Matilda’s body stiffened instantly when Jacob came forward and suddenly hugged her from the back.She had always been hoping from the depths of her heart throughout the past twenty over years for Jacob to hug her tightly in his arms.After all, this was the only man that she had ever loved in her life.At this time, her first love from more than twenty years ago was hugging her tightly in his arms. As his hands were clasped tightly around her belly, Matilda felt as though she had already regained the feelings that she had from more than twenty years ago.Matilda’s true feelings suddenly surged deep in her heart and she could not stop herself from placing her hand on his hand gently.However, as soon as she placed her hand on Jacob’s hand, she suddenly realized that it was really wrong for her to do this.She quickly broke away from Jacob’s embrace as she straightened out her hair in a panic. After that, she said unnaturally, “Jacob, we shouldn’t be doing this. You’re still a marr
”Therefore, this isn’t something that we can decide as if we’re still teenagers. We have to think carefully and consider everything before we come up with a mature decision.”Jacob replied immediately, “I can’t accept what you’ve just said. I know that you still have feelings for me deep down in your heart and I have feelings for you too. Since we still have feelings for each other, why can’t we get through this together then?”As he spoke, Jacob forcefully asked, “Matilda, I want you to tell me the truth. Do you have any feelings for me now?”Matilda was slightly embarrassed as she replied, “How do you expect me to answer your question? After all, we were both deeply in love and we had such a good relationship back then. We were each other’s first loves and we have already been deceiving ourselves for more than twenty years now.”After that, Matilda replied, “I’ve already told you what I feel about this matter. We shouldn’t only be considering our own feelings in deciding our rela
Jacob suddenly became very emotional as they spoke about this matter.He stared right into Matilda’s eyes before he said emotionally, “Matilda, I’m not joking with you. Every word that I am saying comes from the bottom of my heart. For the past twenty over years after you left me, I have never been happy at all. Not even for a single day. We’re both already so old, so why can’t we put aside all of these scruples and focus on pursuing our love instead?”Matilda sighed faintly before she said, “Jacob, I’ve also thought about everything that you’ve just said. To be honest, I have such illusions and thoughts in my heart too. However, our current situation really isn’t the same as it used to be. The thing I hate the most in my life is a third party. Therefore, I do not wish to become a third party in anyone’s relationship. That’s all the more why we shouldn’t be so anxious and act so hastily in this matter. You should give me some time and I’ll also give you some time to think about us.”
As both of them continued talking, a burning smell suddenly spread throughout the kitchen.Matilda exclaimed, “Oh no! My stir-fried shrimp!”After that, she hurriedly pushed Jacob away and she was blushing as she ran towards the side of the stove. She looked at the pan and she suddenly wailed, “It’s over! It’s gone! The shrimp is burnt now!”Jacob hurriedly reminded her, “Turn off the fire quickly! Otherwise, it’ll get even more burnt!”Matilda hurriedly turned off the gas on the stove. The shrimp in the pan was completely burnt at this point. She could only say helplessly, “This is all your fault! The stir-fried shrimp was originally my best dish but now it is completely destroyed…”Jacob also felt very guilty and embarrassed. Therefore, he hurriedly said, “Should I go out to buy you another bag of shrimp?”At this time, both Charlie and Paul who were enjoying their tea outside also smell the burning smell coming out from the kitchen. Charlie subconsciously asked, “Do you think
The two first lovers continued working hard in the kitchen and they finally came out with a table full of dishes after more than one hour.Jacob came out and told Charlie and Paul, “Get ready! We can eat soon.”After that, Jacob asked Paul, “By the way, Paul, would you like to have a drink or two with me tonight?”Paul smiled slightly before he took out a gift box and said, “Uncle Wilson, it so happens that I’ve also brought two bottles of 30-years old Kweichow Moutai liquor. This bottle of Kweichow Moutai isn’t just any ordinary Moutai. This is the exported version of the liquor from over twenty years ago. This liquor was exported to the United States and it was kept and preserved by collectors in the United States until now. Each bottle weighs about two kilograms.”Jacob was very surprised and he said, “Thirty years aging after being exported more than twenty years ago? Wouldn’t it be more than fifty years now?”“Yes!” Paul smiled before he said, “I believe that it’s about fifty
Charlie smiled before he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll just give it my all and ask them for help. Who knows if someone will agree to help me? They are much more powerful and more capable than we are, so they’ll definitely have stronger connections and contacts than we do. Perhaps they’ll be able to figure out what happened to Mom.”Claire breathed a sigh of relief and she said gratefully, “Charlie, thank you so much for everything!”Charlie smiled as he said, “Silly girl. I’m your husband, why are you being so polite to me?”As he spoke, Charlie patted her gently on her shoulder before he said, “Let’s go down and have dinner first, okay? After dinner, I’ll go out and look for some of my friends to see if they would be willing to help me. If they aren’t willing to help me, then I’ll beg them for help. No matter what it is, I promise to bring Mom back home safely!”Claire nodded repeatedly and she felt a lot more comforted and relieved at this time.Before this, Claire always felt that s
Charlie had a very big appetite as soon as he saw all of the dishes prepared by Matilda. However, out of politeness, he did not raise his chopsticks to try the dishes immediately. Instead, he took the bottle of liquor before he poured out a few glasses of liquor.After that, he took the wine glass in his hand before he smiled and said, “Aunt Hall and Paul, I would like to welcome you back to Oskia and Aurous Hill. I would also like to give you a warm welcome here in our house as our guest. Let’s enjoy a drink together today.”Jacob also hurriedly said, “That’s right! Let’s enjoy a drink together today!”Matilda picked up her wine glass before she said sincerely, “I really appreciate your kindness and hospitality towards my son and I. I really did not expect to be able to enjoy a home-cooked meal at my old classmate’s house on the first day that I’ve returned to Aurous Hill. I really want to thank you for this opportunity.”Jacob smiled before he said, “Matilda, we’ve been old class
At this time, Matilda gave Claire some steamed fish in vinegar sauce before she smiled and said, “Claire, why don’t you try the fish? This is also one of my specialty dishes. However, I’ve not cooked this in a long time so I’m not sure if it will suit your appetite.”When Claire saw Matilda enthusiastically placing the fish in her bowl, Claire nodded slightly in order not to hurt her feelings. After that, she said, “Thank you, Aunt Hall. You don’t have to keep giving me food. You should eat first.”Matilda nodded before she smiled and said, “Alright then. Make sure that you eat more today. If you can’t reach any dishes, ask Charlie to take some food for you then.”Claire nodded immediately. After that, she tasted the fish that Matilda had placed in her bowl. Claire could not help but marvel in shock as soon as she tasted the fish.Matilda’s cooking was really delicious and amazing. The fish was soft, chewy, and very fragrant.Jacob was also dumbfounded.He has never eaten such de
Jacob then realized that Charlie was also driving a Rolls-Royce, and it was a more expensive Phantom. Surprised, he asked, "Charlie, where did you get this car?" Marilyn had prepared the car for Charlie when he left Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. He had driven it to Thompson First, so he had decided to use it today. Charlie replied, "A client lent it to me. You sounded urgent, so I drove it over." Then, he added, "You're something else. You're crying like a baby yet you're still in the mood to ask about the car. What's going on? Your friend said you'd cried twice already?" "That bloody Simon!" Hearing this, Jacob became furious and cursed, "He still doesn't have the slightest clue! He's such a damned fool! The more I try to avoid him, the more he keeps blabbering on and on. Argh, he's so stupid!" Charlie asked, "What exactly is bothering you?" Jacob's face instantly turned dejected, and with a long sigh, he choked up and said, "Charlie— Matilda— She's getting married—" "Gettin
Things were a little different and unique in the United States, though. Westerners tended to approach marriage with greater caution. Many couples stayed together for years, had several children, and yet remained as boyfriend and girlfriend. Being together, having children, and raising them jointly didn't necessarily mean they would get married. In fact, it was not uncommon for some to walk down the aisle only after having multiple kids. Because of this environment, elderly couples in the West often limited their relationships to dating, and at most, cohabitation. Very few progressed to the stage of marriage. However, Yolden, like a young man in the throes of passionate love, had invited her on a trip, secretly prepared a proposal ceremony by the seaside, and gotten down on one knee with a ring to propose. These actions deeply moved Matilda and, at the same time, gave her an unprecedented sense of security. Now, Yolden had moved their wedding up a big step and set the date just on
Hearing Jacob's tone, Charlie could tell that Jacob must have already learned about Matilda's plans to marry Yolden. So, Charlie said, "I'm just around the corner. I'll head over now, and we can meet at the gate." Choking up, Jacob replied, "Alright, I won't drive then. I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry!" "Okay," Charlie agreed, but after hanging up, he deliberately waited for a few minutes. It was because Yolden had just left moments ago to pick up Matilda at Senior University. If Charlie had gone there right now, all four of them could have run into each other at the gate, which would make things even more awkward. Charlie wasn't worried about feeling awkward himself—he was more concerned about Jacob being further hurt. After intentionally waiting a bit, Charlie finally drove to the university. Just as Charlie drove toward Senior University, Matilda was waiting for Yolden by the roadside at the entrance of Senior University. At this moment, Jacob stumbled out of th
Charlie asked, "There are too many new domestic energy brands now. Do you think they still have a shot in vehicle manufacturing?" "Of course," Yolden affirmed. "There are indeed many new energy brands now, and many of them are struggling on the edge of survival. A lot of them have already disappeared, but the automotive market is so vast, and new energy vehicles only account for a small portion of it, which proves that the future of new energy still has great potential. Now, if the focus is only on competing with other new energy brands, the scale is indeed a bit small. The scope should be broadened to compete with traditional gasoline vehicle manufacturers. If you can cut Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai's global sales in half, that would truly be a giant." Yolden paused for a moment, almost as if remembering something, and then said, "Actually, you could consider researching this field. You don't lack money or resources, and with Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group as your logistics channe
When Jacob came to his senses, he was already in tears. The student presumed he was unwell and asked, "Mr. Wilson, do you want me to call your wife to pick you up?" Elaine's sarcastic face immediately popped up in his mind, and he trembled with fear. He quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, "D-don't bother... I... I just got something in my eyes..." The student obviously didn't believe him and asked worriedly, "Why don't you call your wife? Or I'll call a cab for you." "No, no." Jacob waved his hand and said, "I'll call my son-in-law to pick me up. He has just returned to Aurous Hill, so it shouldn't be a problem." After that, he quickly took out his phone and called Charlie. Just a few minutes ago, Charlie had left the cafe and was about to walk Yolden to his car. When he saw Yolden walking straight toward a domestic new energy vehicle, he asked curiously, "I don't think you were driving this model before, were you?" "I just bought it," Yolden replied with a smil
If Matilda still had feelings for Jacob, his nostalgic strategy would definitely have a strong impact. However, Matilda had already decided to move on, so Jacob's suggestion did not stir any emotions in her at all. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, Jacob, Yolden is downstairs waiting for me. We have something to discuss. How about another day? We can have dinner together, and I'll treat you." Jacob didn't expect the nostalgia strategy to fall flat. His original plan was to use nostalgia to get Matilda to go with him to eat near the school, then take the opportunity to revisit old places and subtly reignite their past memories. After all, revisiting old places was the best way to rekindle old feelings, no exceptions. It was like drinking the pasta water after cooking the pasta. However, he never imagined that Matilda's expression wouldn't change in the slightest. There was no shyness, no hesitation, no nervousness, and certainly no fluttering heart. She simply and
Matilda had been listening attentively before, but now, she was lowering her head, fiddling with her phone, and her expression even carried a hint of shyness and happiness, like that of a young girl. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy. While doing the presentation, he couldn't help but resentfully think to himself, "What has Matilda been chatting about with that Yolden guy? She's so happy..." At that moment, Matilda had just received a message from Yolden. In the message, Yolden informed her of the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to have the wedding as soon as possible. Seeing how eager her beloved was to marry her, Matilda naturally felt very touched. At that moment, she had completely fallen into Yolden's love. For this man, who had a similar background, education, values, and even lifestyle to her own, she could find no fault with him. She felt that he was perfectly tailor-made for her by heaven itself, almost as if everything about him perfectly m
Charlie's worries were not unfounded. He had long known that Jacob had not completely given up on Matilda despite her relationship with Yolden. After returning from the cultural exchange in Korea, Jacob had been more dejected than ever before—something he hadn't even displayed when his family had gone bankrupt. If there was still a chance to salvage the relationship when one's beloved was merely dating someone else, their marriage was tantamount to a death sentence. Furthermore, considering the high intellectual backgrounds of Matilda and Yolden as well as their age and life experience, their decision to marry at this stage of life undoubtedly signaled their intention to build a long-term future together. This left Jacob with absolutely no chance at all. At this moment, Jacob was blissfully unaware of the devastating news and was busy conducting a calligraphy and painting workshop at Senior University. The so-called workshop was essentially a few slides showcasing classic
After that, Charlie asked with a bit of curiosity, "When did you and Matilda decide to get married?" Yolden smiled sheepishly and explained, "Remember when the city organized our cultural exchange trip to South Korea? I confessed to Matilda during that trip, and she accepted. After spending some time together, we both felt we were a great match. Considering our age, we didn't want to delay such an important decision any longer, so we decided to take the next step and build a family together." He continued, "Last month, we went to Lambonear for a few days. I bought a ring and proposed to her by the seaside, and she said yes. We also sought the opinion of our respective children—Autumn and Paul—and they were both very supportive. Both kids are exceptional and independent, so they urged us to have the wedding as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until you returned so I could check your schedule. For our wedding, we'd like to ask you to be our officiant." "What? Me as the officiant?