chapter 6
There was a vague figure standing at my doorstep.
As I got closer, I realized it was He Chenyi’s Mother. She was wearing fur, shivering as she rubbed her hands together.
Another persuader.
As soon as she saw me, she hurried over. “Yaoyao, I’ve been waiting for so long. You finally came back.”
She affectionately tried to take my hand.
I kept my hands in my pockets, looking at her with a blank face. “Auntie, do you need something from me?”
Seeing my indifference, she awkwardly withdrew her hand.
“Yaoyao, after all these years, you’ve treated Chenyi so well. I only recognize you as my daughter-in-law. You know what kind of person that brat Chenyi is-willful and impulsive, but not bad at heart, and his feelings for you are genuine. For my sake, will you come back with me?”
Her face was red from the wind, her eyes earnest.
She had seen me at my most humble in front of He Chenyi.
Back then, we hadn’t been together long.
She came by to bring He Chenyi some medicine, and I was cleaning the house.
While tidying the bookshelf, I accidentally knocked down a book.
A pile of photos slipped out and scattered all over the floor.
I was stunned.
They were close-up photos of He Chenyi and Jiang Yuhe, at least a dozen of them.
It felt like I had stumbled upon some forbidden secret. I hurried to gather them up.
He Chenyi happened to see, and he lost his temper. “Shen Xingyao, why are you rummaging through other people’s things?”
Whenever it had to do with Jiang Yuhe, he would lose control.
When he got angry, I got scared. “I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up right away. Please don’t be mad.”
He knocked the photos out of my hands, shouting loudly, “Why do you always make me angry!”
Then he turned and was about to leave.
It was already dark outside. I blocked his way, spreading my arms. “You can’t go! I won’t let you go!”
He Chenyi was nearly 1.9 meters tall, so I had to look up at him, pleading softly, “I’m sorry.”
He looked at me for a few seconds, then turned and went into the bedroom.
His mother sighed on the side, saying nothing.
All those grievances, thinking back now, seem to be right before my eyes again.
“Auntie, I’m sorry. Please go home.”
As soon as she heard that, her eyes instantly reddened. “If Chenyi hadn’t gone crazy lately, I wouldn’t have bothered you. He raced his car and ended up in the hospital a few days ago. As soon as he could walk, he went out drinking, and even got into a fight with Xiao Dong, who tried to talk sense into him. If this keeps up, how can his heart take it…”
“He won’t say it, but I know he’s doing all this just to get your attention. Please, for my sake, go and talk to him, will you?”
Her tears fell.
Honestly, I was a little envious of He Chenyi.
No matter what he did wrong, there was always someone who loved him.
I reached out my thin hand, took a pack of tissues from my pocket, and handed it to her.
“Auntie, I’ve stayed by his side for six years. If six years can’t change his habit of not caring for himself, then even sixty years won’t make a difference.”
“Besides, his heart is in his own body. If something goes wrong, he’s the only one who’ll suffer.”
“Instead of trying to persuade me, you’d be better off spending more time talking to him. After all, you’re his real mother. I have nothing to do with him anymore.”
“Yaoyao, how did you become like this…”
“Goodbye, Auntie.”
I held onto the last shred of dignity as I walked inside.
My whole body slid down the wall.
If I tangled with them for even a minute longer, I’d end up lying at her feet like a dog, unable to get up.
He Chenyi is hell-bent on self-destruction. What he wants doesn’t matter anymore.
Right now, I can’t even take care of myself.