The Last Bit of Tenderness I Want to Give You

Cecilia Gu had never known that there was such a deep connection between the Yun Family and the Mo Family.

"What’s going on?" Cecilia couldn’t help but ask.

"It all happened decades ago," Grandma Yun waved her hand and said. "This isn’t really a secret—anyone in Eastshire Province who’s old enough probably knows. Back then, among the Mo Family’s generation, the four brothers were the most remarkable. When the Yun Family fought desperately to protect Yuanshan Village, how could we have managed with just a few ancient books? The Japanese invaders never cared about honor. The Mo Family Four Brothers all enlisted, fought the Japanese fiercely, and earned great merit. To protect the Yun Family’s retreat, the Mo Family Four Brothers stayed behind, using just a battalion of soldiers to hold off an entire regiment of Japanese for a whole day and night. After the Yun Family’s safe evacuation, only one direct descendant of the Mo Family survived—Mo Zixin’s great-grandfather. After the founding of the nation, he refused the conferment ceremony and instead pushed his descendants into the spotlight."

Cecilia listened, utterly stunned.

"He refused the conferment for the Yun Family’s sake. If the Mo Family rose too quickly, the Yun Family might suffer because of their lower status, and Yun Family daughters could be wronged," Grandma Yun continued. "The Mo Family has many trump cards, but for the sake of your generation’s marriage, they sacrificed a lot too."

Cecilia asked in confusion, "Why must a Yun Family daughter marry into the Mo Family as repayment? Why not repay in another way? Is marriage really the only way to show gratitude? The Yun Family’s Three Treasures—books, medicine, tea—are all world-class. Why can’t those be the repayment?"

Grandma Yun smiled faintly. "Do you think we want this? It’s because the Mo Family also has an ancestral rule—their descendants must marry a Yun Family daughter. By the way, do you know what the Mo Family’s legacy rule is?"

Cecilia shook her head, clueless.

Grandma Yun said, "Back then, the Mo Family married a princess from the Qing Dynasty, and it was she who ordered the Mo Family to defend the position and ensure the Yun Family’s retreat. She sacrificed her three sons just to form a marriage alliance with the Yun Family. So, this ancestral rule was left by her. The Mo Family descendants can only obey and must never defy it."

"This is the Yun Family’s debt to the Mo Family," Grandma Yun said tiredly. "Even after all these years, it must be repaid. I’ve told you all I can. What you do next is up to you. I’m a bit tired now; you may leave."

Cecilia nodded quietly, took the medicine Grandma Yun handed her, and turned to leave.

By the time Cecilia stepped out, night had fully fallen.

Cecilia took a deep breath, letting her assistant Wendy drape a thick coat over her shoulders. She said to Wendy, "Go to the hospital, have the director analyze the ingredients of this medicine, then give it to Mom."

"What kind of medicine is this?" Wendy couldn’t help but ask, curious.

"It’s just something to temporarily slow down her decline," Cecilia replied. She didn’t expect much from the medicine—it was only meant to buy a little time.

Sure enough, the hospital director soon sent Cecilia the test results.

Cecilia held the report in her hand, silent for a long time.

It seemed that, if she wanted to save Jane, returning to the Yun Family was her only option.

Yun Family... Yun Family...

Cecilia sat by the window, gazing at the star-filled sky for a long, long time...

Charles Yin had just stepped into the conference room at Yin Enterprises’ headquarters in S City when his phone buzzed with a message.

Alex glanced at the sender and immediately handed the phone to Charles.

Charles quickly scanned the message, his sharp eyes pausing for a moment. His fingers hesitated, then he replied swiftly: I’ll be back soon.

After replying, Charles handed the phone back to Alex for safekeeping. He nodded to the company executives filling the room and said, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. I called you here tonight to discuss the acquisition of the Yun Family."

As soon as Charles finished speaking, everyone in the room looked surprised.

The Yun Family—Y Province’s Yun Family—was known for its cultural influence.

In terms of assets, they couldn’t even compare to the smallest part of Yin Enterprises.

Acquiring the Yun Family would be ridiculously easy!

But for such a small family, was it really worth it for the CEO to make such a big deal, gathering all the top executives for an emergency meeting?

Of course, Charles knew they’d have a ton of questions, so he simply raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

The next second, the whole conference room fell silent. Everyone looked anxiously at Charles.

"Even though I want to acquire the Yun Family, my own people can’t be the ones to do it. The Yun Family isn’t like other families, so..." Charles paused, then continued, "A straightforward financial acquisition would be easy, but what I want is all their cultural resources and assets! Do you understand? I want the Yun Family’s entire archive!"

Isn’t the Yun Family famous worldwide for having the richest archive of books?

Then let’s completely destroy everything the Yun Family relies on!

Let’s see how the Yun Family can keep forcing Cecilia!

As soon as Charles finished speaking, everyone in the room was utterly shocked!

Charles actually wanted all of the Yun Family’s archives!

That’s... truly an ocean of books!

No one knew how many books the Yun Family really had, or how many libraries, or where most of their ancient texts were hidden!

"This must be done in absolute secrecy—no leaks, no publicity. Set up a new subsidiary, separate from the parent company, and focus all resources on the acquisition!" Charles added, "And it absolutely cannot be done under the Yin Enterprises name, especially—under no circumstances can Mrs. Yin know about this. Understood? If there’s a leak, you’re all out."

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That last sentence made everyone’s face turn pale!

It was a threat!

But they had no choice but to accept it!

Because the man who said those words had absolute power and... capital!

The meeting wrapped up quickly. Once Charles finished assigning tasks, he left the conference room and headed straight for the rooftop helicopter.

Cecilia had just messaged Charles to come home, and he’d agreed without hesitation.

In this world, the only person who could make him willingly return home was Cecilia.

Cecilia tied on her apron and finished making the last pot of soup in the kitchen. With Aunt Zhang’s help, she ladled it into a delicate porcelain bowl.

Just then, the door opened, followed by the voices of the household staff: "Young Master is home."

As soon as Cecilia heard the voices outside, she untied her apron and walked out first.

Charles hadn’t seen Cecilia all day. The moment he saw her, the cold hardness in his heart melted away. He stepped forward and pulled Cecilia into his arms.

Cecilia let Charles hold her, reaching up to pat his back. "Look at you, all travel-worn. Go wash your hands—I just made soup."

"You made the soup yourself?" Charles happily held Cecilia’s hand and pulled her to sit on the sofa and rest.

"Yeah. I didn’t really have anything else to do," Cecilia replied softly.

Charles’s gaze lingered on Cecilia’s face for a long time before he finally asked, "How’s Mom?"

Cecilia’s expression stiffened, then she gently shook her head.

Even if she didn’t say anything, he probably already knew everything, right?

"Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out." Charles felt Cecilia’s cold fingers and, for some reason, his heart began to panic.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Cecilia was drifting farther and farther away from him.

Charles tightened his grip, completely enclosing Cecilia’s hand in his own.

It was as if only by doing this could he truly hold on to her.

"Mm." Cecilia didn’t say anything else, just looked up at Charles, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Soup doesn’t taste good once it’s cold. Come on, try my cooking." Cecilia’s lips curled into a smile, but no matter how you looked at it, the smile seemed forced.

Not wanting to disappoint Cecilia, Charles obediently took the soup the maid handed him and sipped it gently.

Even though the taste was far from that of a real chef...

Because Cecilia made the soup herself, it meant something different. Even if she brought him a bowl of plain water, Charles would find it sweet.

Charles drank it all in one go, and warmth spread through his whole body.

Cecilia gazed at Charles’s strikingly handsome face, but inside, she sighed softly.

I’m sorry, Charles.

I’m sorry...

I can’t give up on Mom. I can’t just stand by and watch her die...

Charles, in this life, I can’t walk this road with you anymore.

Don’t blame me, okay?

We have three months left together.

Let me spend these last three months with you.

I just want to give you a little tenderness at the end.

Yun Zixiao was right—I’m destined to owe you for a lifetime...

"Cecilia, I’ll be busy in a few days—I have to go to Africa for a while." Charles didn’t want to hear Cecilia plead for the Yun Family during the acquisition. If he did, he might not be able to keep his resolve.

This time, he absolutely wouldn’t let the Yun Family off the hook.

So, using a trip abroad as an excuse to temporarily separate from Cecilia was probably the best plan.

Cecilia also had to go to the Yun Family to formally recognize her ancestry. She couldn’t tell Charles about this, either.

So when she heard Charles was leaving the country for a while, Cecilia felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

"Alright, I understand. Take care of yourself," Cecilia replied calmly.

Charles looked steadily at Cecilia, unable to help blurting out, "Cecilia, if I ever do something that makes you angry, please don’t leave me, okay?"

Cecilia’s eyes suddenly filled with tears as she answered, "Charles, if I ever do something that makes you angry, please don’t blame me, okay?"

Neither of them answered the other’s question, but their moods grew more complicated by the second.