123: Chapter 123 Pei Shanshan

"Qingqing, we're home. These are the slippers I prepared for you; I got them ready as soon as I received word yesterday."

"But considering how hot the weather is, I only brought you over now."

As soon as Deng Jiayu entered and changed her shoes, she began busying herself.

Before long, Ye Qingqing saw a pile of food appearing on the table.

There were snacks, fruits, and even... jerky.

It looked no different from the time before the Post-Apocalyptic World.

This couldn't help but make Ye Qingqing feel a bit surprised. Just what did her Maternal Grandfather and Grandmother do in the base to have such high status?

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to eat these things.

"Qingqing, why are you just standing there? You're home now, don't just daze at the door."

Seeing Ye Qingqing standing at the entrance, Deng Jiayu directly pulled her over to sit on the sofa in the living room.

She brought water for Ye Qingqing and then started feeding her snacks.

For a moment, a wave of emotion rose within Ye Qingqing's heart.

Ye Qingqing even felt her eyes grow hot.

She was touched, even to the point of wanting to cry.

"Grandmother..."

As Ye Qingqing spoke Deng Jiayu's name, her shoulders began to tremble slightly.

This startled Deng Jiayu, who immediately put down what she was holding, sat beside Ye Qingqing, and patted her back to comfort her.

"Oh, Qingqing, don't cry. Grandmother is here. Grandmother knows you've suffered on the way, good child."

"Good child, don't cry. We're home."

Perhaps because Ye Qingqing hadn't seen her relatives for a long time, seeing Deng Jiayu's kindness now instantly filled an empty space in her heart.

Seeing this, Pei Siyuan let out a sigh and then looked at Deng Jiayu.

"Alright, the child just arrived, don't scare her."

Hearing Pei Siyuan's words, Deng Jiayu sniffling, let go of Ye Qingqing and slowly reached out to touch her face.

"Qingqing..." Deng Jiayu's gaze as she looked at Ye Qingqing was full of longing.

But it was as if she was looking at another person through Ye Qingqing.

Ye Qingqing knew that Deng Jiayu was looking at her mother through her.

"So alike, truly alike. You look too much like your mother."

Deng Jiayu said this while stroking Ye Qingqing's face.

Pei Siyuan, meanwhile, took out a photo album filled with pictures of a young Pei Shanshan.

The Pei Shanshan of that time really did look very much like Ye Qingqing.

Not just in appearance, but even their temperaments were very similar.

However, Ye Qingqing was still different from the Pei Shanshan in the photos; there was a bit more coldness in Ye Qingqing's eyes.

Ye Qingqing took the album from Pei Siyuan and began flipping through it page by page.

Deng Jiayu watched from the side, her voice murmuring softly.

"When your mother left with your father, your grandfather and I tried to persuade her for a long time, but she said she would marry Ye Shanhai even if it meant cutting ties with us."

"At that time, we were also at fault for being stubborn with her. We just didn't expect that because of that stubbornness, your mother..."

Ye Qingqing actually knew a bit about the past between her mother and Ye Shanhai, but her knowledge wasn't complete.

But Ye Qingqing had always been curious why her mother would take an interest in Ye Shanhai, when clearly that man was completely unworthy of her.

Through the narration of Deng Jiayu and Pei Siyuan, Ye Qingqing finally learned the full story.

Originally, Pei Siyuan's family had been in business, but Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu had gone into academic research; still, their family background remained very wealthy.

So Ye Qingqing's mother, Pei Shanshan, had been the young lady of the Pei family.

During an accident, Pei Shanshan fell in love with Ye Shanhai.

At that time, Ye Shanhai had nothing; he was just a poor boy who, aside from his face, could be said to have nothing at all.

But by relying on a bunch of smooth talk, he managed to charm Pei Shanshan.

By the time Pei Shanshan told Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu, she was already pregnant with Ye Qingqing.

Pei Siyuan was so furious he was hospitalized; he told Pei Shanshan that Ye Shanhai was not a good man.

But Pei Shanshan wouldn't listen.

She still insisted on following Ye Shanhai.

Although Ye Shanhai kept telling Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu that he would definitely treat Pei Shanshan well.

However, Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu were people who had seen the world; they could tell at a glance that Ye Shanhai was not a good person.

At that time, Pei Siyuan told Pei Shanshan: 'We taught you knowledge and let you see the world not so you would fail to see a person's true character and be blinded by a few sweet words.'

But Pei Shanshan wouldn't listen; people who fall into love are always crazy.

At that time, Pei Shanshan's heart and eyes were entirely filled with Ye Shanhai; she loved him with a madness.

Pei Siyuan told Pei Shanshan: 'If you decide to leave with Ye Shanhai, then our destiny as father and daughter in this life is at an end.'

Originally, Ye Shanhai thought that after saying all that, if Pei Shanshan cared about her parents at all, she would at least waver a little.

But he didn't expect that the Pei Shanshan of that time would directly kneel by Pei Siyuan's hospital bed and kowtow three times.

"Dad, Mom, your daughter is unfilial. Your daughter has let you down, but I love Shanhai. I'm sorry."

Finally, after leaving behind those words of apology, Pei Shanshan resolutely left with Ye Shanhai.

Ye Qingqing actually knew the gist of what happened after that.

Pei Shanshan, who originally thought she had found the love of her life, had made the wrong bet.

As soon as Ye Shanhai realized that Pei Shanshan had split from her family and brought only one set of family property with her, he immediately became a different person.

It could be said that from the moment Ye Qingqing was born, Ye Shanhai treated Pei Shanshan poorly; he was a completely different person compared to when they were dating.

Ye Qingqing was already born by then; from the time she could remember, all she ever saw were her mother Pei Shanshan's tears.

But for the sake of her daughter Ye Qingqing, Pei Shanshan endured in silence, putting up with Ye Shanhai. She foolishly believed that love could influence everything.

However, Pei Shanshan had perhaps been protected too well by Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu.

People who live in an ivory tower for years do not know the hardships of the world.

She underestimated human nature and overestimated Ye Shanhai.

Ye Shanhai's infidelity and his mistresses—Pei Shanshan knew about all of it, but she was foolish; her 'love brain' was beyond saving.

Pei Shanshan had actually thought about going back to find Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu.

But she felt she had let them down; clearly, they had already told her the consequences and that Ye Shanhai was not a good man.

Yet she had still left with him.

So Pei Shanshan had no face and simply didn't dare go back to find Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu.

She felt she had failed her parents.

Moreover, she had a daughter.

It was only when they spoke of this that Ye Qingqing found out.

It turned out that back when Pei Shanshan passed away, Pei Siyuan and Deng Jiayu had come looking for Ye Qingqing.

At that time, they wanted to take Ye Qingqing back to raise her, but Ye Shanhai knew her Maternal Grandfather and Grandmother had money, so he kept Ye Qingqing under his control.