"Minmin, one must always be on guard."
"Honestly, Tang Xiaomin noticed the dismissive and hostile glances Yan Jue got from Tang Ye and the others. But to be jealous to this extent was truly outrageous. 'If that's your logic, then the person I should be most wary of is you!'"
What? Wary of him? Yan Jue was stunned. "'Let me remind you of something else. Actually, the one who has deceived you the most, the one who has harbored ill intentions towards me, is you.'"
He kept claiming others were bad people, but in reality, he was the worst. It was just that he treated her quite well too, and the good slightly outweighed the bad, so it was somewhat acceptable.
Yan Jue immediately denied it and defended himself. "Minmin, I'm not like those people. I care about you and want what's best for you."
Wanting what's best for her, that was truly wonderful. She turned her head, looking at Yan Jue with a complicated gaze. "I've been pondering a question."
"What question?" Tang Xiaomin recalled what Yan Jue had told her about his past with the Supreme Commander. "The Supreme Commander was undergoing tribulation and was on the verge of shattering. With her understanding of the Underworld, she wouldn't have been unaware that entering reincarnation could have saved her from this calamity. But why didn't she enter reincarnation herself, and instead slowly waited for her doom?"
Was this… bringing up old grudges? Yan Jue wanted to say something, but upon meeting Tang Xiaomin's all-seeing gaze, he fell silent. Because the more he tried to explain, the more it seemed like he was trying to conceal something.
Tang Xiaomin sighed helplessly. "A person's birth determines their parents, their closest relatives, the blood ties that bind them – relationships that can never be severed in a lifetime."
"Joy and sorrow, separation and reunion, the suffering of the world – few people have an easy life."
"I've personally experienced how truly painful it is to be human and alive. Perhaps the Supreme Commander understood this too, and why would she be willing to enter reincarnation and suffer?"
Indeed, life was too bitter; death was preferable. She didn't want to live, yet Yan Jue suddenly appeared to help her, personally sending her into reincarnation, forcing her to endure the unbreakable familial ties and the suffering of the human world… In essence, Yan Jue was the instigator of it all.
Yan Jue understood Tang Xiaomin's implication, and his heart began to race. "Minmin, it's all my fault. You can vent your anger on me. Hit me or scold me, I won't utter a single word of complaint."
"Minmin, you can be angry, but don't ignore me." He was over 1.8 meters tall, with shoulders as broad as a double-door refrigerator, exuding a powerful aura that made him seem formidable. Yet, in front of Tang Xiaomin, all his dignity and presence were cast aside. He had no temper; only flattery, a humble, desperate flattery.
*Pfft…* Tang Xiaomin couldn't hold back her laughter. "Scared?"
"You can't possibly not see that I was joking with you, right?" Yan Jue also smiled slightly, but the expression on his face was far from relaxed. He had genuinely thought Tang Xiaomin was finding life too painful and was blaming him. The deed was indeed done by his own hands, and he couldn't deny it, nor could he change Tang Xiaomin's current life.
"Alright, alright, I was just teasing you. Don't look like that. It's all in the past; people need to look forward." Seeing Yan Jue's dejected look, Tang Xiaomin felt both guilty and a little sorry for him.
Suddenly, Yan Jue pulled Tang Xiaomin into a tight embrace, burying his head in her neck. Where she couldn't see, he felt wronged and uneasy. She had suffered so much; he would cherish and love her with his life. "If I ever make you suffer again, may I never find love and be forever filled with regret."
Where Yan Jue couldn't see, Tang Xiaomin smiled faintly. "Alright, you said it."
…
The next day, the news of Tang Zhongcheng's car accident spread through Shanghai's high society. Simultaneously, news of the funeral also circulated; it would be held tomorrow.
At the Ye family's residence, Yang Yang said speechlessly, "The Tang family is such a mess, and Tang Zhongcheng himself is infamous. Now that he's dead, I doubt many people will show respect and attend his funeral." In Yang Yang's eyes, the Tang family was nothing, not even worthy of carrying her shoes. The main reason was that attending the funeral would inevitably lead to an encounter with Tang Xiaomin. She didn't care, but Ye Lingyun did.
Ever since Tang Xiaomin fell into the water last time, which revealed Ye Lingyun's feelings for her, Ye Lingyun had taken leave from school and focused on the company, preparing to take over the Ye Corporation in a few years.
Madam Ye shook her head, still finding it inappropriate. "Although the Tang family isn't what it used to be, we can't give people a reason to criticize our actions. I'll just make a brief appearance."
Hearing this, Yang Yang immediately changed her tune; she had to align with her mother-in-law's thoughts. "Auntie is right. It won't take much effort to go, just a quick visit."
"Let me go." Ye Lingyun, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
As soon as he said this, Yang Yang's heart sank, and a strong sense of crisis surged within her. "Lingyun, you're busy with work. I'll accompany Auntie to the funeral, it's a small matter."
"Auntie, what do you think?" Yang Yang secretly signaled to Madam Ye, who immediately understood.
"Tang Xiaomin is already engaged to Mr. Yan of Xianfu Group; she's taken. You should stop harboring unrealistic fantasies. It's impossible." Madam Ye knew her son's true feelings better than anyone. When Ye Lingyun, who couldn't swim, had unhesitatingly jumped into the water to save Tang Xiaomin, she had witnessed his impulsive, reckless side for the first time. What else could that be but love?
Ye Lingyun frowned slightly and looked at his mother with a complex expression. "What, are you going to have a disagreement with your mother over Tang Xiaomin?"
"You are my son. Which mother in this world doesn't want what's best for her son?"
"All these years in the Ye family, your father and I have endured humiliation and hardship to achieve our current standing. You've seen all the struggles; it was all for you."
"I will absolutely not allow any risk to impede you!" Madam Ye's words were both firm and forceful.
"For you." The phrase "for you" had been ingrained in Ye Lingyun's mind since he could remember. He had heard it countless times, to the point of nausea.
Despite the anger rising within him, Ye Lingyun tried his best to speak calmly. "The reason I want to attend the Tang family's funeral is for business. Mom, aren't you overcomplicating things?"
"Am I overcomplicating it, or do you have something to hide? You know best," Madam Ye said with an air of knowing everything. Knowing best, as if she truly understood him. To prevent him from going to school, his mother had even taken it upon herself to request leave for him. The things he yearned to achieve, were they truly for his sake, or for his parents' own desires?