"Please, I'm begging you, will you just leave me alone?"
Fu Yinxiu felt a bitter pang.
Since their reunion, Ming Yutong had stubbornly maintained her composure at first, not showing any weakness in front of him. But as he pressured her, she had repeatedly begged him to let her go.
And now, she was still begging.
But she didn't know that this was soup he had personally made.
Because he had social engagements, he only got home at midnight, slept for two hours, and then got up at two in the morning to make the soup for her.
He watched the fire carefully, meticulously skimming off the fat.
All he wanted was for her to say it was good.
The soup was wasted, and so was his heartfelt gesture.
He wasn't hurt by the waste.
If she didn't accept it, he could make more. That wasn't the issue.
What hurt him was her rejection of everything he gave her. She didn't want to accept anything from him.
"Fu Yinxiu, I'm not some pet. When you despised me, you didn't treat me like a person. You discarded me like garbage, treating me like I was for sale, never showing me any respect. I'm a person too, and I get hurt. Once the wounds are deep, they can't be mended," Ming Yutong said, pointing to her chest.
"There are not just gunshot wounds here, but also emotional wounds," Ming Yutong continued, tears welling up in her eyes. "I admit, before, I still loved you. Even when you kicked me out of the hospital like trash, I still loved you. I even wondered why you suddenly didn't want me anymore."
"Don't touch it!" Fu Yinxiu's face changed, and he nervously held her hand. "You've forgotten you're injured! Don't poke at the wound! If you're angry, then poke at me! Don't hurt yourself."
This time, Ming Yutong didn't immediately pull her hand away. She let Fu Yinxiu hold it.
His palm wrapped around her hand was so soft, so delicate. Even if it aged and became rough, covered in wrinkles and spots, he would still treasure it.
At this moment, he held it carefully, unwilling to let go, like someone who had found a precious treasure and was afraid of losing it.
"But now, I'm tired. You're feeling guilty because I'm injured, wanting to make up for it, and treating me better. But what about later? Once your guilt fades and disappears, will you become disgusted with me again, and not like me anymore?" Ming Yutong sniffed.
She let Fu Yinxiu hold her hand and didn't bother to pull away.
She didn't want to struggle with him.
"Fu Yinxiu, I'm tired and afraid. You summon me when you want and discard me when you don't, never cherishing me. You think I'm too easy to obtain, and when you're tired of me, you discard me without hesitation. I don't want that."
"I want to be cherished too. Even if I don't look for someone else in the future, I will cherish myself. At least I won't throw myself away."
Tears streamed from her eyes.
She cried and trembled all over.
With one hand held by him, she used the other to hug herself.
At this moment, she felt inexplicably cold.
"I don't want to be with you, even if it's sweet now. I can't fully enjoy this sweetness, always fearing that this happiness is just a facade, temporary. I don't know when you'll decide you don't want me again."
"I'm really not as worthless or insignificant as you think. I'm not just passively waiting for you to decide you don't want me anymore, like some commodity. I'm valuable, and I deserve to be cherished."
"So, Fu Yinxiu, just let it go. If you truly cherish me, don't treat me this way. I hate this insecure version of myself, and I hate that I've become so tearful. Please, leave me with some dignity, okay?"
"No!" Fu Yinxiu held Ming Yutong's hand tightly, his eyes red. "I swear, I will treat you well for the rest of my life, never wrong you, and never abandon you. In this lifetime, I will only love you, Ming Yutong."
"You worry that I might abandon you, but I'm the one who's worried. Tong Tong, I'm so afraid that you might never want me again."
"I'm upset and guilty because of your injury, but right now, it's not about compensation. I love you," Fu Yinxiu paused, "There was a deep misunderstanding between us back then."
"I didn't abandon you. After you gave birth to Jingshi, you were kicked out of the hospital. I had no idea about any of this. Everything was done behind my back by my parents. At that time, I was injured and away. By the time I returned, you were already gone."
"At that time, my parents lied to me, saying you left the child and ran away. My first reaction was not to believe them. I checked the hospital's surveillance footage and asked people who were at the hospital that night. But the footage clearly showed you leaving with a man, and the hospital staff all said the same thing, leaving me no choice but to believe it."
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for how I treated you before. Just thinking about it makes me feel like a fool! Tong Tong—"
Ming Yutong stood still, her eyes vacant.
So, all the pain she had endured was because Fu Yinxiu misunderstood at that time?
And now, was it all just a misunderstanding, even if it's being clarified?
"Tong Tong, don't scare me. Please say something," Fu Yinxiu shook Ming Yutong's shoulders.
Suddenly, Ming Yutong laughed through her tears.
But that smile was anything but joyful.
Fu Yinxiu's heart ached with worry.
"So, you suddenly realize it was a misunderstanding from seven years ago, and now, feeling guilty about how you treated me before?"
Fu Yinxiu opened his mouth but hesitated to answer.
Seeing Ming Yutong's reaction, he felt that no matter how he answered, it would be wrong.
"You hurt me, then tried to make up for it, then hurt me again, and tried to make up for it again?" Ming Yutong shook her head. "Do you truly love me, or is it just guilt? I don't know."