COSMIC SERENDIPITY

Chapter- 20 (INTERLUDE 2.1)

'Shijie!!!!', 'A-jieeee!!!!', 'A-Niang, A-Die!!!', 'A-Li!!!!', 'A-Xuan!!!' Many voices cried out at the same time in astonishment.

YanLi looked at them all and sighed, 'Calm down all of you and let me explain. And I am sure Jin-gongzi agrees with my reasoning, too, if he agrees with the break up.' It was more of a statement than question. But, ZiXuan agreed and gave her an encouraging smile to go on.

YanLi- So I know that you are all shocked that I am okay with the betrothal being broken. But, to be honest, had we not seen A-Ling here, I don't think we would have reached where we are now. The result would have been the same as the future. If A-Ling is here, then that means A-Xuan and I must have ultimately found our way back to each other. It also tells us that A-Xuan and I entered into the union by our own volition and not because of a mandatory betrothal between two sects.

'A-Li!' Madam Yu stressed on her name as if fed up with her, 'If the end result is the same, then what is the difference which path you take? Wasn't it easier the way we decided? Why do you think Zihao and I took this step since you were so young?'

Madam Jin, too, supported her friend as they had both discussed it before, 'Exactly my point. We had seen how you both always gravitated towards each other. That's the sole reason why this betrothal was set up. So you might not face any problems in the future. Everyone might say that it was due to my friendship with Ziyuan that we decided on your betrothal. But that was only part of the reason.

As mothers, we just wanted our kids to be happy. And if my child was marrying my best friend's child, then that was just the cherry on the top. But, what I still don’t understand is why you both suddenly resented this so much?'

YanLi wanted to say a great many things but kept quiet as she had no idea how to put her feelings into words. ZiXuan noticed her unease and decided to take the lead. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight at both his mother and future mother-in-law, 'We were scared.'

Everyone looked at him in confusion, except YanLi, who looked relieved for some reason. He was encouraged at the look on her face. Thus, he continued, 'We were scared to end up in a very miserable state', When he saw them about to interrupt, he showed them his hand to keep quiet and continued, 'Look, what I am about to say  might hurt you. But it's you who wants the truth, so that's what I would give you. Plus, it's not like this simulation won't be giving out all of our secrets by the end. So it's no use trying to hide anything. Let's face it firsthand. A-Niang, Madam Yu, both of you are aware of your married lives more than us. What goes on between a couple behind closed doors is none of our business. But both of you very conveniently forgot that you and your husbands weren't the only ones in your family. The children were there too. And agree or not, they are more perceptive than you can imagine.

You might not realize, but the strained relationship between parents really affects a child negatively. I will not go into details, as that's your job to think about. But I will tell you what we felt. Every time I watched you and A-die fight, I promised myself never to tie a girl with myself, whom I don't love and make both our lives miserable. This was my thought when I was still very small but capable enough to understand what was going on around me. But as I grew up, I turned more bitter, along with your relationship. From the "girl I don't love", I had already changed to "no girl".

You are right in guessing that I had liked A-Li because I was fascinated by her. She was different from all the other girls I had seen around me. Around her, I could be unflinchingly myself, and yet she wouldn't judge. In fact, her brothers were always ready to show me my place (chuckles at memory of two little jealous brothers), irrespective of my station. They all made me feel more human than I had ever felt in LanlingJin.'

Jin Ling could understand his father so well. He might not have had such an estranged couple as parents, but the loneliness was something that he could relate to very easily. Even Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng were surprised at the Peacock's confession.