My Alleged Husband

Chapter 219 - 199: Too Late for Regrets_1

After leaving the Zhang Family, Yichen randomly picked a hotel to stay in. Often, he would sleep on the sofa in his office, day after day lying there, not knowing when this kind of life would come to an end. He missed the girl he loved so much, but with the world being so vast, where could he possibly begin to look for her? He felt that he should at least ask and tell her the news of his departure, hoping maybe it would change her mind.

"Lei Jian, it’s me. I need to ask you something..."

Yichen called Lei Jian, determined to get to the bottom of things!

"Yichen, we’ve been brothers for so many years. Is there anything you can’t say to me? Just ask away, and I’ll be an open book. I’ll tell you everything I know, and hopefully, my answers can be of help to you," Lei Jian said generously to Yichen.

"Brother, having you as a brother, I’d die with no regrets. I want to ask you, do you know where she is? You should know who I mean. I want to know if she’s okay now?"

"Yichen, to tell you the truth, and I hope you won’t mind, Zhihan is still staying at my place. She’s living a simple life, but at least she’s happier and more relaxed than living in constant fear. I don’t know if I should say this, but to be honest, I really don’t understand what your mother is thinking in pressuring Zhihan like this. Do you have any idea here? Zhihan doesn’t rely on us for anything; she does everything by herself and often helps my mother with a lot of chores. She’s such a good girl that I would want her for myself, and even my mother wants to recognize her as her daughter. Yet, why can’t your mother see her goodness?" Lei Jian could not understand why Xia Jing would act the way she did; in his memory, Xia Jing was a kind person, but now she seemed completely different!

"Bro, thank you. As long as I know she’s doing well, that’s enough for me. I might be very busy recently and won’t have time to worry about her, but I hope you can help me take good care of her. If anyone else goes to trouble her, please make sure you tell me!"

"Don’t worry, we’re brothers. How could I not help you with this? I want to ask you something though. Have you forgiven your parents? Zhihan is always worried about this; she feels that your mother doesn’t accept her because you haven’t forgiven your parents, so..."

"Sigh, I don’t even know how to explain this to you, but right now, I can only tell you one thing: because of Zhihan, I’ve forgiven my parents. It’s not that I’ve truly forgiven them, I just don’t want to see my grandfather heartbroken by once again rejecting his son. I also don’t want to see the girl I love being pressured by my mother. Although they’ve returned to the Zhang Family, I can’t be certain she won’t trouble Zhihan in the future. I hope you can still lend a hand and, if my mother or any stranger comes looking for Zhihan, do your best to keep them away. Otherwise, I fear she’ll be hurt again!"

"Okay, I’ll take good care of her for you, but don’t forget to also take care of yourself. I wouldn’t forgive you if, when I come back to the country, I find you’ve become thin," Lei Jian replied.

Their friendship had always been so strong; no matter the time or place, they never missed an opportunity for some side talk and jokes—it made both of them feel at ease.

They ended the call, and a weight was lifted from Yichen’s heart.

Just when everyone thought this matter had come to an end, Xia Jing once again secretly sought out Ran Zhihan. This time, instead of aggressively questioning Ran Zhihan, she pleaded with her.

Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Zhihan’s phone began to ring. Groggy, she opened her eyes, picked up the phone, and saw that the caller ID was showing a stranger’s number. She wondered if it might be her future mother-in-law’s number. Despite her suspicions and hesitation, she was very uncertain whether she should answer the call. After wrestling with the decision, she finally chose to answer. What if it was about something important?

"Hello, may I ask who’s speaking?"

"Zhihan, I beg you, I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have done those things to you, and I certainly shouldn’t have used your parents to threaten you into leaving my son. I realize my mistake now. Please let my son come back. As long as you’re willing to let my child return to my side, I swear I’ll never interfere in your affairs again," Xia Jing pleaded with Ran Zhihan.

"Auntie, I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand what you are talking about. What do you mean by letting your son come back to you? He’s not with me. I’ve already broken up with him completely, as you wished, and cut off all contact. What more do you want from me? Do you really want me to disappear from this world completely? I haven’t offended you nor have I ever caused you trouble; everything was new to me. I just hope that you, as the bigger person, can overlook my foolish young love..."

"I’m sorry. I know it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have threatened you with your parents. But do you know? Because of you, my son has run away from home. Indeed, he allowed his father and me to return home, but he has moved away completely. If he didn’t go to look for you, where would he be? Please, just tell me and don’t keep it from me. Also, please understand the heart of a parent!"

Ran Zhihan started to doubt if she had misunderstood something.

"Auntie, let me say it again: he really isn’t with me. We have no relationship or contact anymore. I hope you can disappear from my life in the future. I won’t disturb your family anymore, but I also hope you can stop troubling my parents. To you, they are just ordinary people, nothing at all. But to me, they are my heaven, the gods who have held up the sky for me!"

"What do you mean by that? Don’t you want to be with him anymore?" Xia Jing found it hard to believe. How could she believe this girl’s words? She was convinced that her son’s departure was this girl’s doing. How could she so easily trust someone she had blacklisted?

"Auntie, I have to admit, I really do like Yichen, and I love him dearly. For him, I could even give up my life, as long as he could be by my side. Even a brief moment would satisfy me. But because of my relationship with him, you’ve repeatedly misunderstood me and hurt my parents over and over again, and trampled on my self-respect. Hence, I cannot be with him. Everyone has their dignity, and I cannot choose to give up my self-respect and family for love. That would be too selfish. I just hope my parents can live peacefully. They gave birth to me and raised me, which to me is a great kindness. How could I abandon them for a romantic relationship? I can’t attain such love. If love comes at the cost of my parents’ happiness, then I would never be at peace or lead a happy life. It would only fill me with guilt. Rather than living with such a burden, I would prefer to live a simple life with my parents! Auntie, since you’ve returned home, please treat Yichen well. He always cares about his parents in his heart, he just doesn’t say it. He values his pride highly, and if you give him a little space, he will respect and honor you as his elders. That’s all I can say and all I can do. I hope your family can live happily ever after, without thinking of me. If my departure brings happiness to your family, why not do it? I’ve made up my mind now. Even if I can’t be with him in the end, as long as he’s in my heart, our relationship won’t fade. I want to complete my studies here, find a stable job, and that’s all I ask for. Auntie, I have other things to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer. Goodbye."

After finishing her statement, Ran Zhihan hung up the phone. She didn’t dare say another word, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to restrain her concern for Yichen. When Xia Jing heard the call disconnect, she felt an overwhelming sense of regret. How she wished time could rewind. If that were possible, she would opt never to return here. She alone was the architect of her current misery.