(210)
Ye Wenyu could only nod slowly, beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripping down her forehead like rain with each nod. Her classmates already knew about her part-time job; Cai Wenchuan must have found out from them. He caught her red-handed at the classroom door today because she was late for class, so lying wouldn't make much difference; it would only upset him.
And what she least wanted was to hurt him.
The air seemed to freeze. Ye Wenyu silently prayed to heaven, hoping that Cai Wenchuan would not be angry, would not be angry. As long as he was happy, she would be willing to endure ten times the hardship.
Cai Wenchuan remained silent for a long time, staring out the classroom window with a blank expression, as if he were controlling his anger caused by disappointment and her disobedience.
Ye Wenyu was extremely sad, her heart aching as if pierced by needles, but she had to work. Suddenly, a torrential downpour began outside, the rain falling like sharp arrows from the sky, easing the summer heat considerably. As the sound of the pouring rain filled the air, Cai Wenchuan finally asked, "Why do you have to work?"
Why do we need to work?
Ye Wenyu thought about why she was working. Could she tell him? If she did, Cai Wenchuan would immediately take out his savings and let her quickly pay off the 50,000 yuan loan from Jiebei. How could she touch online loans? They were simply man-eating demons. He would be heartbroken like any parent in the world. If he took out his savings to pay off the Jiebei loan for her, what difference would that make from Cai Wenchuan borrowing money? If she could borrow money from him, why would she go through all this trouble to work so hard?
Therefore, she couldn't tell him the real reason, and she didn't want to lie to him anymore, so she could only remain silent.
Silence, oh silence, for Ye Wenyu, a minute felt like an eternity.
Seeing that she remained silent, Cai Wenchuan became even angrier and questioned, "Is it because you're short of money?!" His usually gentle and refined manner suddenly turned fierce.
This was the first time she had heard him speak at such a loud volume.
Ye Wenyu was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded. This seemed to be the only reason that could cover up the truth. Young girls need to dress up, and there are places where money is needed everywhere.
However, when she nodded in agreement, Cai Wenchuan became even angrier. His face turned pale, and it took him a long time to say, "You are currently receiving a poverty subsidy, with tuition and accommodation fees waived, and a monthly meal card subsidy. Logically speaking, you shouldn't be short of money."
Ye Wenyu had no choice but to raise her head, her large, clear eyes looking at his ashen face. Her heart ached as if it were being slowly sliced apart. To calm him down, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I have the poverty subsidy now, which is enough for me to survive. But is survival all there is to life? I want to buy pretty clothes, cosmetics, skincare products, bags, and shoes, just like other girls. Is that not allowed? All of these things cost money."
She tried to portray herself as a materialistic, vain, and materialistic woman to cover up the real reason.
Sure enough, Cai Wenchuan was stunned for a moment before his face turned pale and he said, "Actually, you are very pretty without makeup. If you dress up and put on makeup like those girls, all flashy and gaudy, instead of studying properly, you will just look vulgar. I don't like that."
Ye Wenyu was extremely distressed, so she could only say incoherently, "But I like it, I don't want others to look down on me!" Because of the misunderstanding, tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried hard to control them from falling.
She thought painfully, because of what she had just said, Brother Wen would misunderstand her as a golden girl. Ah, how sad it would be for him to misunderstand her.
Sure enough, Cai Wenchuan felt only disappointment. He stared at her blankly, his eyes slightly open, as if he couldn't believe that the girl in front of him, who was working so hard to dress up and neglecting her studies, was the girl he liked the most.
Seeing the disappointment and sadness on his face, Ye Wenyu felt a pang of sadness herself, her heart heavy, as if her chest were filled with lead. She wanted to cry, to explain, to tell him that the truth was not like that, that she had to work desperately to pay for her stepfather's medical treatment, but she couldn't tell him the real reason.
To be honest, it was no different from borrowing money from him. Love is about equality, mutual support and help, not one person becoming a burden to the other. She couldn't let her impoverished life drag him, who lived in the sunshine, into the mire.
Therefore, Ye Wenyu lowered her head, her hands hanging at her sides slightly clenched into fists, and she bit her lip tightly, afraid that she would lose control and suddenly reveal the truth.
Because she really didn't want him to misunderstand, didn't want to disappoint him, and didn't want him to look down on her.
Time seemed to stand still. Cai Wenchuan stood up from his desk, looking down at her. Her delicate face glowed like a pearl. He spoke slowly to her, "Xiaoyu, you've changed. You've disappointed me. The you of the past wasn't such a worldly girl. We should live a minimalist life. Working so hard for clothes and appearance while neglecting your studies—I didn't approve of that before, I don't approve of it now, and I never will! I hope you can listen to my advice and focus on your studies. After all, university is only four years long. After graduation, when you have a job and money, you can dress however you want. If I see you late or skipping class next time, I'll be very sad."
Ye Wenyu remained silent.
After Cai Wenchuan finished speaking, he walked to the podium, packed up his lesson plan, and left in silence. He had his head down and his back hunched, clearly in pain and disappointed. Ye Wenyu watched him leave the classroom, and when she could no longer see his back, she clenched her fist and hit her head hard.
He was heartbroken and disappointed.
Will she lose her stepfather because of the surgery fees for his illness and hospitalization?
In the following days, Ye Wenyu was depressed and heartbroken because Cai Wenchuan had skipped school to work because of her. Several times she picked up her phone, wanting to call or send a WeChat message to Cai Wenchuan, but in the end she put her phone down again because she couldn't explain it to him. She couldn't be a burden to him anymore. Love is equal, and love is reciprocal. He had been doing everything he could to take care of her, and she couldn't be a burden to him anymore.
Therefore, Ye Wenyu let Cai Wenchuan misunderstand without explaining. She continued to work tirelessly every day, like a machine.
When her roommates saw this, they naturally thought she was an alien monster and couldn't help but gossip about her. Ye Wenyu didn't have the time or energy to care about what others thought of her, so she didn't care. However, these rumors eventually reached Cai Wenchuan's ears.
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