Chapter 111 is gone forever.
Lily opened her mouth, but was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "You said it yourself, it's 'if.' Anyone can talk big. If I were you, I could live as happily as you, and I could say the same thing as you. But there are no 'ifs' in this world. I am not you, and you are not me. You have no right to say that about me."
She stubbornly persists in her own ideas, trying to maintain what little dignity she has left.
“You have the chance to be as happy as her. Her life is just that of an ordinary person, but in your eyes, it is happiness. Lily, in the end, it is because you did not guard your true self and were blinded by the world of the big city.”
These words were spoken by Qin Ce.
Lily looked at Qin Ce in surprise. He knew everything about her, things that Wang Ye didn't know.
Therefore, his words directly pointed out Lily's fatal flaw.
Lily clenched her fists tightly, not daring to refute his words, nor being able to refute them.
Qin Ce was right. From childhood to adulthood, she harbored a deep resentment. From elementary school to university, the only thing that supported her in studying hard was the unwillingness and resentment in her heart.
In the materialistic world of big cities, her resentment and desires grew wildly in the decadent society, and she fell into depravity.
She compares herself to others, she feels inferior, she wants to be like others, like her classmates, and become a normal person.
But in the end, she slowly became the kind of person she hated, and she had to continue playing the role. Eventually, she even felt that she had really become the kind of person she had imagined herself to be.
She has a happy family and loving parents who are no longer farmers in the mountains, but university professors and senior executives of listed companies.
The envious glances and flattering words from her classmates made her lose herself, immersing herself in the lies she had woven.
As Qin Ce said, if she is down-to-earth, faces her past squarely, studies hard, finds a good job after graduating from university, she will meet an excellent man on another level, a man who truly likes her.
He can accept her past, accept everything about her, and love her as a person with all his heart.
She can be as happy as Qiao Xing.
But there are no "what ifs" in life. From the moment she chose to fall into depravity, she could never go back.
Ultimately, it all boils down to her being too greedy and vain.
If a person cannot learn to accept their past, cannot accept their mediocrity, they will be like her, living in hypocrisy every day, consuming their enthusiasm for the world, and becoming more and more tired each day.
Seeing that her expression gradually calmed down, Wang Ye took Lili's hand and said, "It's alright, it's not too late now. I will work hard to earn money so that you and Auntie can live a good life. We can also live a simple and happy life together."
Lily turned to look at Wang Ye, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She tugged at the corners of her mouth but remained silent.
Zhou Lan's appearance unveiled all her masks and pretenses. She was now standing naked in front of them, completely exposed from head to toe.
In the end, she herself didn't have the strength to struggle.
Wang Ye ran back into the house and proudly presented the bag of vegetables, saying, "Look, these were grown by Auntie herself. We picked them and brought them to you from over a thousand kilometers away. That's how much Auntie cares about you."
Lily didn't say anything, but just glanced at the pumpkin in the bag.
She's not actually as resistant now. The reason she used to resist her past was because she was afraid of seeing other people's contemptuous eyes and mocking, disdainful faces.
As the saying goes, a kind word warms the heart for three winter months, while a harsh word chills the heart for six summer months. Wang Ye's attitude has already healed most of the wounds in her heart.
However, resolving inner conflicts is not so easy. It's not something that can be done with just a few words. She looks very awkward right now.
Qiao Xing's gaze shifted between her and Zhou Lan. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before the mother and daughter recognized each other.
She suddenly said, "We haven't eaten yet, why don't we go eat first? We can take Auntie to try some of the delicious food in Chongqing."
Wang Ye nodded in agreement, "That's right, I forgot, Auntie hasn't eaten since last night! I'll find a nice restaurant now..."
Qiao Xing remembered the place they ate at last time, and she tugged at Qin Ce's sleeve, "Don't you still have some vouchers left from that restaurant? Let's go there."
Qin Ce glanced at her, and seeing how eager she was, he didn't refuse. "Okay, I'll call and reserve a table."
After saying that, he took out his phone and went to the side to make a call.
Seeing the awkward situation between the mother and daughter, Qiao Xing tried to lighten the mood, "Lily, I was a little harsh just now, please don't take it to heart."
Lily shook her head. "I wasn't being too harsh either, so let's call it even."
Qiao Xing smiled and said, "But I really think you're amazing. In that kind of environment, at such a young age, you managed to find a way out for yourself. You shouldn't feel inferior about it; you should be proud of it."
Lily twitched the corners of her mouth but didn't say anything.
Qiao Xing continued, "Look at those successful people, every time they give a speech, they talk about their hardships and struggles. Those are valuable experiences that led to their success. You are the same."
"When you have children in the future, you can proudly tell them how you relied on yourself to fight against fate step by step, how you came out of that remote mountain village, and how you achieved the happy life you have now. How inspiring is that?"
Qiao Xing spoke sincerely and from the bottom of her heart. She never felt that there was anything shameful about the hardships of the past. What was shameful was compromising with reality and falling down in the face of difficulties and never getting up again.
Lily was somewhat moved. With Qiao Xing's example, she suddenly felt that her past was not so shameful.
But then she thought about what happened after she went to university, and her heart was filled with regret and inferiority. Those were the things she was truly ashamed of.
It was something she would never dare to say aloud.
She seemed to suddenly understand why Qin Ce knew about her affairs but hadn't made it public.
Besides not wanting to meddle, it was also out of sympathy or admiration for her past experiences.
But she didn't know that the reason Qin Ce didn't expose her secrets was entirely because he didn't want to reveal his identity to Qiao Xing, and also because he couldn't be bothered with their messy affairs...
Wang Ye also said, "Yeah, I think it's amazing too. If it were me, I probably would have just given up."
Wang Ye's words successfully made Lily laugh, but it was only for a moment before the immense weight on her face suppressed the smile.
After Qin Ce finished his call, he returned and said, "It's all booked. Let's go."
Qiao Xing nodded and said to Zhou Lan, "Auntie, let's go eat."
Zhou Lan glanced at Lily cautiously, and Lily said awkwardly, "Let's go."
Zhou Lan was overjoyed, tears of excitement welling up in her eyes. She hurriedly wiped them away and went to Lily's side.
She's only sixty years old, but she looks about the same age as Grandpa Qin. Her back is bent over, and she's a whole shoulder shorter than Lily when she stands next to her.
Actually, the matter wasn't completely resolved yet; where Zhou Lan would live afterward also became a problem.
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