The Secret Liu Chang'an Was Unwilling to Tell (Revised)

It's not uncommon for sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law to have a bad relationship. Nowadays, it's quite common to see sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law complaining about each other and even wishing the other dead on some social forums.

It's understandable that it's difficult for a brother to accept when a younger sister is the most beloved person he's had for over a decade or two. It's normal for him to find it hard to accept when a new woman suddenly appears and tries to take away all his affection.

As his sister-in-law, she felt that she was the woman who would accompany him for life, while her younger sister would eventually get married. She could tolerate her for a while, but if her younger sister always loitered around at home and didn't even realize that her brother already had a wife, and still wanted her brother to pamper her as before, then she naturally couldn't stand it.

And then there's the mother-in-law, which makes it even more troublesome.

The sister-in-law, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law are the core characters in many long and tedious TV dramas. The saying "three women make a drama" has a basis in reality.

There are fewer TV dramas like this now. Women also have a need for grand, sophisticated, and high-level struggles. So they are not so interested in TV dramas that are more about trivial bickering and being constrained by family environment and background. They have upgraded to palace intrigue, which is so satisfying... Watching the bitches die one by one, women can experience and relieve the resentment they have in their families who wish someone would die.

After all, in reality, you can't just kill your sister-in-law, sister-in-law, or mother-in-law.

The problem is... even if a sister-in-law and brother's wife dislike each other intensely, shouldn't they at least reconcile and forgive each other if they meet again a hundred years later?

It's truly rare for someone to harbor resentment for so long.

"If you hadn't lost your memories as Ye Sijin, you would know the answer." Liu Chang'an looked out the window, his thoughts drifting. In that era, romantic love was merely an insignificant embellishment against the backdrop of a grand historical context. Countless patriots, "with lofty aspirations, dared to sacrifice themselves to change the world," but behind this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, countless relationships were tragically cut short and betrayed... Faced with bloodshed and sacrifice, so many people bravely faced death; how could they possibly care about romance?

Now that things have come to this, the blood has congealed into flags, red scarves, the colors of the nation. The peace that surrounds us evokes sighs and reflections, and gradually, more and more, we recall those romantic and carefree days.

"None of you have lost your memories of that time, so why shouldn't I remember?" Qin Yanan tilted her head slightly, looking at his face. She couldn't bring herself to believe deep down that she had become a different person, but she still had a rational self-awareness. Qin Yanan couldn't help but recall the information she received in her mind when she and Liu Chang'an walked into the armored vehicle and touched the coffin... or rather, that memory.

"You might have to ask Shangguan Dandan the details and principles." Liu Chang'an also had a hard time understanding the old lady's thoughts. Shangguan Dandan often ran off into a coffin halfway through her sentence. Liu Chang'an didn't think she was intentionally keeping him in suspense, but rather that was just her temperament. She would talk for a while and then not want to continue, showing no interest in focusing on the topic.

"Is she really your mother?" Although this was a question Liu Chang'an had already asked, and it would likely annoy him, Qin Yanan wasn't afraid of making him angry... She wasn't just Qin Yanan; she was also Ye Sijin.

Qin Yanan might worry about his reaction, but Ye Sijin probably doesn't need to.

Liu Chang'an rarely showed a "bitter smile," so his expression resembled that of someone who had undergone numerous surgeries and procedures; his expression was slightly stiff, making it difficult to accurately convey the feeling of a "bitter smile." His eyes twitched, and then he reached out and pinched Qin Yanan's nose.

Qin Yanan let out a soft moan, a sound that carried a hint of coquetry, a delicate and pitiful display of affection amidst her low spirits.

"You once said that you felt Ye Sijin's last memories. After that, Shangguan Dandan found Ye Sijin and rescued you. It was probably because the coffin couldn't preserve the stagnant vital signs of two people at the same time, or it involved the balance of energy supply and the absorption of life force and blood essence, etc... In short Shangguan Dandan didn't let you and her coexist in the coffin forever. Instead, one day she turned you into an infant and sent you out of the coffin. That day is your current birthday." Liu Chang'an turned his head and glanced at Qin Yanan, who was leaning on his shoulder. She was only a little shorter than him now, so she didn't look down on him. But the feeling of being so close made him try to discern whether there was a big difference between their interactions back then and now.

"Why did she save me?" Qin Yanan recalled her feelings when she met Shangguan Dandan yesterday. Whether it was Shangguan Dandan's feelings towards her or her feelings towards Shangguan Dandan, there was a clear sense of closeness. This was probably not a feeling without reason.

If she didn't have this connection with Shangguan Dandan probably wouldn't have treated her much better yesterday than she treated Su Nanxiu... maybe even better, since Su Nanxiu is just an annoying person to look at.

Liu Chang'an remained silent for a while, no longer trying to distinguish the difference between Qin Yanan now beside him and the one who held Ye Sijin's small hand back then.

He thought about it and decided there was no need to keep hiding it anymore. Now that she knew her original identity, he would simply return the memories she had kept to her.

"Because she sensed my vital essence within you," Liu Chang'an stated calmly. "After all, Ye Chenyu and Ye Sijin had shared a night of passionate lovemaking."

"Ah?" Qin Yanan sat up straight involuntarily. Her black pupils were like rolling glass beads, clear and moist. Her long eyelashes trembled, and her beautiful blush was like rouge spreading in a stream, drifting out like clouds and mist, painting her entire beautiful face. Although she was shy and nervous, her lips still parted slightly and then closed, staring at him blankly.

Liu Chang'an sat upright, seemingly oblivious to her expression. He maintained his composure, coughed lightly, picked up his water glass, took a sip, then a few more, and rubbed his palms against the bottom of the glass. "The water's cold."

"Oh... I'll go change the water." Qin Yanan hurriedly stood up with the water jug, not even putting on shoes. Her smooth, rounded feet stomped on the floor, and she ran off like a cat caught stealing fish, to pour out cold water and add hot water.

Qin Yanan murmured as she returned with the kettle. She brushed the long hair behind her ears to her cheeks, carefully poured Liu Chang'an a cup of boiling water, and then whispered, "The water is a little hot."

Qin Yanan pressed her hands against her hip line, straightened the hem of her nightgown, and sat down in the same upright posture as Liu Chang'an, instead of leaning on his shoulder as naturally as before.

"This is why Su Nanxiu still harbors resentment towards you, even though she caused it herself. That night, you, she, Qin Peng, and I were playing cards and drinking together. Later, she brought out a pot of drugged wine, and we all drank it. She just didn't expect that someone close to her had secretly joined Qin Peng's organization. This person disrupted her plans, Qin Peng was taken away, leaving the three of us to sleep together... And then... that's how it happened..." Liu Chang'an took a glass of water, drank the scalding hot water, and exhaled. "That's it... I won't go into the details."

"Who wants to hear the details?" Qin Yanan felt her cheeks burning, probably like the hot water that had just rolled down his lips and throat... The fact that she had been intimate with him was already difficult for her to accept, let alone now knowing a shameful detail... He'd already told her the most shameful details, so was she supposed to go into the details of how she was aroused?

"What I mean is... the details I'm referring to are the details of her original plan and how it was disrupted and thrown into disarray." Liu Chang'an finished his water and regained his gentle demeanor. "I'm not writing erotic novels, how can I describe other details in detail? It happened so many years ago, just listen to it as someone else's story."

"Can this be considered someone else's story?" Qin Yanan paused, then turned to Liu Chang'an, her face flushed. "You're still here, she's still here, I'm still here, you all remember clearly, and I know it too. Can this be considered someone else's story?"

"Ye Chenyu, Ye Sijin, and Su Mei." Liu Chang'an smiled. "Now, for Liu Chang'an, Qin Yanan, Su Nanxiu... for these three, the story of Ye Chenyu, Ye Sijin, and Su Mei is someone else's story."

"I think maybe only you can turn this into a story... Su Nanxiu and I definitely can't." Qin Yanan was slightly annoyed, but this emotion overcame her shyness. She leaned closer, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Your memories are too distant, too far back. You naturally forget the emotions you felt when many things happened, turning them into stories that seem unrelated to you. But Su Nanxiu and I, unlike you, can't forget the emotions we felt when these things happened. Even though I don't remember them, when I bring them up, they become stories with emotions, my own stories, no different from memories."

Memories, of course, involve emotions. Remembering the various feelings at the time—shame, anger, joy, sorrow—is what makes memories unforgettable; otherwise, they would just be stories that seem irrelevant to us.

Qin Yanan felt that Liu Chang'an was both affectionate and ruthless... It couldn't be said that he was ruthless towards her; he clearly still cared about her. It was just that he clearly separated his memories from his present life.

"You and her definitely won't work out... You mean you're going to continue fighting?" What could Liu Chang'an say...? Drink some more hot water.

"She's still thinking about it... Am I supposed to back down? There's a saying, 'Take a step back, and you'll always be backing down; endure a moment's anger, and you'll always be angry.'" Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an. "Just enjoy your An Nuan life... Don't worry about the grudges and grievances of us old ladies."

Liu Chang'an understood Qin Yanan's meaning. The enmity between Qin Yanan and Su Nanxiu was already deeply rooted, and it was no longer a matter of jealousy.

It seems that the mutual animosity between Qin Yanan and Su Nanxiu is actually beneficial for Qin Yanan to accept the reality that she was once Ye Sijin. Liu Chang'an also doesn't want Qin Yanan to go through the heartbreaking process of self-identity confusion again.

"I still have many things I want to know." Qin Yanan's stubbornness faded, replaced by a gentle, almost coquettish tone.

"What do you want to know?" Liu Chang'an had already told her the secret he least wanted to tell her, so there was nothing he couldn't tell her, unless she asked about certain details between him and Su Nanxiu.

"I want to know about Ye Sijin's time with you when she was little." Qin Yanan looked at Liu Chang'an expectantly, her gaze gentle.

"When you were little, you always liked to cling to your older brother..."

"How exactly is it wrapped?"

"For example... when your brother goes out, he says he'll be back by dinner time. If he's a little late, you won't go eat by yourself. You insist on waiting for him no matter how late it is. Once, your brother encountered bandits on the road and was delayed all night. After escaping danger, he abandoned the caravan and rushed back alone, not until the next morning. You were still sitting on the little stool by the door, surrounded by several maids and servants. They couldn't do anything with you; you were so stubborn... I carried you to drink a couple of sips of porridge, and you fell asleep, but you still insisted on holding onto your brother and wouldn't let go..."

"How can a child be so clingy!"

"Yes, that's when you were little..."