rose ashes

"Ah He, when you meet someone you like in the future, you must treat you better than your dad did."

The little girl didn't understand and looked up at the woman in confusion.

The woman's eyebrows and eyes are extremely charming, and every frown and smile is moving.

Luo Yang was walking on the street, people were coming and going around her, her mind was still stuck on a scene from many years ago. She was in a trance for a moment and could not quite remember the appearance of the people in the picture.

Yang Yue was happy at that time, and I hoped that she could be happy, but I don’t know when her life started to go off track.

Yang Yue left her, and Luo Jiancheng no longer made it possible for her to call him "father" with a clear conscience.

Looking back, the Luo family's mansion had a magnificent facade, and was the center of the bustling city. However, what Luo Yang saw was the Luo family that had long since collapsed beyond its original appearance.
The place where she felt happy had long gone with Yang Yue, vanishing into thin air and could never be found again.

Luo Yang walked on the road like a zombie, aimlessly, not knowing where to go. In the huge Pingcheng, he couldn't find a place he wanted to go.

"Meow~meow~"

A calico cat appeared beside the flower bed not far away, walking with her. Luo Yang wiped away her tears and sniffed.

The cat looked extremely human-like, its soft body lingering around Luo Yang's feet.

Luo Yang squatted down, not caring that the hem of her white skirt fell to the ground.

The cat purred comfortably when being stroked, and Luo Yang smiled tenderly.

"Are you Mimi? You look exactly like him."

"Where is your master? It's not safe to be outside alone."
Luo Yang looked around and didn't see anyone other than herself wandering around the park in broad daylight with nothing to do.

Luo Yang looked at the cat at her feet and couldn't help but shed tears.

It had obviously been a long time since she had collapsed like this, but she couldn't help but recall the chaotic scene at the Luo family just now.

Obviously, that was once her home, the warmest harbor, but why did it become a place that made her so secretive?
She was like an outsider, disrupting the harmony of their family.

Like a fool, he came here to ask for trouble.

"Mimi, if I could choose again, I would hope that I would not be born. In this way, Ms. Yang would not fall into this muddy swamp, and would not have a chronic disease due to giving birth to me and eventually die young."
Luo Yang whispered as he stroked the cat's belly.

If only she had not come into this world, maybe everything would be different.

"Mimi, do you have a mom and a dad?"
Luo Yang felt lost and lonely, his chest heaving slightly.

"I haven't had the chance to call mom and dad for many years. Mimi, I don't have a mom anymore, and starting today, I don't have a dad either."

Her eyes felt a little sore, so she slowly raised her head, trying to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks through her eyelids.
But maybe it was because the sun was at a wrong angle, or maybe it was too dazzling, but her tears flowed uncontrollably.

Like water after a floodgate is opened, silent but unstoppable.

A car stopped by the roadside. Luo Yang looked up when she heard the sound and saw a couple getting out. She gently rubbed their lips and stood up pretending to be relaxed.
"Okay, Mimi, let's stop being sad for today. I have to go to work. We'll meet again if we're lucky~"

The flowing long skirt carried the lonely figure further and further away.

The figure disappeared, and Mimi called out obediently, walking to the feet of the man who appeared in the pavilion behind her.

The man half squatted down, stroking Mimi's hair, his voice gentle and low.
"Thank you Mimi for staying with her on my behalf."

Mimi seemed to understand what he was saying and called out twice in response, as if to say you're welcome, which made Ye Gu laugh.
Looking at him, she murmured, "After all, she was the one who gave you a home first."
——The "home" made of folded cardboard boxes to protect against wind and rain

Luo Yang's unhappy parting brought the Luo family to a freezing point. Luo Jiancheng had a bad temper and was stubborn, and a large part of Luo Yang's personality was inherited from him.

This time the conflict seemed to be more serious than any previous one. Neither Luo Yang nor Luo Jiancheng was willing to give in, and the matter of the jade bracelet ended in the quarrel.

As the wedding date approaches, Luo Yang begins to feel anxious for some unknown reason.
She clearly knew that this would happen, but she just couldn't control her emotions. In order to avoid any accidents at work, she gave herself three days off. This was to avoid any unnecessary accidents during the consultation and to be responsible to the visitors.

Because he had promised Shen Fan that he would help find a house, he called Xi Jinzhou.

As luck would have it, he had his day off today, so Luo Yang went straight to the point and told him why he was there.

"Well...then wait a moment, I'll call you back later."

Xi Jinzhou hung up the phone in front of the window, turned around and looked at the figure who was feeding cat food to Mimi, his voice steady and calm: "She came to me to ask if I could rent out the empty house to her brother."

The hand feeding the cat paused, and the slightly curled index finger caused Mimi's dissatisfaction, so she moved closer before continuing to eat.

The shadow of his eyelashes was faintly traced on his eyelids. He slowly stood up, pulled out a wet towel from the table, and slowly wiped the debris from his fingers one by one.

"can."

Xi Jinzhou laughed: "Are you sure? Think it over carefully."

Ye Gu did not comment, but raised his eyes slightly.
"If she needs help, then help her."

The scene was silent, with only Mimi's soft snoring echoing around.

"Ye Gu, are you really willing? It's not because it's her business, but look at yourself, are you willing? You are so intolerant, and now you rent a house to a person of the opposite sex who has feelings for her, ask yourself, are you willing?"

Ye Gu stood there for a long time, staring at one place for a long time until he felt tired and then he sat down on the sofa.

Xi Jinzhou sat opposite him without saying a word. He just tapped the table and pushed the note with Ye Gu's signature changed in front of him.
——Thank you for taking me in. This simple breakfast is just a token of my gratitude. I’ll treat you to a big meal in the future, Ye Gu.
Under the crossed-out horizontal line are the three characters "Dr. Xi"
Ye Gu didn't say anything, but his joints made a dull sound from the sudden force. Xi Jinzhou really couldn't understand why Ye Gu, who always wanted to make everything public and loved to be under the spotlight of the stage, was so entangled in this matter.

Ye Gu remained silent, just collected the signature and ordered him to leave: "I remember you have to be on duty tonight, go early and don't waste your time here."

He stared at Ye Gu for a while, snorted softly, waved his hand and left.
His kindness was taken for granted and he was too lazy to do this thankless task.

"Hello, Mr. Ye. The designer of the pair of shoes you liked before is Fil, but he has retired and does not accept private orders. We can only provide you with his contact information, but as for the final result, you need to discuss it yourself."
As Ye Gu listened to the phone, he recalled the pair of black high-heeled shoes he had seen in the mall that day. They were embroidered with tiny roses by hand and matched perfectly with the wedding dress Luo Yang wore on the day of her engagement.

Ye Gu came back to his senses, "Okay, then give me your contact information, thank you."

After hanging up the phone, he lay back on the sofa feeling a little tired, closed his eyes and didn't want to see anything.

The phone hadn't been silent for long when the ringing sounded again. He clenched his back teeth, but quickly opened his eyes and regained his clarity of mind.

"Hello, Mr. Ye, do you need me to pick you up for the meeting tonight?"

Ye Gu stood up, picked up the suit jacket hanging beside the sofa with one hand, and walked with the wind.
"Come now, Cointreau International, all the information is ready."

"Okay Mr. Ye."

For a whole week, Ye Gu went out early and came back late, and Luo Yang had no way of finding his whereabouts. When she finally managed to ask him, he always said that the company was busy recently and brushed it off.

After asking so many questions, Luo Yang no longer had this desire.

/ / /
A week before the wedding, Ye Gu brought Luo Yang back home.

This was Luo Yang's second visit to the Ye family after returning to China. This time was different from every time before, and his status had undergone a qualitative leap.

Because of her arrival, the Ye family made a lot of preparations, and even the dishes were much more sumptuous than before.

Ye Gu and Luo Yang walked on the cobblestone road. She still liked to wear flat shoes and could clearly feel the unevenness of the cobblestones, some were round and some were flat.

"how do you feel?"

Luo Yang glanced sideways at Ye Gu who was holding a water cup beside him.

She stretched her neck slightly, as she had a stiff neck from falling asleep in the car.
"I don't feel anything special. I guess my identity is different now."

After a long time, just at the gate of the Ye family, Ye Gu stopped and looked at the two majestic and solemn stone lions at the gate not far away.
"If you regret it, you can say it."

Luo Yang was slightly startled, then swallowed the shock, smacked her cheek lightly, and walked forward with big strides, looking back at him after a moment.
"I never make decisions that I will regret. Of course, if you are a coward, you can choose to regret it."

Ye Gu gritted his teeth and smiled evilly, "Just kidding, I've never been a coward."

The more Li Yan looked at Luo Yang, the more she liked him, but also the sadder she felt. She would always think of Yang Yue, the person who grew up with her and quarreled with her.

It was inevitable to wipe tears at the dinner table. Li Yan was afraid of spoiling the fun, so she secretly found an excuse to leave the table.

Luo Yang saw it and knew she was sad, but said nothing, pretending not to notice. She couldn't say she felt the same way, but when she was sad, she didn't want others to comfort her.

"Ah He, eat more. These are your favorite foods. If they're not enough, I'll ask the kitchen to make some more."
Ji Yin's eyes curved with a smile and she kept picking up dishes for Luo Yang. Seeing that the bowls were about to pile up into a small mountain, Luo Yang couldn't refuse and took Ye Gu's bowl.

"Grandma, you are being biased. I don't have any, but she has so much that it's overflowing. Give me some."

Luo Yang lowered her eyes and ate the food in the bowl. Tonight's sweet and sour pork ribs had a hint of sweetness.

/ / /
"Okay, price is not a problem. I'll trouble you this time, okay."
After Ye Gu answered the phone, he saw Luo Yang walking in the corridor with some fruits.

Ye Gu walked over calmly and took the plate of fruit from behind her with one hand.

"Just let Auntie do these things. They are all in the yard, why don't they go?"

Luo Yang wiped the water stains from the palm of his hand and followed behind him, stepping closely on the shadow of Ye Gu cast on the ground by the light, which was slender and deep.
"Auntie will be sad to see me."

The person in front of him sneered, "She saw you sad because her heart——"

Luo Yang looked up and followed his pace.
"Because of what?"

Ye Gu stopped talking, turned his head, and his voice became muffled.
"The jackfruit tonight is pretty good, would you like to try it?"

Luo Yang took a look and found that the color was indeed very bright. He took one out and tasted it, with a slight smile on his face.
“It’s very sweet.”

Ye Gu watched her eating the jackfruit, forgot about the question just now, and slowed down his pace.

As I recall, the day after Luo Yang returned to China, he stirred up a bloody storm of marriage in the circle.
Li Yan hit him for the first time.

Her eyes were red as she rebuked: "You can scheme against anyone but Ah He!"
Ye Gu just knelt there without making any explanation, and only looked up after a long time.
"What if I say I want to marry her?"

The wind blew past my ears quickly, my cheeks felt hot, and my hair fell in front of my forehead.

Li Yan's eyes turned red with anger. She pointed at him and shouted at the top of her lungs: "You like to play around, but I don't care! But I treat Ah He as my own daughter! Although you are my son, remember this: once her mother is gone, I am her mother!"

That day, the mother and son parted unhappily. The light in the study was on all night and Li Yan did not sleep all night.

The next day she found Ye Gu and gave him only one sentence -
"You can marry her, but I want shares and achievements, otherwise, no deal."

(End of this chapter)