Without thinking or remembering, one wouldn’t feel pain. Now, she seldom thought of anything about that man, except when dreams haunt her at midnight, every restless and sleepless night, memories surged in her heart, tears dampened her pillow, and melancholy filled her belly. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel_fіre.net
No matter how deeply ingrained her subservience was, she was still just a woman, and in the end, she couldn’t escape the word "love."
The wound had been torn open by Yun Ya, hurt so badly she couldn’t scream.
Yun Ya held a tissue to wipe the tears off her face, softly saying, "A woman’s tears are the most precious thing, even more valuable than pearls. They should flow for the person who needs them most."
"Look, your makeup has been ruined by crying." Yun Ya sighed, took out a compact from her bag, dabbed some fine powder on a puff, and carefully touched up her makeup.
"Aunt Die, to me and Miaomiao, you are like a mother. No one wants your happiness more than we do. Don’t keep being so hard on yourself. Sometimes, people need to learn to be a little selfish."
Ji Die looked at her through tear-filled eyes, "Are we going to see him?"
Yun Ya nodded, "Yes, we haven’t seen him for a while. Uncle Qin wants to see Miaomiao and me." She paused, "Uncle Qin specifically mentioned you too, asking me to bring you along."
Noticing Ji Die’s trembling eyelashes, Yun Ya narrowed her eyes slightly, "You see, Uncle Qin actually has you in his heart. After all those years, even if there’s no love, there is still kinship."
Ji Die bit her lip, looking pitiful, "Ever since I can remember, he only ever had eyes for the young miss. I am nothing but her servant by her side. It’s only natural that he doesn’t like me."
Yun Ya took her hand, "Aunt Die, how can you say that? You cannot continue to wallow in self-pity. Even if you are not in Uncle Qin’s heart, so what? After all these years, you are the only woman who has stayed by his side, and just for that, your place is irreplaceable."
Irreplaceable... Ji Die’s heart shuddered fiercely.
Yun Ya painted a picture, a starving person drooling over it. Not only does this not alleviate hunger, but it actually makes it worse.
"You need to be braver. In love, there are no rules about who comes first. If you have the ability to make him happy, then stop wasting time with each other."
"You’re still young. If you could bear a son or a daughter for Uncle Qin, at his age, how happy he would be?" Yun Ya coaxed persistently.
She felt despicable, yet at the same time she saw it as perfectly justifiable, all for both their sakes. Uncle Qin had wasted half his life; Aunt Die’s unrequited love never ended. If such two people were together, they would surely be very happy. Uncle Qin would make a good husband, and Aunt Die a commendable wife and mother. Such a match was perfect; why persist in suffering for a woman who wasted both their affection?
She felt she was not wrong; she was doing this for Uncle Qin’s happiness and for Aunt Die’s happiness. She had to behave this way.
As if to convince herself, the guilt in her heart lessened a bit.
Ji Die whispered softly, "But the young miss... "
"She doesn’t love Uncle Qin. Do you still need her approval to be with him? Even if she loves Uncle Qin, what has that got to do with you? You have the right to pursue your own happiness, and she has no right to interfere." Yun Ya couldn’t stand her constant mentioning of the young miss as if the world wouldn’t turn without Ji Lanyi.
Ji Die bit her lip, "Let me think about it."
Yun Ya sighed, "Opportunities are fleeting. Think carefully."
They arrived at the Qin family’s villa. Yun Ya got out of the car first with Yun Miao, while Ji Die hesitated a moment before stepping out.
Qin Du had been waiting at the gate all along. Upon seeing Yun Ya, he walked over quickly, "Yun Ya."
"Brother Ah Du." The two hugged gently, then separated, and Qin Du patted Yun Miao on the shoulder, "Well done, you’ve grown quite a bit, almost catching up to me."
Yun Miao raised his eyebrows, proudly comparing their heights [One day I’ll surpass you]
Seeing Ji Die come down after, Qin Du secretly frowned but greeted her with a smile, "Aunt Die."
Seeing Qin Du made Ji Die uncomfortable. She still remembered the humiliation of ten years ago that the young man had witnessed. Every time she saw him, she felt uneasy.
"Today, dad is cooking himself. You’re in for a treat," he said, then quickly walked towards the villa, holding Miaomiao’s arm.
Apart from Yun Ya, Miaomiao was also quite close to Qin Du.
Hearing Qin Du’s words, Yun Ya raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Indeed, we’re in for a treat."
Although Qin Zhuan and Qin Du were not biologically related, some of Qin Zhuan’s traits had still been passed on to Qin Du. It’s not inheritance; it should be described as influence.