(86)

Outside the corridor, the night was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, just like Ye Wenyu's future.

A crescent moon, like an eyebrow, looked at her with heartache.

What to do? Her stepfather is sick and needs tens of thousands of yuan for surgery. Where can she borrow the money? What to do? If things continue like this, and no changes are made to her life, her life will predictably end up like her mother's. What can she do? She loves Lin Tingfeng, and she doesn't want to, nor is she willing to, spend the rest of her life without seeing him.

Is it only possible to—

Ye Wenyu stopped in her tracks, staring blankly into the distance. Her heart felt like an eighteen-wheeled truck had overturned. She re-examined her own feelings, her face turning pale and her hands icy cold. She didn't want to leave Lin Tingfeng!

Despite suppressing her emotions, in the quiet of the night, alone, she finally no longer needed to hide them. She mustered her courage to face them.

Her greatest pain is that she will never see him again for the rest of her life.

Even though he hurt her, she still loved him and wanted to be with him, to see him every day. If loving someone meant being able to stop loving them, then things would be much easier.

Was it really because her stepfather was sick and she needed money that she chose to return to Lin Tingfeng's side? No, she had only met her stepfather once and had never been to his house. She didn't have much affection for him; in fact, you could say she had zero feelings for him.

Was it really because she loved Lin Tingfeng and wanted to see him every day and be with him that she chose to return to his side? No, it doesn't seem to be the case. After all, her love only earned her his manipulation, and she could force herself to sever ties with him.

Most importantly, she yearned for a comfortable and wealthy life. Just like plants turn towards the light, she was tired of living a life of hardship at the bottom for eighteen years. She wanted to break free from it and believe that life would be different. The luxurious life she experienced with Lin Tingfeng for a month and a half made her realize that life could be so colorful.

Some people live a comfortable life, drinking tea and wine in their backyard and basking in the sun every day, while others struggle on the poverty line every day, afraid to get sick or miss work.

If she doesn't turn back to find Lin Tingfeng this time, she might never have a chance to turn her life around. Like a salted fish, she'll always be in a state of death. Opportunities are fleeting; once they're gone, they're gone forever. If she doesn't seize this opportunity now, no matter how hard she tries, she'll remain a salted fish hanging on the wall for the rest of her life.

Sometimes, choice is far more important than effort.

This is a crucial moment to make a decision.

As Ye Wenyu thought of this, her heart pounded. Deep inside, a huge bell was ringing desperately. She bit her lip, her fingers trembling as she picked up her phone and mustered the courage to dial Lin Tingfeng's number.

At this moment, less than two hours after she said goodbye to Lin Tingfeng, Lin Tingfeng quickly answered the phone.

Her phone rang only once before he answered. "Xiaoyu—" His voice was dry, and he was clearly nervous, as if he had been staring at his phone the whole time, waiting for her to call back, as if he knew she would regret it and call him again.

Ye Wenyu felt humiliated and in pain, but she also relaxed. She had made a choice and would never turn back. She vowed to walk a different path in life from her mother and to make sure that both she and her mother could live a good life!

Through the phone's receiver, she could hear Lin Tingfeng's breathing, slow and deliberate, yet like a taut string in the night, emitting a frightening glow in the darkness.

Ye Wenyu didn't know if she was nervous or if Lin Tingfeng on the other end of the phone was nervous.

Her hand holding the phone was trembling. The night was unusually quiet, and she could hear her own heart pounding. In the far distance, a crescent moon appeared, and she looked at Ye Wenyu with sorrow as she watched her make a very important choice in her life.

Ye Wenyu took a deep breath, then another, and said hoarsely into the phone, "I need to see you." Her voice was like a light spider's thread, shivering uncontrollably in the night wind.

Lin Tingfeng replied simply, "I'll come pick you up right away." His tone was filled with elation, like a gambler who has lost but is told there's still a chance to turn the tables.

Twenty minutes later, his car was waiting for her outside the campus. The night was deep, and the moonlight was like water.

Ye Wenyu put on her outdoor clothes, ignored her roommates' strange looks, and hurriedly ran out of the girls' dormitory, appearing in front of Lin Tingfeng's car.

Her heart was still pounding and racing, and she could only bite her lip tightly with her teeth, because if she didn't, she seriously suspected that her heart would jump out of her mouth.

Will she regret it later? She doesn't know, but she knows clearly that at this moment, she has nowhere to go, and she doesn't regret it.

Lin Tingfeng got out of the car and, like a gentleman, opened the passenger door. His hand, which was gripping the door, trembled spasmodically. Ye Wenyu silently got in.

Lin Tingfeng asked her, "Do you want to go back to the dormitory later?" He gazed at her, his long phoenix eyes filled with barely suppressed affection and desire.

Ye Wenyu was stunned for a moment. After a few minutes, she understood what he meant. Since she had come to him again, she had agreed to be his lover. Since she had chosen not to be an obedient student anymore, going back to the dormitory had become an optional decision.

Really? A sense of unease crept into her heart. Her heart was like spring willow catkins, warm yet also turbulent. Because if she could have a relationship with him again, even if it was a clandestine one, as long as she could see him again, be close to him again, she wouldn't regret it.

However, she had no choice, did she? He could only make her his mistress, so she still had to save face. She said bitterly, "It's still early. I'll talk to you for a few minutes in the car, then I'll go back to my dorm. I still want to finish my studies."

She thought to herself, with a mixture of humiliation and pride, "If I agree to be your mistress now, will my fate remain unchanged? Will I always be so foolish, so pitiful, so helpless? I'll be your mistress for a few years, until I'm strong enough that I no longer love you, no longer let you lead me by the nose, strong enough to control and hide my feelings. Then I will naturally leave you. Who said I'd be your mistress for life?!"

She gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and her eyes shone with sadness and resentment, those lights like stars, like diamonds, reflecting the tears welling up in her eyes.

All of this was observed by Lin Tingfeng, who was carefully watching her. He gradually calmed down, knowing that he had finally won the bet. He was both happy and proud. He looked at her once, then once more, and after confirming that his guess was correct, he felt even more at ease. However, he tried his best to control his emotions and not let her know.

He said gently, "Xiaoyu, I'm so happy that you're back by my side." His voice finally relaxed, no longer tense, but filled with joy.