Chapter 155: Chen Aijia's Family Background

Upon seeing the woman cooking in the kitchen—the very Auntie Chen whom Old Chen had mentioned—Yang Changfeng immediately grasped his father-in-law's taste: the man liked women older than himself.

Judging her to be around fifty years old, the passage of time had not left her untouched by beauty. She appeared full of vitality, yet one had to admit that compared to Chen Aijia and An Ya, she had aged considerably, with numerous crow's feet framing her eyes.

Of course, this was just Yang Changfeng's estimate, because when looking at someone in their forties, Yang Changfeng could only guess they were roughly in their fifties. Compared to President Chen, his wife appeared somewhat older.

An Ya had originally intended to whisper a warning to Yang Changfeng, but she didn't expect President Chen to follow them right inside. With a rather sour expression, the older man informed Yang Changfeng, "This is my wife, but she is not Aijia's mother."

Well, obviously.

Still, why do you keep glaring at me as if I've offended you? What did I ever do to you?

Yang Changfeng felt deeply aggrieved and seriously wanted to pick a fight with his father-in-law.

Chen Aijia was very close to her stepmother. Aside from not calling her "Mom," in every other aspect, their intimacy was genuinely real.

Linking arms with her, Chen Aijia looked her up and down carefully and beamed, "Thank goodness you're finally completely better! You two ran off to travel for several years, and while I wasn't worried about anything else—my dad is too cunning for anyone to ever take advantage of him—I was only worried about your health. Now you look much better."

The woman smiled at Yang Changfeng and said, "Little Yang is back? Have a seat first, dinner will be ready in a moment."

Then, looking at An Ya with a cheerful smile, she added, "Little An Ya, who used to cry so much when she was overwhelmed with work, has now become a pillar of the company! Do you still complain about certain people failing to cooperate with you?"

An Ya's pretty face flushed red as she replied, "Auntie Li, you're teasing me again. That was so long ago, I've already forgotten all about it."

"Well, I haven't forgotten," Auntie Li said, casting a sideways glance at Old Chen. "Why are you giving the kids unprovoked glares? Go wash your hands quickly, dinner's almost ready."

Old Chen instantly broke into a wide grin, nodding hastily as he scurried off to wash his hands like an obedient puppy.

Good grief, the father-in-law is truly legendary! The boss actually ran off with the finance manager—now that is a major piece of news!

Auntie Li gently tapped Chen Aijia's cheek and said affectionately, "Aren't I doing well now? Everything's fine, the stents were even removed, though I still can't overwork myself."

Chen Aijia coaxed playfully, "Oh, we can make money. You guys just need to keep traveling and enjoy your retirement. Making money is our job! What are we having for dinner today?"

"We got tired of Western food, so your dad specifically wanted some Mapo Tofu and boiled fish in chili oil," Auntie Li replied, leading Chen Aijia toward the kitchen while chatting. "If it weren't for Auntie telling us, we wouldn't have known you girls had managed the company so well."

The "Auntie" Auntie Li referred to was none other than the elderly woman who, despite clearly possessing considerable wealth, stubbornly insisted on coming over every day to help Chen Aijia clean the house. Having interacted with her a few times, Yang Changfeng genuinely liked this wonderfully eccentric old lady. She was a lot of fun, extremely talkative, and held a grandmotherly affection toward Chen Aijia. Chen Aijia adored her just as much; if she didn't see the old woman for a day, she would call to check on her. That delighted the old lady to no end—lately, she practically walked with a spring in her step. Like a child, the elderly woman simply loved being remembered by others, and this affection extended to Yang Changfeng as well. She would call him "Little Fengzi" all day long, and Yang Changfeng honestly loved hearing it.

Taking advantage of the moment, An Ya explained to Yang Changfeng that Chen Aijia's biological mother had left Old Chen and young Aijia when Aijia was still a little girl. At the time, President Chen had been far too busy and lacked tact, possessing a rather blunt temper. That woman eventually abandoned them and ran off with a foreigner who taught foreign languages in the country.

Chen Aijia had deeply engraved that incident in her memory. To this day, she refused to have any contact with that woman and held a strong aversion toward her maternal grandparents' family, who had once considered it a matter of great honor to be associated with a foreigner.

"She will never, ever call her 'Mom.' She always refers to her purely as 'that woman.' You'd better not provoke her on this subject; she harbors a very deep resentment," An Ya warned quietly.

Yang Changfeng understood now. It seemed Chen Aijia was quite a pitiful figure too, having grown up from a very young age with a father overwhelmed by work, leaving a sharp thorn lodged in her heart. Frankly speaking, her refusal to forgive was entirely understandable.

Soon, the dishes were served on the table. Old Chen produced a bottle of liquor, squinted at Yang Changfeng, and asked sideways, "Young man, can you hold your liquor?"

Why is he still trying to compete with me? Is this really necessary?

Out of pure stubbornness, Yang Changfeng retorted, "Nope!"

Chen Aijia couldn't help but chuckle. She gave Yang Changfeng a light kick and scolded playfully, "Dad likes to have a little drink every single day. Keep him company for a couple of rounds—don't tell me you can't drink, because I simply won't believe it."

President Chen's temper flared even higher. He stiffened his neck and argued loudly, "Who says I only like a little? My capacity is three catties..."

As a result, he was immediately met with simultaneous cold glares from Auntie Li and Chen Aijia. He deflated instantly, muttering sheepishly, "Just two taels now, six taels a day maximum."

Gleeful at his misfortune, Yang Changfeng immediately chimed in, "Well, compared to that, I'm doing alright. Half a jin per meal, two jin a day is no problem at all."

Furious, Old Chen looked around for something to throw so he could fight Yang Changfeng to the death, but Auntie Li simply glanced up from serving the rice and calmly stated, "If you don't sit down right this second, you're only getting one tael today."

Watching his father-in-law slump down dejectedly without daring to breathe too loudly, Yang Changfeng felt utterly triumphant.

Served him right!

He couldn't help being curious: Old Chen didn't exactly look like a particularly dashing or charismatic man, yet Auntie Li was supremely gentle and serene—how on earth had she been sweet-talked and swept away by his father-in-law?

Brought up on the topic, the father-in-law's eyes lit up with excitement as he opened the floodgates of conversation. Clinking his small liquor glass with Yang Changfeng, he declared, "Back then, your Auntie Li didn't have many distinguishing features, just one: she was drop-dead gorgeous!"

Well, naturally. She must have been an absolute beauty.

Old Chen sighed, "Too bad back then I was single-mindedly focused on building my career, plus little Aijia was only in the third grade of elementary school or so, so I didn't pay attention to those things."

So how did he end up noticing her later?

Did Auntie Li resort to a honey trap?

Truth be told, this was actually Chen Aijia's achievement. The girl was far from being an ungrateful wolf; when she reached middle school and saw how cold and desolate the household felt day after day, she decided Auntie Li was wonderful. With her acting as the matchmaker, the match was successfully made.

Yang Changfeng had always assumed the two adults must have schemed it together and gotten Chen Aijia to play matchmaker.

Of course, the parties involved hadn't possessed such complicated intentions. And thus, this family had remained intact for over a decade. Although Chen Aijia never called Auntie Li "Mom," their relationship was exceptionally close. Chen Aijia's aversion stemmed primarily from her disgust toward the very status of a mother, a shadow cast by her own biological mother—"that woman." Otherwise, given the current bond between Chen Aijia and Auntie Li, she wouldn't have begrudged a mere title.

Naturally, Auntie Li was also a very sensible woman. On one hand, due to health reasons, and on the other, to prevent any future family disputes over the inheritance of assets among children, she had explicitly stated that she would not have children of her own—a decision Chen Aijia both acknowledged and appreciated.

That was a tremendous sacrifice. Chen Aijia wasn't devoid of a conscience; how could she possibly fail to understand that?