Since it concerns a man's pride, and her evasive attitude is so obvious, he might as well ask her directly and get to the bottom of it.
This was the first time Jiang Hua had heard him ask this question. She had thought about it before, but she had never been able to sort out those emotional threads. Who knew that the relationship she thought she couldn't understand was now very clear to her. She smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I don't think he is better than you in any way, but I just fell in love with him. He is not as gentle or as considerate as you. Maybe it's just that the timing of his appearance was just right."
She couldn't even explain matters of the heart to herself, let alone to him.
Ye Mucheng finally got an answer, and said with a wry smile, "It was my own fault for not seizing the opportunity. If I hadn't left, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way..."
"Mucheng, didn't we say we were going to eat? I'm hungry, how about we have Western food?" Jiang Hua quickly changed the subject; those reminiscing words wouldn't leave either of them with a good feeling.
Ye Muchen stopped dwelling on those words and took her to a nearby Western restaurant. The restaurant was quite elegant and the environment was quiet. After ordering, the two ate in silence, occasionally talking, mostly him talking and her listening. They talked about memories from the past. He said he didn't care, but deep down he couldn't bear to give up.
After a bittersweet dinner, Jiang Hua breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the man pay the bill. It would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed. But now she had someone else in her heart, and one wrong move could have led her to utter ruin.
However, she didn't want to deceive Ye Mucheng, nor did she want to be two-timing. Even though the situation between Gu Yiming and her was unclear, and even though she had to raise the child on her own now, she didn't want to deliberately ignore the issue of feelings.
She loves without hesitation, Jiang Hua has always been free-spirited.
As for her relationship with Gu Yiming, she didn't want to delve into it for the time being and had already decided to let nature take its course. Right now, her biggest concern was the baby in her belly. As long as she could give birth to the child safely, she would be willing to raise the child herself in the end. Who says that a woman has to depend on a man to survive?
Isn't it perfectly fine to rely on yourself?
When Ye Muchen took her home, the two walked all the way downstairs from the apartment. The streetlights were dim, and his gaze remained fixed on her. He said softly, "Huahua, I've never stopped regretting it, but what's done is done. I won't make things difficult for you anymore. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
He was still so devoted to her. Jiang Hua looked at the increasingly mature and reserved man in front of her, and her heart was slightly moved. He had achieved his current success mostly through his own hard work. He was no worse than Gu Yiming in any way, at most his family background was slightly inferior. If the two started from the same point, they really couldn't compete with each other. They each had their own strengths and were both business prodigies.
"I'll leave you here. I won't go in, so your neighbors won't gossip." Ye Muchen stopped at the apartment door at the opportune moment.
As Jiang Hua passed him, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. Suspicious, she instinctively covered her head, her body moving faster than her senses.
Ye Mucheng looked at her suspiciously, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
She shook her head and looked behind him, but saw nothing. Perhaps she was just imagining things.
After saying goodbye to Ye Muchen, she returned to her apartment alone. While she was sleeping, she received a video call from Su Wenwen. The two chatted about everyday things, and as it got later, she went to bed.
Jiang Hua probably went to bed late, because she didn't get up the next day and was woken up by her phone.
The sun was shining brightly outside, but the thick curtains in the bedroom let in only a faint light, making it impossible to tell what time it was.
Her phone kept ringing. She mumbled as she answered, and the sharp, sarcastic voice on the other end instantly jolted her awake. She sat up abruptly, her gaze sharp and unwavering as she stared coldly at the bedside table. "You asked me out, so why should I go?"
Jiang Shiwan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and continued, "I'm right outside your door. If you don't mind, fine, I'll just print out those photos and send them to every newspaper."
Photos? What photos?
Jiang Hua frowned deeply, wondering what the other party was up to.
"I'll be a good Samaritan and give you a friendly hint: who did you have dinner with last night? At a Western restaurant on West Street, on the twelfth floor, at table number 5 by the window."
The time, the place, and the people all match up.
Jiang Hua was startled, but after a moment, she regained her composure and asked in a calm voice, "What exactly do you want?"
"I'm right at your doorstep."
She arrived so quickly. Jiang Hua put on her clothes, thinking about the person at the door. Although she was anxious, she didn't go out looking disheveled. She quickly washed up. Since she was here, it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer.
Jiang Shiwan's legs were aching from standing. When the door was opened from the inside, she rolled her eyes and snorted, "Getting into your house is harder than getting into a palace. It's just a commoner's apartment, what's with the attitude?"
"If you don't want to stay, you can leave right now," Jiang Hua retorted without any hesitation, showing no sign of having any leverage over the other party.
"Heh, if I really left, you'd probably be begging me to stay. How about a cup of tea?"
Jiang Hua sat motionless on the sofa, arms crossed, watching her half-sisters. She was wearing loose pajamas, and her belly wasn't very prominent. She ignored Jiang Shiwan's malicious gaze fixed on her stomach.
"Look, these are all photos of you two together. Ye Mucheng is really infatuated with you. Even though you're married to Gu Yiming, he still hasn't given up. If I were you, I'd probably feel the same way. It's understandable that you're still hung up on each other." Jiang Shiwan clicked her tongue in regret, but the coldness in her eyes was undisguised.
When Jiang Hua saw the photos, although she had expected it, she was still visually shocked. The photos were taken very deliberately, with the angles adjusted to show her and Ye Muchen in intimate poses. The most ambiguous one was the one of her at the apartment entrance, where the angle made it look like Ye Muchen was hugging her.
Actually, she clearly took a step back as she was heading back to her apartment. No wonder she felt flashes of light; she had been being watched the whole time.
"You went to all that trouble to take these photos that have no substance. What's the point? Lately, you've been busy showing off your body and flaunting your charms. When have you ever had the time to meddle in other people's business?" Jiang Hua was unwilling to be manipulated.
"Sharp-tongued and quick-witted."
Jiang Shiwan gave a mocking smile, casually picked up a photo, a picture taken in a restaurant. Jiang Hua was eating with her head down, while Ye Mucheng was looking at her affectionately. The picture was enlarged several times, making it look like a couple shooting for a magazine. Ye Mucheng looked like a celebrity, and his deep affection was breathtaking.
"As long as you leave the entertainment industry, I will destroy these photos and negatives and will absolutely not release them. If you disagree, then that's another matter." Seeing that Jiang Hua did not speak, Jiang Shiwan blew on the photos and stated her purpose.
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