Jiang Shuya was momentarily stunned, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. Having been reborn, if she did not make a choice soon, and remained in this family, what difference would there be between her fate and that of her previous life? Staying meant certain death.
No, she didn't want to die, much less die of depression. This man wouldn't have much patience for her; he was just feeling guilty and didn't want to be criticized by his family.
I don't have the energy to go through the divorce process again and again. Since I know the outcome will be bad, why not make a clean break and take decisive action?
She gritted her teeth, determined to learn from her mistake;
"I'm sorry, I don't care about this opportunity anymore. I'll say it again: ask yourself what's in your heart. Don't settle for less for the rest of your life. I've read those letters on the bookshelf upstairs. Ren Jing is your girlfriend of three years, right? I'm sorry, I saw her picture. She must be the one you can't forget."
Upon hearing this, Huang Minghao hesitated for a moment. It was clear that mentioning this name had touched a nerve. He put Tangtang down on the ground and let her play by herself in the yard. His expression was somewhat forlorn. After a moment of contemplation,
"Why are you holding a grudge against a dead person? You're only divorcing me because I was with her."
Jiang Shuya stared at him in astonishment and disbelief;
"Ah, you said she's no longer alive? She was so young."
Huang Minghao started smoking in silence, looking down for a long time. His handsome face suddenly darkened, and he exhaled a puff of smoke.
"She passed away two years ago. I am sorry to her. Before I met you in Tianshui Hu, something unpleasant happened between us. We were in love for three years and always behaved properly without doing anything out of line."
One day, she came to Jiangdao to see me at my invitation. On her way back to the factory, she was abducted, taken to a pedestrian bridge not far from the factory, and raped. She was left there unconscious until I found her the next day.
Huang Minghao took a deep drag on his cigarette and continued;
"After this incident, she seemed to have been hit hard, became mentally unstable, and was afraid to see me. I wanted to take her to the police station, but she refused. I wanted to help her get rid of the shadow in her heart. At this time, she asked me if I still wanted her and if I would marry her. I thought to myself at that moment that I would do anything to help her cheer up."
So I went back to her hometown in Chuzhou with her. She had a twin sister, and her parents only had the two of them. Her father suggested that I become a son-in-law who would move in with her family, but I immediately objected. Considering that my parents only had me, and my grandfather certainly wouldn't agree, I suggested that her parents come and live with us on Jiangdao Island in the future. However, they refused and insisted that I stay there.
Jiang Shuya was somewhat confused upon hearing this;
"She has a younger sister. Why does she insist on making you a live-in son-in-law? Also, where were you the night Ren Jing had her accident?"
Huang Minghao's eyes began to redden, and he turned his head away to continue sobbing and smoking in silence, his voice becoming low and deep.
"Her twin sister was born with a disability; she's deaf in one ear and needs to wear a hearing aid long-term. Ren Jing started working at a young age to earn money for her sister's treatment."
Jiang Shuya understood. Ren Jing was also a pitiful woman. She must have had a hard time living. On one hand, there was the man she loved, and on the other hand, there was the family ties she couldn't sever. No matter which choice she made, she would be in unbearable pain.
"Why did Ren Jing die? Was she also sick?" Jiang Shuya asked again.
Huang Minghao recalled it deeply;
"Because I never dared to tell her parents about being raped, and her parents refused to compromise, when they saw that I insisted on not becoming a live-in son-in-law, they asked me to give her parents a sum of money for their old age and funeral arrangements, 600,000 yuan, not a penny less. When I heard this number, I was shocked."
Ren Jing suggested paying in installments so that we could be together. I was furious and we had a huge fight. I went back to Jiangdao and didn't contact her for a long time.
Seeing that I wasn't doing well, Sister Tian, who lived next door to the Cao family across the street, arranged a blind date for me without my knowledge. That Zhang Yongzhen came and bothered me every day. I was so annoyed and didn't have any romantic feelings for her, so I left Jiangdao and moved to Tianshui Lake for a while. That's where I met you.
After all this time, it turned out that she was the third party. Jiang Shuya hated people like that who interfered the relationship the most. Now that she was the one who ruined someone else's marriage, everything made sense. How could Ren Jing not be utterly devastated?
Seeing Jiang Shuya's sad expression, Huang Minghao continued;
"When I first saw you at Tianshui Lake, you kept smiling at me. I even thought you were a prostitute. Looking back, it's ridiculous. You were so incredibly beautiful, how could you possibly be interested in a poor guy like me?"
"Thinking back to how bold I was back then, I inexplicably took you to a hotel. Seeing your shy expression and the way you gave me your first time, I realized that true love really does exist, but it comes and goes quickly."
"Ren Jing passed away after we got married." Jiang Shuya looked at him calmly.
Huang Minghao looked full of guilt;
"Yes, when she learned that I was marrying you and that my wife was a great beauty, she deliberately caused a car accident on her way home after her last meeting with me, just to get compensation money to provide for her parents."
"What? On purpose? How do you know she did it on purpose?" Jiang Shuya asked, frowning.
Huang Minghao;
"After her death, I received a letter from her. The contents were clearly written in advance, and she bluntly stated that her heart was dead, she had no more attachment to the world, and she entrusted me with the care of her younger sister."
Everything was because of her. Jiang Shuya never expected that her accidental encounter would indirectly lead to a death. If she hadn't appeared at Tianshui Lake and hadn't fallen in love with Huang Minghao at first sight, would Ren Jing have survived? It turns out it was all her selfishness and her reckless impulsiveness.
Jiang Shuya closed her eyes in pain;
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault for deliberately getting close to you. I fell for you the moment I saw you; I was bewitched. I deliberately moved in front of you just to make you see me. I was so ignorant and naive."
Huang Minghao threw down his cigarette butt, raised his hand to wipe away Jiang Shuya's tears, and only at that moment did he realize that they could never go back.
He dared not tell Jiang Shuya that on the night Ren Jing had her accident, he had made an unforgivable mistake, a mistake he could never forgive himself for.
Two years ago, he failed to hold onto that sweet and lovely girl. This time, he also failed to hold onto this fairy-like beauty. He has truly lost them all, lost them once again.
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