Shen Dingkun looked at Zhao Mingyao and remained silent for a while, which was unusual for him.
But he didn't choose to hide it. After a brief pause, he revealed his true thoughts: "The truth is, just like you said, I did have feelings for her. If she could teach Qianqian well, I would be willing to let her become my wife. But—I know my own limitations. She can't be with me, nor can she choose someone similar to Su Hanze, so we will never be together."
"You don't need to look at me like that. I know I've wronged you, which is why I took half of your assets. I tried to save you, but... you know what? The more chances I gave you, the more you chose to take all the pain back on yourself. I'm exhausted. To be honest, neither of us did anything wrong—"
Zhao Mingyao couldn't help but laugh: "You say neither of us is wrong, then who is wrong? You say I'm wrong, but you also say I'm not wrong, isn't that ridiculous?"
Actually, her tears had already started flowing.
After learning that her husband liked Jiang Tian, she lost the ability to speak.
“I’m right. Based on the environments we both grew up in, neither of us is wrong,” Shen Dingkun said. “Actually, this is just your character and personality; I just didn’t see it clearly. There’s a saying: ‘It’s easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one’s nature.’ If you have no problems, why are you so hostile towards someone you’ve never met? Have you ever met Jiang Tian before? No, you haven’t. You didn’t even see her much when you became classmates with her. But after she became Su Hanze’s wife, you showed her unusual attention.”
“I sensed something was wrong then, but I thought you would become more magnanimous. After all, what does it matter to you whether someone is inferior to you or superior to you? Living your own life well is the most important thing. However, as you have seen, you have been competing with others all along.”
“I don’t want to say anything more now. You should understand what I’m thinking—you’ve disappointed me so much. All my years of tolerance for you seem to have been for nothing. You’re still doing whatever you want, running wildly down an uncontrollable path. I can no longer tolerate you ruining my life, my daughter’s and son’s lives. They are innocent.”
"What do you mean by innocent? They have my genes, they have your genes, they are my children!" Zhao Mingyao retorted. "If you really think I'm not good enough for you, you shouldn't have married me!"
Shen Dingkun wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, I regret it. I shouldn't have married you in the first place. I was just blinded by greed back then, always thinking you were the most unique woman in the world, and that I would be happy with you—"
We are truly happy together!
Zhao Mingyao couldn't hold back her tears. She really hated her husband belittling the past. "We were clearly very happy, so why do you make it sound like we were never happy at all?"
Shen Dingkun looked at Zhao Mingyao with a slightly meaningful gaze: "Do you know what it means for men when you women talk about marrying up or marrying the right husband who treats them well? It means that their value is lost."
"A man who has lost his value still goes back to being obedient to his wife, and even does things that damage his dignity as a man. In theory, this kind of man is a good man in the eyes of women, but what about in his own circle and in his own mind? Long-term value imbalance will always cause problems that you don't know about."
Zhao Mingyao's face turned pale.
"So, the happiness you perceive isn't my happiness. While you were happy, I've already shouldered so much for you. Over the years, I haven't felt guilty towards you; everything you have is thanks to me. As your husband, I have no guilt or unease. On the contrary, you should grow up. I don't want to waste time reminding you of these useless things, but I have to speak up—a person needs more than just wealth to shape them; more importantly, they need to enrich themselves and grow. You need to introspect. Your personality is becoming increasingly distorted. I used to think this was a sign of true character, but later…"
Shen Dingkun paused briefly, as if he knew that what he was about to say might anger Zhao Mingyao, but he still continued speaking—
"But then I met Jiang Tian. You might not think Jiang Tian is a good person, and she certainly isn't a good person in the traditional sense. But the thing is, it's this woman who showed me another possibility. I thought that someone like you, born into a small family, wouldn't have a high level of awareness, even if you went to university and experienced some things, your perception is already fixed—the genes planted in you since childhood can't be made up for by one or two trips or by a muddled education. You are that kind of person, and I think all of you are like that."
"You look down on us?!" Zhao Mingyao was barely able to contain her anger.
She never expected her husband to be so blunt.
Shen Dingkun said matter-of-factly, "If you want others to respect you, you must first demonstrate value that others can respect."
Zhao Mingyao didn't say anything. He had been a freeloader for many years, so of course he couldn't afford it.
Her throat tightened slightly: "But then you met Jiang Tian, and Jiang Tian was alright? Could Jiang Tian provide the value you wanted?"
At this moment, Zhao Mingyao had completely collapsed internally, and she almost screamed out these words.
However, she was still concerned about appearances.
To her surprise, her husband nodded: "Yes, Jiang Tian showed me another side of herself. What I've pursued all my life is nothing more than the ability to maintain one's inner peace amidst various circumstances—that's what I mean by a beautiful original intention. Everyone hopes to pursue something beautiful. I told you before that I was willing to be with you because you're like a little sun. But later, you became more and more fixated on things and showed your true colors, and I became more and more exhausted. Perhaps that's how love is worn down. We're ultimately not suitable for each other."
"Then Jiang Tian is suitable? Go find her, go be with her!"
Shen Dingkun shook his head: "I won't be with her. I'm just explaining my thought process to you. At first, I went to a therapist, thinking that my interest in a random woman meant I had a psychological problem. But in reality, I was just indulging in a little bit of wishful thinking. Later, I found that my gaze kept unconsciously lingering on Jiang Tian, not only because she was always in front of me, but more importantly, because she possessed the quality of 'not being elated by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses.' Do you understand? That's the kind of person I like—I hope that someone can maintain their original intentions and always be themselves in all circumstances, no matter what changes they encounter. You didn't do that, but she did. I had feelings for her, but when I realized those feelings were spreading, I stopped myself in time."
As he spoke, there was a hint of nostalgia in his voice. He hadn't felt that spark in a long time, and even though he knew they would end up together, the feeling was still something worth remembering.
"Are you sure you've stopped? If you had, you wouldn't be here saying all this to me. You've clearly fallen for her; you've fallen for another woman while you're married! You've disappointed me so much!"
Zhao Mingyao covered her eyes and couldn't help but cry!
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