Some of the guests gaped and covered their mouths in pleasant surprise.  Some chattered their delight.

"Ooohhhh!!!"

"Wow!!!"

"Finally!!!!"

"Indeed, good news!!!"

"Can't wait for the baby!!!"

"Good Lord!!"

"That's what I'm saying!!"

They each have their unique expressions and being at the front, the couple enjoyed seeing all of their reactions at once.

"Let's rewatch the video coverage of this event later on."

"Good idea."

They whispered with each other.  This event turned out to be a baby shower of some sort.   Well, it was just an announcement, anyway.

"I'm going to be an uncle.  I'm going to be an uncle!  Yipee!!!!" Xue Guangxi almost jumped in joy.

The elders on both sides of the family seemed happier.  At long last, a new generation is about to start.  It was so refres.h.i.+ng.

Zhao Feiyan clasped her hands together, eyes almost filled with happy tears.  She regretted that she even pushed her daughter to another marriage when Chen Linyun was gone missing.  She planned to ask for Chen Linyun's forgiveness for her unsolicited nosiness at the time.

Aunty Mo, on the other hand, was already weeping silently.  She used the table napkin to wipe away the tears that escaped from her control.  She could remember when Xue Jinxu told her that she didn't have someone like hoe Mo Wenbin had been to her.  'Now, she has her angel to inspire her and to make her life more meaningful.'

 "Mother." Mo Wenbin tried to console her. "It's a happy occasion.  What are you crying for?"

"…I'm just happily overwhelmed." Aunty Mo stuttered as she tried to dissolve the lump on her throat.  Her voice sounded out raspy.  "Don't mind me."  

Mo Wenbin could somewhat understand his mother's sentiment.  After all, he was there when Xue Jinxu broke down upon learning about her husband's demise.  He was present when Aunty Mo and Xue Jinxu had their little talk of support.

While Kang Sola and Hw.a.n.g Meiling held both of each other's hands tightly with eyes sparkling like stars.  "We should lend a hand to our sister in her pregnancy.  Let's take care of her and the baby." Hw.a.n.g Meilin portrayed such genuine determination on her face.

"En, Jie-Jie.  I will certainly help!" Kang Sola's energy couldn't be any less.  The two's hold on each other's hands grew even tighter.

Mother Chen had been crying silently too.  She felt her heart was pinched slightly.  Truly, there is a rainbow after the rain, a silver lining in the clouds.  She felt that her son and her daughter-in-law deserve a break and this one was definitely the best one out there.

Aside from feeling happy for her son, she also felt a sadness for a past long gone - when she had lost her a daughter…

At the time when Chen Linyun and Xue Jinxu lost their first child, she mourned with them without them knowing about it.  Of all the people in the party that afternoon, she would be the one that would connect to the pain of losing a child the most because she had felt it, and the pain had been with her since.

With Kang Sola's existence, her peaceful world seemed to be shaken a bit.

It appeared that the past she tried to forget was resurfacing… She had to brace herself for the confrontation with her son later on.

After the announcement, Chen Linyun urged Xue Jinxu to take a sit first, which she declined.  "I'm fine.  I'm not tired yet."

"But, I'm hungry." She acted a bit coquettishly yet blinked innocently.  

"Hahaha! Alright, I'll get you some food and wait for me here."

The husband set forth to accomplish his errand.  He had to feed double.

So, that explained why Xue Jinxu, who always wore high heels on occasions such as these, wore sneakers with rubber soles partnered with her chic dress.  It was a dress down for her caliber.

The congratulatory remarks poured to the couple of the hour as they roamed around table-to-table after they finished eating.  Some even came to their table and sought them first.  They received hugs and well wishes from everyone.

Mother Chen asked how far along they were.  Xue Jinxu replied, "Nine weeks, Mother."

"Have you bought things for the baby yet?"

Xue Jinxu laughed at the question.  She thought it was still too early for that.  "Not yet, Mother.  Maybe in a couple of weeks or months."

Zhao Feiyan and Aunty Mo flocked around the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.  "Allow us to buy something for the baby.  Oh, how wonderful!" She clapped her hands together. 

Chen Linyun who was just beside Xue Jinxu got b.u.mped off by the elder ladies.  Scratching his chin, he reluctantly parted from his wife in the meantime. 

Chen Linyun went to where Zhu Li Qiang was standing.  "Thanks for coming, bro.  I thought I wouldn't get through you." They shook hands. "Why don't you take a seat?  Have you eaten?  There's lots of food on the buffet table."

"I'm good, Chen Linyun." With his haggard face, he tried to slightly pull his face into a smile.  "So that's why you prodded at me into coming today.  Congratulations." He tapped his friend's arm twice.  Zhu Li Qiang's words were well-meant, but at the back end of his tongue, he couldn't help but taste the bitterness of envy.

"Yes, I need you to see how happy I am right now and compare it to your life."

"d.a.m.n. Rubbing more salt to my wounds, huh?  Brutal.  Cruel."

"Then, pull yourself together."

Zhu Li Qiang sighed.  "If I could, I would."

"You can, dude."

The two brothers chatted for a while more and Chen Linyun wanted to keep him company.  He felt pressured by his friend's presence so Zhu Li Qiang shooed him away. "Am I your only guest?  Go chat with the others.  Leave me alone.  I'll be fine here."

Chen Linyun shook his head at the att.i.tude but left chuckling. "' Kay."

When Zhu Li Qiang turned his head towards the side, he thought he was seeing things as he gasped, "Huh!  Is that… Is that… Man Rui!"

It was more of a silhouette of the lady that owns his heart, and disappeared quite fast, too.

'Impossible.  She left the country.'

He called his a.s.sistant to check with the Immigrations Teng Man Rui's departure and arrival records.  He had both her real and pseudo names checked.  Of course, he did not tell his a.s.sistant that the second name was a falsified one.

Just after five minutes, he received a notification from his a.s.sistant that indeed there were departure records of the pseudo name, but there were no arrival records to the country.

He then tried to convince himself. 'I am seeing things.  Unbelievable.  It's the atmosphere.  It's too dreamy for me.'

He shook his head, closed his eyes for a bit.  When he opened it again, at the first turn of his head, he saw the figure again.

His eyes nearly popped out.

'Indeed.'

'It's Man Rui.'