CHAPTER 287: CHAPTER 287: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Ye Hengrou never expected Ningwan to come looking for her.

"Why did you suddenly come? Come in quickly, would you like something to drink?"

Unlike Ye Henghuang, Ye Hengrou wasn’t fearful of Ningwan, and she warmly invited her to come inside and offered her hospitality.

"Aunt, you don’t have to fuss, I just came to sit for a bit and will be leaving soon," Ningwan stopped her.

However, Ye Hengrou still poured her a cup of tea, "Since you’re here, at least have some tea. I didn’t expect you to come over. Are you in Jiangcheng? I sought you out before, and the Zhan Family said you weren’t around. I thought you had left already."

"You sought me out?" Ningwan was surprised.

Ye Hengrou laughed, "It’s nothing, just wanted to know how you’ve been lately. I heard from the Zhan Family that you and Zhan Hanjue have reconciled. That’s good, seeing that you’re doing well puts me at ease."

"Are you home alone?" Ningwan asked.

Ye Hengrou nodded, "Your younger siblings went to work and school, and your uncle is also at work. It’s just me at home. Ningwan, why are you looking for me? Tell me, as long as it’s something your aunt can do, I won’t refuse you."

"Aunt, you are always so good to me. I remember when I was a child, you treated me well, completely different from my other aunt," Ningwan said.

Ye Hengrou replied with remorse, "Ningwan, when you say that, I feel even more ashamed. I couldn’t stop you from marrying into the Zhan Family earlier. Fortunately, Zhan Hanjue is a good man, otherwise, how could I face your parents? I wasn’t much help later either, and I feel undeserving even of being called ’aunt’ by you."

"I know, in the Ye Family, just like my second uncle, you have little influence. Even if your heart was kind, there wasn’t much you could do. I don’t blame you."

"It’s good that you think of it that way," said Ye Hengrou, comforted.

"Actually, I came today to ask you about Wan Yufeng," Ningwan said.

"How did you... know about him?" Ye Hengrou’s face turned pale as she asked in horror.

Ningwan said, "I found out inadvertently, and I’ve already gone to ask my second uncle and aunt. Aunt told me there were rumors of him having a scandalous relationship with my mother. She said you might know more about it. Aunt, this is very important to me, please tell me everything."

"Ningwan, you wouldn’t ask this without reason. Could you tell me why you’re inquiring about this?" Ye Hengrou asked seriously.

Ningwan frowned; she was still speculating and didn’t know if she should tell her.

Ye Hengrou appeared gentle and indecisive.

But on this matter, she was very perceptive.

"Do you know something, or have you met Wan Yufeng? What did he say to you?"

"I have indeed met Wan Yufeng," Ningwan replied, compelled to tell the truth to get honesty out of her aunt, "but he didn’t tell me anything, except there was a woman by his side who looked very much like my mother. So, I wanted to know if there’s any connection between the two."

Ye Hengrou let out a breath of relief, "So that’s it. It seems he still can’t forget your mother. Maybe he found someone who resembles your mother as a substitute to comfort himself."

"So, did he really have a story with my mother?" Ningwan asked.

Ye Hengrou nodded, "He once crazily loved your mother and pursued her fervently. But your mother didn’t love him; she only liked my third brother."

"How did they meet?" Ningwan asked.

Ye Hengrou frowned slightly, then sighed after a long pause, "Actually, Wan Yufeng was originally someone I admired. I met him during a trip, became fond of him, and brought him to Jiangcheng. Unexpectedly, after coming to Jiangcheng, he fell for your mother at first sight. At that time, your mother and my third brother had already met, and they had affection for each other. Your mother firmly rejected Wan Yufeng’s affections. But Wan Yufeng wouldn’t give up, and because of this, I cut ties with him. It was only after your mother and third brother married, and your mother gave birth to you, that he stopped bothering them."

"He was someone you liked, but he fell for my mother, don’t you resent my mother?" Ningwan asked.

Ye Hengrou smiled wryly, "It’s impossible not to feel a bit resentful, but I wouldn’t say I hate her. At that time, I had a crush on Wan Yufeng, but he was always ambiguous, never giving me a clear answer. So, it can’t be considered a betrayal. Maybe he thought of me as a decent dating choice back then, given that we were a good match and I wasn’t bad looking. But the idea of marriage was still a bit distant for him. Until he saw your mother and fell for her on the spot. Perhaps then he understood what it truly means to like someone.

Back then, I did hold resentment towards your mother, and it formed a rift between us when we had been close friends. But after so many years, with your mother having passed and me being married with children, any resentment has long since disappeared. Wan Yufeng is doing quite well now too! He has always been a capable and ambitious person, apart from his obsession with your mother, he’s quite commendable in other aspects. Especially his looks, which were quite appealing back then. I was initially attracted by his appearance; it was just my type."

"Good looks?" Ningwan was surprised.

"Why, doesn’t he look good anymore? But at this age, if a man doesn’t take care of himself, it’s normal for his appearance to not hold up. But he was very handsome back then. Your father is handsome, right? But Wan Yufeng was not at all inferior to him. He looked a bit like... a current male celebrity; a photo that Yaoyao showed me. I thought he looked so much like him. He even received television offers before but he turned them down," Ye Hengrou said with a smile.

Ningwan thought about what Wan Yufeng looks like now, and even with several layers of filters, it was hard to imagine him being handsome.

She was curious then why someone like Mrs. Wan would have been taken with Wan Yufeng?

Although looks aren’t everything, the gap was too wide to not be curious.

Hearing it from her aunt now, it confused her even more.

"Aunt, do you have any photos of Wan Yufeng from when he was younger? I’d like to see."

"Photos..."

"Don’t worry, I won’t let my uncle find out," Ningwan promised.

Ye Hengrou sighed, got up, and searched in the room for a moment, quickly returning with a photo.

"There’s only this one left, all the others were destroyed."

"Is this Wan Yufeng?"

Looking at the handsome man in the photo, Ningwan was stunned.

This was completely different from the Wan Yufeng she had met.

Even with age and weight gain, he shouldn’t have gone from a wild boar to a miniature pet pig.

Not to mention that the appearance was worlds apart; even the height seemed to differ by at least ten centimeters.

Someone can gain weight, but shrinking so drastically was unheard of.

Besides, he wasn’t of the age where shrinking would take place.