“Yueyue,” Chen Ziming interrupted her, gripping her hand tightly, his voice hoarse as he continued, “You don’t have to say these things.”
The first time he heard Su Minghua recount Su Yue’s childhood, he had already felt immense pity. Now, listening to her detail every aspect, his heartache deepened with each passing moment. The girl he cherished and protected so dearly had been treated in such a manner. The mere thought was unbearable to him. If only he had known her back then.
“I have to say them, it’s the prelude,” Su Yue replied with a smile, calming herself slightly as she went on. “Where there’s a first, there are countless others. As far back as I can remember, the house was always filled with yelling and beatings.”
“He took out all his resentment on my mother, yet refused to divorce her.”
“I later thought, perhaps my mother’s existence served to mask his own incompetence. No matter what went wrong, he could always blame it on marrying my mother.”
“Every time he was about to hit my mother, she would lock me outside. The neighbors often took pity on me and would temporarily take me in.”
“But sometimes, my mother couldn’t push me out in time. I would be scared into tears and try to stop him.”
“The result was that both my mother and I were beaten… but my mother always shielded me beneath her…”
Su Yue had overestimated her own capacity to bear it. As the words spilled out, she could no longer hold back the tears that streamed down her face.
“Sweetheart, let’s stop, okay?” Chen Ziming couldn’t listen anymore, pulling her into his arms. He lowered his head, suppressing his own emotions, and in a gentle tone, he told her again, “These things will never happen again. With me, you don’t have to fear anything. We won’t talk about this anymore, alright?”
Su Yue breathed deeply in his embrace, trying to regain her composure. She then sat up straight, shook her head, and continued, “I need to say it, I’m okay.”
Her expression was stubborn, her gaze resolute. Chen Ziming looked at her with a touch of sadness for a few seconds before relenting. He lowered his eyes and said softly, “Alright, sweetheart, you speak.”
“This kind of life continued until I was five. One day, he got drunk and fell into the river, never to resurface.”
“I’ve already told you what happened afterwards.”
“I always worked hard at studying and living, never considering romance because I never believed in men.”
“In fact, I found men particularly ridiculous. Sometimes I would even playfully tease them when they pursued me.”
“I admit, when I first asked you out for dinner, it was simply because you were handsome, and I wanted to amuse myself and relieve some boredom.”
“But that was also the first time I actively asked a man out.”
Her voice was no longer so heavy, and as she spoke of their beginnings, she felt a sense of shame. A faint blush also spread across her cheeks.
Seeing that the topic had finally shifted away from her childhood, Chen Ziming breathed a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. He said, “I know.”
Su Yue looked surprised. “Was I that obvious?”
“Not really. After our first meal, Li Niannian specifically sought me out to explain, emphasizing multiple times that you had never dated and had no experience.”
His smile deepened, and he replied unhurriedly. Su Yue was stunned. This was truly beyond her expectations. What a true best friend, she was so grateful to Li Niannian.
“Are you not going to say anymore? You haven’t told me why you like me yet,” Chen Ziming said, smiling and urging her on as he saw her pause in a daze.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Su Yue gave an awkward laugh, then visibly relaxed and continued, “But you were too handsome, and you played hard to get with me. I couldn’t outsmart you, and you took me home.”
“However, until you asked me to be your girlfriend, I had never considered establishing a relationship with you.”
“Because I didn’t trust you, but I was very happy when I was with you. So… I didn’t agree then.”
She still hadn’t revealed her inner thoughts. Because they were no longer important.