This was the first time Meng Ye’s eyes had reddened since the incident. Before, she had calmly accepted what happened and had quietly told Wang Hai she wanted to break up.

Her heart aching for her, Xue Yue sat down in front of her and gently hugged her.

Meng Ye finally cried out loud.

When you love someone that deeply, how can you just leave peacefully?

Xue Yue asked, "Meng Ye, do you have any regrets? If you had been willing to marry Wang Hai and have his child, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this."

Meng Ye shook her head. "I’ve thought about that, but I don’t regret it. To be honest, it’s more that I didn’t trust him enough. I didn’t believe he would love only me for the rest of his life, and I wasn’t confident I wouldn’t end up like my mother. In a way, this outcome might be a relief. At least I still have the courage to leave."

Meanwhile, Wang Hai went to He Lang to vent.

He Lang glanced at Wang Hai, who was sitting on the sofa, having already polished off a bottle of vodka.

Wang Hai’s eyes were bloodshot. He downed the last drop of liquor and tossed the bottle aside.

He flopped back on the sofa and muttered, "What’s so wrong with me wanting a son? She wouldn’t give me one, so I had another woman do it, and now she’s unhappy. I told her she’s the only one in my heart. Why does she have to care so much about people who don’t matter?"

He Lang didn’t interrupt. He just listened, letting him rant.

"How much longer do I have to live? Who am I going to give my money to when I die? When I’m dead, at least I’ll have someone to bury me, right? He Lang, tell me, are all women this dramatic?"

He Lang said, "Well, you’ve got a son now, but women are still ’dramatic.’ If Meng Ye wants to leave, just let her go. It’s not like you’re short on women, are you?"

Hearing that, Wang Hai yelled at He Lang, "Bullshit! She can’t leave! What am I supposed to do if she leaves? I’ve devoted so many years to her. If she’s gone, I won’t be able to handle it."

He Lang scoffed. "You’re too greedy. You want a son, you’ve got no shortage of women on the side, and you still expect Meng Ye to stay completely devoted to you. Isn’t that a bit selfish? Besides, Meng Ye isn’t even married to you. She can leave whenever she wants."

He Lang’s words only made Wang Hai more agitated. He grabbed another bottle of vodka, twisted it open, and took a huge gulp.

"If I had known it would come to this, I should have dragged her to get the marriage license back then, no matter what."

Then I wouldn’t have to be constantly afraid of her leaving.

He Lang sighed. "Look, Brother Wang, the real issue here isn’t about whether you two are married. It’s that you were fooling around outside, and Meng Ye found out."

He Lang stood up and walked over to him.

"Come on, tell me, man. Are these other women really that special?"

Wang Hai shook his head vacantly. "No. It was just some clients... they took me out. I was just playing along for the sake of business."

"You’re saying it was all physical, no feelings involved?"

Wang Hai looked at He Lang and nodded.

He Lang was so exasperated he couldn’t help but laugh.

"Let me put it this way: what if Meng Ye slept with another man? Could you handle that?"

Wang Hai shot to his feet. "Who the fuck would dare sleep with my woman? I’ll kill him."

As soon as he said it, he understood He Lang’s point. He slumped back down into his seat and stared blankly ahead.

He Lang said, "See? You can’t even stand the thought of it. So what about Meng Ye? You don’t just have another woman, you have a child with her. Brother Wang, we can’t be like that. You can’t have your cake and eat it too."

After a long silence, Wang Hai finally asked He Lang, "Do you think Meng Ye can forgive me?"

He Lang looked at him. "I don’t know. But you shouldn’t be here right now. You should be asking Meng Ye. If you really can’t leave her, then you should be holding her and not letting her go."

At He Lang’s words, Wang Hai scrambled to his feet and headed for the door.

He only took a few steps before the alcohol hit him, and he began to stagger. Afraid he would get hurt, He Lang went over and steadied him.

"Come on, I’ll take you home."

When He Lang got Wang Hai home, he was surprised to see Xue Yue open the door.

When Xue Yue saw He Lang helping the drunken Wang Hai, who reeked of alcohol, she understood immediately.

He Lang helped Wang Hai into the house, and Meng Ye walked over.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Wang Hai seized the opportunity to throw his arms around Meng Ye, crying, "Honey, don’t leave me."

Meng Ye shot He Lang and Xue Yue a helpless look.

Xue Yue said, "We’ll get going. Call us if you need anything."

Meng Ye nodded.

After Xue Yue and He Lang left, Meng Ye helped Wang Hai into the bedroom.

"Just lie down for a while. I’ll go get you some water with honey."

But Wang Hai clung to Meng Ye’s waist, refusing to let go. He nuzzled his face, reeking of alcohol, against her neck.

"Don’t go, don’t go."

Meng Ye patted his back. "You’re drunk. Just get some sleep. We can talk when you wake up."

But Wang Hai didn’t let go. He even turned his head to kiss Meng Ye, but she avoided it.

The two of them froze. Meng Ye remained expressionless, her face turned to the side.

Wang Hai opened his eyes, looked at her, then slowly let go and lay back down.

Meng Ye got up, left the room, and closed the door behind her.

Inside the room, Wang Hai lay with his bloodshot eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

Meng Ye sat on the sofa outside, looking at the photos on the wall.

She stayed like that until the next morning, when a knock sounded on the front door.

Hearing the sound, Meng Ye came out of her bedroom. When she saw the living room was empty, she went to open the door.

When she opened the door and saw who it was, Meng Ye’s hands trembled.

It was the mother of his child.

"Can I talk to you?"

Meng Ye said, "I don’t think we have anything to talk about."

The woman took a step toward Meng Ye. "I know you and Wang Hai aren’t married. You can still find someone else, but it’s different for me. I have a child, and my child needs a father."

Meng Ye took a step back.

The woman continued, "You’re beautiful; I’m sure you have no shortage of admirers. Will you please give him to us?"

Meng Ye’s pupils contracted, and her whole body trembled.

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Wang Hai walked out.

His face was grim as he glared fixedly at the woman.

The woman hadn’t expected Wang Hai to still be home at this hour.

"Brother Wang."

Wang Hai stalked toward her, his voice low and menacing. "Who gave you the nerve to come here?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The woman was clearly frightened, wringing her hands nervously. "I... AHH—"

Wang Hai grabbed a fistful of her hair and threw her out the door.

"I’m warning you one last time. Don’t ever come here again, and don’t cause her any more trouble. Otherwise, I’ll kill you."

The woman nodded frantically. "I understand, Brother Wang! I won’t do it again, I’m leaving right now."

She knew Wang Hai wasn’t just making threats. She’d asked around about him before and knew that he could be ruthless, but also that he was very rich.

That’s why when she got the chance, she bore him a son. It was an incredible stroke of luck, an opportunity others didn’t have. This was her chance to marry rich.

She’d heard from the man himself that he was attached, but it turned out they weren’t married, which made things even easier.

This Meng Ye woman also seemed easy to deal with. She just never expected Wang Hai to be home and overhear everything.

Wang Hai roared, "Get the hell out!"

The terrified woman fled in a panic.