The Sweet Rival (Mango Shen and Nathaniel Ye)

"You'll never have to worry about me ever again, Morn."

Mango tightly grasped Mrs. Shen hand as she spoke, and the older woman felt her chest tighten.

"All right, you better remember what you said."

Both of them chatted for a while longer before Mrs. Shen could fully calm down.

"I heard that the Hans Family had obtained a permit to reinstate your identity, so I'm guessing you'll have the documents within the next few days. You need to be filial to Madam Hans, okay? She's done us great kindness by letting you keep your surname, so please return the favour on our behalf."

Mrs. Shen's words caused a complicated emotion to arise in Mango's heart.

"I know Morn. I'll handle it."

"All right, let's not chat for too long. You're too weak for now, so just rest while I make you something good to eat."

"Thank you, morn."

Mango felt much more at ease in front of Mrs. Shen.

Although Queena was her biological mother, she barely had any contact with her over the years. Furthermore, she couldn't just accept Queena into her life at the drop of a hat.

However, Mrs. Shen was different. She was the one who raised Mango, and she genuinely wanted nothing but the best for Mango.

Hence, Mango felt upset when she saw her mother's slightly hobbled footsteps.

She owed Mrs. Shen way too much.

Not long after Mrs. Shen left, Mango leaned against the headboard and closed her eyes to rest.

She would have to make a public appearance when the Hans Family settled her identification documents. However, she had no idea how was Madam Hans condition now. Right now, a lot of things were going through Mango's mind.

Other than that, she'd heard that Madam Ye was on the road to recovery. Since Nick had just taken the reins of the HY Group, Madam Ye didn't have the time to visit Mango because she had to help him with the transition. Nevertheless, the older woman sent Mango a lot of supplements along with a message to take it easy as she would take care of everything with Nick.

Obviously Mango knew that Madam Ye cared for her, but she just couldn't find the time.

Hence, Mango also felt like she owed Madam Ye a great deal as well.

Would it be too harsh to just leave everything behind and live somewhere else with Nathaniel?

However, Mr. and Mrs. Shen would be worried about her if she didn't leave.

Then, Mango sighed softly as she felt rather conflicted.

"Why are you sighing?"

All of a sudden, Nathaniel opened the door and entered her room.

Mango was quite surprised to see him, and she looked behind him for any sign of Rita. When she didn't find her daughter, she asked quizzically, "Where's Rita? Didn't she come with you?"

"She wore herself out with her antics, so she fell asleep. Right now, Zion and Dad are looking after her... Oh yeah, what were you sighing about?"

Nathaniel went to Mango's side and climbed into her bed after removing his shoes. After that, he pulled her into his embrace.

More than ten days had passed, but Mango's hands and feet were still very cold. This worried him greatly and it was the main reason why he wanted Mrs. Shen to stay. Unfortunately, Madam Ye was too busy and Queena was occupied with caring for Madam Hans. Hence, the only person who could care for Mango was Mrs. Shen. Furthermore, Mrs. Shen and Mango were very close, so the older woman would do her best to help her daughter.

After that, Nathaniel cradled Mango's hand in his arms to warm it up.

"Hey, stop. My hands are really cold, and I don't want you to feel chilly too."

Mango wanted to withdraw her hand, but Nathaniel stopped her.

"Don't worry, I'm basically a furnace. I'll warm you up."

Then, Mango smiled gently and leaned into Nathaniel's chest. After she got comfortable, she said, "I heard my dad say that you want to settle somewhere else after our vacation? Are you not planning on coming back to Ocean City?"

"Yes. We're almost thirty, but we've barely spent any time together over the years. The Ye Family is in the midst of a major upheaval, and the situation is highly unpredictable. Frankly, I just want to live peacefully with you and our children for a few years."

Nathaniel's words touched Mango.

"In that case, Morn and Nick would be even more burdened."

"Silly girl, can you stop being so considerate of other people for once? Don't you want me to spend more time with you? What's more, Rita has spent her whole life in the hospital for the past four years, so I want to let them experience the outside world. Wouldn't that be great? I've sacrificed a lot for the Ye Family over the years, so it's fine for us to step down since Nick is capable of running the show. As for my mother, she's a reasonable woman. She won't blame us for doing this."

With that, Nathaniel had assuaged all of Mango's worries, leaving her no room to retort.

"Have you made up your mind on our first destination?"

"I'll let you decide that."

Nathaniel smiled kindly at Mango as he spoke.

Then, Mango thought for a moment before she said, "How about we go to Nakasara?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah. I heard that the scenery there is amazing."

Mango spoke with great anticipation in her voice.

To be honest, Nathaniel hadn't expected Mango to suggest Nakasara, but he nodded and replied, "Sure. As long as you're happy, anywhere is fine with me. I'll make arrangements once your confinement period is up."

"Will Thomas come with us?"

"Most likely. He's my personal assistant, not the Ye Family's assistant. Why?"

Nathaniel felt puzzled by Mango's sudden question.

Then, Mango smiled and said, "Nothing, I was just asking. Since Charlotte doesn't have a job because Walter blacklisted her, how about she come along with us?"

"You're trying to set them up, aren't you?"

"Isn't that great? What, you think that Charlotte's not good enough for Thomas?"

Mango stared at Nathaniel as if she was daring him to refute her. Hence, her actions caused Nathaniel to burst into laughter.

"Whatever you say, my lady."

"Now that's more like it!"

Mango started to laugh even though she knew that she was being shameless.

"Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap? You're going to have your hands full again after Morn is finished with dinner and the children are awake."

In fact, Nathaniel wanted everyone to be together, but his alone time with Mango would be reduced if that happened.

Hence, they needed to appreciate every moment they could spend together.

Then, Mango nodded and said, "Stay here until I fall asleep."

"All right."

Right now, Nathaniel liked the vulnerable side of Mango, who constantly clung to him like like a child.

Both of them embraced one another as they fell asleep.

During dinner time, Mrs. Shen came upstairs and she intended to wake them up.

Then, Nathaniel opened his eyes as soon as she opened the door.

"You guys go ahead and eat, let her sleep for a while longer."

Nathaniel's voice was very soft as he was afraid of waking Mango up. Furthermore, Mango was deeply asleep with a vulnerable expression on her face.

After that, Mrs. Shen nodded and left the room.

Another ten days passed like this. Under Mrs. Shen's meticulous care, Mango recovered quite quickly and her complexion regained its healthy glow. Moreover, the presence of her children greatly uplifted her mood.

During this period of time, Nathaniel was always by Mango's side and he waited on her hand and foot, which made Charlotte rather jealous.

"Are the two of you trying to irritate me on purpose?"

"If you feel that way, hurry up and get yourself a man."

By now, Mango could walk around freely in her room.

Newell and Sisi had taken care of the plants in the greenhouse were well, and Mango had a basic idea for their wedding in her mind.

Meanwhile, Charlotte had no idea what was on Mango's mind, but she replied in a soft voice, "That's easy for you to say. Although they say it's strange to date someone from the same social circle, I really wan to do it. What do you think?"

"Who are you talking about?"

Obviously, Mango knew the person that Charlotte was referring to, but she still asked with an amused smile on her face.

Conversely, Charlotte went straight to the point and she cleared her throat before asking, "What do you think of me and Thomas being together?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Mango. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Charlotte had already started blushing.

As Mango saw her best friend's flustered face, she decided to not tease Charlotte anymore and replied, "It's a good idea. Thomas is a good man, so you better not bully him."

"Who's doing the bullying here, huh?"

After she said that, Charlotte fled the scene in embarrassment.

Truth be told, Mango was glad to see that her friend had finally found her own happiness.

After that, she got up and went to the greenhouse to find Sisi, who was tending to the flowers rather diligently.

"Are you feeling better?"

Mango spoke in a soft voice.

After that, Sisi immediately stood up from a squatting position.

"Mrs. Ye? What are you doing here?"

"Come over here for a minute."

Mango looked at Sisi and noted that she looked much prettier and happier than before. Her eyes shone with a blissful glow and she finally looked like a proper woman.

On the other hand, Sisi felt somewhat uncomfortable when she noticed that Mango was staring at her.

"Mrs. Ye, why are you looking at me like that?"

"How are you and Newell doing?"

"Pretty good."

As she spoke of Newell, the corners of Sisi's lips raised unconsciously into a giddy smile.

Hence, Mango was very happy for them when she saw Sisi's smile.

"I was speaking with Nathan earlier about how it's time for the two of you to get married. You're both not getting any younger, nor do you have any relatives, so we'll find time to head over to the Civil Affairs Bureau and register your marriage. Fret not, Nathan and I will be your witnesses. Oh yes, here's a wedding gift from Nathan and me."

After that, Mango handed a bunch of keys to Sisi.

"Mrs. Ye, this is..."

"Nathan bought a house for you just next door. No matter what, you'll need a house after you get married and start a family. The house is already registered under Newell's name, and here are the keys." Mango's words astonished Sisi, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Mrs. Ye, I can't accept this. It's way too expensive."

"What are you talking about? How can you reject a wedding gift? Don't you know that it will bring you bad luck?"

Mango handed the keys back to Sisi and said with a smile, "If you guys have any other plans, tell us as soon as possible. I didn't plan on keeping both of you as my servants. You should live out your own

lives."

"Newell and I have talked about this before. We wanted to stay and learn some entrepreneurial skills from Mr. Ye in order to start a business."

Next, Sisi spoke out her thoughts.

"That's great. I don't think Nathan will refuse."

"I'm so grateful to both of you, Mrs. Ye."

Sisi couldn't contain her happiness, and that lifted Mango's spirits as well. However, a series of footsteps resounded from outside and Thomas rushed up to them.

"Mrs. Ye, something's happened."