"Ah! This, this—Joanna, Auntie, I-I didn't mean to, I really, I'm so sorry! My, my Shawn, he, he isn't your boyfriend yet!" Linda Young was startled, her enthusiasm instantly doused by the sudden revelation.
Because she knew very well that in Clearview City, anyone who owed the Tiger Mafia money and couldn't pay would be ruined, and their relatives and friends dragged down with them. If Joanna Gong was Shawn's girlfriend, then Shawn would be in serious trouble! Linda Young was just an ordinary person, a regular woman, a mother who cared for her children and her friends' families. So, right now, she desperately hoped Shawn wouldn't get mixed up with the Gong family. After all, the Youngs might be poor, but they were peaceful and harmonious, and Linda naturally didn't want Shawn to get into trouble because of the Gong family's mess and end up provoking the terrifying Tiger Mafia! She knew that those gangsters in the Tiger Mafia were basically local tyrants and living devils in Clearview!
"I-I know, don't worry Auntie, I'm not Shawn's girlfriend. The Gong family's troubles have absolutely nothing to do with Shawn!" Joanna Gong said this, but her heart was bleeding. Still, she knew Linda Young was right!
Unexpectedly, Shawn Young suddenly wrapped his arm around Joanna Gong's slender waist, planted a kiss on her pretty cheek, then turned to the stunned Linda Young and declared, "Mom, Joanna is my girlfriend! Her problems are my problems! As long as I have breath in me, I won't let any bad guys bully her!"
Linda Young was speechless, her heart a jumble of emotions, but nobody knows a son better than his mother. Seeing her precious boy's determined gaze, she realized Shawn was truly set on sticking with Joanna Gong.
Rainie Cheng, seeing the awkwardness of the moment, quickly tried to smooth things over: "Uh—Auntie, don't worry! Shawn and I came all the way from Nanning to Clearview City just for her family's issues! Joanna's troubles will be solved, trust us. The Gong family's problems will be sorted out soon!"
Linda Young was taken aback and asked, "Oh, so you already know what happened to the Gong family? So, Rainie, you and Shawn came to Clearview City specifically to solve their troubles!?"
"Yep, that's right! So Auntie, you don't need to worry. Good always triumphs over evil, and those Tiger Mafia thugs won't be arrogant for much longer!" Rainie Cheng reassured Linda Young.
"Oh! That's great, that's great! Haha—with talented folks like you on the case, those Tiger Mafia punks will get cleaned up for sure!" Linda Young was reassured by Rainie Cheng's promise and believed her almost completely.
Joanna Gong buried her head in Shawn Young's chest, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed with excitement. She clung tightly to Shawn's strong waist. His words just now had shaken her to the core—she was ready to give herself, body and soul, to this man who sheltered and cherished her!
Sherry Young walked over to Shawn, gave him a big thumbs-up, and couldn't help but praise, "Bro, today I finally see how handsome you are! So cool, so bold! The men of the Young family are really something. Someday, I want a boyfriend just like you! Hehe—"
Shawn Young blushed and said to Sherry, "Sherry, you can think about boyfriends after you get into college, okay? The entrance exams are coming up soon, so don't get distracted, alright?"
"Got it! You're the one hugging Joanna, so you're the one who's distracted, hehe—" Sherry stuck out her tongue at him playfully.
"Uh—let's not talk about that. By the way, Sherry, it's Sunday—why haven't we seen Dad come to help today?" Shawn suddenly remembered.
"Oh, Dad—he's been feeling down lately and working really hard, so he got sick. He's at Clearview General Hospital right now, getting checked out!" Sherry replied quickly.
"What! Dad's always been so strong, how did he get sick? What's wrong with him, is it serious?" Shawn asked anxiously.
"Sigh, your dad's been losing sleep every night because of issues at the pharmaceutical factory. This morning he was coughing badly, so he just went to Clearview General Hospital to get checked out. Sigh—when you get older and run into stressful problems, even the strongest body can't take it!" Linda Young sighed beside them.
"Oh! What happened at Dad's pharmaceutical factory? Why can't he sleep?" Shawn pressed on.
"Sigh—your dad's factory is announcing bankruptcy next week! He'll be laid off! So he's worried about his pension and all the compensation he should get. You know, he's worked at that factory for almost twenty years, and now it's going bankrupt just like that—nobody saw it coming!" Linda Young explained with a sigh.
As they spoke, Sherry pointed to the entrance of Clearview General Hospital across the street and said, "Look, Dad's coming out!"
Shawn Young quickly looked up and saw, at the entrance of the hospital, a tall middle-aged man slowly making his way toward the fruit shop. Looking closely, Shawn recognized the man as his father, Sam Young.
But what made Shawn's heart ache was this—his father, Sam Young, who had always been strong and healthy in his memory, had suddenly gone gray at the temples and looked utterly worn out. That once mountain-like physique had hunched over, the burdens of life and the cruelty of time making his father age prematurely.
Sam Young crossed the street and soon arrived outside the fruit shop, but his face was heavy with worry. Head down, brows furrowed, his face was haggard and pale, his steps shaky, and his body hunched over, looking especially frail.