14. Chapter 14: Li Ran (2)

“Who told you that?” Leng Mohan looked at Lin Yan’s stunned expression and couldn’t help but reach out to pinch her delicate nose.

“On the television,” Lin Yan replied softly, lowering her head before suddenly raising it again to ask, “Don’t we need to go home and change first? At least put on a formal dress, so it won’t be rude.”

“No need. It’s just an ordinary gathering among friends,” Leng Mohan said.

Today, he seemed unusually cheerful, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. His gaze was peculiar as he looked at Lin Yan, then kindly advised, “You really shouldn’t watch those soap operas. They’re misleading.”

“Uh...” Lin Yan felt a bit embarrassed by his words and fell silent for the rest of the journey.

She rarely attended such gatherings with Leng Mohan. Usually, he was accompanied by his secretary or a dance partner. Everyone knew he was married, but no one knew who his wife was.

Lin Yan felt a twinge of regret for not listening to him earlier and wearing that dress. Was the outfit she had on now too casual?

Glancing at Leng Mohan’s attire, she realized he always looked the same—suit and shirt, only the colors varied. Whether formal or informal seemed irrelevant to him.

Sensing what she was thinking, Leng Mohan kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached out with the other to ruffle her hair. “Don’t worry, it’s just a few old friends.”

Lin Yan wasn’t used to such intimacy. Although Leng Mohan had played the role of a good husband since their marriage, they were not truly a loving couple.

She tilted her head slightly, trying to avoid his hand, but he seemed to anticipate her movement, shifting his gesture just enough to still land accurately on the top of her head.

“Got it,” Lin Yan said lightly, turning her gaze to the window.

The drive was quiet. The car steadily climbed the winding mountain road, where the air was exceptionally fresh, and the scenery far surpassed that of the city. Lin Yan was amazed; she had never imagined that such a paradise existed so close to the urban sprawl.

The hills were covered with wild peach blossoms, stretching out in vast, crimson waves that made one’s heart tremble.

“Are these wild peach trees?” Lin Yan couldn’t help but ask.

“No, they’re cultivated,” Leng Mohan replied coolly, and just like that, Lin Yan’s interest in the peach grove waned.

She quietly withdrew her head and asked in a muffled voice, “How much longer?”

Just then, the car rounded a bend, and the seemingly endless peach grove abruptly ended at a small farmhouse courtyard. The car stopped steadily in the center of the yard.

“We’ve arrived.”

Leng Mohan got out first, walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and helped Lin Yan down.

Looking around, they were surrounded by peach trees. The courtyard was enclosed by a simple bamboo fence, rustic and unpretentious. In the middle stood several stone tables, each surrounded by stone stools fixed firmly to the ground.

On the tables were sets of Go, Chinese chess, and mahjong...

Seeing the mahjong tiles, Lin Yan couldn’t help but frown. She recalled her childhood, when a neighbor’s uncle was always quarrelling with his wife over mahjong games. Eventually, the wife took her own life. The uncle, filled with regret, sent their youngest daughter to live with relatives and later drowned himself, following his wife. The family was utterly shattered.