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Ye Wenyu shook her head. Interesting? No, not at all. Only fear, overwhelming and boundless fear, like the deep sea! She never imagined that Lin Tingfeng would have such a difficult childhood and adolescence. She looked at him with heartache and said, "Why didn't you call the police back then? Weren't you afraid that one day your mother would have a mental breakdown and kill you?"
"Call the police?" Lin Tingfeng smiled, glanced at Ye Wenyu, and said to her, "I have thought about it, but how can I call the police? I was kicked out of the house by my father when I was three, my maternal grandfather died when I was four, my maternal grandmother died when I was five, and when I was six, my mother had a mental breakdown. My father disowned me, saying that I was an outsider's bastard and not his son. From the age of three until I returned to the Lin family, he ignored me for more than ten years. So my mother became my only relative in this world."
Ye Wenyu was stunned. What he said made a lot of sense, just like her mother, who was her only family in this world. Even later, when her mother remarried, sold their only house without telling her, and neglected her life, she still loved her, kept in touch with her, and met occasionally, because she was her only family, and she didn't want to lose her only one.
Lin Tingfeng laughed and said, "There were some neighbors where we rented a house back then. I was more sensible than other kids my age. I knew that if I called the police, my mother would be sent to a mental hospital, and her life would be over. And I would lose her and be sent to an orphanage. So I swore that even if my mother killed me, I would never call the police! Not only did I not call the police, but I also hid the fact that my mother was mentally ill very well. None of the neighbors knew. When they saw that I was injured, I always said that I had fought with my classmates or that I had fallen and hurt myself. I took the initiative to cover it up. When the neighbors said they heard my mother crying and screaming, I said that she was watching TV dramas and so on."
Ye Wenyu was stunned. She couldn't imagine that a six or seven-year-old child could be so smart, filial, and sensible while living with a mother who frequently suffered from mental illness.
Compared to Lin Tingfeng's teenage years, the hardships she endured in her life were nothing.
Lin Tingfeng is not human, he is a god.
Ye Wenyu stared intently at Lin Tingfeng, her gaze filled with admiration for him.
It was so tough, so pitiful; his life was like a Hollywood horror movie unfolding before his eyes. But he grew up, and became outstanding, successfully transforming from a horror film into an inspirational one.
As Lin Tingfeng spoke, his face contorted in a grimace, and he seemed to be talking to himself as he said, "It's not that I didn't want to be a good person, it's just that I didn't have the chance back then!"
Ye Wenyu was horrified when she heard this.
Lin Tingfeng noticed and immediately concealed his true expression, smiling slightly as he slowly said to her, "Anyway, I got used to it later. By the way, I've always been a good student, ever since elementary school. My dad was a top student, and so was I; I guess I'm like him. Then, in high school, I started working odd jobs to support myself and my mom. Whenever I had extra money, I would take my mom to other cities for medical treatment. I always hoped she could get her mental illness cured. In high school, I would work at internet cafes repairing computers, tutoring students, and working as a waitress in hotels and restaurants. As for studying, luckily I'm naturally smart. Even if I sometimes slept in class, I could still get first place every time. I always did my homework in class or after school because I had to work hard after school and on weekends."
As Ye Wenyu listened, her large, watery eyes were filled with admiration.
Lin Tingfeng smiled slightly and said gently to her, "Xiaoyu, look, how much I resembled you when I was a teenager. That's why I felt so sorry for you when I saw you crying in my garden and when I saw you working odd jobs and then falling ill on the street. We are so alike, like a match made in heaven, like two similar dewdrops on the tip of a blade of grass. When I saw you sick, I thought that we must be together. Only when I was with you could my life be complete."
He gazed at her, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, and smiled gently. "Sometimes, taking care of you, buying you clothes, taking you out for nice meals, and helping you with your studies, I even feel like I'm taking care of myself when I was a teenager. That way, the pain I endured during my childhood and adolescence can be healed. Really, taking care of you brings me indescribable comfort. So, I told you from the beginning that what attracts me isn't your appearance. Of course, you're a beautiful girl, but there are many beautiful people in this world. What attracts me is our similarity."
Tears streamed down Ye Wenyu's face. With red eyes, she choked out, "Compared to what you've suffered, what I've endured is nothing."
His life is like an inspirational movie, a legend.
Lin Tingfeng smiled slightly and continued slowly, "Later, I worked part-time while studying, and because of my excellent grades, I was recommended by the school to study abroad. I studied and worked hard abroad, and after completing my studies, I returned to China. Later, I went back to the Lin family, and my father accepted me. In fact, it was all a conspiracy back then; I am my father's biological child. I cured my mother's mental illness, and then my father trusted me and entrusted me with managing the Lin Group. Then, for a political marriage, he married a woman he didn't love but who was beneficial to the group's future. Later, I had children, and then I met you."
He sighed and said softly, "Sometimes seeing you so proud reminds me so much of myself when I was young. I know you must be in pain because of our current relationship, and I'll be sad because we met so late. But the fate between people is predetermined by heaven. I regret not meeting you when I was young, but even if I had, I wouldn't have been able to take care of you. Besides, I think that instead of blaming heaven for arranging our meeting at the wrong time, I should be grateful that I met you in this life. You make me feel happy, make me feel that life is worthwhile, healed my weariness and world-weariness over the years, and filled me with passion and hope for life again."
This was the day Ye Wenyu had spoken the most since he met Lin Tingfeng. Always a man of few words, he had never spoken of the past or confessed his true self to anyone.
Like finding all the small pieces of a puzzle, a complete picture appeared before Ye Wenyu. She finally understood why he was so good to her, why he had that kind of personality, and why he didn't like to talk.
Now we've finally found the answer to everything. It's no wonder that people who grow up in that kind of environment become whatever they are!
Ye Wenyu understood. She now knew everything about the first half of his life, which was truly remarkable.
Lin Tingfeng pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "When I returned to the Lin family and brought my mother home, she burst into tears. She made me kneel before the ancestral tablet and swear that I would never abandon my wife and children like my father did."
Ye Wenyu was stunned. She finally understood why he loved her but couldn't marry her.
Because Lin's father had abandoned her mother, she experienced the harsh realities of life. To support her elderly parents and children, she even worked as a singer, dancer, and prostitute. For the poor, every day was like a battle. Lin's mother eventually succumbed to the pressures of life and went insane!
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