Chapter 268 Ye Shenge and Han Yuyan's Battle 2
Ye Shenge looked up at Han Yuyan and saw deep sorrow in his eyes as he spoke to himself. Was this the change in a person? Was it because his mother was weak and not favored, and he himself was marginalized, that he became like this?
"The happiest days of my life were the few years I partnered with Muzi. Every time we faced life and death together, I could entrust my back to him without worry. I no longer feared abandonment; even if we were covered in wounds, we could still smile and endure."
Han Yuyan stood up. The itching on his body had subsided considerably. He walked to Ye Shenge and extended his hand.
"It's cold sitting on the floor. Let's change places."
Ye Shenge did not reach out but stood up and walked towards the bed.
Han Yuyan looked at his outstretched hand and smiled, then turned and sat on the floor.
"Muzi and I were truly close, with no pretense. Even now, if Muzi were to ask me anything, I would never conceal it. But suddenly, Muzi stopped trusting me and wouldn't tell me many things. Tell me, didn't Muzi abandon our friendship first?"
Ye Shenge understood the change in Han Yuyan's "older brother." The elder brother was not the original person, so of course, there were many secrets to hide. However, even the best of friends could keep their privacy and secrets, right? Was withholding secrets abandoning friendship? Ye Shenge could not agree with this theory.
"Why do you insist on knowing other people's secrets? What satisfaction do you get from knowing them?"
Han Yuyan was stunned. What satisfaction would it bring him? Nothing at all, it was just about mutual trust.
"Do you have secrets with your elder brother?"
Ye Shenge faltered. She and her parents and elder brother truly had no secrets. That was because she had been meticulously raised by them; everything passed through their hands, so there was no need to hide anything.
However, she did conceal her space from Zi Yisheng. That was because she lacked sufficient trust. It might be unfair to Zi Yisheng, but could she disregard her own safety and that of her family just for the sake of fairness? She could not do that.
If Zi Yisheng were like Han Yuyan, wanting to know and explore everything, then she felt there would be no point in being together. Just like now, Zi Yisheng definitely knew she was hiding something, yet he didn't press her and continued to respect her. This was the correct approach.
"Other people's secrets should be respected. Trying to pry them open with all your might makes you detestable. At least in my opinion, my elder brother never questioned you. This is the most basic respect."
Han Yuyan's eyes were filled with confusion. He felt that Muzi hiding things from him meant a lack of trust. Was he wrong?
"My elder brother has absolute trust and respect for you, but what you are doing now has abandoned your friendship. So don't shift your mistakes onto others."
Han Yuyan smiled and nodded, resting his head against the doorframe. His eyes were still on Ye Shenge, as if fearing he would never see her again.
"After we parted ways in Qi City last time, the Han family fell into difficulties, but I didn't intervene. I just sat there and watched them panic, become anxious, turn on each other, and blame one another. Truly, seeing all that made me feel so relieved.
My mother was useless and even came to me as my father's lobbyist, wanting me to help. Hahaha, this time I ignored my mother. She cursed me, slapped me several times, and even threatened to disown me.
I didn't care anymore. In this world, only Muzi truly cared about me. When I learned that Muzi had died, I knew I had no family left. So I watched the Han family members disappear one by one."
Han Yuyan's gaze flickered as he looked at Ye Shenge.
"At that time, I wanted to take you away, to protect you in place of your brother. But Zi Yisheng protected you too well. I failed to snatch you away at school that time."
Ye Shenge was very surprised. She had not expected that the kidnapping at school was Han Yuyan's doing. She had thought it was Zi Yisheng's enemy.
"Heh, Shenge, don't overthink it. I wasn't working with the people who kidnapped you. Although everyone thought I was with them, I never took orders from anyone. At that time, I was just using them. I just didn't expect them to be so useless."
Ye Shenge was helpless. A person who had kidnapped her was describing it so casually. Even telling a story wasn't this simple.
"Actually, I could have protected the Han family then, but I didn't want to. In the end, when only my father and mother remained. Guess what my mother asked me to do?"
Here we go again, continuing the story. And playing a guessing game, but without any prize. Ye Shenge absolutely refused to guess.
As if not expecting Ye Shenge to answer, Han Yuyan continued his narration.
"My mother actually asked me to send away my father's woman and her bastards. My mother was very good to me, wasn't she? So good that she never asked if I was injured or hungry on my missions. Her eyes were only on that man who treated her like trash. Truly pathetic, so pathetic that even living was a waste."
Ye Shenge truly did not expect Han Yuyan to be so pitiful, having such a mother. If she had a mother like that, she might not have survived birth. Ye Shenge felt a sense of release at Han Yuyan's insults towards his own mother. Not all parents and children are meant to be together; some bonds are actually detrimental.
"I went to pick up that woman and her brats. That woman was indeed young and beautiful, good at dressing up, and gentle and submissive. If I had to choose, I would choose her too. As for the brats, my father was quite capable; two boys and one girl. He was more fertile than my mother, and they were well taken care of, plump and fair. That woman was a good mother."
Was this envy for the mistress being a good mother? Or envy for the mistress's children being happier than him?
"I gathered them all together and let my mother watch them, a family of several, living sweetly and happily. My mother worked tirelessly, cooking for them, boiling water for them, even giving up her own bed for others.
I just watched, watching my mother secretly shed tears, watching her swallow her grievances. But Shenge, you have no idea how happy I was at that moment. Truly happy."
Ye Shenge, as a listener, felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Perhaps it was the strong sense of empathy. If it were her, she would have walked away long ago. Why bother with their lives or deaths? Wouldn't it be better to be happy on her own? Why engage in self-abuse?
"I waited and waited, until their food ran low and they had no money. My mother found me again. She ordered me to buy food, and fine grains, and also to buy eggs, milk powder, and meat, because the brats needed to be nourished, otherwise they would get thin.
Heh, but this time I didn't agree. Instead, I turned and left, watching their subsequent lives like a voyeur.
As expected, soon my mother was beaten, called useless, incompetent, and even the brats, who were only a few years old, kicked and punched her. I just watched, watching very carefully. I even remembered clearly who hit her, whether they used their hands or feet."