“How dare you say that, Hui? How dare you?” Jiang Ying Yue tearfully whispered.
Long Hui’s expression cracked upon seeing the obvious hurt in her eyes.
Even though tears were streaming down her face nonstop, Jiang Ying Yue still forced her voice to be clear and strong.
“Right from the start, I already knew that you asked Xiulan to hire me. Yes, I started off as her bodyguard but we became genuine friends later on. Don’t downgrade my friendship with her just because she showers me and our son with nice things. She’s just a naturally generous person to those she cares about. And she loves our son like her own.
“And besides, if I really wanted nice and expensive things like you’re insinuating, I would’ve forced you to marry me the moment I found out that I was pregnant. But I didn’t! If I only cared about wealth, I would’ve accepted your proposal the first time despite all of the humiliation and threats your relatives threw at me! But I didn’t! Don’t you ever paint me as an opportunistic person, Hui! Do you realize how extremely hurtful you’re being today?
“I bore your child, experienced the unbelievable pain of childbirth, and decided to try again with you because I love you, not because of your wealth or status! I didn’t come from a rich or powerful family like yours. My family wasn’t destitute, but we experienced many difficulties in making ends meet. But at least my family taught me to treasure my dignity, to work hard and earn a living with an honest job, and to not fight with my own siblings and relatives because of inheritance.
“My late parents may not own their own company like your father, but they were still able to send me, their daughter, to university. When I finished my degree, they treated it as their biggest life achievement! I’ll forever be thankful for their sacrifices, even now that they’re gone. How about your family, Hui? All of you just know how to fight against each other because of money and power! The Longs don’t deserve to be described as family! You’re all a bunch of enemies pretending to be family!
“So keep your wealth and status to yourself! I don’t need it nor want it! My son and I will survive even without your Long money. I also don’t want my son to call such power-hungry people as his family!”
All of these words tumbled out of her mouth in an emotional explosion. She needed to take a brief break to catch her breath while hopelessly trying to control her tears. She angrily wiped her tears with her hands.
Her emotional speech was the only thing so far that managed to penetrate his abnormal state of mind. It made his good sense gradually return.
“No! Don’t touch me!” She slapped his hand and moved away from him until her body was almost plastered on her side of the car door.
“I… Please, Ying Yue…”
“Just shut up for now. Let me finish what I’m saying.”
A tense silence enveloped the car. The driver wished he could drive faster without breaking the traffic rules, so that they could reach the hospital sooner. This kind of tension wasn’t good for his heart. He might be the one who would need to be admitted to the hospital for heart attack if he had to endure witnessing the couple’s distressing fight like this.
Finally, Jiang Ying Yue spoke again. She looked directly at Long Hui’s eyes, a heartbroken expression on her face.
“Hui, I love you because of who you are. Even when I’m still so hurt by what your relatives did to me back then, I still decided to give us another chance. But now it seems that I never really knew the real you. I didn’t know that you’re this kind of narrow-minded and malicious man. You’re just like your relatives, all extremely BIGOTED!!! You’re indeed a member of the Long family. It seems that your sisters are the only decent people in your family!”
After saying her piece, Jiang Ying Yue began sobbing hard. Her loud, heart-rending cries filled the car.
The driver had now become upset, even teary, witnessing everything happening in the backseat. He wanted to bash Long Hui’s head, but he remembered that the man was still the Young Miss’s brother. Although it seemed that the siblings were fighting now, unless the Young Miss officially declared her brother as an enemy, he and the other household staff still needed to treat Long Hui with politeness just because he was the blood relative of the Young Miss.
Long Hui had now recovered from his malicious outburst. Guilt and shame filled him until he almost felt nauseous. Seeing his woman and the mother of his child sobbing so hard made his heart feel like it was being squeezed painfully into a pulp.
He felt mortified remembering everything he did and said at the penthouse. Just like Jiang Ying Yue, it seems that he also never really knew the real him. He had no idea that he was this kind of narrow-minded, malicious, and bigoted man.
“I’m sorry. So sorry…” he could only mumble over and over.
Jiang Ying Yue gave him a tearful side-eye. “It’s not only me you should apologize to, Hui. Don’t forget all of the things you said to your sister. She doesn’t deserve the insults you threw at her.”
Long Hui frowned. A hint of unwillingness surfaced in his expression. The pride of being the firstborn made him reluctant to be the first one to lower his head to his younger sibling.
“You’re the one in the wrong, Hui,” Jiang Ying Yue reminded him.
“Does this mean that you won’t forgive me if I don’t apologize to Xiulan?” he asked.
She looked at him like he was turning into a stranger right in front of her eyes.
“Does apologizing to your sister need to have an incentive? Apologizing is what decent people do, Hui. Decent people apologize because they feel sorry. If you feel forced, then it’s better that you don’t apologize at all because even if you do apologize, it wouldn’t be genuine.”
He didn’t reply.
“I feel sorry for hurting you and making you cry,” he immediately replied.
She rephrased her question. “Do you feel sorry for insulting Xiulan and fighting with her?”
He frowned, unable to answer as quickly.
Jiang Ying Yue gave a sad smile, as if she already expected this from him. When he still didn’t reply, she knew that he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.
It was obvious that his injuries were still hurting him. The bruises and cuts on his face and body were now turning into a myriad of ugly colours. Fortunately, it seemed that the pain in his leg wasn’t as severe anymore.
Her heart softened seeing his beaten-up appearance. Even though she felt hurt by him, she still loved him. She hoped that he would soon realize how destructive he was suddenly becoming and stop himself before it was too late.
If she was ever forced to choose between Iris or Long Hui, she would choose the one who would provide her son, Little Jun, with a better environment to grow up in. And she didn’t think that the Long family as it was now would be able to give her son a peaceful and nurturing home.
The car stopped.
“We have arrived at the hospital,” the driver announced.
Long Hui nodded.
The two entered the hospital. She accompanied him all throughout. However, there was some kind of invisible wall separating them now.
They continued to love each other deep within their hearts, but they could also feel this invisible wall blocking them from getting closer once again. It was uncomfortable, unpleasant…and painful. Yet neither of them made the first move to smash this intangible separation between them.
If they didn’t do anything to fix it as soon as possible, they would truly start drifting apart from each other.
This was the other side of love—the ugly and the painful.
