Chapter 361 - Ye Yunzhu’s Heartache

Chapter 361: Chapter 368 Ye Yunzhu’s Heartache"But that day we didn’t really have a relationship, so you don’t have to be responsible for me; you don’t have to marry me for real."

Li Yifei placed his hand on Xu Yingying’s leg, gently rubbing it as he said, "I won’t deny that if we hadn’t done that that day, I wouldn’t still be maintaining this marriage with you."

Xu Yingying’s face immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

"But this isn’t about our feelings; it’s just that my feelings weren’t settled, and there’s still Ye Yunzhu, Su Yiyi — these are issues I can’t avoid. To become your husband, I need to maintain a husband’s mindset, but it was indeed too hasty. I need some time."

"Do you mean that you used to... like me?" Xu Yingying asked nervously, looking nothing like a boss and more like a little girl afraid of losing something.

"I didn’t realize it before. I thought we were just friends, not truly in love. But after opening my heart and being with you yesterday, I felt that I do really like you. When this feeling developed, I’ve no idea; I just never faced it directly."

Xu Yingying’s heart felt sweet as she gripped Li Yifei’s hand.

Li Yifei, in turn, gripped Xu Yingying’s hand and said, "So after we really became husband and wife this time, I don’t regret it at all. My only feeling is that it was too rushed, and I didn’t handle my relationships well, which makes me feel a bit sorry for you."

Xu Yingying immediately said, "It’s okay; I’m not in a hurry. I know you’re a person who values feelings, and if you decisively cut ties with them immediately for me, it would be too heartless."

Li Yifei flashed a radiant smile and said, "Your words set my mind at ease."

"But don’t take too long, okay? I’m your wife now."

"Yes, my dear wife, I’ll handle it." Li Yifei said with a chuckle, his heart uneasy and conflicted. If he wanted to be a truly good husband, it seemed he should sever ties with his past relationships. Yet he couldn’t bear to part with Su Yiyi, and the years-long bond with Ye Yunzhu was equally unbreakable.

"Honey, don’t worry too much. I’m just joking. I won’t push you. Take your time, and I believe in you."

Xu Yingying’s gentle words made Li Yifei feel a bit more relaxed, though he felt even guiltier towards her.

Reaching the company parking lot, Xu Yingying hesitated for a moment before apologetically telling Li Yifei, "Honey, I want to discuss something with you."

"Hehe, is it that we can’t reveal our relationship at the company?"

"Yes. I’m sorry, I—"

Li Yifei interrupted Xu Yingying softly, "I understand this kind of thing. Couples at the office might make employees think things, so it’s normal not to say. Don’t worry; I won’t hold you back."

Xu Yingying moved her lips gratefully and then leaned over to kiss Li Yifei’s face, saying, "Thank you, honey."

"Alright, get out of the car. This is still the company’s premises; if someone sees us, it would be troublesome."

Xu Yingying playfully smiled and said, "Then I’m going up," before opening the door and stepping out. At this moment, Xu Yingying felt truly like a newlywed wife, no longer exuding the usual authoritative aura she had in the company, and her charm was extraordinarily captivating.

Li Yifei waited for Xu Yingying to go upstairs, smoked a cigarette, and then entered the company.

After being busy for a while, Li Yifei, with nothing more to do, sat on the office sofa, pondering today’s events, still finding them too absurd. Xu Shanshan, that sister-in-law, was quite unbelievable. No one would have thought she could do such a thing.

A breeze passed, and the crisp sound of wind chimes rang in his ears. Li Yifei turned to look at the wind chime by the window, thinking of Michelle. Recently, Michelle rarely came by after learning he married Xu Yingying, maintaining her distance. But seeing the wind chimes made Li Yifei think of the needle marks on Michelle’s hand, leaving him with an indescribable feeling.

However, it’s just as well, he thought, to prevent Michelle from getting more deeply involved and hurt. After some time, she would come to terms with it.

After lunch, Li Yifei gave Ye Yunzhu a call, planning to visit the factory. Ye Yunzhu agreed readily.

This time Li Yifei didn’t go alone; a few others from the company went as well. Since this was work-related, he naturally couldn’t go alone.

Ye Yunzhu wasn’t alone either; a few township officials accompanied her.

The factory construction had begun, with full support from Township Chief Ye Yunzhu. There was no delay at all from city officials, so getting the land approved was easy. Some relocation households were a bit problematic, but compensation was sufficient, making it easy to resolve.

Now, building the factory was Li Yifei and his team’s responsibility. Ye Yunzhu and her team’s involvement indicated the factory’s importance.

The factory was estimated to take over two months to begin production, so after checking the progress, Li Yifei and his team prepared to leave.

At that moment, Ye Yunzhu smiled and told Li Yifei, "Old classmate, the work’s done, let’s take care of some personal affairs this afternoon, shall we?"

Li Yifei laughed and said, "No problem."

Their straightforward manner didn’t raise suspicion among others; after all, they did have an old classmate relationship, and so Ye Yunzhu got into Li Yifei’s car.

"Yifei, accompany me to the orphanage today."

Li Yifei was surprised by Ye Yunzhu’s request and asked, "Why go there?"

"The children in the orphanage are so pitiful. I occasionally visit them."

Li Yifei had never done such a good deed before and said, "Alright, I’ll check it out too."

There was only one orphanage in Mile City, located in the urban area, and soon Li Yifei and Ye Yunzhu arrived there.

Inside, there were many children, most abandoned, and some with physical issues. Ye Yunzhu played games and told stories with them, donating some money as well. Her demeanor completely different from her usual fiery and capable self, radiating maternal warmth.

As they left, Li Yifei couldn’t help but say with a smile, "If you ever have children, you’ll be a great mother."

Ye Yunzhu fixed her gaze on Li Yifei’s eyes, saying, "Then why don’t we have one?"

"This... cough, cough... Yunzhu..." Li Yifei coughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

Ye Yunzhu frowned slightly and asked, "You don’t like children?"

"It’s not that I don’t like children, it’s just..."

"Just what?" Ye Yunzhu stared intently at Li Yifei.

Li Yifei smiled awkwardly, finally sighed, and said, "I have already... gotten the license with Yingying."

Ye Yunzhu’s face turned pale abruptly, her teeth biting hard into her lip, draining all color from it.

"Yunzhu... I’m sorry!" Seeing her like this, Li Yifei felt incredibly pained. This stubborn girl had been with him since high school, never looking down on him. She had been waiting for him all these years, but he hadn’t married her, making Li Yifei feel overwhelmingly remorseful.

He wanted to say something to comfort her, but found it impossible to come up with the right words. Finally, he sheepishly uttered the clichéd "I’m sorry."

Ye Yunzhu closed her eyes briefly, her lips trembling slightly before finally stopping her harsh bites. She suddenly showed a brilliant smile and said, "Then I should wish you well."

Li Yifei understood Ye Yunzhu too well; her reaction meant she was heartbroken to the extreme. But what could he do now? Divorce Xu Yingying to be with Ye Yunzhu? That’d hurt Xu Yingying instead. He could only sigh and say, "Thank you."

Ye Yunzhu flicked her head back and punched Li Yifei’s chest, angrily saying, "You bastard, not telling me about your marriage sooner — so unbrotherly of you. When’s the wedding? I have to inform our classmates for a proper celebration at your place."

Li Yifei felt a deeper pain but could only say, "We’ll talk about it later."

"You’ve got the license; better not delay the wedding. It’s a woman’s dream for a lifetime. How can you be so vague abou—bleegh..." she was saying with a smile when she suddenly dry-heaved, bending over and clutching her stomach.

Already feeling guilty, Li Yifei was more distressed seeing her like this. He quickly supported her and said, "Why are you vomiting again? Didn’t you go for a check-up yesterday?"

Ye Yunzhu squatted, vomiting several more times, even bringing up some sour liquid. Only after waving her hand did she slowly stand up and say, "It’s nothing, just... an upset stomach, bleegh..." Not finishing her sentence, she began retching again.

Li Yifei carefully patted her back and said, "If your stomach’s in bad shape, did you take medication? Vomiting so hard, how can that be okay?"

After several heaves, Ye Yunzhu finally calmed down. Li Yifei supported her, asking, "Isn’t it the wrong medication? Shall I take you to the hospital again?"

"No need!" Ye Yunzhu suddenly flung his hand away, shouting, "What does it matter to you? You’re someone else’s husband. Why care about me? I can do what I want without your involvement."

With those words, she ran to the roadside and hailed a taxi, getting in.

Li Yifei could have easily stopped her, but he knew Ye Yunzhu couldn’t easily digest the fact he was married now. She must have felt wretched, and even if he caught up now, it would only make her more miserable. Better to let her calm down and then talk things through later.