Chapter 50 Side by Side: "How Fortunate"
50
A brief silence fell over the room. Meng Yao pondered his situation for a while before speaking: "Now, disregarding outside opinions and setting aside responsibility and guilt, do you want to go back?"
Fang Huaixu thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know."
His answer was honest and confused: "Logically, I don't think he deserves to be forgiven, but emotionally, he's almost eighty years old and still worries about me, his child who never comes home. It seems heartless that he can't even do such a small request as to go back and see me."
Following his line of thought, Meng Yao readily replied, "Then let's go back and take a look."
Fang Huaixu fell silent again, his fingers unconsciously curling up slightly before finally denying it: "But I don't think Mom's matter is a trivial matter."
Meng Yao listened patiently, taking a deep breath as he recalled: "Over the years, I've heard countless voices. They think that since my mother is already gone, why should I be so petty? They say that she was so young, and she married my father, who was much older than her, just for money. They say that my father just didn't value her dreams. Didn't my father always treat my mother and me well when she was alive? He never lacked anything for us, emotionally or materially. Even until she died, she always believed that my father truly loved her."
He paused abruptly, a deep sense of helplessness in his voice: "But I know it's not like that. I know Mom truly loves him. She's so busy with work, busy with research, busy with experiments, yet she still remembers every important day of Father's life. She remembers clearly what meetings he had, what his schedule was like, what perfume he liked to use, and even the sizes of his items. When she was too busy with work to spend much time with him, she would make us many small gifts by hand whenever she had a spare moment... Every time she talks about Father with me, her face is filled with pride and admiration. She says she truly loves her career, that Father is the first confidant she has ever met, that her future research results will save countless unfortunate families, that she is a successful woman, and that Father is the strongest and most solid support behind her."
His eyes were gentle yet melancholic, as if he were seeing that woman full of passion and faith again.
"She was such a strong-willed person. If she hadn't died from her illness, if she had known that she had always been kept like a pet by the person she loved, who only coveted her emotional and reproductive value; if she had known that the dream she cherished and fought for her whole life would be so lightly dismissed as a waste of time... she would never have tolerated such desecration and would have chosen to leave without hesitation. I don't want to forgive him, and I don't want to be betrayed by my mother."
His words were heavy, and it was clear that this realization made it harder for him to forgive Fang Hongsheng than any external accusations.
Looking at his face, Meng Yao said clearly, "Then I won't go."
Fang Huaixu seemed surprised that she would change her stance so decisively. He paused for a moment, then gave a bitter and helpless smile and sighed, "So I don't know what to do either."
Meng Yao raised an eyebrow, gently hooked her arm around his neck, and said with a soothing tone, "I can't make the decision for you, because it's your business. If I make the decision for you, and you regret it someday in the future, you'll definitely blame me."
Fang Huaixu immediately shook his head, unusually certain: "No, the choice is my own decision. You are just giving my opinion. Even if it is wrong, it is my fault. I chose to listen to you."
"yes."
Meng Yao followed his words: "The decision is yours to make. So you have to believe that no matter what decision you make, your parents will not blame you."
He was slightly taken aback when Meng Yao finally cut to the chase: "Your mother's choice between love and dreams is not something you can control. Your father also had countless opportunities to face up to your relationship and reflect on the harm he caused to your mother, but they chose the path they are on now. So this is their mistake, and you shouldn't have to bear it. You don't need to constantly blame yourself and wallow in self-blame."
Her views were always clear and logical. She poked his face and said, "People who love you don't want to see you suffer. Like me now, seeing your unhappy face, I don't want to make any decisions for you, let alone advise you to forgive any of them. Think about how they caused you pain in the past. Did they really not notice your father's contemptuous attitude and the malicious environment your brother and sister created for you? ... Many times, the outcome is just what you brought upon yourself."
She sighed, indignant and dissatisfied: "I wish I could travel back in time and pull you out of all that mess, throw all this crap to the winds. Should I say your mother raised you too well or too badly..."
Mentioning his mother, Meng Yao's voice softened: "If I could really go back in time, I would definitely tell her not to raise you to be so gentle and sensible. Why do you bury all your emotions in your heart? It's normal to have your own selfish desires. You can be angry, you can be dissatisfied, you can live for yourself, instead of always thinking about other people's feelings and carrying burdens that you shouldn't have to bear."
Fang Huaixu listened in a daze, feeling as if something had struck his chest hard. A mix of bitterness and warmth overwhelmed him, making it difficult for him to remain calm and composed.
An indescribable feeling of emotion overwhelmed him. He felt as if something was blocking his throat, preventing him from making any sound. He could only gaze deeply at her, his eyes swirling with emotions—surprise, relief, and an almost devout gratitude.
How fortunate he was to have met someone who was willing to stay by his side after all that he had gone through, someone who always warmed him, supported him, and liberated him in various ways.
"……Thank you."
He couldn't think of a better word, so he took her hand in his own and uttered a single word of thanks.
Looking into his beautiful eyes, which were filled with complex emotions, Meng Yao felt her heart melt. She didn't say anything more, but simply let him hold her hand tightly, responding with silent companionship.
After a long period of silence, when Fang Huaixu looked up again, the confusion and struggle in his eyes had dissipated considerably, replaced by a clear and lucid expression: "I've decided, I won't go back."
Meng Yao felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, a wave of relief washing over her. She knew that his decision hadn't been easy: "There's no need to blame yourself. Think about it, if he had truly reflected on his mistakes, there are a million ways to reconcile with you. Even if he had to swallow his pride and come to the company in person, he should know that with your personality, it would be difficult for you to truly harden your heart. But he hasn't. This at least shows that in his heart, his pride is more important than repairing your relationship, so there's no need to blame yourself for this."
Fang Huaixu also relaxed a lot and gave a soft "hmm".
Perhaps because he was really tired, Fang Huaixu started to feel sleepy not long after taking his medicine that night. His last words before going to sleep were vague instructions to Chen Jie to take Meng Yao home, and he fell asleep soon after.
After he fell asleep, Meng Yao didn't leave immediately. She sat beside him quietly and watched over him for a while. The soft light outlined his sleeping profile. His long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were pale because of his illness.
Perhaps it was because of love, but even though it was a face she always looked at, she was completely mesmerized, her heart filled with tender emotions.
He said he was lucky to be by her side, and she felt the same way.
To meet such a sincere and kind person, even though he is not good with words and has a stubborn and clumsy side, his feelings are pure and sincere.
She couldn't help but smile when she thought of his youthful and innocent appearance, and she silently made up her mind to protect this hard-won relationship.
About half an hour later, Meng Yao got up and left with Chen Jie.
Once in the car, Meng Yao wasn't ready to end things there. She began to review everything that had happened that day and started her investigation.
A meeting that Fang Huaixu had to attend despite being ill must be important, so she simply asked Chen Jie, "Assistant Chen, has the company been doing very badly lately? What are the specific problems? Could you tell me?"
Chen Jie hesitated for a moment before revealing some details: "The main controversy lies in the investment in new drug research and development and the subsequent market strategy. Recently, there have indeed been some unfriendly public opinions, with outsiders questioning whether the pricing is too high, while the board of directors feels that the commercial prospects are unclear, which has had a certain impact on the stock price and team morale."
Meng Yao nodded thoughtfully. She didn't ask for further details, but she had already taken note of it.
After returning home, drawing on her years of experience in the live streaming industry, she first systematically investigated the public opinion surrounding Tianmu and indeed discovered a number of suspicious smear articles.
However, she soon discovered that these negative voices appeared at too close together in time, and although the angles of attack were diverse, the core target was highly consistent.
Although the other party did it very discreetly and led the pace very professionally, a careful analysis of their rhetoric and dissemination path reveals that much of the content seems to come from the same template and the same hand.
It's obvious that someone is deliberately manipulating public opinion behind the scenes to suppress Tianmu Group, or rather, to specifically target its new drug research and development projects.
Fang Huaixu may not be familiar with these tactics, but she is very adept at navigating public opinion after so many years of experience.
She almost immediately pulled out her phone and contacted everyone she could think of who could help, focusing on investigating the source of the data and analyzing public opinion.
Although she didn't know if she could ultimately help, she couldn't bear to watch someone she liked fall into trouble.
Since she had decided to be together, she was determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Even if she was weak, she would do everything in her power to protect the important person in her life.
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