â⦠To be honest, I didnât think that far ahead. At the time, I believed that marrying Xiaohong would solve all our problems. But in reality, the problems werenât solved, and things only got more difficult. Adding one trouble to another doesnât cover up the first one; oftentimes, when troubles compound, they create even more issues.â
For the first time in his life, Yu Mingyi found himself opening up to someone so completely. Not even his parents had ever heard his inner thoughts, but he wanted to share them with her.
âItâs because you didnât think far enough. When a woman loses her marriageâ¦â Dong Yi didnât know about the situation between Second Brother Yu and Wang Xiaohong, but her experience being called a mistress today was seared into her memory.
âYes, I admit that on this issue, I was wrong.â Even after getting this far, Yu Mingyi didnât blame his ex-wife for anything.
âThen⦠do you want to remarry her⦠Poor Panpan.â Dong Yiâs heart ached as she said this, but she knew she had to.
âThe child isnât hers.â
Dong Yiâs eyes widened, surprised at Yu Mingyiâs words.
âYou had an affair during your marriage?!â
This was such a shocking revelation; she couldnât imagine Yu Mingyi doing something like that.
âThe child isnât mine eitherâ¦â
âWhat?!?!â She had been treating Panpan for so long and had never once suspected that this child wasnât Yu Mingyiâs!
Panpan was a beautiful little boy. Dong Yi had carefully observed him, noticing that his facial features didnât resemble Yu Mingyiâs at all.
Yu Mingyi had the handsome and sunny charm of a man, while Panpan had a softer, more feminine quality. Especially since Second Brother Yuâs divorce, Panpan had been raised by his grandmother, and along with Dong Yiâs care and treatment, the childâs skin became fairer and rounder, making him look even more like a pretty girl.
Dong Yi didnât have a strong impression of Wang Xiaohong, but she had heard from Xiao Qian that she was plain-looking, had a terrible personality, was morally corrupt, and very unreasonable â these were Boss Qianâs exact words. Boss Qian was quite accurate when it came to judging people, and her assessment of Wang Xiaohong as a woman was spot-on.
Despite this, Dong Yi never dwelled on it; she never guessed that Panpan was not Wang Xiaohong and Yu Mingyiâs son!
âThen Panpan isâ¦?â
âHeâs a child I adopted. Initially, Wang Xiaohongâs mental state was unstable, and the psychologist I found wasnât very professional. Their advice was for us to adopt a baby. By chance, we saw Panpan â he was left on a grassy patch not far from the airport, in a cardboard box, with the date of his birth. I brought him home.â
ââ¦â Dong Yi was at a loss for words, the revelation was simply too surprising.
Raising a child is not like raising a pet; how could Yu Mingyi have just picked up the baby like that? From what she saw, he was a very perceptive man, and she had always admired him for that.
But the way he led such a messy life, it was truly baffling.
âA person with no long-term considerations is bound to have immediate worries. I admit that I didnât think things through in the past, but I donât regret adopting Panpan. He and I share a special bond.â
âNo wonder your ex-wife mistreated the childâ¦â Dong Yi had always wondered how a mother could mistreat such an adorable child. Now, the puzzle was finally solved.
âItâs precisely because I didnât handle everything properly in the past that I now want to address all the issues beforehand â Da Yi, I want to tell you the real reason why we canât be together.â
Dong Yi stared at him in silence, unable to understand why Yu Mingyi, who had always avoided this topic, would suddenly bring it up now.
She couldnât keep up with Second Brother Yuâs god-like logic.
Her thoughts were still focused on the secret of Panpanâs background, while he had already leaped ahead, leaving her utterly confused.
âDa Yi, when I saw the text message Xiao Qian sent me, I had an epiphany.â
âBoss Qian sent you a text message? What did she say?â Dong Yi had no idea about this.
âIt was the day we had our disagreement. At the time, I chose to deal with it silently. But todayâs incident reminded me that my approach was wrong, and it hurt you.â
Yu Mingyi took out his phone and handed it to Dong Yi. Dong Yi was surprised to see the text message sent by her best friend to Yu Mingyi, with one sentence â âAll men who try to destroy a womanâs confidence are scumbags. You can reject her feelings, but you shouldnât avoid the issue. You have a low Emotional Quotient, scumbag!â
Such a straightforward messageâ¦
The intense, arrogant tone was definitely Chen Xiaoqianâs style.
After reading it, although Boss Qianâs way of scolding people was actually quite funny, Dong Yi felt her eyes tearing up.
Throughout all this, Xiao Qian never mentioned a word to her. Although Boss Qian always appeared carefree and untethered, as though she transcended ordinary life and rules, she truly cared for her friends. This friendship moved Dong Yi deeply.
âSheâs the best person Iâve ever met.â Dong Yi sniffed and held back her tears.
During this period, Xiao Qian had always been somewhat cold toward Yu Mingyi. It must have been because of her. Actually, Yu Mingyi didnât do anything wrong; it was just that Xiao Qian was protective of her friends. Once someone entered her sphere, no one else was allowed to hurt them.
Yu Mingyi had originally prepared a speech to explain everything, but when he saw how touched Dong Yi was by Chen Xiaoqianâs text, he felt an odd sense of unease. It seemed like the two girls had built their friendship on a foundation of disdain for him, causing him to feel that heâd brought this upon himself.
âI chose to address our situation through avoidance before, even though Chen Xiaoqian had warned me. I didnât take it seriously, but todayâs incident reminded me that I canât continue to avoid the issue.â
âItâs okay, donât worry about todayâs incident. I wasnât hurt, and the egg didnât hurt too much. Just wash it off and itâll be fineâ¦â Dong Yi was worried he would feel guilty, so she hastily reassured him.
Yu Mingyi shook his head, âThe egg that hit you didnât hurt, but when they slandered you as a mistress, didnât that wound you deep down?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Of course it did. Being called a mistress hurt her to the core, especially after the way he had hurt her before. But Dong Yi didnât break down for two reasons. First, she had Xiao Qian at her side, which gave her the strength to endure. Second, she didnât want her sadness to burden Yu Mingyi.
Even if the two of them couldnât be togehter, she didnât want to cause him any trouble. In the deepest part of her heart, he held a special place â the most important, most beloved, and most admired man in her life. For him, she could endure any injustice.
âIâm fine. In the future, Iâll be a psychologist. Xiao Qian says I have a talent for it, so I can manage my emotions. Donât worry about it. You go and attend to your business; Iâll be fine soon.â As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, but she pretended to be carefree.