Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

"What did you say? You saw my cousin's wife at the Hagia Sophia?"

"Okay, I got it! I'll be right there!"

Upon hearing Su Yan's voice on the phone, Su Chen jumped up from the sofa in a flash, called Chen Fei, and left the hotel, driving straight to the St. Sophia Cathedral on Central Street.

On the way, Su Chen received another call from his mother, Chen Shufen. The two talked a lot on the phone, but Chen Shufen did most of the talking while Su Chen responded with "uh-huh".

"I understand, Mom. I will respect my cousin's opinion. If there is really no possibility of getting back together, I won't interfere too much!" Su Chen assured her seriously.

Both he and his mother, Chen Shufen, felt sorry for their eldest cousin's wife. If it weren't for his cousin Chen Fan's messy affair, they might still be a happy family now.

Now, all Su Chen and the others can do is try their best to make up for this regret. He has not forgotten how pitiful his cousin's two little ones looked when they first met.

Children without mothers or fathers lead exceptionally miserable lives.

"Okay~ I trust you to handle things. If there's really no chance of getting back together, if you can help, try your best to improve her living conditions at home. Also... if possible, ask Yang Lan to take some time to go back to Wudu to see the children!" Chen Shufen's earnest voice came from the other end of the phone, her words filled with deep melancholy.

"Okay, I understand!" Su Chen replied and hung up the phone. He was thinking about his cousin-in-law. Why did she suddenly come to the Northeast? Was it to escape that unbearable past?
And then there's my older cousin, Chen Fan. I wonder how he's doing in Mozambique, and whether he's managed to change his bad habits.

Just as Su Chen was lost in thought, the car quickly stopped near Central Avenue, and Su Chen and Chen Fei walked briskly toward the St. Sophia Cathedral.

"Sir, Young Master Yan and the others are over there!" Not long after entering the square, Chen Fei's sharp eyes spotted Su Yan and the others sitting on a bench.

Su Chen looked in the direction Chen Fei pointed and saw Su Yan and his second uncle sitting on a bench, occasionally looking towards the east side of the church.

"Second Uncle, Xiao Yan, what's going on? Where's my eldest cousin's wife?" Su Chen walked over quickly, asking as he looked around, but didn't see the balloon seller Su Yan had mentioned on the phone.

Upon seeing Su Chen arrive, Su Yan quickly stood up and explained, "Big brother, you're here! My cousin's wife is at work!"

“When we first discovered her, my cousin’s wife was selling balloons in the northeast corner of the church. It wasn’t until she sold out of balloons and walked into the souvenir shop on the east side that we realized she worked there, based on the clothes she was wearing.”

"Going to work?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction Su Yan was pointing. The souvenir shop was doing quite well, with people coming and going.

"Okay, I understand!" Su Chen nodded, pondered for a moment, and then saw that his second aunt looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. He smiled and asked, "Second Aunt, just say what you want to say. We're not strangers, why are you making things difficult?"

Auntie rubbed her hands together, her face showing hesitation and emotion. She sighed and said, "Xiao Chen, I just had Xiao Yu turn on the video and go in for a look. Lan... has changed a lot. She used to be so pretty and cheerful in Chongqing. Now she looks... much more haggard, with worry in her eyes and no energy. It really breaks my heart to see her like this!"

"Think about how good your cousin's wife used to be. Everyone in the surrounding villages praised her for being a good wife and mother, capable in both social and domestic settings. Now she's like this... Sigh, if you can help her, please do so."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen's heart sank. If what his second aunt described was true, it seemed that his eldest cousin's wife still hadn't recovered from her previous painful experience.

She nodded seriously and said, "Don't worry, Second Aunt. My mom called me before and explained it to me in detail."

Then, changing the subject, he looked at his second uncle and Uncle Lin and said, "Leave the matter of my eldest cousin's wife to me. You guys continue having fun. I'll call you later."

"But..." Second Aunt wanted to say something more, but Su Zhiqi pulled her aside and said, "Leave the matter to Xiao Chen to handle. Sometimes having too many people isn't a good thing!"

Auntie hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but finally nodded and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Second Uncle Su Zhiqi patted Su Chen on the shoulder without saying anything. It was indeed a bit difficult for Su Chen to handle this mess, since Su Chen was not married yet and could not understand certain feelings. Moreover, they were not in a position to intervene with Yang Lan, so it was not convenient for them to do so, lest it backfire.

Su Chen nodded, straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, gave Chen Fei a look, and the two of them walked towards the souvenir shop.

Watching Su Chen and his companion's departing figures, Su Zhiqi clapped his hands lightly, drawing everyone's attention, and said with a smile, "Alright, this little incident is over. Let's continue having fun. Old Lin told me there are plenty of fun and interesting places around here!"

Lin Guoqing was a sensible man, and he immediately understood, laughing and agreeing, "That's a must, come on, come on, I'll take you to see it!"

……

"Ding bell~"

The store's doorbell rang crisply as customers entered.

Su Chen pushed open the door and entered. A scent mixed with wooden handicrafts, postcards and faint incense wafted towards him. There were still quite a few customers in the store at this time, most of them choosing souvenirs with Northeast China characteristics or Russian style.

Su Chen's gaze swept quickly across the store, and soon he spotted that familiar yet unfamiliar figure behind a counter near the corner.

It was his eldest cousin's wife, Yang Lan!

She was wearing a simple dark blue shop assistant uniform, and was bowing her head slightly as she carefully wiped a matryoshka doll figurine with a soft cloth.

Just as my second aunt had said, my eldest cousin's wife had changed a lot. Her once jet-black hair was simply tied back, and a few faint strands of white powder could be seen in it. Her cheeks were much thinner than I remembered, and they had lost their former rosy glow, appearing rather pale.

Those once bright and captivating eyes, always filled with smiles, were now lowered, focused intently on the object in their hands, their long eyelashes unable to conceal the lingering weariness and gloom deep within them.

Her lips were habitually pursed slightly, revealing a sense of responsibility honed by life's trials, yet also carrying an unyielding sorrow.

Su Chen felt a slight pang in his heart, a subtle, stinging sadness rising within him. For a moment, he found it hard to reconcile the haggard, silent woman before him with the kind, cheerful cousin-in-law he remembered, the one who busied herself around the stove, laughing heartily, and secretly giving him generous red envelopes during holidays.

He slowly approached the counter.

Noticing someone approaching, Yang Lan didn't look up immediately. Instead, she asked in her usual Chongqing-accented Mandarin, "Hello, what would you like to see? These are all hand-painted matryoshka dolls, very exquisite."

Her voice remained gentle, but lacked some of its vibrancy, becoming somewhat hoarse and formally polite. Su Chen didn't answer immediately, but simply looked at her quietly.

The brief silence puzzled Yang Lan, and she finally looked up.

When her gaze fell on Su Chen's face, a look of confusion flashed across her face at first, then she seemed to recognize something, her pupils suddenly contracted, and the hand holding the matryoshka doll subconsciously tightened, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Her face turned even paler in an instant, her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

His eyes were filled with disbelief and shock, followed by immense panic, embarrassment, and even a hint of inescapable awkwardness.

She probably never imagined that she would meet her former relatives in this foreign land, thousands of kilometers away from the foggy city, looking like this.

"Sister-in-law," Su Chen spoke first, his voice extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing her, "It's me, Su Chen!"

Yang Lan seemed to be burned by the address, and suddenly came back to her senses. She subconsciously wanted to turn her face away, but in the end she could only force a smile that was more like a grimace, and her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "Xiao Chen? What are you doing here?"

"I came to the Northeast to take care of some business, and I just finished up and came to Harbin for a couple of days." Su Chen tried to make his tone sound calm and natural, as if this was just an ordinary chance encounter. "I really didn't expect to run into you here."

Yang Lan lowered her head in a panic, her fingers unconsciously stroking the nesting doll, and whispered, "Yes, yes, what a coincidence..." She seemed to be trying her best to hide her emotions, but she couldn't control her slightly trembling fingertips.

Seeing her like this, Su Chen felt a pang of unease. He knew that any unnecessary small talk or questioning at this moment could be hurtful.

He paused for a few seconds, then his gaze fell on the matryoshka doll in her hand. He smoothly changed the subject, saying in a relaxed tone, "These matryoshka dolls are really well drawn, the colors are very vibrant. Wrap them up for me, I'll buy one."

Yang Lan was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Okay, okay..." She hurriedly went to find the packaging box to hide her inner turmoil.

While they were packing, Su Chen said softly, seemingly casually, "Sister-in-law, I'm really glad to see you here. Everyone at home... has been thinking about you, especially your two children. I brought them back from Zhejiang Province, and they're living with your uncle now. They'll be starting school in a few days!"

Upon hearing the word "child," Yang Lan's actions suddenly halted, her shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, and her eyes instantly reddened. Especially after hearing that she had been taken back and was about to go to school, the tears she had been holding back streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the packaging box.

Su Chen saw this and sighed inwardly, knowing that this was inevitable. He took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Yang Lan, gesturing for her to wipe her tears. After all, there were many people around, and if others saw this, they might gossip.

Yang Lan hesitated for a moment, but still took the tissue Su Chen handed her. She turned her back, her body trembling slightly, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Clearly, the tears weren't going to stop anytime soon.

Seeing this, Su Chen gritted his teeth. Since things had already progressed to this point, he might as well be direct: "Sister-in-law, what time do you get off work tonight? Let's find a quiet place, sit down, have a simple meal, and chat for a bit. It'll just be us family, no one else!"

Yang Lan turned her back and remained silent for a long time, the noisy voices in the store seeming to fade into the background.

After a long while, Yang Lan's slightly trembling body finally stopped, and she answered in a very soft voice, with a hint of sob, "I...I get off work at six o'clock!"

Hearing this, Su Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tone still gentle: "Okay, I'll pick you up at six o'clock, just over there at the street corner."

Picking up the matryoshka doll box still bearing a few teardrops from the table, she decisively scanned the code to pay: "Well... Sister-in-law, you go ahead and get busy, see you tonight!"

Yang Lan remained in a daze, only managing a soft "hmm".

Su Chen took the gift box, turned around and walked out of the souvenir shop. The sunlight outside shone on his face, making it a little dazzling. He squinted slightly, his mood complicated and hard to describe.

He glanced back at the souvenir shop and murmured, "Afei, investigate what's going on."

Chen Fei, who had been following behind without saying a word, coldly replied with a "Yes!"
……

On the other side, as soon as Su Chen left the souvenir shop, a woman about the same age as Yang Lan walked straight up to Yang Lan's side.

The souvenir shop wasn't particularly big, but it wasn't small either. Even though Su Chen and his group were at a counter in a corner, they couldn't escape the attention of those who were interested.

"Lanlan, was that young man your family member?" The person who came over looked at Yang Lan, whose eyes were a little red, and guessed who the man was.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Yang Lan immediately snapped out of her daze. She glanced at her best friend, who was also the owner of the souvenir shop, bit her lip, and replied with her head down, "My ex-husband's cousin."

"Your ex-husband's cousin?" The best friend's voice immediately rose several octaves, and the customers and employees in the store all looked in their direction. The best friend decisively pulled Yang Lan into the back office.

After pouring Yang Lan a glass of water, he pulled up a chair and sat down directly in front of her, asking with a serious expression, "Why did your ex-husband's cousin come to see you? Your good-for-nothing ex-husband has already ruined you like this, isn't that enough? What else do they want?"

Seeing her best friend's indignant expression, Yang Lan finally managed a faint smile on her pale face. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with my ex-husband. My cousin told me that he was here on vacation and saw me by chance."

Her best friend frowned slightly upon hearing this, still harboring a bit of doubt. After all, what a coincidence! "Did he say anything to you?"

Yang Lan hesitated for a moment, but still told her best friend everything she had talked about with Su Chen, since this was one of the people she trusted most right now.

"No way! I can't let you meet him alone. What if he uses the child to blackmail you? I'll go with you after get off work tonight!" her best friend immediately decided.

Yang Lan looked at her best friend, whose eyebrows were raised in alarm and who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy. She felt both touched and helpless. She knew that her best friend was genuinely thinking of her and was afraid that she would be hurt again.

She knew that her best friend's decision was irreversible, just like how her best friend had shamelessly dragged her to the Northeast. Knowing she couldn't persuade her otherwise, she could only nod helplessly: "Well... okay, but you have to promise me you won't get too excited then, and see how things go first, okay?"

"Okay, okay, I know what I'm doing!" Seeing Yang Lan relent, her best friend's expression softened slightly. "You're just too soft-hearted. Hurry up and tidy yourself up, touch up your makeup, your eyes are still red, you have to go to work later!" (End of Chapter)