Deep
Meng Yun subconsciously withdrew his hand that was about to touch her, and stood still in place. Now, with his status, as someone who secretly loved her under the guise of family, he really had no right to call her that.
But he still moved carefully, slowly walking up to Yu Xi, observing her emotions with each step, and comforting her, "I know I'm not qualified to call you that."
"But do you know? He's not the only one in this world who loves you. You at least have... you have..." The words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them.
Meng Yun desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her.
However, he knew in his heart that this love could not be made public.
If word got out that he liked his sister-in-law, it would be a fatal blow to both Yu Xi and him.
All they get in return is disapproval and condemnation.
He didn't want Yu Xi to bear such a bad reputation, but he was also unwilling to accept it, since he had noticed Yu Xi from the very beginning.
The days he spent at school were far more of a memory for him and Yu Xi than a tangled bond between Meng Chou and Yu Xi.
But fate can be cruel, forcing you to admit that the person you love doesn't love you back.
She gave you a chance to become family with her, but then she used that opportunity to mock you.
“At least you still have your family who love you, so you’ve never been fighting all this alone.”
“Dad heard about this and is on his way from Sydney. We all care about you and the child.”
When he was still two steps away, Yu Xi raised her hand and scolded, "Don't come any closer, and don't say anything more."
She grew up in an orphanage and never experienced the love of family. The family that adopted her treated her only as a child bride, simply to find a free breeding machine for their son.
So she hated that family, and she also hated her own parents for abandoning her like that.
Like a duckweed without support, drifting with the current, going wherever it takes me.
To her surprise, one day, even a piece of duckweed like this could find its own harbor.
Fate, however, cruelly took away her haven, leaving her alone and adrift.
"Family?" Yu Xi murmured, repeating the word, then asked, "Do I have any family?"
Meng Yun immediately replied, "Yes, of course. We've always been here. As long as you're willing to come back, the door to this home will always be open for you."
Yu Xi saw Sun Shuhan's face through his eyes and couldn't help but sneer, "How ridiculous. I think if I really go back, someone will be unhappy."
“There are some things I don’t want to say outright.” She took a step forward and looked directly into Meng Yun’s eyes. “You should know better than anyone the entanglement between your mother and me. You also know in your heart that A-Chou is gone, and I will never go back to that home.”
"And my own children, they don't need your help."
Meng Yun's eyes welled up with tears, all his emotions swirling within him, forcing him into a vortex of feelings.
“Let him stay with me for a while. I think you need to relax. I promise you will stay with me and take good care of him, treating him like my own son.”
The words "biological son" were stuck in his throat. He finally managed to say them, but he was filled with resentment.
Yu Xi strode forward, grabbed his collar with both hands, her eyes filled with anger and helplessness, "Why? Why do you have the right to take him away? I have the right to keep him by my side forever."
"Yes! You have the right to keep him, but not in that way." Meng Yun could no longer hold back, raising her voice and bursting out with emotion, "How can he be said to be Meng Chou's only bloodline in this world? You love him so much, how can you bear to take his child with you and go with him?"
Do you know what you're doing?
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yun immediately regretted it. He shouldn't have yelled at Yu Xi, he shouldn't have spoken to her like that. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
His voice trembled as he offered his apology. His affection for Meng Chou had grown stronger after Meng Chou's death. He had thought that he was only secretly competing with Meng Chou, which was why he would desperately try to take anything Meng Chou possessed.
But it wasn't until after Meng Chou's death that he belatedly realized the truth about his own heart.
Yu Xi gradually quieted down after being yelled at. She weakly released her hands from his collar, propped herself up on the dining chair with one hand, stared blankly at Meng Yun, and didn't say a word.
Overwhelmed by self-blame and regret, Meng Yun dug his fingertips into his palm. He had never seen Yu Xi like this before. In his memory, she was always the stubborn person who only knew how to move forward and was determined to accomplish whatever she did.
She looked so dejected and lifeless; it was unlike her.
"Family members, please leave first. We need to communicate with the mother." The ward door was suddenly pushed open, and a large group of nurses and doctors rushed in, instantly filling the empty room with people.
Meng Yun was pulled out of the ward by several nurses who rushed over first. He was unwilling to leave, but was forcibly dragged out.
"Wouldn't it be better if family members were here in this situation?"
The nurse calmly replied, "The new mother's emotions are fluctuating greatly, and those symptoms are very likely signs of postpartum depression. Now that your family members are here, it will only exacerbate her emotional changes."
Meng Yun's gaze remained fixed on Yu Xi, on that slender figure. "But I'm really worried about her, I'm afraid of her..."
"Don't worry, we were invited by President Meng. Accompanying us is the most authoritative head of the psychology department in our hospital. She will definitely help Ms. Yu get out of her current predicament."
"As for Ms. Yu's safety, there is no need to worry about that. We will arrange for people to take good care of her."
As they were talking, Meng Yun was pulled outside the ward. He looked up and met Yu Xi's gaze. Yu Xi still had the same expression as before, staring blankly at him.
A group of people stood in front of her, maintaining a certain distance at all times. All the glassware and knives in the room had been put away from the beginning.
Yu Xi noticed this on her first day of staying. She looked at the group of people, pulled out a chair, sat down, and said, "I'm not sick."
One of the doctors spoke up, "Yes, we know. You're probably just feeling down and want to talk to someone. Who among us would like to stay and keep you company?"
Yu Xi glanced at the group of people, all of whom were between forty and fifty years old and looked like experienced doctors who had been practicing medicine for more than ten years. She asked, "Did Dad send you here?"
It was rare for her to call Meng Jinxian "Dad," especially in front of so many people, in order to maintain the appearance of a loving family.
The doctor who spoke first immediately understood who the 'dad' she was referring to, and nodded, "Yes, it was President Meng who sent us. He's still worried about your condition and asked us to come and check on you."
"I think you might feel better after our conversation. It's good to talk about what's bothering you."
Yu Xi raised her chin, her voice accusatory, "But what makes you think I would tell a stranger all these things on my mind, down to the smallest detail?"
"It's okay if you don't want to tell us. Perhaps you need to figure it out yourself. Would you suggest I stay so you can express your emotions in your dreams?"
Yu Xi grasped this crucial point: she knew that the doctor who had been talking to her must be the most authoritative psychologist in the hospital, and that this doctor used hypnosis to help people enter a dream world to untangle their inner knots and see the past.
Yu Xi knew perfectly well that her unresolved issue was simply her inability to accept Meng Chou's death. Although Meng Chou had told her in her dream to live well, she truly couldn't leave him and carry on alone.
Especially when she saw Meng Qingze's eyes, which were exactly the same as Meng Chou's, her last line of defense crumbled, and she fell back into that pain.
No matter what method I use, as long as I can see him again, that's all that matters.
"Okay!" She agreed without the slightest hesitation, as if afraid that these people would change their minds at any moment.
The people in the room filed out, leaving only her and the head of the psychology department. The latter gestured for Yu Xi to lie down on the recliner. Her voice was somewhat hoarse, and her tone was always calm and silent, like a mountain.
After Yu Xi lay down, she continued, "Now, follow my instructions and imagine what's in front of you..."
Perhaps because the sound was too quiet, Yu Xi fell into a deep sleep without realizing it. She had indeed entered a dream, but the surrounding environment felt unfamiliar to her.
Suddenly a voice called out to her, "Mom, why are you walking so fast? Wait for me."
She turned around and saw a young man running towards her, panting. Looking down at her hands, she noticed that her once slender, white fingertips were now wrinkled. She carefully touched her cheek and, as expected, her skin had lost its firmness and was loose with fine lines.
"Mom, why did you run out again? Did you want to see Dad again?" The young man stopped and wrapped her scarf tighter around her. Everything around was white, and the light snow was still falling.
Looking at the young man who bore a striking resemblance to Meng Chou, Yu Xi roughly guessed what was going on and tentatively called out, "Qingze, is that you?"
Meng Qingze nodded, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Mom, you remember who I am?"
"You've grown so much! You look just like your dad when he was young, so much so. What were you saying just now? What am I going to do?"
Meng Qingze repeated, "Today is the anniversary of Dad's death. You should go see him. I'll go with you."
As he spoke, he took Yu Xi's hand and they walked forward together, leaving two sets of footprints in the snow.
Yu Xi agreed, a sense of regret welling up inside her.
In reality, she wanted to leave with Meng Qingze, but in her dream, Meng Qingze took her to visit Meng Chou.
As they walked, Yu Xi was surprised to find that the wrinkles on her hands were slowly disappearing. When she turned to look at the person beside her, she found that Meng Qingze, who had been holding her hand, was now wearing a high school uniform.
The school uniform was the same style as the one she and Meng Chou wore in high school. She held onto Meng Qingze's backpack strap, and Meng Qingze beside her said, "Mom, let me tell you, what happened at school today..."
As Yu Xi listened to him, after walking for a while, the person beside her turned into a three-year-old child, tugging at her clothes and stumbling forward.
Yu Xi picked him up, pulled his woolen hat down, and asked, "Are you cold?"
"With Mom here, it's not cold."
The two continued walking forward as they talked. At the fork in the road, the figure of the person who had been waiting at the intersection in the thick fog gradually appeared. He waved to Yu Xi and Meng Qingze.
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