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Lin Tingfeng nodded and said softly, "Awake."

The old woman nodded again, then looked out the window. From where she stood, she could see the Lin family's rose garden. Ye Wenyu was carefully selecting roses with the help of the old gardener. Looking at Ye Wenyu, the old woman said slowly to Lin Tingfeng, "Ye Wenyu is a good girl. She is beautiful and very sensible. I like her very much."

Lin Tingfeng smiled slightly, and his whole demeanor became less gloomy.

"But—" the old man changed the subject, looked at Lin Tingfeng, and said firmly, "You absolutely cannot divorce your husband and marry her!"

Lin Tingfeng froze, his heart clenching. Before he could even express his feelings, his mother had already seen through them and blocked his path to ruin.

He certainly knew why the old woman was so determined to oppose it. His mother had suffered greatly because of the hardships and toil she had endured back then, and he had suffered the same fate.

The old woman looked into the distance, her eyes suddenly reddening and glistening with tears. She slowly said, "From the time I was 28 and pregnant with you, I was kicked out of the house. Then, at 58, I returned to this home. For the next thirty years, I suffered hardship and toil. Now, I often have nightmares at night, dreaming that I'm holding you, with no clothes to wear, no food to eat, caught in a raging storm, being evicted by the landlord for not being able to pay the rent—"

Lin Tingfeng's face was pale. He said softly, "Mom, no, no, it's all over now." As he said this, he felt like he was being haunted by a nightmare, and his throat hurt terribly. Now, looking back, he didn't know how he had endured all that suffering.

The old woman seemed to have aged many years in an instant. She said in a hoarse voice, "Thirty years, the best years of my life, were spent in poverty and hardship. Besides, it doesn't matter what I become, Tingfeng, what about you? Do you think I'm not heartbroken or saddened by what you've become today?"

Lin Tingfeng was taken aback for a moment, then forced a smile and said to the old woman, "Mom, I'm doing great now. I have a career, I have someone I love, and I'm full of hope and enthusiasm for life—"

The old man looked at his son suspiciously and slowly said to him, "Is that so?"

Lin Tingfeng fell silent, his hands trembling at his sides.

Only he, in the darkness, knows best what he has become.

The old woman gazed at her son and said softly, "I hope everything is as you say. But I don't want you to follow in your father's footsteps. I know you and your wife have no feelings for each other, but your two children are so lovely and innocent. You can't do what your father did—abandon your wife and children for another woman!" Her voice was soft, but it carried a resounding weight.

Lin Tingfeng remained silent for a few minutes before slowly nodding.

Lin Tingfeng's mother was tired. She waved her hand and said to him, "Then go ahead. Xiaoyu has been waiting outside for a long time. Don't let her overthink things. I also hope that you can make things clear to her at the appropriate time, so that she won't have any improper thoughts."

Lin Tingfeng said in a rustling voice, "I know." Then he turned around and walked out with heavy steps.

Ye Wenyu pulled her thoughts back from their wandering, kite-like flight, and returned to her reborn life. She composed herself and looked around. The hospital was bustling with people, even more so than a train station. Only in the hospital did she realize how many people were sick. She hurried out of the hospital.

Now that she has recovered, she was discharged alone because she has no relatives. From the beginning to the end, from her foot injury to the reinfection and now her recovery and discharge, her mother knew nothing. Ye Wenyu thought it was good, so that her mother wouldn't have to suffer so much.

She stood at the bus stop outside the hospital, waiting for the bus. The smoky wind blew against her face. She thought that in this life, Lin Tingfeng might really have been frightened by her ugly appearance, which was why he hadn't bothered her anymore. Although fate played tricks on her, and she encountered Lin Tingfeng several times, he ultimately didn't fall in love with her. Because the undeniable facts proved to her that Lin Tingfeng didn't pursue her with the same scheming and relentless pursuit as he had in her previous life.

Thinking this through, Ye Wenyu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that making herself look ugly in front of Lin Tingfeng was quite effective. In fact, everyone in this world judges by appearances; it's a world that values ​​looks. Even someone like Ye Wenyu, if she wanted to ask for help outside, would definitely choose someone good-looking and with a clean demeanor, rather than someone ugly.

But that money—

Thinking about the extra 30,000 yuan in her card, she wondered when she should return it to Lin Tingfeng.

On one hand, the thought of having an extra 30,000 yuan in her card brought her joy and a sense of security. On the other hand, she also thought that the money belonged to Lin Tingfeng and not to her, so she decided to return it to him. She thought of going to Yuanyuan and hoping that Yuanyuan could help return it to Lin Tingfeng so that she could avoid meeting him.

As for the hospital fees he paid for her, she has limited means right now. She can only wait until she has the ability to make a lot of money in the future, and after paying off the 50,000 yuan debt at the end of the year, she can then make money to pay off his hospital fees.

She thought with some fear, "Is this how it is for poor people? Debts pile up one after another, growing larger and larger until, in the end, like a snowball, they can never repay them, and then they become like a salted fish, unable to turn over."

It's obvious that she's having a harder time this year than last year. When she first started university, she worked hard to earn her living expenses but didn't have any debts. This year, however, she has accumulated more than 100,000 yuan in debt.

Ye Wenyu shook her head, telling herself not to think about it. She thought to herself, "Don't be too pessimistic. The point of life is to live in the present, not dwell on the past or fear the future." Everything would change after graduation. Once she found a high-paying white-collar job, she would definitely change her current terrible situation. Besides, there was good news: she had regained her financial aid for impoverished students, and she had already started her second year of university. There were only two years left until graduation.

Just then, the bus arrived, whipping up a gust of dusty wind. Ye Wenyu rallied her spirits, boarded the bus, and headed back to school.

Back at school, she went to class first, then explained her foot injury to the teacher and promised to catch up on her studies as soon as possible. After finishing these tasks, she went to find Yuanyuan and transferred the 30,000 yuan refunded from the hospital to Yuanyuan via WeChat.

She said, "This is the hospital fee refunded. Lin Tingfeng paid it for me. Please transfer it to him for me."

Yuan Yuan was taken aback, then immediately said, "I'm not going. You go by yourself." She couldn't be a huge third wheel and be disliked by Uncle Lin. Uncle Lin had always liked her because she was intelligent and perceptive, wasn't she? She had a huge secret in her heart, one that only she knew.