Lonely All These Years
Li Yanchen pulled the bowls of loquats up from the well. He took an empty bowl and sat on the stone bench. He started peeling the loquats.
Li Zexuan wanted no part in it but seeing his father working alone, he was embarrassed to just watch. So, he began peeling the loquats as well.
âWhat does Ms. Lin Want?â he complained. âShe wants us to peel them but wonât let us eat them!â
[Xuanxuan is peeling loquats. I thought he didnât like fruits with high sugar content.]
[I think he is just peeling them. He isnât eating them. He just put one in the bowl.]
[This canât be Lin Wanâs orders again, can it? She was the one who wanted to pick them.]
[Li Yanchen is also peeling the fruits, and he hasnât even eaten a single one. Is he really peeling them for Lin Wan?]
[Xuan, you donât want to peel it, right? Blink once if youâre threatened to do it.]
âDonât talk about her like that. Itâs just peeling a few loquats. Is it that difficult for you?â said Li Yanchen.
[Did you hear what Li Yanchen just said? It seems that Xuanxuan is not willing to peel loquats.]
[Lin Wan told them to peel them and not eat them. Oh my God!]
âSheâs really that good!â Li Zexuan didnât understand. They had been married for only half a month. How had she become so dear to his father?
Before the wedding, the children had not even heard about Lin Wan even once. âWas it a love at first sight bullshit? Or were they secretly in a relationship without us knowing?â These questions were a mystery not only to Li Zexuan but also the rest of the world.
Li Yanchen did not want to continue the conversation. âWhy does a child have to meddle in adultsâ affair?â
[I also want to know. Is Lin Wan that good?]
[Li Yanchen is so protective of her]
[The little ones also think that their daddy treats their stepmothers better, right?]
[Although Iâve been single for seven years, I donât think heâll treasure a woman so much just because he has one. Itâs as if heâs never seen a woman before.]
âIâll be an adult in six months. I will be eighteen!â said Li Zexuan.
Li Yanchen âs hand, which was holding onto the loquats, paused for a moment. Time had passed so quickly, and his eldest son was about to become an adult. If his wife could see him now, she would be so proud of their eldest child. It felt bittersweet that his son wouldnât be a child anymore but an adult!
âWell, then. You will be an adult soon. So, stop being so childish. Lin Wan is her own person. You guys have your own life. Why meddle?â said Li Yanchen, avoiding his question.
In the accident seven years ago, Lin Wanâs father lost his life saving Li Yanchen âs three children. Li Yanchen felt that Lin Wan was now his responsibility.
âDad, I know youâve been lonely all these years and have been misunderstood a lot but arenât you afraid that she might be after your money or even scheming with someone else?â asked Li Zexuan.
Li Yanchen understood what his son was getting at. He glared at Li Zexuan. âThis is a live broadcast. Donât talk nonsense.â
Li Zexuan lowered his head guiltily.
[I donât understand their conversation.]
[Please explain on the livestream.]
[Xuanxuan is telling his father to be careful because Lin Wan might be after his money. Li Yanchen told his son to stop saying such things about Lin Wan.]
[Is Li Yanchen pretending to be stupid or is he actually that stupid? Even a child can tell that thereâs something wrong with Lin Wan.]
[Li Yanchen doesnât lack money at all. Maybe he is willing to be duped.]
[But isnât his money and property supposed to be for his children?]
Li Zexuanâs family always had something fresh going on. The bullet screen was filled with a lot of worried aunties, including lawyers and judges. In the end, a few lawyers jumped out and said that if it involved property issues, they were willing to fight for the children in the court for free.
The Festival Group was speechless.
âWhat kind of show was this? Why were they discussing the familyâs inheritance again?â
...
In Wheatleyâs house next door, the bullet comments were much more positive.
Wheatley sat between her father and her stepmother. The three of them looked up at the starry sky.
Wheatleyâs hair was down. Her pajamas were the same as Nannanâs. Anyone could see that they were dressed in matching outfits.
[Looking for the link for the pajamas.]
[Nannan has really planned every detail well.]
[Theyâre the only ones who have parent and child pajamas. How heartwarming!]
[Wheatley is counting the stars while Nannan is telling Wheatley where the Polaris is.]
[Wheatleyâs father is hugging them both. It feels so good to watch.]
[It turns out that Polaris represents loyalty. Thank you for your explanation, Nannan.]
[My daughter is dragging me and her father to watch the stars now.]
[Itâs the same for my family.]
Wheatleyâs live broadcast room was filled with positive energy. The staff looked at each other. âFortunately, this family is quite normal. Otherwise, Iâd really suspect that the audience would not be able to believe it.â
âThe more topics there are to discuss, the more traffic there will be. I feel that Li Zexuanâs home is very real. Also, have you guys noticed that there are some changes in the children?â
âDirector, mute the livestream in Li Zexuanâs house! His fans are starting to report the livestream.â The staff were discussing the Li familyâs children when they were suddenly interrupted by someone from the Operations Department.
âWhatâs the situation?â Everyone turned to the Operations Department.
In the Li familyâs bedroom, Lin Wan wrapped herself in a blanket. Li Zexin leaned on a pillow and Li Zekai snuggled close to his brother.
âThe host went to explore an abandoned village. In the old house, he turned on the flashlight. The window of the house was closed, but the old grandpaâs photo above the wardrobe suddenly fell down. He lit an incense in a bowl filled with ash and placed it in the middle of the square table. The host trembled and ran away. Halfway through, he remembered that the ash could be reignited and that it might cause a fire, so he turned back and walked into the house again. He found something red overflowing from the bowlâ¦â narrated Lin Wan.
He listened to Lin Wanâs horror stories and didnât want to be outdone. He was, after all, a frequent visitor to internet café and knew a fair share of horror stories.
Lin Wan was wrapped in a blanket and curled up on the side of the bed. Li Zekai looked at them both, trying to outdo each other on who could tell the scariest story. He wanted to run away but he didnât dare to. He was the one who had requested for stories, after all.
...
âThe old ladyâs face was pale. She drifted by the window with a cold smile on her face. An icy wind blew suddenly and swept away the incense in the bowl in the middle of the tableâ¦,â Lin Wan improvised.
âNot long after, Jingxiangâs bowl was covered in blood. It dripped down the tableâ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Li Zekai couldnât take it anymore and started weeping. The live broadcast room was also dead silent for once.
Everyone wanted to type some harsh comment for Lin Wan, but they were too scared. They were covering their ears and were unable to type.
After a while, a few reported it. The director saw the pop-up notification and muted their live broadcast room.
When the audience realized that the livestream had been muted, they started typing negative comments to criticize Lin Wan.