novelraw Chapter 484 - 401: Why is She So Silly?
Chapter 484 - 401: Why is She So Silly?
Chapter 484: Chapter 401: Why is She So Silly?
Leng Ning never expected her father would suggest meeting Jin Yichen’s father. Actually, today, Jin Yichen had invited her out to talk about wanting the two fathers to meet.
This stalemate couldn’t go on forever; the matter had to be resolved sooner or later.
It truly felt like hitting a dead end, only to suddenly find a fresh path and a hidden village!
And so, the very next day, Jin Jiachao and Leng Qiankai, two old men who had heard of one another but never met in over thirty years, finally sat face-to-face because of their children’s marriage.
Leng Ning and Jin Yichen each accompanied their own father, but before they could say much, they were dismissed.
Leng Ning glanced back nervously at the two still standing there. "Do you think my dad and your dad can talk peacefully? What if they start a fight instead?"
Jin Yichen chuckled and rubbed the top of her head. "What are you thinking? They’re at an age where they’re too old for such hot-headedness. No way they’d fight!"
Seeing Leng Ning nod as if that was a reasonable point, he mischievously grinned and added, "But! If they really start fighting, your dad wouldn’t stand a chance against my old man. I can’t even beat him—he’s a beast!"
"Huh?" Leng Ning’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Her dad always seemed so kind and gentle; it couldn’t be true!
Jin Yichen laughed and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I’m just teasing you! Relax. Let them have their talk. Meanwhile, we lovebirds should make good use of this time to have our own date. What do you feel like eating?"
Leng Ning gleefully grabbed his hand and, spotting the restaurant "Shi Wei Tian" nearby, her eyes sparkled. "How about some spicy crayfish?"
She loved eating it, but her mother wouldn’t let her eat too much, and her sister-in-law couldn’t handle spicy food, so she had no one to eat it with.
Jin Yichen’s lips twitched in subtle hesitation. "Sure!" He just hoped it wouldn’t be overly spicy.
While the younger couple headed off to find food, the two older men remained locked in their silent comparisons.
Among his peers, Leng Qiankai was considered well-maintained.
He assumed that Jin Jiachao would certainly pale in comparison, but to his surprise, Jin Jiachao exuded energy and looked remarkably youthful.
The two scrutinized each other for quite some time before Jin Jiachao broke the ice with a hearty greeting.
"I’ve heard of you for a long time! Who’d have thought fate would bring us together through our children?"
Jin Jiachao had been prepared for this meeting ever since finding out his son’s girlfriend was Leng Qiankai’s daughter.
So he felt no resistance in his heart—it was about time they had a talk, and perhaps, reminisced about the past and their shared youth.
Leng Qiankai, on the other hand, still harbored strong resentment toward him. He let out a faint scoff without responding.
"Let’s sit down and talk."
Jin Jiachao lowered his gaze and took a seat, memories of the past surfacing and chilling his expression.
"So... You know about me and Su Ye, what we once..." Leng Qiankai wasn’t sure why, but in the presence of an equally accomplished Jin Jiachao, all his previous feelings of superiority seemed to vanish.
Faced with the openness in Jin Jiachao’s eyes, every pointed question Leng Qiankai had planned beforehand suddenly felt impossible to say.
Jin Jiachao took a sip of tea and spoke calmly. "I don’t like dredging up old matters, but for the sake of our children’s happiness, I understand that if I don’t step up, this knot in our hearts will only tighten further. How much do you know about what happened back then?"
Leng Qiankai’s expression froze. "What happened?"
Jin Jiachao sneered. "Of course, I’m talking about Su Ye!"
"What about Su Ye? After she broke up with me, didn’t she marry you shortly afterward?" Leng Qiankai still felt bitter about it, and it lent a sharp tone to his words.
"You really are..." Jin Jiachao couldn’t help but feel this was all so ironic.
If not for his son, he wouldn’t dream of speaking to Leng Qiankai about these buried truths.
There were parts of his past he’d vowed to take to the grave, never to reveal to anyone.
Leng Qiankai sensed there might be something he didn’t know, and stood up urgently, asking, "What about Su Ye? What happened to her?"
Could there have been some unspeakable reason behind her breaking up with him?
Back then, he’d found it strange—how everything had been fine one moment, only for her to insist on ending things so suddenly and firmly.
No amount of pleading could change her mind!
Jin Jiachao remained silent for a long while before recounting the deeply buried story.
It turned out that in 1973, the state implemented policies to accommodate certain special cases among educated youth sent to rural areas. Only children were allowed easier paths to return to the city, while families with multiple children could send one back.
Su Ye had been immensely grateful, feeling like she could finally bask in the light of policy changes. But during this time, she was assaulted by the team leader of the production brigade.
In those days, she wanted to report it, to fight back, but would it have helped? Who would stand up for her or defend her? If the incident became public, perhaps everyone would believe she’d willingly sold herself!
And what if Leng Qiankai found out and went after the perpetrator in a rage? Would his bright future have to be ruined by a despicable person?
So she endured it all alone, swallowing her pain.
She couldn’t face Leng Qiankai anymore, yet she took it upon herself to demand their breakup. She just wanted him to forget her quickly and find a clean, beautiful woman to love.
She felt she was no longer worthy of his love—she saw herself as dirty, completely and irrevocably dirty.
Afterward, she secured a chance to return to the city. If she didn’t leave that dark and filthy place soon, she felt she’d die.
On her journey back to Beijing, she met Jin Jiachao on the train. He fell in love with her at first sight.
After returning to Beijing, he enthusiastically pursued her. Initially, Su Ye rejected him; she knew her situation and didn’t want to ruin his life.
But an even worse disaster befell Su Ye shortly thereafter—she realized she was pregnant!
In those days, premarital pregnancy wasn’t just unacceptable—it was scandalous.
Jin Jiachao sensitively picked up on her unease. Su Ye even tried to get an abortion, but she couldn’t without the required official paperwork.
Eventually, Su Ye confided in Jin Jiachao about her story. After grappling with his emotions, he decided he truly loved her and didn’t mind her past.
He immediately told his parents that Su Ye was carrying his child. Though he received a fierce scolding at first, afterward they urged him to marry her without delay.
Jin Jiachao quickly visited Su Ye’s parents, won their approval, and married her.
Due to the stress and poor nutrition, the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage a week after their wedding.
At the time, both felt a muted sense of relief—if the baby had been born, they might not have been able to bear the emotional weight of it all.
But the miscarriage left Su Ye with severe physical damage, and it took years before they had Jin Yichen.
"Why didn’t she tell me at the time? If she had, I would’ve married her! Why was she so foolish?" Leng Qiankai wept, torn apart by the revelation. He had believed Su Ye had betrayed their love.
He now understood the agony, struggle, and despair hidden beneath her seemingly unruffled decision to break up.
While she bore unspeakable suffering, he’d been nursing bitterness in his heart.
For years, he’d resented her deeply!
He’d thrown himself into hard work, driven by a desire to prove to her that leaving him was the biggest mistake of her life.
He wanted to stand at the pinnacle of success, looking down at the woman who had betrayed him, to see what kind of life she led with that other man.
But once he had achieved success, what had it amounted to?
The lovely, spirited girl who used to wear her hair in twin braids had long been washed away by the tides of time... (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote with recommendations and month tickets. Your support is the greatest motivation for me. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read on your device.)