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Jin Hanshuang was hearing about this information for the first time.
Shen Wenxin piqued her curiosity, so she turned to look at Lu Yunshu as well. Her expression was filled with interest, but also a faint trace of concern.
“Your dad hated homosexuals?”
If that was true…did he know about his daughter’s sexual orientation?
If he knew…Jin Hanshuang didn’t dare to think of how Lu Yunshu might have been tormented or blamed by her father.
Lu Yunshu saw the worry in Jin Hanshuang’s eyes. She smiled and took Jin Hanshuang’s hand, reassuring her softly, “Don’t worry. My dad never knew I liked women.”
Since he didn’t know, there had naturally been no trouble.
Jin Hanshuang finally felt her heart settle.
Lu Yunshu turned her gaze on Shen Wenxin. “You knew about their situation.”
Shen Wenxin replied, “Don’t you know too?”
Lu Yunshu turned her head to look at Jin Hanshuang. “Hanshuang, you didn’t know?”
Jin Hanshuang was utterly confused. “Know what?”
Shen Wenxin answered for her. “She doesn’t know. My dad never told her.”
Then she added, “He didn’t tell me either.”
Lu Yunshu was puzzled. “Then how did you find out?”
Shen Wenxin said, “My mom—my birth mother told me. My dad only told her.”
Shen Minghai had a very close relationship with his sister-in-law, Shen Congyun, and he shared everything with her. His thoughts, his worries.
Eventually, Song Congyun told Shen Wenxin because she wanted to help Shen Wenxin understand the full story.
Shen Wenxin wasn’t someone who would go gossiping around either.
“What are you all talking about?” Jin Hanshuang was still at a loss. “What do you all know that I don’t? I can’t understand a single word.”
Lu Yunshu gently explained, “We’re talking about why our dads hate each other.”
Jin Hanshuang said, “Oh.”
She shook her head. “Then I really don’t know. That’s not something I’m involved in.”
Shen Minghai would never tell her this.
And she would never cross the line to find out about his secrets.
Her role was simply to play her part as his wife.
In other words, as the wife of Minghai Jewelry’s chairman.
Then she said with a playful smile, “But if you all insist on telling me, I can listen to it~”
To say that she’s never been curious would be a lie.
People were born with gossipy souls.
Lu Yunshu looked at Shen Wenxin. “You won’t say it? If you don’t, I will.”
She wasn’t a part of the Shen family, so she wasn’t bound by their rules.
Shen Wenxin shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Our fathers have left. Even if my stepmother knows, it’s not the end of the world anymore.”
Lu Yunshu nodded.
Jin Hanshuang immediately looked at her girlfriend with wide eyes.
The secret that had made her curious for so many years was finally about to be revealed!
What could it be?
Was it something dramatic? Maybe betrayal? A blood feud?
Then she heard Lu Yunshu summarize everything in one sentence:
“Shen Minghai was gay. Back when they were young, he used to like my dad.”
Jin Hanshuang: “…”
Jin Hanshuang: “……”
Jin Hanshuang: “………Ah?”
She said, “That’s it?”
Then she said, “Wait, then why did they hate each other for so long?”
Lu Yunshu said, “Because my dad didn’t believe him, so Shen Minghai…kissed him.”
She continued, “And my dad is a super straight man. Like, painfully straight.”
Jin Hanshuang: “?”
Jin Hanshuang asked, “Kissed him…where?”
Lu Yunshu said, “His face.”
Jin Hanshuang: “…”
Shen Wenxin added, “Her dad was a homophobe.”
Jin Hanshuang: “…”
The personality debuffs were stacked high.
Jin Hanshuang had always known her husband was gay.
Shen Minghai had never hidden it from her, just as she had never hidden her own sexual orientation from him. In a sense, their marriage had been her job, and Shen Minghai was her boss.
To be honest, she had been curious about her boss’s personal life before. She’d even speculated that there might have been something between Shen Minghai and Lu Cheng before.
She had accidentally come across old photos of them when they were young. They were both strikingly handsome, the type of young men that were bright-eyed and sharp-browed.
These days, they would definitely be the star of a thousand fanfics.
And Lu Cheng…did kind of look like Shen Minghai’s type.
He really was a good-looking man, and his wife was just as stunning. No wonder they gave birth to such a beautiful daughter.
But when she saw how much they loathed each other and learned how devoted Lu Cheng was to his deceased wife, she eventually dismissed the thought.
How could two people like that ever be romantically involved? It just didn’t add up.
She would’ve never guessed that this was the answer all along.
As it turned out, the romance had only gone one way.
Jin Hanshuang turned to Lu Yunshu, frowning slightly. “So your father was…really angry?”
A homophobic, super straight guy…being kissed by a gay man.
That moment must have been a full-on cosmic explosion.
Lu Yunshu nodded. “He was beyond furious. He said a lot of horrible things to Shen Minghai.”
These were the things her father told her after she started working.
He’d never hidden this part of his past from her.
When he brought up the kiss, he was practically gnashing his teeth in rage, saying he wished he could rip his own face off, soak it in disinfectant, and scrub it clean a thousand times over!
He never saw it as love. He thought of it as vindication.
That person surnamed Shen had done it on purpose just to disgust him!
“Oh, but he didn’t just yell. He also punched dad in the face!” Shen Wenxin narrowed her eyes. “Lu Cheng had a really venomous mouth too. He called gay people disgusting and told him he was an unpresentable disgrace to society…Tsk.”
Just like Lu Yunshu’s father, Shen Wenxin’s father had always been someone who cared deeply about saving face.
It had taken all his courage to confess, and while it was true his way of confessing was wrong, he had still never expected to be beaten to death by the person he liked.
He was overwhelmed with shame, and his feelings of love turned into hatred. From that moment on, he could no longer face his own sexual orientation with honesty.
Lu Yunshu opened her mouth but fell silent.
Shen Minghai had lost the courage to publicly express his sexual orientation because of her father’s attitude and actions.
Like Shen Minghai, she had never dared to tell her father that she liked women.
Eventually, Lu Yunshu conceded. “Neither of them handled it well…”
One was too abrupt and the other was too harsh. In the end, neither acted with reason. There was no absolute right or wrong.
But their daughters were innocent.
They had been forced to follow in their fathers’ footsteps and endlessly compete against each other, bearing the brunt of each man’s open hostility. It was exhausting, truly exhausting.
Shen Wenxin didn’t respond.
But she agreed with what Lu Yunshu had just said.
They were the ones who suffered the most.
The atmosphere turned depressing.
What could they do? The dead were already gone. Those left behind had no stake in arguing about right or wrong, winning or losing.
“Alright, alright. What’s done is done.” Jin Hanshuang spoke up to comfort them. “What was between your fathers had nothing to do with either of you. Now you’re the masters of your own lives. Looking ahead and living happily, that’s what matters most.”
No matter how melodramatic or outrageous the past was, as long as it hadn’t escalated into an irreconcilable blood feud, it didn’t matter anymore. These children were free to live their own lives and build their own futures.
They shouldn’t remain trapped in their fathers’ personal grudges.
Let bygones be bygones!
Lu Yunshu and Shen Wenxin looked at each other.
Jin Hanshuang said, her voice gentle, “Get along well, okay? If nothing else, do it for me.”
Lu Yunshu reacted first. She extended her hand and held it in the air.
Shen Wenxin glanced at it. She took it.
More than a decade later, they finally shook hands.
Shen Wenxin emphasized, “This isn’t for you. I’m doing it for my stepmom.”
Lu Yunshu calmly replied, “I know. Same here.”
Shen Wenxin said, “Lu Yunshu, if you treat her wrong, I won’t let you off.”
Lu Yunshu said, “Don’t worry. I won’t give you the chance.”
At last, the atmosphere was starting to feel like Jin Hanshuang bringing home a girlfriend to meet the family.
Jin Hanshuang watched their hands clasp in a firm handshake and then let go. Her face lit up with a bright smile. “This is wonderful.”
She patted one on the head and the other on the shoulder. Before her, these two mighty CEOs became obedient children.
“Be good, both of you~”
The moment Lu Yunshu saw her girlfriend’s happiness, her expression softened. She felt just as happy. They no longer needed to hide their love from anyone.
She turned to look at Shen Wenxin.
A few seconds later, she said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Shen Wenxin glanced at her.
The last time she heard Lu Yunshu thank her, it was still when she only saw her downstairs.
What did she say back then?
Oh, right. She said she hadn’t agreed to them being together yet.
But today…
Shen Wenxin waved her hand, as if it didn’t matter.
She turned to pick up her coat and scarf from the couch. “Mom, I’m going to work in my office. I’ll come out to help you cook later.”
To celebrate this occasion, Jin Hanshuang had already planned to cook. And, of course, she was keeping Lu Yunshu for dinner.
“Alright, go on then.”
Jin Hanshuang’s expression was overflowing with affection.
As soon as Shen Wenxin entered the study, Jin Hanshuang turned to look at Lu Yunshu. But before she could say anything, Lu Yunshu had already taken off her scarf and coat. Now, she was rolling up her sleeves.
She said to Jin Hanshuang, “Let me help you first.”
Jin Hanshuang chuckled and agreed.
The two of them entered the kitchen together.
Lu Yunshu washed her hands, then washed the vegetables just as Jin Hanshuang instructed.
While she worked, she stood next to Jin Hanshuang.
Jin Hanshuang couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so clingy, President Lu.”
President Lu curved her lips. “Can’t help it. This president likes her jiejie too much.”
Then she leaned in and whispered mischievously, “May I ask if President Lu can stay over tonight? President Lu hasn’t had breakfast with her girlfriend for a long time.
Jin Hanshuang glanced sideways at her. “President Lu wants to stay the night just to have breakfast?”
Lu Yunshu smiled, “Not just breakfast.”
Jin Hanshuang poked Lu Yunshu’s nose, amused.
Lu Yunshu gently took Jin Hanshuang’s hand, her gaze soft and warm. “So, may I?”
Jin Hanshuang thought for a moment, then said, “I’m fine with it, but you’ll have to ask Wenxin too. After all, it’s also her home.”
Lu Yunshu nodded in understanding.
She grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands and turned to leave.
Jin Hanshuang asked, “Where are you going?”
Lu Yunshu replied, “To ask Shen Wenxin.”
The brave, straightforward little puppy left to chase her dreams.
A few seconds later, she returned.
Jin Hanshuang blinked. “Back so fast? What did Wenxin say?”
Lu Yunshu said, “She told me not to push my luck.”
The author (热到昏厥) has something to say:
So that’s basically the situation.
It’s got a bit of soap opera vibes~
I noticed some cuties are uncomfortable with one of the two dads being gay, so let me explain a bit—this setup is just to serve the main plot, mainly to explain the stepmother’s role. The two men are purely 100% plot devices. There won’t be any depiction of gay romance between them, ahh, so please don’t read too much into it. They won’t really appear in the later parts either. I swear I’m not promoting or glorifying male homosexuality, ahhhhh QAQ, please don’t misunderstand QAQ.
The translator (AmEricaNo) has something to say:
So…I was not expecting that.
热到昏厥’s explanation/apology seems to be referencing a comment in her comment section that roughly translates to something like “…Why is there content about [insert derogatory term for gay men]. Now I regret buying this chapter.” It was the most upvoted comment in her comment section, so I guess she felt the need to placate her audience.
Still, I am disappointed that this is the way she chose to address the (obviously bad faith) criticism, and I feel like I shouldn’t hide it from you guys, so if you ever wanted to see toxicity and a lack of solidarity on the Chinese internet, here you go! Still processing my feelings on this one.
Sidenote: Anyone else feel like Lu Yunshu’s dad is clearly in the wrong here for being a homophobe?
