withered lover

On the way Du Zhinian drove to the Du's Manor, he had a premonition that tonight would be another New Year's Eve dinner that would suffocate him, so he did enough mental preparation before entering the door.

But when he actually sat at the Du family's dining table, he once again saw how low a person's bottom line can be.

Du Zhinian's third uncle brought back a new mistress, hugged him on his lap and talked sweetly, while his second uncle boasted that the illegitimate son he recognized two years ago was admitted to a prestigious foreign school and received a high scholarship.

He showed off like a clown, praising the admission letter bought by his illegitimate son, while his wife and his biological daughter, who had been married for 30 years, were sitting at a small table in the corner of the restaurant.

Du Zhinian glanced back secretly, the little cousin was sitting on the edge of the small table with her head down, the third aunt smiled awkwardly under the gaze of her sister-in-law and juniors, her harsh voice echoed in the restaurant, but no one stopped her Crazy second uncle.

This kind of situation often happens in the Du family, because women who marry into the Du family, regardless of direct lineage or collateral lineage, are not "qualified" to sit at the main table, and they can only sit at the table with their unmarried daughters in the corner of the restaurant.

Except Wen Qiong.

She and Du Hengyu were married in a business relationship. Although her younger brother took over the management of the family property, when she married Du Hengyu, she held a lot of shares in the Wen family's property, and she also had the right to speak in the Wen's group.

Du Hengyu spends his days and nights in private, but never brings his lover to Wen Qiong's eyes, and even puts on the surface of being a good husband to others.

He gave this wife in name a lot of face, the men of the Du family didn't dare to show contempt on their faces, most of the time they were polite to Wen Qiong, but they always looked down on her overtly and secretly.

The men who only work in the Du's Group often sneer at Wen Qiong, say some vulgar and embarrassing things through alcohol, and then blame the alcohol for their slip of the tongue, but Wen Qiong always agrees with a smile and never speaks to them. Temper.

Du Zhinian turned to look at his mother, Wen Qiong was still wearing exquisite makeup, sitting beside Du Hengyu with the airs of a noble lady.

She smiled and watched the man on the table drinking and bragging, and occasionally responded to her uncle's provocation with a few unintelligible monophonic sounds. She looked magnanimous, but in fact her hands hidden under the table were clenched tightly into fists. Never let go.

Every time Du Zhinian went back to Du's house, he could see this kind of drama. After more than [-] years, he was tired of watching it, so annoying that he even wanted to ask Wen Qiong if he was tired of acting like this every day.

But he also just thought about it, never really asked.

No matter what happened when she was young, as a mother, Wen Qiong would never stand by Du Zhinian's side, even if he was wronged, she would not speak up for him, and would only scold him in a gentle tone.

In Du Zhinian's memory, Wen Qiong has always been such a mother. Later, he had a big fight with Du Hengyu about the university and moved out of Du's house in a fit of anger. Her role changed from "good wife and loving mother" to "good wife and loving mother" Loudspeaker".

She was sandwiched between her husband and son, and passed on a message for the embarrassing father and son.

Du Zhinian occasionally lost his temper with Du Hengyu because of Du Hengyu's order, but in retrospect, he felt that he shouldn't have vented his dissatisfaction with his father on his mother.

However, every time he felt any remorse towards Wen Qiong, this faint sense of guilt would disappear the second she spoke.

Whether it's getting close or feeling guilty, it's all Du Zhinian's wishful thinking, and he will no longer have unrealistic fantasies about these people.

No expectations and no disappointment, long overdue.

Du Zhinian was distracted by the New Year's Eve dinner, and the topic of the elders had shifted from third uncle's illegitimate son to his daughter who just graduated.

A cousin from the side line asked the third uncle with a smile, "Has Xiaoya looked for a job?"

"I'm a clerical job in the company, what kind of job do girls have, just get married early." The third uncle gave a "tsk" and raised his wine glass to clink with him.

"That's right." Du Zhinian's second uncle leaned over to agree, "Anyone else's son you fancy?"

The third uncle downed the white wine in one gulp, and said with a big tongue: "I have taken a fancy to the youngest son of the Tian family, and I will get the license after I promise."

Several uncles raised their glasses to congratulate him after hearing the words, and the main table became lively again.

Du Zhinian heard that they had settled on his cousin's marriage in a few words, and the New Year's Eve dinner in front of him suddenly smelled disgusting, and the food that hadn't been swallowed was sticky in his throat.

His hands holding the chopsticks were bruised, and he couldn't swallow or spit out the things in his throat. His expression changed a few times, but he got a warning look from Du Hengyu.

Du Zhinian was so uncomfortable in his stomach that he didn't pay attention to Du Hengyu at all, but the good third uncle noticed his elder brother's gaze and turned his head to bring the topic to Du Zhinian.

"Speaking of which, it's time for Xiaonian to get married. Is there a daughter you fancy?" Third Uncle asked Du Zhinian with a smile while holding a wine glass.

Du Zhinian glanced at him coldly, "I don't like women."

The fact that he talked about his boyfriend was not a secret in the Du family, and it was used as a topic of private chat by several uncles in the early years.

"How can you say that." The third uncle let out a strange cry of disapproval, "If you don't like women, you have to marry and have children. Otherwise, how will you inherit the eldest brother's position in the future?"

Du Zhinian sneered, and mocked disdainfully: "You covet the position of chairman yourself, don't think of me like this, not everyone is rare to be in that position."

The third uncle was exposed by Du Zhinian in front of Xiaosi, the expression on his face couldn't hold back, and he shouted angrily: "Du Zhinian! Do you still have elders in your eyes!"

"What kind of elder are you?" Du Zhinian asked with a sneer.

Bringing an illegitimate child home and selling her daughter openly, you are not even considered a human being, and you have the face to call yourself an elder?

"Pa—" Third Uncle slapped the table, and the woman sitting on Second Uncle's lap screamed in fright.

He stood up and wanted to teach Du Zhinian a lesson, but Du Hengyu who was beside him suddenly snapped, "Okay!"

Du Hengyu glanced over his restless younger brother, and then landed on his son's face. He said in a deep voice, "Indulging you for so many years, now that you've had enough fun, get married early. Your Uncle Tang's daughter has just returned to China, and I will arrange for you to have sex with her some other day." Meet her."

Du Zhinian folded his arms and smiled, "Do you think so too?"

Let the son who likes the same sex marry a woman to complete the so-called mission of "carrying on the family line". It should be said that it is not that the family does not enter the family, and even the disgusting methods are exactly the same.

Du Hengyu frowned in displeasure, as if he wanted to reprimand him, but Du Zhinian ignored his gaze and continued to taunt: "I like men, but you asked me to marry a woman, do you still have a conscience?"

"I didn't stop you from being a man. If I hadn't covered the things you did outside, do you know what others would say about you now! You are shameless, I want more!" Du Hengyu grabbed the wine glass on the table Throw it towards Du Zhinian.

Du Zhinian turned his head to avoid the wine glass that was thrown at his head. The glass fell behind him and shattered on the ground.

He glanced back at the shards of glass on the ground. If he hadn't dodged just now, he might have been smashed to the ground.

"What shame is there for me to be in a relationship? It's you, be careful when you mess around outside." Du Zhinian retorted, not to be outdone.

"I'm your father! Show me some respect!" Du Hengyu pointed at Du Zhinian's nose, "If you weren't born in Du's family, you wouldn't even be able to enter the hospital now!"

Hearing Du Hengyu's baseless accusations, Du Zhinian glanced at Wen Qiong who was sitting there silently watching, and suddenly laughed.

"You mean that I can become a doctor through the back door? In your eyes, my ten years of hard work are all farts?" Du Zhinian asked his father with a smile, but his eyes were cold.

"Du Hengyu, don't bully me too much! While obstructing my further studies, you are mocking me with my job title, and now you have to take credit for my finding a job. What do you want to do after letting you say all the good and bad things?"

"You interfered with my work, and now you're forcing me to get married. I don't even have the right to make my own decisions. Why do you think I can manage your broken company?"

Du Zhinian opened his eyes wide, and said to his father, "Du Hengyu, are you out of your mind? What daydreams are you doing at night?"

Du Hengyu's angry face twisted together, he gritted his teeth and said, "Believe it or not, I will make you unable to be a doctor for the rest of your life, and your little lover, do you think you can protect him?"

Du Zhinian's hand hanging by his side was tightly clenched into a fist, his body trembling violently due to anger.

Seeing his silence, the second uncle, who had been silent all this time, thought he was smoothing things over and said, "Xiao Nian, please apologize to Big Brother!"

"That's right, there's no overnight feud in the family." Du Zhinian's cousin echoed repeatedly.

"Enough!" Du Zhinian shouted sharply.

As if the mute button had been pressed, the messy voices disappeared as soon as Du Zhinian finished speaking. The atmosphere in the restaurant was oppressive, and the aunt and sister sitting in the corner carefully looked at the people at the main table.

Du Zhinian turned his head and looked at Wen Qiong with red eyes, "He didn't push me enough, and dragged others into the water, don't you care?"

"You yourself are not happy, are you happy to see other people end up like you?" He questioned his silent mother, every word was harsh.

Du Hengyu suddenly stood up, "Du Zhinian! Why did you talk to your mother!"

"You fucking know how to pretend now, why don't you think that she is my mother and your wife when you are messing around outside?" Du Zhinian raised his volume to cover Du Hengyu's voice.

He smiled, but his eyes were moist, "I feel disgusted when I see you now."

Du Hengyu was so angry that he trembled all over, and he wanted to reprimand him, but his wife beside him stopped his son first: "Your year!"

She looked up at Du Zhinian, there was no smile on her delicately made-up face, her beautiful brows were frowned, "It's getting late, you should go back."

Wen Qiong's pampered lady could no longer maintain her posture. When her husband urged her son, who was living with a man, to get married and have children earlier, a trace of boredom and fatigue crossed her face.

It was the first time Du Zhinian saw Wen Qiong showing such an expression.

"Don't make it seem like I really want to celebrate the New Year with you." He pulled out an ugly smile, "Who the fuck cares about it."

Du Zhinian slammed the door and left, Du Hengyu was about to get angry with a cold face, but Wen Qiong raised his hand to hold his arm.

She got up and took the coat handed over by the maid, and trotted to catch up with Du Zhinian's back as he left alone.

When Du Zhinian walked to the garden, he found that it was snowing heavily outside. The dry branches were covered with thick snow. The soft and thick snowflakes completely covered the garden that was once full of roses, and there was a bone-chilling chill everywhere.

Shen Guiwan would always hide under the quilt and curl up his body on such nights. Without his help to cover the heat, his hands and feet would be cold all night, and he would even catch a cold if he was not careful.

Du Zhinian quickened his pace and walked towards the gate of the manor, but when he walked around the corridor and was about to walk out of the gate, he saw Wen Qiong standing under the corridor.

She stood in the most inconspicuous position in the corridor, without obstructing or making a sound, just looking at him from afar.

Du Zhinian paused, his tightly pursed lips trembling in the cold wind, he turned around abruptly and walked towards her.

He walked in front of Wen Qiong, staring closely at her face, his red eyes intertwined with anger and sorrow.

"Mother, what am I to you?" Du Zhinian asked with a choked voice, his trembling voice was shattered by the cold wind.

He wondered whether he was a blood-linked family in his mother's eyes, or a puppet without self-awareness, or an insignificant stranger, a puppy who came and went when he was called.

It was the first time that Du Zhinian was so eager to get an answer from his mother, but Wen Qiong just raised his hand and gently stroked the wrinkles on his coat.

"Go back, there are still people waiting for you in your family." She was wrapped in fur and stood in the cold wind, exhaling a melancholy sigh that turned into white mist and dispersed in the dark winter night.

Sitting in the car, Du Zhinian looked at Wen Qiong standing in front of the door through the rearview mirror.

A huge red lantern was hung in front of the gate of the manor, and the dim light shone on Wen Qiong's body, dyeing the white fur with a warm color.

Her figure exuded a soft light in the dark night, but her face became mottled and blurred in the snowy night.

Du Zhinian felt that her appearance was very strange, so strange that she was not like the mother who always scolded him gently.

He didn't start the car, leaned over and rested his head on the steering wheel, his shoulders trembled in a few suppressed sobs.

The glass cut off the wind outside the window, and also trapped Du Zhinian's voice in the small space, echoing endlessly.