Qin Chuan told Li Ya everything truthfully, recounting all the circumstances.
This included why his parents had suddenly come to the capital and how they had berated him upon meeting.
On the bed, Li Ya's eyes widened in disbelief.
If Qin Chuan hadn't told her, she would have remained in the dark, unaware that such a significant event had occurred.
At the same time, she finally understood why Qin Chuan's parents had suddenly appeared in the capital.
It was all to make her a concubine… No!
This wasn't ancient society anymore; there were no concubines. She would merely be a mistress.
A mistress with no status or official recognition!
Others would get married legally, appear in public together, and their children would inherit everything. But her child? It would be kept in the shadows, whispered about as shameful, and without any legitimate standing.
The more Li Ya thought about it, the more agitated she became, a flush spreading unnaturally across her face.
"Sis! Sis, calm down!"
Qin Chuan noticed Li Ya's distress and quickly grabbed her arm, shouting.
"I told you all of this tonight not to persuade you and achieve my selfish goals, but to atone and apologize!"
"I am ashamed of my selfish thoughts and beg for your forgiveness!"
Qin Chuan suddenly knelt heavily on the ground, lowering his head.
On the bed, Li Ya was startled and sat up abruptly. Before she could speak, Qin Chuan continued:
"I once told you that my love for both you and Yang Zimo was always the same, with no favoritism."
"Yet now I almost committed a grave mistake, which caused my parents and older brother to travel thousands of miles to stop me. I am truly guilty! I'm sorry!!"
"Tomorrow is the day agreed upon with Uncle Yang's family. I will also visit them, carrying thorns and accepting punishment, and confessing everything."
"Whatever the consequences, I will bear them alone!"
"Because this is all my fault, everyone else is innocent and should not have to bear any of it."
After speaking, Qin Chuan stood up and left the bedroom with heavy steps, leaving a profound silence in the room.
On the bed, Li Ya's emotions churned violently, her expression shifting constantly.
This was destined to be another sleepless night.
When everyone woke up the next morning, they discovered that Qin Chuan was gone.
"Girl, quickly call Xiao Chuan. Where did he go so early? Breakfast is almost ready!"
Jiang Cuihua said to Li Ya.
Li Ya dialed the familiar phone number, but it was switched off. Her pretty face immediately changed. Could he have already…?
She thought of the most likely possibility, and her face paled.
"Girl, what's wrong? Why is your face suddenly so grim?"
Jiang Cuihua noticed Li Ya's change in expression and asked with concern.
"Auntie!"
Li Ya looked at Jiang Cuihua with a complicated expression. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally spoke, "Qin Chuan must have gone to Longcheng!"
"Longcheng?"
Jiang Cuihua didn't understand at first, but then she remembered that today was a special day. Her face changed as well.
At the same time, Qin Shuren and Qin Yang, father and son, standing not far away, also changed their expressions.
"This child, it's just going to Longcheng, it's not a big deal. He just needs to give us a heads-up, making us wait here anxiously."
Jiang Cuihua said, feigning composure to prevent Li Ya from suspecting anything.
"Yes! Yes, Longcheng isn't an unfamiliar place. If he goes, he goes. Let's eat first!"
Qin Shuren chimed in.
"Xiao Ya, come eat! Eat!"
"Son, hurry up and get a stool, bowls, and chopsticks!"
Li Ya looked at the Qin family members, who were pretending to be busy, and suddenly said loudly, "Last night, Qin Chuan told me everything!"
The entire Qin family, who were busy, froze as if struck by lightning. Then, every one of them wore an expression of extreme terror.
"Girl… you…"
Jiang Cuihua's eyes darted around nervously, her voice trembling as she asked, "What exactly did Qin Chuan tell you?"
"He told me everything he should have told me. He told me all about it," Li Ya replied.
"Xiao Ya, please don't let that brat act recklessly. We absolutely will not allow him to do that!"
Qin Shuren said anxiously.
"Girl, we stand firmly with you this time. We absolutely will not allow that scoundrel to act out of line; it would be too unfair to you!"
Jiang Cuihua quickly added.
Looking at the anxious faces of Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua, and hearing their exceptionally caring words, a warmth surged through Li Ya's heart.
No matter how much of a scoundrel Qin Chuan was, these two elders were truly kind, showing genuine care for her from the bottom of their hearts.
This finally brought her a sense of balance, a harbor to anchor herself.
Otherwise, if even these two elders sided with their son, bullying her and her child, demanding she become a hidden mistress, she would have left immediately, never to see this family again.
It was just a child; she could raise it on her own. When the child was born, she would say the father had died long ago.
There were plenty of single mothers in the world; adding one more wouldn't make a difference.
Human nature was selfish, and saints existed only in myths. Li Ya certainly couldn't stand by and watch Qin Chuan marry another woman.
She had come to terms with many things now. If Qin Chuan didn't want to get married, then so be it. As long as Qin Chuan truly remained unmarried his entire life, she was willing to be with him forever.
This was already the greatest compromise she could tolerate, a red line that absolutely no one was allowed to cross.
No one!
If it was about fairness, then everyone should be treated fairly. No one should even think about legally marrying Qin Chuan.
While a heart-pounding drama was unfolding in the capital, at this very moment, a car had arrived downstairs at the Yang family villa.
It was past seven in the morning. Many people were having breakfast.
The Yang family was no exception.
The doorbell rang. Aunt Zhou, the nanny, opened the door and, seeing the figure standing outside, exclaimed excitedly, "Boss Qin!"
At the dining table, Yang Jingye, Chu Xiuying, and Yang Zimo, who were eating together, all turned their heads.
Upon seeing Qin Chuan, Yang Jingye was the first to stand up, his eyes filled with urgency. "Qin Chuan, you're here so early!"
"Oh, where are your parents?"
Yang Jingye looked outside the yard and saw no one.
Chu Xiuying also looked intently at Qin Chuan. Today was the day the two families had agreed to meet. They had canceled all their other appointments for this.
At the dining table, Yang Zimo, though silent, also had her beautiful eyes fixed on Qin Chuan's face.
Today was the agreed-upon day. This meeting was of great significance.
As mentioned before, human nature was selfish. Yang Zimo hadn't prevented this meeting with the intention of securing her own rightful place.
As long as her relationship with Qin Chuan was confirmed under the witness of both families, and the date was set, and they got their marriage certificates, then no matter how many other women Qin Chuan had, they would be illegitimate.
With her as the rightful wife, she would deal with all those seductive vamps one by one.
Seeing the hopeful expressions on the three faces before him, especially when he met Yang Zimo's gaze, Qin Chuan's eyes instinctively flickered away.
This slight avoidance suddenly gave Yang Zimo a bad premonition.
As expected, Qin Chuan's next words sent a chill down Yang Zimo's spine, making her body feel as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Uncle, Auntie, my… parents can't come!"
"I came today specifically to apologize to you all…"