Chapter 135 You're Too Easily Soft-Hearted
Mu Yan always felt that his relationship with Lu Chong was like a joke played by God when He was bored.
Or perhaps the person who orchestrated their fate felt that if all relationships were perfect matches, it would be too boring, so they longed for the clichéd yet dramatic story of Cinderella.
After going through many twists and turns, he couldn't completely forgive Lu Chong, nor could he completely let him go.
He sometimes felt that he was being too harsh on Lu Chong.
He could easily forgive the playmates who bullied and isolated him when he was a child, the neighbors who gossiped about him, and the relatives who stood idly by in the face of their family's suffering, but it seemed that he could not forgive Lu Chong alone.
Even without Lu Chong, all the hardships in his life would still have happened; even without Lu Chong, the only period of happiness in his life would have disappeared.
Mu Yan was stubborn and never mentioned his family situation to Lu Chong during college. Even when Lu Chong asked, he remained silent.
By then, the most difficult days for the family had passed. His older brother had a stable job, and Xiang Zhuo would help out a little. Mu Yan had scholarships, played in competitions, and worked part-time. He didn't want to ask Lu Chong for money. Once you accept something, the nature of the relationship changes.
Lu Chong didn't pressure him; he simply introduced him to a professor he knew who offered him help. The professor's monthly stipend was equivalent to two jobs for him. Lu Chong never gave him money, but he did give him many gifts that held their value and were easy to cash out, though Mu Yan never sold any of them.
Lu Chong took him to driving school, told him to seriously consider whether he wanted to pursue a master's degree, accompanied him to his first job interview, bought him his first suit, and taught him how to discuss salary with the interviewer.
Mu Yan had never been in a relationship before, and everything Lu Chong showed back then was exceptionally good, even by the most demanding standards.
During his university years, he wasn't a very good partner either. He was introverted and lacked romance. Sometimes he wouldn't even notice when Lu Chong was unhappy. He was always busy with his studies and part-time jobs and rarely considered Lu Chong's feelings.
Lu Chong told him to stay away from He Fan and one of the senior students in their lab, but at that time Mu Yan thought that he and they didn't have any extra interactions beyond friendship, so after coaxing Lu Chong, everything would go back to normal.
In Mu Yan's heart, Lu Chong has flaws, and so does he. They love and tolerate each other. On all the less-than-ideal days, when Lu Chong throws tantrums or acts out, Mu Yan always forgives and accepts it.
Perhaps it was because he liked Lu Chong so much back then that Lu Chong's love wasn't so pure, which made him feel betrayed.
If you were to go back in time and ask twenty-year-old Mu Yan, "Lu Chong wants to be with you for the rest of his life, would you agree?", twenty-year-old Mu Yan would hesitate for a moment, ask if it was true, and then raise her bright eyes and say, "Yes... I'm willing."
If we were to ask Mu Yan, who had just broken up with Lu Chong and soon learned that he had lied to her, the same question... it seems there's no need for assumptions. Shang Qiyue had asked the same question before, and Mu Yan was thinking at the time, "In his eyes, am I really that despicable? If Lu Chong were to turn back and beg for reconciliation, would he really run back like a puppy and agree?"
Love back then was decisive, and so was hate.
Unlike now, I can't bring myself to hate him anymore, nor can I love him as unconditionally as I used to.
The door lock clicked softly, and the motion-activated door in the entryway lit up in response.
“It’s so late,” Xie Chen pushed the door open and paused slightly when he saw Mu Yan. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
The TV was off, the game console was in its box, and Mu Yan was curled up on the sofa with slightly red eyes, as if he had been crying, and crying for a long time.
"Is there something you want to discuss with me?"
Xie Chen sat down next to him. His sense of smell was even more acute than that of an ordinary S-class alpha, and he could clearly smell the vetiver on Mu Yan's body.
He immediately understood.
He reached out and touched Mu Yan's hair: "So you just forgive him like that?"
Mu Yan lowered his eyes, nodded, and his eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
"...You're too easily swayed by emotions."
Xie Chen actually knew what kind of person Mu Yan was from the beginning. He didn't resent He Fan when he was kidnapped because of He Fan, and he didn't resent He Qingyun when he was abandoned by He Qingyun for twenty years.
On the day they recognized each other, Xie Chen apologized to Mu Yan on behalf of He Qingyun, but Mu Yan choked up and explained to Xie Chen intermittently how terrible his biological father was.
Mu Yan always thinks about the difficulties of others, but always ignores the suffering he has endured.
He seems to have always been like this.
It's perfectly normal for him to forgive Lu Chong.
Xie Chen didn't know how to explain it. It was certainly because of kindness, but from another perspective, it might also be a kind of physical protection mechanism.
Rather than saying he forgave Lu Chong, it's more accurate to say he has reconciled with the past and is looking forward.
“I don’t like him.” Xie Chen said bluntly, “I think he has a bad personality. I’ve heard all the rumors about him. He’s a bit arrogant and even looks down on his father. He cares a lot about his reputation.”
"However, he is indeed sincere. If you want to start a new relationship, he is certainly not unworthy of it now."
"And you really... can't let him go, right?"
Xie Chen stared directly at him; his dark gray, inorganic eyes seemed to lower the temperature in the room by several degrees.
"You're too soft-hearted," Xie Chen said calmly, looking at his red eyes. "Never mind, I'll ask the housekeeper to prepare a room for him tomorrow."
Mu Yan didn't understand what he was saying and was clearly stunned for a moment.
"Give him a maid's room, right next to Tangyuan's room. If he's pursuing you, you should agree to marry him and give him a proper status. There's no such thing as a free lunch."
Xie Chen frowned slightly, his tone calm, as if he had already made a concession.
...Recognition? It took Mu Yan a long time to realize what Xie Chen was talking about.
Is that what he meant...?
He had heard that Xie Chen's father had many mistresses, but he never expected Xie Chen to talk about it so casually, as if it were just about eating and drinking.
Was he trying to punish Lu Chong for himself? But even if she was his wife in name only, how could any alpha not mind this?
This is absurd...
Mu Yan was so surprised that he couldn't speak. He just stared wide-eyed and shook his head blankly.
Even if I don't marry Lu Chong right away, I can't do this... this...
"Can't you accept it?" Xie Chen asked, noticing his strange expression.
He looked down at Mu Yan, his tone casual and indifferent, as if Mu Yan thought it was abnormal that he couldn't accept it.
"You're always like this, with high moral standards for yourself but low standards for others."
“He donated liver cells to your mother and is willing to transfer all his assets to you. I acknowledge his sincerity. But marriage isn’t just about sincerity. Some people are sincere, but they have bad tempers. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. You and he have broken up and gotten back together so many times, it’s hard to truly break it off completely. I’m afraid you’ll suffer.”
“If you don’t divorce me, I can keep an eye on things until that guy surnamed Lu meets my standards. But if we divorce and you get coaxed into marriage by him with just a few words, I won’t be able to control you anymore. You’re too soft-hearted, and I’m always afraid that someone will take advantage of that to deceive you.”
“I will listen to my brother…” Mu Yan shook her head frantically. “I know my brother is good to me, and I will still listen to him even after the divorce.”
"This is so strange... This is so bad for you... Even if we're not, and have never been, in a normal marital relationship, this is still very strange and unfair to you..."
Xie Chen looked at him with his deep gray eyes, which were like bottomless lakes. Every time Xie Chen and Mu Yan made eye contact, and there was no smile in his eyes, Mu Yan always felt inexplicably scared.
"Actually, no one dares to talk about me, and I don't think it's a big deal," Xie Chen replied after a long pause. "But if you can't get over it in your heart, then forget it."
"Then we'll go through the divorce proceedings tomorrow. I'll have my secretary draft the divorce agreement tonight. Remember to bring your ID card tomorrow."
[Author's Note]
Hey everyone, I have a side story I'd like to write from He Fan's perspective. It won't affect the main story's subscription rate, and I'll indicate it in the title. If you mind, you can just not subscribe. Love you all!
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