi exchanged glances and then smiled wryly. The person who should have the most authority to speak on this matter was Luo Shiya, as she was essentially the equivalent of Luo Wei'er and Luo Xue'er back then.
Meanwhile, back in the country, Shen Qingyun was organizing documents in her study when she accidentally bumped into a photo on the desk. It was the only family photo of the four of them.
Since returning from the old Western-style house, she had suggested more than once that they take a new family photo, but Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi had refused each time.
“There was no need to take one in the past, and there’s no need now either.”
“Mom, it’s unnecessary.”
Thinking of her daughters’ cold words, Shen Qingyun couldn’t help but sigh. She remembered how, before they left the country with Mo Xuan and their two daughters, she had still managed to arrange a meeting with the sisters.
But what could be done even if they met? They simply looked at each other in silence. To reach such a point in their mother-daughter relationship was truly the end of the line.
She didn’t regret falling in love with Luo Sheng. The only thing she regretted was supporting Luo Sheng’s decision back then. She knew how reluctant he had been, so she took the initiative to propose it herself.
In fact, she regretted it soon after. During her daughters’ childhood, she had been too busy assisting Luo Sheng in his career to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother.
Recalling her youth, Shen Qingyun’s encounter with Luo Sheng had also been an accident.
At that time, she had traveled alone to the Capital for her studies. Life there wasn’t as vibrant as it is now.
Shen Qingyun had been dragged by a woman named Qin Ni, who was in the same department, to attend a school-organized dance. Back then, Shen Qingyun didn’t particularly like Qin Ni. While Qin Ni was flirting with her first love, she was also discussing a marriage arrangement with the young master of the Mo Family.
In those days, such behavior was considered disgraceful, but Qin Ni thought she was being discreet and even insisted that she had long since ended things with Jiang Feng.
The only two things Shen Qingyun ever thanked Qin Ni for were giving birth to a son-in-law who could calm her two daughters, and… because of her, Shen Qingyun had stumbled into meeting Luo Sheng.
In some ways, Luo Sheng was very similar to Mo Xuan—both were the kind of people you could spot in a crowd at a glance.
At the time, Luo Sheng seemed to have been dragged there against his will. He had no interest in the dance and was just sitting on a chair, bored out of his mind.
Young Luo Sheng was strikingly handsome, gentle, and carried an air of nobility. Even dressed casually in clean sneakers, he was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Shen Qingyun tugged at a female classmate beside her and pointed at Luo Sheng. “Do you know that guy over there?”
“You don’t know him?” The classmate was surprised. “That’s Luo Sheng, the second son of the Luo Family in the Capital! He’s actually very kind, but he doesn’t like these kinds of events. He was probably dragged here by his classmates.”
Shen Qingyun had heard of Luo Sheng but had never met him. After all, in those days, Luo Sheng was already being driven to and from school. Their majors and social circles rarely overlapped.
Moreover, the Shen Family had long since arranged a marriage for her with the son of an old family friend.
Years later, Shen Qingyun often regretted not having met Luo Sheng sooner.
In Shanghai, Shen Qingyun had always been the one pursued by men, but she usually only responded with indifference.
Even her so-called fiancé never received a kind word from her.
“Hello.”
Luo Sheng, who had been dozing off, suddenly heard a pleasant voice. He looked up in confusion and was immediately struck by Shen Qingyun’s appearance.
Born into a wealthy family in the Capital, Luo Sheng had met all kinds of people since childhood, but Shen Qingyun was the first to leave such a deep impression on him.
It wasn’t just because of her stunning beauty, which would later be inherited by their daughters, but also because of her unique aura and the glint in her eyes—a confidence and something else he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Hello,” Luo Sheng replied politely, his heart fluttering despite his composure. “And you are…?”
“Shen Qingyun, from the Shen Family in Shanghai.”
Shen Qingyun was clever. She didn’t believe that the son of the Luo Family wouldn’t know about the Shen Family. By introducing herself this way, she wasn’t showing off but rather signaling to Luo Sheng that she wasn’t the type of girl who would approach him for his status.
Luo Sheng was surprised. He had naturally heard of the Shen Family, but he hadn’t expected to meet their daughter at his school.
“What, don’t believe me?” Shen Qingyun asked with a smile. “Do I need to prove it?”
“No, it’s just a bit surprising,” Luo Sheng replied with an embarrassed smile. “I hadn’t heard that the Shen Family’s daughter had come to the Capital.”
“If you don’t like these kinds of events, why did you come?” Shen Qingyun asked curiously. “I noticed you earlier, just sitting here by yourself, looking like you were about to fall asleep.”
“I had no choice. My classmates were bribed by my brother,” Luo Sheng said with a helpless smile. “He said I’m almost a senior and that I spend all my time either in the library or at home studying with my father, with no social life to speak of.”
In truth, Luo Sheng wasn’t being entirely honest. His older brother, Luo Quan, had gone to great lengths for him. As a handsome young man from a wealthy family, countless daughters of prominent families were eager to meet him, but Luo Sheng was like Mo Xuan before he met Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi—preferring to spend his time in the library.
The Luo Family hadn’t arranged a marriage for Luo Sheng, hoping he would find someone from a similar background whom he genuinely liked. After all, Luo Quan had married for love, and his wife, Luo Tian’s mother, came from a family of slightly lower status. But not only did Luo Quan love her, even the Luo matriarch had approved of her after meeting her.
Since the family hadn’t pressured Luo Sheng, he hadn’t felt the need to rush. Frustrated, Luo Quan had bribed Luo Sheng’s classmates, determined to break his brother’s reclusive habits.
“Sorry, Luo Sheng, but your brother offered too much!”
Luo Sheng could only sigh at his “mercenary” friends and let them drag him to the dance.
Of course, if he had truly refused, no one could have forced him. At least compared to the past, his willingness to attend was progress.
“Why don’t we go for a walk instead?” Shen Qingyun suddenly reached out and grabbed Luo Sheng’s sleeve. “You don’t want to be here, and neither do I, so let’s just slip away together?”
“Huh?”
Before Luo Sheng could react, Shen Qingyun had already pulled him up by the sleeve. Years later, Luo Sheng would often wonder how Shen Qingyun, with her slender frame, had managed to drag him, a tall man, out of the room.
Perhaps it was like the saying, “Jiang Taigong fishes—those who are willing take the bait.”
That day, Luo Sheng was glad he had attended the dance. As he followed Shen Qingyun out, she turned back to look at him, her smile etched so deeply in his memory that he could still recall it vividly years later.
Of course, at the time, Luo Sheng had no idea what kind of person Shen Qingyun truly was.
So when he saw Mo Xuan, Luo Sheng was absolutely certain that the boy would fall for his daughters sooner or later. After all, compared to their mother, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi were truly in a league of their own…