Chapter 782: 785, The Cost of Growth (First Update)

The two elders had put a lot of effort into arranging the banquet, only to find that the protagonist was nowhere to be seen!

Just thinking about it made one feel incredibly heartbroken.

"It’s okay, sweetheart, don’t cry," Shen Haoguang consoled Duanmu Sheng while patting her back, "the banquet is not until tonight anyway, we can just inform everyone it’s canceled then."

Now, there was only one thing to do.

"Haoguang, you’re so kind, thank you." Duanmu Sheng held Shen Haoguang tight, crying and smiling at the same time.

Shen family.

After Duanmu Sheng and Shen Haoguang returned and explained the situation, even though the Shen family’s parents were quite disappointed, they all comforted Duanmu Sheng and told her it wasn’t her fault.

Family is inevitably rough around the edges; at that moment, Duanmu Sheng felt even more grateful.

After comforting her, Shen’s mother added, "Shengsheng, you and Little Zhe are siblings by blood; there can’t be any hatred that lasts overnight between you two. You are his sister; you should be more generous. Call him tomorrow. In a few days, it will be the 18th—to miss such a significant event in Little Zhe’s life is something you, as his sister, must not do."

Clearly, Shen’s mother’s words implied that Duanmu Sheng should apologize to Duanmu Zhe and then attend his engagement party with Shen Haoguang.

This was the Shen family’s last hope.

If the Duanmu family did not even allow Duanmu Sheng to attend such an important event as an engagement party, it meant Duanmu Sheng would have no value to them whatsoever!

The engagement party was a gathering place for all the big shots from all three realms, where Shen Haoguang could not only vindicate his identity but also make connections with various officials and dignitaries, killing two birds with one stone.

Duanmu Sheng wiped away her tears, "I know my brother’s temper; he was really angry today. Maybe, my brother and I have reached the end of our sibling relationship."

"Silly child," Shen’s mother chided with a smile, "there’s a saying, ’blood is thicker than water.’ A brother is still a brother; how could he refuse to acknowledge his own sister? Your parents adore your brother so much; let him speak on your behalf in front of them. Then our two families could sit down peacefully for a family meal and hold a lively wedding for you and Haoguang. Wouldn’t that resolve everything? Do you still want to continue like this with your parents and your brother?"

Shen’s mother painted a rosy picture.

Duanmu Sheng also wished that things could turn out as Shen’s mother described.

Unfortunately.

Her parents were nowhere near as understanding as Shen Haoguang’s.

Shen’s father also added, "Shengsheng! Your mother is right! A brother is a brother, and he surely won’t disown his own sister. Besides, do you really want to be without your own family in the future? No matter how well your mother and I treat you, we can’t replace your birth parents."

The Shen parents argued very sensibly, seemingly considering Duanmu Sheng’s best interests.

Duanmu Sheng agreed they were making sense, nodding her head, "Mom and Dad, I understand. I will call Little Zhe tomorrow. Thank you for being willing to think about me like this. I’m going up now."

"Go on. I’ll bring lunch up for you later, don’t overthink things," Shen’s mother said with a kind face.

"Okay." Duanmu Sheng nodded, and then turned to go upstairs.

The moment she turned, an impatient look flashed across the faces of both Shen Haoguang and his wife.

This Duanmu Sheng, truly useless! She couldn’t even handle such a trivial matter!

Once Duanmu Sheng disappeared around the staircase corner, Shen’s mother turned to Shen’s father, whispering, "Liangxiao, do you think Duanmu Sheng is really up for it? Could Duanmu Canghai actually be serious?"

Shen’s father also had a worried look. He took a sip of tea and continued, "Who knows? Let’s wait and see; the engagement is only a few days away." After speaking, Shen’s father looked toward the doorway and sighed, "Alas, Situ Ya hasn’t visited in several days either, right?"

"Exactly!" Shen’s mother frowned, "Ever since Duanmu Sheng moved in, Situ Ya hasn’t come by at all! I’ve run out of my nutritional supplements!"

Situ Ya used to visit almost every other day, always bringing treats. The Shen parents hadn’t thought much of it as it was a regular occurrence.

Now, with Situ Ya suddenly gone, Shen’s parents were somewhat unaccustomed to her absence.

"Ah, that’s not right!" Shen’s mother looked at Shen’s father, teasingly, "Didn’t you use to look down on Situ Ya before? How come you’re missing her all of a sudden?"

Shen’s father sighed, "Looking at it now, Situ Ya really is the sensible one! Unlike this Duanmu Sheng, who does nothing but eat and sleep, and knows nothing about taking action. She’s just like a wastrel!"

In truth, Shen’s father had run out of his brand-name cigarettes, which Situ Ya used to buy for him.

Now without Situ Ya, and having to spend his own money to buy them, he did feel it was a bit of a pinch.

**

Elsewhere.

Duanmu Zhe skipped going home and took a taxi directly to the hospital with Mo Qingyi.

At the hospital entrance, Mo Qingyi expressed her exasperation, "Duanmu Xiaosi, you’re really making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s just a little cut; I could have bandaged it myself when I got home. Besides, Jin is there; she’s an expert in these matters."

Duanmu Zhe grabbed Mo Qingyi’s hand, his brow furrowed, "The cut is so deep, and you’re saying it’s nothing! Does it hurt?"

Mo Qingyi smiled gently, "It won’t hurt if you blow on it."

"This is no time for jokes!" Duanmu Zhe pinched Mo Qingyi’s nose, though he still tenderly blew on her hand as he spoke.

Mo Qingyi smiled blissfully.

Unable to argue with Duanmu Zhe, Mo Qingyi reluctantly followed him into the hospital. Duanmu Zhe made a phone call and bypassed the need to queue for registration, going straight to the specialist’s office.

"Doctor, how is it? Will my girlfriend’s hand need stitches? Is it serious?" Duanmu Zhe asked the doctor anxiously.

Mo Qingyi, her face turning pink, was too embarrassed to look at the doctor.

The doctor, a kindly middle-aged woman, reassured them with a smile, "Young man, don’t worry. The wound is a bit deep, but it’s not serious enough for stitches. It is painful, though - she must have bled quite a bit, right? The young lady is pretty tough, not crying out in pain despite the injury."

Other young people might be already weeping with their boyfriend by their side, let alone dealing with the injury itself.

Although it hurt a bit, Mo Qingyi could endure it; after all, she was a soldier. The injuries she had sustained during training had been much more severe and she had never uttered a word.

Hearing what the doctor said, Duanmu Zhe felt even more distressed, "Are you an idiot? When my sister pushed you, you didn’t even think to push back!"

Mo Qingyi gently looked up and smiled, "I didn’t expect her to lash out suddenly, and besides, she didn’t do it on purpose. If I had pushed back, wouldn’t that have escalated the conflict? And to think you’re a leader! Don’t you know it’s important to favor peace?"

Upon hearing this, a look of admiration flashed in the doctor’s eyes. From these words, it was clear that Mo Qingyi was a sensible and good girl.

"Young lady, I need to apply some medicine now, which might sting a bit, so just bear with it," said the doctor with a smile.

"Okay," Mo Qingyi said with a smile and nodded.

"If it really hurts, bite my hand," Duanmu Zhe said earnestly as he extended his hand.

"Gross, who wants to bite your pig trotters," Mo Qingyi slapped Duanmu Zhe’s hand away.

The doctor also had a face full of smiles, having not seen such a refreshing young couple in a long time; their way of interacting was quite pleasing to the eye.

"You have a good eye, young lady. Your boyfriend is very good to you," the doctor said while applying the medicine.

With a smiling face, Mo Qingyi said, "Doctor, you can’t praise him. If you keep it up, his tail is going to wag up to the sky."

The doctor laughed along.

Duanmu Zhe then asked, "Doctor, when will my girlfriend’s hand recover? We are getting engaged in three days and it won’t interfere with our engagement party, will it?"

"Getting engaged? Congratulations to both of you!" said the doctor with a smile. "A small injury like this won’t be a problem. You can remove the gauze tomorrow."

At that, Duanmu Zhe’s face lit up with a smile. "Thank you so much, Doctor."

"What’s there to thank me for," said the doctor, quickly wrapping up the wound, "it’s our duty as doctors. Oh yes, tonight you should be a little careful, try not to get it wet so it heals faster."

"Okay," Duanmu Zhe nodded repeatedly, "We got it."

After leaving the hospital, Duanmu Zhe took Mo Qingyi back to the imperial palace, and then he went to his own home.

Because of Duanmu Sheng’s issue, the atmosphere in Duanmu Family was not very good.

Zhou Jin lay in bed, while Duanmu Canghai sat in a chair, smoking restlessly, the ashtray already full of cigarette butts.

"Sir, the young master has returned," the butler greeted Duanmu Zhe and walked to Duanmu Canghai’s side with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Canghai’s expression changed, his eyes lifting in delight as he stamped out his cigarette in the ashtray, "Little Zhe is back! Is Qingyi not with you?"

"Dad," Duanmu Zhe began with a smile, "Qingyi went back home first, where’s Mom?"

"It’s good you’re back. Your mom’s upstairs, I’ll take you to her," Duanmu Canghai got up from the chair.

Duanmu Zhe followed closely behind.

In the room, Zhou Jin, who had been lying in bed, perked up noticeably at the sight of Duanmu Zhe, "My Little Zhe is back."

Duanmu Zhe was the youngest child and the apple of Duanmu Canghai and Zhou Jin’s eye.

"Mom, are you okay?" seeing Zhou Jin like this, Duanmu Zhe was very concerned.

"I’m fine, I’m fine," Zhou Jin said with a smile and a shake of her head, "I was just tired, so I slept for a while. You must be hungry, Little Zhe, I’ll go make you something to eat."

With that, Zhou Jin was about to get out of bed, but Duanmu Zhe promptly stopped her, "Mom, I’m not hungry, you should rest."

Zhou Jin felt comforted seeing her son being so understanding, but her face soon filled with worry, "Little Zhe, did you see your third sister when you came back today?"

No matter what, Duanmu Sheng was her biological daughter. Even if she didn’t recognize Zhou Jin as her mother, the blood ties could never be erased.

Duanmu Zhe nodded, "Yes, I saw her with Shen Haoguang."

"She’s still with that bastard?" Duanmu Canghai was very angry.

His daughter was such a disappointment! The men in this world hadn’t all died out, yet she insisted on clinging to that scum!

"Yes, I’ve tried advising her, and even showed her the evidence, but she refuses to believe it," Duanmu Zhe said calmly, instinctively hiding the fact that Mo Qingyi was injured.

Mo Qingyi had asked him to do so.

"Forget about her!" Duanmu Canghai sighed, "we’ve said all there is to say, but she just can’t see the facts clearly..."

"Dad, don’t be too sad," Duanmu Zhe patted Duanmu Canghai on the back, "my third sister isn’t a fool, she’ll see Shen Haoguang’s true nature sooner or later."

Zhou Jin stood up from the bed, "Little Zhe is right. Just let things take their course. Sheng has always been stubborn since she was a child, never turning back until she hits the south wall. Let her go. Without experiencing setbacks, she will never grow up."

As a mother, she also grieved for Duanmu Sheng.

Duanmu Zhe poured a cup of water for Zhou Jin and spoke with a deep tone, "It’s just that, isn’t the price of growing up a bit too high?"

As a brother, Duanmu Zhe also didn’t want to see his sister sink deeper into trouble.

Duanmu Canghai gave Duanmu Zhe a look, "Look at the state your third sister is in now, who can she listen to? Haven’t we tried advising her? Now it’s up to her."

Now, all they could do was watch Duanmu Sheng pay the price.

Because she steadfastly refused to see the truth, and also refused to walk out of the mire.

"Enough, enough, let’s not talk about these unhappy things," Zhou Jin started smiling again, "Little Zhe, you’re about to get engaged to Qingyi, so you must treat her well in the future and not create any scandals."

Duanmu Zhe nodded, "Mom, don’t worry, I’ll definitely take good care of Qingyi."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read