Chapter 468: Chapter 461: True Love
Yu Ying had no idea about the happenings at her maternal home, as she was currently talking with Qiubai in the park.
Originally, Qiubai, behind Meng Shi’s back, recognized Yu Ying; as for why he did this behind Meng Shi’s back, Qiubai himself was not clear, he just instinctively did not want his wife to know that he knew Yu Ying.
Yu Ying brought Qiubai to this park and found a secluded spot to share her experiences over the past few years.
Of course, in her narrative, she portrayed herself as a virtuous girl who bravely resisted her cruel parents selling her for money. In Shanghai, she relied on her own hardworking hands to make a living, and her marriage with Debiao was only because he coerced her, being a local who she could not defeat.
Yu Ying’s voice was low and soft, her expression distressing, which made Qiubai’s eyes fill with increasingly intense sympathy—what a pitiable and lamentable woman!
Compared to Yu Ying, Meng Shi, this pampered lady, was just too superficial—knowing only to dress up and have fun every day, not seriously committing to work. If not for his decent reputation in the Capital City, who knows how long Meng Shi could hold onto her job!
Had Meng Shi encountered Yu Ying’s situation, she likely wouldn’t even be able to survive.
Thinking this, Qiubai felt even more pity and admiration for Yu Ying, and his demeanor during their conversation became more affectionate: "No matter what, we once lived in the same village. If you ever encounter any difficulties, you can come to me for help, and I will surely assist as much as I can."
Yu Ying was secretly pleased, yet her face showed timid gratitude as she weakly said, "Thank you so much, I really don’t know anyone here, only you are willing to help me."
As she spoke, Yu Ying began to sob softly. Some women, when they cry, are all tears and runny noses, losing all sense of beauty, but Yu Ying’s crying was different. She had deliberately practiced it; it not only avoided looking unattractive but also enhanced her fragile beauty and moved men even more.
Indeed, seeing Yu Ying before him with tear-streaked cheeks, Qiubai felt she was like a flower battered by a harsh storm—so fragile, so pitiable, so in need of protection!
In this life, without the bridge that was Sisi, Yu Ying and Qiubai still met like in their past life. Although the process was different, the outcome was the same.
It must be said, truly, this was real love!
On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Sisi, along with Mei Ying, Juying, and her daughter, took a ride in Man Tong’s car to Shanghai. Duofu, because he had to go on a business trip elsewhere, let Juying go with Sisi and her group, planning to join them later.
This time Juying requested to move to Huang Yuan, and Duofu agreed without hesitation. Over the years, being caught between his wife and mother had been tough, and he knew of his mother’s fierce temperament, which had caused his wife much grief. Moving away from their hometown to start anew in a place without his mother seemed perfect to Duofu.
Upon hearing that their family of three was moving to Huang Yuan, Cuiyu naturally objected and stormed Yuequan Village, berating Juying harshly, accusing her of luring her son away from home, and now even planning to run off further away.
Fortunately, Juying’s parents were protectors of their daughter, especially Zhao Manxiu, who was fiercer than Cuiyu. Within half an hour, she had sent Cuiyu packing.
"Stay at my house for one night, and we can head to the train station early tomorrow morning. We’ll reach Huang Yuan by the evening the day after."
As there were no sleeper tickets left for that day, they had no choice but to buy tickets for the following morning. Naturally, Mei Ying and Juying left all the arrangements to Sisi.
With nothing planned for the afternoon, Sisi took them to a nearby park to stroll, mainly because Yaoyao was fussing about wanting to go out. As the little treasure was the boss, the three adults had no choice but to take little Yaoyao out.
At this time, the public facilities in Shanghai were well-maintained. The park had a designated play area for children. With several children already playing, Yaoyao did not need any supervision from the adults and quickly mingled with the other children, enjoying herself immensely.
"No wonder everyone wants to live in big cities; look how happy these city kids are. We don’t have such nice parks in our village," Juying remarked as she watched her daughter happily playing, feeling deeply moved.
"Let Duofu earn some more money, then you can buy a house in a big city. That way, you’ll become city folks too," Sisi laughed and said.
"That is indeed feasible." Juying was very tempted and secretly planned to call her husband about it. It wasn’t for anything else but for Yaoyao’s sake; they also needed to settle down in the city.
As the three of them chatted, they brought up the incident with Zhong Shoufu a few days ago. Mei Ying spat and said, "Their family is just a case of ’a crooked beam leads to crooked columns,’ the only decent ones in that family are Sister Zhuying and Sister Hong Ying; the others are worthless."
"Hey, is that Yu Ying over there?" Juying suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Yu Ying? Where? Let me see, it really is her! And the man next to her, isn’t that Short Pumpkin? He looks quite familiar."
Following Juying’s direction, Mei Ying looked over and happened to see Tang Qiubai and Yu Ying talking while walking towards them. It turned out that they were planning to leave.
Sisi also saw the two and felt a mix of emotions. Surprisingly, in this life, Tang Qiubai and Yu Ying ended up together as well. Such monkey business!
It seemed that this life’s Song Mengshi was the protagonist of the previous life. Sisi felt great sympathy for Song Mengshi.
"That man is Tang Qiubai, his wife is my university classmate," Sisi reminded.
"Right, no wonder he looks so familiar. How did these two get together? It can’t be..."
Mei Ying’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t finish her sentence. One was someone’s wife and the other someone’s husband, and yet here they were strolling in the park together. Something was definitely not right!
Sisi smiled silently. At this moment, Yu Ying also saw Sisi and the others and inwardly cursed her luck. She had intended to avoid the trio, but Tang Qiubai happily went forward to greet them proactively.
"Sisi, are you also here with friends for a park stroll?"
"Yes, just taking a walk, and what about you...?" Sisi asked purposely.
"This is Yu Ying, you should know her. I just found out that Yu Ying actually lives next to Mengshi."
Yu Ying had no choice but to forcefully squeeze out a smile to greet Sisi and the others, but no one responded as if they heard nothing.
Although she wanted to curse them inside, Yu Ying had to put on a demeaned yet magnanimous smile on her face, making Tang Qiubai admire her, thinking how gentle and generous Yu Ying was. He also felt that Sisi was becoming more petty with age, clinging to childhood grievances. However, he hadn’t seen Sisi for many years, so despite feeling something was wrong, he didn’t voice his thoughts, only frowning slightly to indicate his discomfort.
Seeing all this, Sisi couldn’t help but scoff coldly, and Mei Ying was also displeased. She shifted her gaze and then said, "Yu Ying, you haven’t returned home for many years; you might not know that your family has had a big crisis?"
Without waiting for Yu Ying to respond, she continued, "Yesterday, your brother and your parents were arrested by the police for a major theft crime. Your brother was sentenced to fifteen years, your dad got five years, and your mom was also sentenced but got a suspended sentence."
Yu Ying heard this and her complexion drastically changed. This time she wasn’t acting but was genuinely anxious and asked, "Really?"
"Of course, it’s true. Why would I lie to you about this? Your family has completely ruined the reputation of the Zhong family. From now on, don’t even mention that you’re from Zhongjia Bay when you’re outside. It’s embarrassing."
Mei Ying spoke rapidly, and then she walked away with Sisi. Juying followed with Yaoyao in her arms, leaving behind the pale-faced Yu Ying standing next to a bewildered Tang Qiubai.