"Yan Xixi, you’ve deeply disappointed me. You are utterly unworthy of Donglin, and unworthy of how good he has been to you."

Yan Xixi was choked into silence.

"Regarding your relationship with Donglin, I’ve always maintained a hands-off approach. But honestly, if you two were to break up, I’d be thrilled. Since you’re the one who brought it up, I’ll support your decision. After all, you’re already at Harvard, so you won’t need Donglin around much anymore. Besides, Donglin is getting older. He can’t afford to play such affected games with you. Marriage and children are what truly matter now. He doesn’t have that much time to wait for you."

Liu Daqing stood up. It was a clear signal for Yan Xixi to leave. She was clearly being very blunt now. Since you’ve broken up, just leave. I won’t keep you.

But Yan Xixi didn’t notice. She just stared blankly at the water lilies in the pond. In the small pond, a single water lily bloomed, so lonely. Just like how I felt when I uttered the word "breakup" to Wan Donglin. Everything that had once been familiar—family, home, all that was familiar—suddenly disappeared again. The truth is, all I can really possess is myself.

Liu Daqing glanced at her. Yan Xixi just sat there, motionless, her gaze desolate and panicked. She looked like a rose battered by a storm.

Liu Daqing sighed inwardly. I wonder if it’s because she’s just too beautiful that everyone who sees her feels pity. If it were any other woman being so affected, I probably would have chased her out with a broom by now, or at the very least, I would have turned and left. But that girl just sits there so foolishly, looking like a lost and helpless child. It’s no use; being beautiful is truly an advantage.

She suddenly remembered that Yan Xixi was all alone in this world, with no living relatives. Could that be why she’s so overly dependent on Donglin? Logically speaking, this girl isn’t usually so affected. Besides, during those more than two months when she was threatened by Yang Wei and his men, wasn’t she very strong and handled it all very well?

Unable to resist, Liu Daqing sat down again.

"Xixi!"

Yan Xixi looked at her with wide eyes.

Her voice turned stern. "In my life, I detest affected women the most. Yan Xixi, I just want to ask you, how on earth did you come up with such an affected reason? Can you give me a more plausible one?"

Yan Xixi’s hand gripped her handbag tightly.

Inside it were several medical report sheets. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

She dared not lie to Liu Daqing. She never had.

"I simply can’t believe you’d be foolish enough to initiate a breakup with Donglin. It’s not that I think my son is anything extraordinary, but I’m certain you’ll regret leaving him. Yan Xixi, you will never again find a man who treats you as well as Donglin does..."

Yan Xixi said slowly, "It’s not that I’ll regret it in the future. In fact, I regretted it the moment I uttered the words... No, the instant the thought of breaking up even crossed my mind, I already began to regret it..."

Liu Daqing asked with great severity, "If that’s the case, why do you still insist on breaking up?"

Yan Xixi’s hand was already in her purse. Reaching inside, her fingers brushed against those few sheets of paper.

"Yan Xixi, perhaps what I said earlier was harsh, I admit. But that’s not a reason for you to break up with Donglin. Women, well, it’s understandable they can get overly emotional at times. I still want to give you another chance."

Yan Xixi gritted her teeth and finally handed the papers over.

Liu Daqing asked suspiciously, "What is this?"

Yan Xixi said faintly, "Please take a look at this first. Perhaps, after you’ve seen it, you will no longer want to give me a chance."

(Today’s Chapter ends here; we’ll continue tomorrow. What do you all guess Empress Dowager Liu’s reaction will be? P.S. A reader asked what "three views" means: the "three views" are one’s outlook on life, values, and the world.)