Chapter 133: Husband

"How would I know?" Uncle Xu huffed indignantly. "Old An is just heartless. After his wife and son died, not only did he abandon his job, he didn't even care about his daughter. If he hadn't suddenly gone missing, our research at the Third Research Division wouldn't have been stalled for so long."

Uncle Xu did not fully grasp the technical importance of their work, but he had heard enough to know that since Old An left, the entire project had essentially come to a standstill.

He picked up his tobacco pouch and then added, "Old An was so brilliant; perhaps An Tong picked up a thing or two just by being around him?"

"Even if she did, she was only eighteen at the time. It's unlikely she could have grasped the programs and technical code Old An wrote..."

...

Western Suburb Cemetery.

Returning here once again to pay respects to her mother and younger brother, An Tong’s mood inevitably sank into a melancholy state. Yet, this dejection was different from mere sorrow; it carried a faint, hidden trace of regret.

Holding flowers in one hand and clasping the man’s hand with the other, An Tong whispered, "Mom, Xiao Qi, this is Rong Shen, my... husband."

She did not use terms like "partner" or "mister," but chose the profoundly formal word "husband."

Without waiting for Rong Shen to speak, she continued to murmur about her experiences over the recent period, even recounting the story of how they had met and fallen in love. It was a routine visit, yet it brimmed with an unusual sense of confession.

From start to finish, An Tong did not give Rong Shen a chance to speak. Perhaps she did not want to force him, for even she had yet to call Ruan Danling "Mom," and could not calmly allow the man to say anything to the headstone.

Paying respects at a grave is, for the most part, a form of spiritual solace sought by the living.

Unexpectedly, An Tong did not cry. She simply let Rong Shen help her clear away the surrounding weeds and dust. As they left, she looked back once more at the photo on the headstone. Her eyes grew slightly damp before she held the man’s hand and walked down the steps.

Back in the car, she composed herself and glanced at Rong Shen. "Back at the Holy Sacrifice Hall, what did Uncle Xu talk to you about before we left?"

They had gone straight to the cemetery after leaving the hall. An Tong had been preoccupied with her thoughts and had remained silent the entire way. Only now, with the visit concluded, did she think to ask.

Inside the car, the man’s expression remained as usual, yet there was a rare hint of complexity to it. He reached out to stroke An Tong’s cheek, tilting his head, and did not hide the truth. "He was asking me about your father’s whereabouts."

He had long known from Su Ji that An Xianghuai had been in Hong Kong all along. However, Rong Shen had never brought this up to An Tong directly. Now, through Uncle Xu, the question had come up naturally.

As he finished speaking, the man looked at An Tong with intense focus, not missing the slightest change in her expression.

The hesitation and concealment he had anticipated did not appear; instead, there was a calm of someone who already understood. An Tong lowered her eyelids and sighed, a wry smile touching her lips. "I thought they had given up long ago."

Clearly, she had known all along.

Rong Shen expected her to say more, but the young woman remained silent, her gaze becoming somewhat distant.

The man gently turned her face back toward him, his dark brows furrowing as he made no effort to hide his concern. "Don't overthink things, hmm?"

Since she had gone to Zhanzhou, she had not experienced any further emotional detachment. The one time she had felt it, she had relied on her own endurance and willpower to suppress the symptoms. In such a virtuous cycle, Rong Shen naturally could not let outside factors interfere with her emotional world.

An Tong stared back at him, her voice steady as she replied, "I'm not overthinking... I'm just wondering when the best time would be to take you to see him."

The "him" was, without a doubt, An Xianghuai.

Rong Shen softened the sternness between his brows and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Whatever happens naturally will be fine."

Since she had the thought of taking him to see An Xianghuai, it was proof enough that she was ready to fully accept her own life. Even today’s visit to the Holy Sacrifice Hall—if she hadn't wanted to make their relationship public, she could have chosen any other shop; there was no need to choose Elder Xu’s. An Tong knew full well the chain reaction that their appearance together might cause, yet she had done it anyway.

Who was Rong Shen? With his shrewdness and intellect, how could he not guess An Tong’s intentions? She was slowly peeling back the layers of her world to show him.

...

News of Rong Shen’s return to Hong Kong spread quickly, thanks to Su Yiting’s intentional sharing in their group chat, and several close friends soon sent invitations for a gathering. This included Yi Ke.

It was a rare trip back, so a gathering among friends was inevitable. That evening, Rong Shen took An Tong to the Hong Kong Club.

The high-end club was not like other places for debauchery; it was quiet and elegant, with exquisite and luxurious decor. Most of the people at the table had met at the gathering at Guanpu Cliff. An Tong greeted them and sat quietly by his side, eating fruit.

She didn't dislike such occasions. To be precise, most people who attended these gatherings were close friends of Rong Shen. As a married couple, integrating into each other’s social circles was the most natural thing in the world, even if she felt a slight sense of unease due to her unfamiliarity with some of them.

This unease ended the moment Wen Wan and Yi Ke arrived.

The relationship between Yi Ke and An Tong went without saying; their shared master-disciple bond from their youth was deeper than many of the friendships among the men.

"Little An Tong." Yi Ke hung her coat on a rack and walked over, looking her up and down. "Not bad, you’ve put on a little weight since we last met."

An Tong silently put down the fruit she was holding, unsure of how to respond. Even if she didn't care much about her appearance, being told she had gained weight still bothered her a little. What woman doesn't care about her figure?

Seeing this, Yi Ke burst into laughter, slapping her leg, and quickly picked up the half-eaten apple An Tong had set down. "I’m just teasing you. Why are you taking it seriously?"

An Tong took the fruit back, though she had lost her appetite and only took a small bite. She wondered if there was a scale at Yundian; she wanted to check her weight when she got back tonight.

At this moment, Yi Ke gestured toward Wen Wan beside her and introduced, "This is Wen Wan. We’ve had dinner together before, remember?"

"I remember." An Tong wiped her hands and stood up politely. "Hello, Miss Wen."

Wen Wan took off her scarf, her voice soft and gentle as she greeted, "It’s been a while."

With the two of them in the same frame, the atmosphere wasn't exactly awkward, but it was certainly a bit strained. After all, one was the legitimate wife, and the other had harbored unrequited feelings for years.

As for Rong Shen, the man involved, he sat to one side with his legs crossed, smoking elegantly. Aside from An Tong, almost everyone present knew the truth about Wen Wan. Although there was a bit of dark amusement in watching the situation unfold from the sidelines, everyone also understood that with Wen Wan’s sensible nature, she was unlikely to do anything crude to sow discord.

It was just a question of whether An Tong would notice anything amiss.