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But "if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet." Seeing his wife so fearlessly associating with other men, young Cai Wenchuan was worried for her. Actually, he was worried about Lin Tingyue. If his wife and husband quarreled and their relationship deteriorated, it would be Lin Tingyue who would suffer. After all, adults quarreling and divorcing are common occurrences, and they don't find it strange, but for a child, it is a fatal blow.
When parents divorce, a child loses their home. Even if both parents remarry later, and nominally have another home, in reality, whether the child goes to her mother's house or her father's house, she will never feel that it is her own home.
Therefore, Cai Wenchuan, who was only eighteen years old at the time, thought about finding an opportunity to remind his wife to be wary of Lin Tingfeng and to pay attention to her own behavior.
One day, he finally got a chance and saw his wife holding Lin Tingyue's hand, taking a slow walk along a forest path. Cai Wenchuan mustered up his courage and went to meet her.
The lady stopped and smiled at him with her beautiful face.
His face flushed red, and he mustered his courage to lower his voice and say to her, "Madam, you must be careful of Lin Tingfeng!"
The mountain water was cool, like ice water, but his face was burning hot because of his nervousness.
The lady's face held a hint of disdain, but at the same time, a warm smile appeared on her face. She looked at Cai Wenchuan gratefully and said gently to him, "I know, thank you, Wenchuan."
Xiao Wenchuan?
Cai Wenchuan felt a warmth in his heart. He liked it when his wife called him that, as if she treated him like an adult. He looked at her again, clenched his fists at his sides, and mustered his courage to say, "Madam, your husband loves you very much!"
The lady paused, her inquiring gaze turning to Cai Wenchuan.
Cai Wenchuan's heart pounded like a drum. The forest path seemed even quieter, as if someone was eavesdropping behind the two-meter-high bushes. So, Cai Wenchuan nervously looked around, bent down, and said to Lin Tingyue, "Yue'er, go to my house and get that slingshot. I'll shoot birds for you to play with."
At that time, Lin Tingyue was very young, about six or seven years old, and was at the age where she loved to play. When she heard Cai Wenchuan say that, she immediately cheered and ran towards the cabin in the woods.
The surroundings quieted down, like a silent valley. The lady smiled slightly, her eyes full of praise for his intelligence.
At such a young age, his courage and wisdom are truly remarkable.
She smiled gently and asked, "Xiao Wenchuan, I know you treat Yue'er very well. When she grows up, how about I marry her to you?"
Marry him? When Cai Wenchuan heard this, his heart pounded wildly, his face flushed, and a surge of gratitude welled up inside him. He stammered, "Madam is joking. How could I possibly be worthy of Xiaoyue?"
He was just the housekeeper's son, a servant in the Lin family.
The lady, however, looked sad and slowly turned to the side, gazing at the white Lin family mansion. She said softly, "What's this talk about being worthy or not? Does marrying a rich man guarantee happiness? Xiao Wenchuan, do you think I'm happy?"
Cai Wenchuan was stunned and stood there blankly. Indeed, ever since he met the lady, he had noticed that although she was very beautiful and elegant, she did not seem happy at all.
Why is someone so beautiful and rich still unhappy?
This has always been a question in his mind.
Before, it was just suspicion, but now that he heard her admit it herself, it was like solid evidence. He couldn't help but feel more heartache for his wife.
Time passed, and the lady finally came to her senses when she saw Cai Wenchuan staring blankly. She turned around and looked at Cai Wenchuan. At that time, although he was young, he was naturally tall and was almost the same height as her. She smiled slightly and asked him, "By the way, what did you want to talk to me about after you sent Yue'er away?"
Cai Wenchuan's heart pounded again, as if a nest of rabbits were living in his chest. He lowered his voice, his face flushed, and told his wife everything that had happened that night. Finally, he whispered, "So, Madam, you must be careful! Don't associate with other people, don't upset Master. Master has a very bad temper, and Young Master seems quite scheming too. I'm worried about you—"
After listening to Cai Wenchuan's account, Zhang Yingzi's face showed deep emotion, and a warm feeling swept through her heart. She gazed at Cai Wenchuan and said to him as if suddenly realizing something, "Little Wenchuan, so it was you who helped me that night." At this point, she sighed, and her eyes reddened.
Now she realized that, in the entire Lin family, only this child cared about her the most and treated her the best. Upon reflection, it was undeniably ironic and tragic.
Cai Wenchuan immediately said sincerely, "Madam, I like Yue'er, and I like you very much too. I hope you are happy!"
Zhang Yingzi felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Looking at Cai Wenchuan, she remained silent for a long time before finally saying blankly, "You can also see that I'm unhappy—"
Her depression and sadness were written all over her face; even a child could see it. How could he not see it?
My heart felt like it had been doused with ice water, filled with disappointment and pain.
Cai Wenchuan nodded and said softly, "I don't understand. Madam is so beautiful, so young, so rich, and Master loves you so much, why are you still unhappy? It's normal for a child from a family like mine to be unhappy when I have nothing."
He was so young and of such lowly status, yet he was trying to persuade her. His chest felt like it was crawling with countless fleas, their frantic activity making it impossible for him to breathe calmly.
His wife will surely laugh at him for overestimating his abilities.
However, that wasn't the case. While he was feeling incredibly nervous and anxious, Zhang Yingzi smiled slightly. She sighed softly, looked into the distance, and said to him, "You're still young, and you probably don't understand adult matters. You're right, Master does love me very much, but sometimes loving too much can become a form of torture."
Does loving too deeply become torture?
Upon hearing this, Cai Wenchuan was completely bewildered; once again, he couldn't understand what his wife was saying.
He didn't understand what his wife had said until he grew up and fell hopelessly in love with Lin Tingyue.
Loving too deeply can become torture.
Zhang Yingzi's expression changed, her eyes turning as cold as ice. She slowly said to Cai Wenchuan, "You're about the same age as Lin Tingfeng, yet you're much more honest and reliable than him. You're right, it was a trap he deliberately set. He wants revenge; he wants to drive me away! But I—"
Zhang Yingzi stopped, slightly out of breath.
Knowing it was a trap, they couldn't help but fall for it because of the immense pain.
Cai Wenchuan didn't understand again. He nodded and said, "I only know that the young master and his mother seem to be hostile towards you and Yue'er."
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