The night breeze was slightly warm. The courtyard was quiet. Insects chirped insects tones, as if whispering right by the ear.
Chu Fan pushed the door open and walked out, his pace fast, the anger in his brows and eyes not yet dispersed.
But he hadn't gone far when a series of light yet hurried footsteps sounded behind him—accompanied by the soft pa-ta of slippers.
"Xiao Fan!"
A familiar voice came softly.
He instinctively stopped and turned around—
It was his mother-in-law—Shen Rulan.
She was wearing a silk night robe, soft slippers on her feet. Standing under the moonlight, when the wind blew, the hem of her robe clung to her calves, faintly outlining her fair, long legs and the subtle curve of her waist.
She stood below the steps, brows slightly furrowed, her expression tinged with anxiety, as if she had rushed out in a hurry. Her chest was still rising and falling, not yet steady.
One hand rested on her chest, the other lifted gently, her voice not loud, gentle as she spoke:
"Don't be impulsive."
"Your father-in-law… he spoke too harshly, but you know his temper. He's always been like that."
"Zhiyao has been stubborn since childhood, and you're the silent type. The two of you haven't really talked properly for three years. On the surface you're husband and wife, but in reality… you've been living your own separate lives."
She paused, her gaze softening, her voice lowering further:
"Mom knows you've been wronged."
Chu Fan said nothing. He just stood there, his eyes slightly red, his throat moving as he forced his emotions down.
Shen Rulan sighed softly and continued:
"Your father-in-law doesn't hold back when he speaks, but in his heart, he understands."
"These three years, you haven't used his position as municipal party secretary to run around doing whatever you want. You've stayed put, behaved yourself in this house. He's noticed—it's just that he doesn't say it."
As she spoke, she gently took a step closer, lifting her hand and placing it on Chu Fan's shoulder. Her touch was light.
"The weather's hot. It's easy for tempers to flare. Words said too harshly can still be taken back, but if you just leave like this… Mom really won't feel at ease."
Chu Fan's Adam's apple rolled. His voice was hoarse:
"He called me a mad dog."
Shen Rulan didn't respond immediately. She simply looked up at him, her gaze as gentle and steady as ever.
"You're not."
She shook her head lightly, her tone firm:
"You're a man with backbone."
"It's just that… all these years, you've been holding too much in, bottling it up for too long."
The wind blew, the silk hem fluttering slightly, the fabric clinging to her calves, the contours appearing and disappearing.
Chu Fan looked at the woman before him—the one who had always treated him with gentleness.
At that moment, his anger slowly receded, replaced by an indescribable bitterness and grievance.
He clenched his teeth. After a few seconds, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore and asked in a low voice:
"Do you… do you really treat me as family?"
Hearing this, Shen Rulan froze for a moment and didn't answer right away.
She simply looked quietly at the man in front of her—
His face still carried traces of unresolved anger, brows tightly knit, lips pressed hard together, refusing to bow, unwilling to soften.
Yet his eyes were red, as if he were holding back a breath, or… on the verge of tears.
Shen Rulan recalled the past three years. This live-in son-in-law had always been silent and well-behaved—no quarrels, no trouble, No fighting.
Whenever she spoke, he nodded; he did things methodically, never once talking back harshly.
Yet tonight, this very man was staring at her, asking such a question.
Shen Rulan didn't speak.
Instead, she suddenly stepped forward, reached out, and gently hugged Chu Fan.
In an instant, two tall, full breasts—separated only by a thin layer of fabric—pressed unexpectedly against his chest, soft and elastic.
Chu Fan's breathing abruptly stalled, his muscles tensing…
With the rise and fall of his mother-in-law's breathing, the twin peaks on his chest lightly trembled, rubbed, and squeezed against his chest.
And right at the tips of those twin peaks—
Chu Fan could clearly feel two firm protrusions, pressing through the fabric against the most sensitive spot on his chest.
They were nipples.
Chu Fan held his breath in an instant.
That texture… even the shape and angle were unmistakable.
His nose was filled with the mature woman's body fragrance.
His heartbeat spiraled out of control, blood surging. The anger and grievance he had bottled up all transformed at that moment into a wave of heat, rushing up from his lower abdomen, making his scalp tingle.
And the rod between his legs, stimulated by the repeated squeezing of the breasts against his chest, seemed to awaken—slowly swelling, heating up, pulsing.
He didn't dare move, nor did he want to push her away.
He just stood there stiffly, held by her, his mind filled entirely with the sensation of those breasts.
Shen Rulan's arms tightened slightly around him.
But suddenly she felt it—
Against her lower abdomen, something was hard.
Hot, pressing tightly.
Her body stiffened faintly.
That thing was pressed right against her lower belly. Even through the fabric she could feel it becoming harder and hotter by the second, even faintly throbbing.
As a woman who had raised two adult daughters, Shen Rulan naturally knew what that reaction was.
But she didn't let go immediately.
She simply held him quietly for two more seconds, then slowly stepped back, her movements light and natural, as if she hadn't noticed the awkward situation at all.
Her eyes showed no panic, no reproach. She gently looked up at Chu Fan, her gaze tender, her voice soft:
"Come on. Go back inside with Mom."
After saying that, she turned and walked back into the house.
Chu Fan stood where he was, his gaze fixed on that retreating figure. His Adam's apple slid up and down unconsciously.
The silk night robe clung to her body, clearly outlining her full, rounded hips, swaying gently with every step.
And in his mind, that earlier scene kept replaying—
Those breasts pressed against his chest, soft, delicate, carrying the unmistakable warmth of a real body.
------------------------------------------------
If you want to read chapters ahead then check out my patreon and enjoy stories:
CH: 1-24 please visit
https://www.patreon.com/posts/life-of-after-ch-148911146?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link