It's really complicated.

As the car came to a stop, Chen Hai and Feng Shan quickly got out, followed by the bouncy little Qiaoqiao, and the baby Feng Shan was holding in her arms — that must be Chen Hai's son.

"Uncle Ye!" A voice as clear as a silver bell rang out. Spotting Ye Shuang, Qiaoqiao ran over happily, arms outstretched for a hug.

"Hehe, Qiaoqiao." Ye Shuang stroked the little girl's head gently. At that moment, Chen Hai and Feng Shan walked over too. Chen Hai did not look the least bit surprised to see Ye Shuang here. "I thought we'd get here earlier than you."

Ye Shuang did not stand on ceremony with Chen Hai. The two men exchanged a quick glance, then Ye Shuang turned to look at Feng Shan. "Feng Shan."

"Ye Shuang, Little Qin." Feng Shan greeted Ye Shuang and Chen Qin, but she seemed unusually quiet. After saying hello, she fell silent, not nearly as talkative as she used to be.

Noticing how quiet Feng Shan was, Ye Shuang tried to shift the topic to the child in her arms. "Whoa, what a chubby, cute little boy, all soft and squishy."

"Yeah, he's about the same age as Yi'an." Feng Shan's mood visibly lifted when the topic turned to the children. She smiled. "He eats so much, he's definitely going to grow up to be a big, strong guy."

Ye Shuang had almost blurted out "No surprise, he takes after Chen Hai", but he filtered the thought before it left his mouth, and said instead, "Eating well is the best way to grow up healthy. Come on over, everyone, take a seat."

Chen's Father and Chen's Mother also came over, and everyone ushered Feng Shan to sit down. A family helper standing nearby offered to hold the baby for her.

"Waaaaa —"

But almost immediately, the baby wailed loudly, probably because he was no longer in his mother's arms. Ye Shuang gestured quickly to Chen Hai. "Chen Hai, your son's crying, go pick him up."

Chen Hai, who was sitting nearby, got up right away and took the baby from the helper's arms. He rocked him gently, and soon the little one stopped crying and grew quiet.

"Of course, he's his dad after all." Chen Qin chimed in. "Taking care of fussy babies is a dad's job. And it'll help Chen Hai lose some weight too."

Chen Hai held his son and pulled a faint smile, but said nothing in response.

"Right, Little Shan?"

Feng Shan just gave a soft "mm-hmm", not disagreeing at all.

Once everyone was seated, Chen's Mother started ladling soup for everyone, saying as she did so,

"We're all family here, there's nothing you can't talk about freely."

"Little Shan, now that you're back, don't leave again. If Chen Hai ever acts up, you tell us, and we'll help you straighten him out."

Feng Shan took the bowl of soup from Chen's Mother. She did not argue, her voice still calm. "Chen Hai's been much more well-behaved lately, and he's helped me a lot."

...

After saying that, she started sipping her soup and said no more.

Ye Shuang, who had been watching her, glanced at Chen Hai. It seemed Feng Shan was no longer as resistant to everyone as she had been before, but she also felt somehow different, not quite like her old self anymore.

Chen Hai caught the pointed look Ye Shuang gave him, and he just looked away, shaking his head quietly.

Throughout the dinner, Ye Shuang, Chen Qin, Chen's Father and Chen's Mother did most of the talking. Chen Hai and Feng Shan stayed mostly silent, only nodding occasionally or adding a short word, showing almost no strong emotion at all.

It was not until Chen's Father finally decided to state what everyone had gathered for that he spoke, "Little Shan, when you have time, we could..."

He did not get to finish his sentence before Chen's Mother tugged at his arm to stop him.

"They've traveled such a long way, let them rest first. We can talk about everything tomorrow." Chen's Mother smiled gently.

Everyone there knew exactly what Chen's Father had been about to say — nothing more than asking Chen Hai and Feng Shan to remarry. But Chen's Mother was worried that bringing it up so suddenly would upset Feng Shan, so she chose to take a more gentle approach, suggesting they let her settle in for a while first.

"Dad, Mom, I don't plan to remarry Chen Hai." Feng Shan said plainly.

That one simple sentence brought the whole room's atmosphere to a freezing halt.

"There's no rush at all," someone tried to soothe.

"I'm going to stay here, and raise the two children properly... They will grow up well, and they will follow whatever arrangements you, the Chen Family, see fit. But I will not remarry Chen Hai." Feng Shan made her position perfectly clear. She knew very well that the Chen Family cared far more about the two children than they ever cared about her as a person.

Back then, she would never have been allowed to marry into the Chen Family if she had not been pregnant with Qiaoqiao. After all, Chen Hai already had a pre-arranged marriage partner at the time.

Chen's Father and Chen's Mother exchanged a glance with each other, both clearly taken aback.

"But..." Chen's Mother was about to speak again, when Chen Qin cut her off. "Mom."

"Anyone who makes a mistake has to face the consequences for it, right?" Chen Qin took Feng Shan's side at that moment. "Little Shan, you just stay here with us from now on. All of us truly see you as part of our family. Don't say things that make you sound like an outsider. You were properly married into our family, you've paid your respects to the elders — you are a member of the Chen Family, no question."

Feng Shan cracked a small, soft smile when she heard Chen Qin's words.

"Yes, this is more than enough for me. Chen Hai can work on being a better man from now on, to make amends for all the wrong he did." Ye Shuang backed up Chen Qin, agreeing that keeping Feng Shan steady and happy right now was more important than anything else.

All eyes turned to Chen Hai. Everyone expected him to complain like he always used to, but instead, he just nodded calmly. "Alright, that's exactly what we'll do."

Chen Hai really had changed. Ever since the An Yao incident, if this had happened in the old days, he would surely have grumbled something like "Fine, don't remarry me then, who cares".

Feng Shan glanced at Chen Hai, but did not say anything more.

...

Night fell deeper. Ye Shuang decided to stay over for the night.

He went to Chen Hai's room — since Chen Hai obviously could not share a bedroom with Feng Shan for now, after dinner and before bed, Ye Shuang made his way over, and the two of them stood out on the balcony together.

Chen Hai was leaning with both hands on the railing, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Nothing much. Just... thinking about how I'm going to take care of the kids from now on." Chen Hai's answer made Ye Shuang let out a laugh. "That doesn't sound like something you would say."

"Yeah, you're right. But this is good. I couldn't afford to be reckless anymore. Once you have a family, you have to take responsibility for it." Chen Hai said. "Actually, I talked things through with Feng Shan a lot after I got back."

"She said she's not going to treat me the way she used to, either."

Ye Shuang asked, "Isn't that a great thing?"

"But she's not marrying me. Of course she wouldn't treat me like a close husband anymore, right?" Chen Hai smiled wryly.

"But this is the best possible outcome we could get, for her, and for all of us."

Ye Shuang fell quiet for a moment. After a long pause, he asked softly, "What about her?"

Chen Hai knew exactly who Ye Shuang was talking about.

"I haven't been in touch with her. But it's fine. She's still a college student. Having a little bit of regret isn't the end of the world. She'll get over it soon enough." Chen Hai's mind drifted to that small, delicate figure who used to stand by his side, helping him run his street stall back then. She struggled with even the smallest tasks, but she always tried her hardest to support him.

"Love and relationships... Man, they really are so damn complicated." Chen Hai squinted his eyes, looking out at the dark night.