From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

”With this black chicken soup, all the nutrients are in the broth.” Su Li ladled two bowls of soup for Wu Sheng, not satisfied until she watched him drink them both.

The older woman who came in to check on them saw Wu Sheng drinking the black chicken soup while Su Li wasn’t, and she couldn’t stop shaking her head with a strange look on her face.

’Tsk, tsk... Something meant to replenish a girl’s blood is going into a man’s stomach. What can I even say?’

”I guess I’ll have to wash my face and feet with one hand tonight...” With a full stomach after downing two bowls of chicken soup he didn’t even want, Wu Sheng started fishing for sympathy.

”You can ask someone to help you.” Su Li thought for a moment. ”Do you live in a dorm or at home?”

”I haven’t lived in a dorm for years.” Wu Sheng sighed. ”I live at home.”

There was no way Su Li was going to his house to wash his face and feet, and it was even more impossible that she would take him to hers, so she just said,

”You’ll... just have to bear with it.”

Wu Sheng looked aggrieved. ”You’re so heartless!”

Su Li: ”...”

She shook her head and went to pay the bill, but the owner told her it had already been settled.

Wu Sheng stood behind Su Li, chuckling. ”How could I let a girl treat me?”

”It’s no big deal.” Su Li felt helpless. ’Wu Sheng must have paid when he went out to get the bowls earlier. No wonder he insisted on getting them himself.’

Once they were outside the restaurant, Wu Sheng started playing the weakling again, insisting that Su Li support him as he walked.

”You’re heading back now, right?” Su Li asked Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng nodded. ”Yeah. You can take me back. My bike is over there.”

When they found the bicycle, Wu Sheng asked Su Li, ”Do you know how to ride a bike?”

Su Li nodded. ”I do.”

”Then you can take me home.” Wu Sheng immediately and matter-of-factly sat on the back rack of the bike.

”Do you think this is appropriate?” Su Li asked, glancing at his long legs, which had nowhere to go and had to rest on the ground.

”Of course it is. Didn’t I hurt my hand? I can’t ride...” Wu Sheng feigned a pitiful expression, trailing off. ”Forget it...”

He got off the back rack. ”I’ll give you a ride instead. I’ll be fine with one hand. At worst, we’ll only fall a couple of times.”

So aggrieved, yet pretending to be strong. How moving.

”Alright, stop with the theatrics.” Su Li surrendered. ”Which way is your house?”

In a flash, Wu Sheng was on the back, his arms wrapping tightly around Su Li’s waist.

Su Li stiffened and hurriedly tried to pry his uninjured hand off. ”What are you doing? Why are you holding on so tight!”

Wu Sheng sounded innocent. ”I’m scared, so of course I have to hold on to you.”

After he spoke, he seemed to just realize something. ”Ah, that’s right, Su Li. Your waist is mine now too.”

Su Li: ”...”

Seeing that Su Li’s expression wasn’t quite right, Wu Sheng prudently loosened his grip, resting his uninjured hand lightly on her. ”Let’s go.”

Only then did Su Li let out a sigh of relief and start on their way.

Wu Sheng looked thin, but he was tall and all muscle. His weight was no joke.

Su Li was fine at first, but after a few minutes, she was already struggling to pedal.

”You can do it, Su Li,” Wu Sheng cheered cheerfully from behind. ”We’re almost there.”

This ”almost there” lasted for half an hour. Su Li was slick with sweat from pedaling, but they still hadn’t arrived. Plus, the area was starting to look familiar.

”Wait a minute, isn’t this the wild lake near our university?”

”So you finally noticed you’ve been lapping your own university,” came Wu Sheng’s taunting voice from behind.

Su Li slammed on the brakes, hopped off the bike, and glared furiously at Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng scrambled away.

”Are you trying to work me to death? I’m covered in sweat.” Su Li got back on the bike to chase him.

”I surrender.” Wu Sheng stopped by the edge of the wild lake. ”I was just trying to get you to exercise and break a sweat. Who told you to be so silly and actually try to take me home?”

The edge of the wild lake was a common hangout spot for students from the Communication University. Large boulders by the water served as natural stone benches, flanked by a couple of streetlights.

Wu Sheng sat on a boulder and patted the spot next to him. ”Come on, take a break. Relax your legs.”

Su Li parked the bike, shot him a glare, and sat down.

”This time, I’ll let it slide since you’re injured.” She tapped her legs.

”My deepest thanks for your magnanimity.” After messing around for a while, Wu Sheng waited until Su Li had truly relaxed before suddenly asking,

”You like Yu Zhengqing?”

It was a question, but in reality, it was also a statement.

Su Li, who had been swinging her legs and watching the ripples on the lake’s surface under the lights, froze, completely unprepared.

’You like Yu Zhengqing?’

Su Li’s answer was yes.

’Yes, she liked Yu Zhengqing.’

’The person in her heart was Yu Zhengqing—the Yu Zhengqing no one would ever suspect, the Yu Zhengqing with whom she could never have a future, the one she would forever keep treasured in the depths of her heart.’

’How could Su Li not like him? He was Yu Zhengqing, after all.’

’The Yu Zhengqing who had redeemed her life—how could her heart remain as still as water, completely unmoved?’

’She had liked him for over twenty years. She had truly liked him for half her life.’

’No... counting this life, she had liked him for two lifetimes.’

’But... her affection wasn’t the ordinary kind between a man and a woman. The word ”like” was not enough to encompass her feelings.’

’It was an emotion far more complex than ”like”—an emotion she would keep hidden in her heart for two lifetimes, one she would never act upon, never use to disturb him.’

’Su Li was not worthy of Yu Zhengqing. Not in her last life, and not in this one either.’

Yu Zhengqing had his own beloved wife. In her last life, when Su Li met him, Ling Zhen already occupied his heart. She had watched him pursue her arduously, feeling happy when he was happy and desolate when he was down, until she finally saw him win his truest love.

Yu Zhengqing’s deep and devoted love was also part of what she liked about him. What she liked was the complete Yu Zhengqing, the one who had a wife.

When Yu Zhengqing and Ling Zhen got married, she was a mess of tears and laughter. Everyone joked that anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was marrying off her own daughter, or that she was the one getting married.

But she was genuinely happy then, happy for Yu Zhengqing.

Ling Zhen was just as outstanding and kind as he was. She was also a benefactor to Su Li, having helped her a great deal. She would never forget the kindness that the couple had shown her.

She liked Yu Zhengqing, and she liked Ling Zhen, too. She never once thought of destroying something so beautiful; more than anyone, she wished for their eternal happiness.

In her last life, she had hidden her feelings for a lifetime, and no one ever found out.

Besides her own efforts to hide it, it was also because her feelings weren’t purely ”like.”

’Her feelings for Yu Zhengqing were too complex. Rather than ”like,” it was more like...’

’She didn’t know how to describe it. Her feelings for him were just too, too complex. Adjectives like ”friend” or ”like” were no longer sufficient to describe them.’

’For him, she would give everything. She would even trade her life for his.’

’To her, he was a benefactor, family, a dear friend, and more than anything, her salvation.’

’The simple word ”like” couldn’t possibly describe it all. It felt one-dimensional, almost... tainting.’

Wu Sheng watched Su Li’s expression shift unpredictably as she dazedly nodded and then shook her head, finally letting out a deep sigh.

He couldn’t say he understood everything, but he had a pretty good idea of the situation.

”Looks like there’s a long story here...”

He looked at Su Li’s expression. ”But you’ll probably never tell me about it in your entire life, right?”

Su Li nodded reflexively, then, realizing what she’d done, shook her head vigorously.

”Wu Sheng, you...”

’Why does Wu Sheng know so much?’

”Alright, you don’t have to be so shocked, and don’t bother trying to hide it. Even if you don’t say a word, I know what’s going on.”

Wu Sheng shook his head and sighed. ”I’m not blind. I can see it all. You like him so much you’d even give your life for him.”

’Damn it all, damn the heavens. Fate really does have it out for me. It’s still messing with me even now.’

’The girl he adored had secretly hidden someone in her heart, and he had no idea when it happened.’

’It wasn’t Tang Yuanxiao, as he’d assumed, but someone he would never have imagined, someone he didn’t even know.’

’Just when he and Tang Yuanxiao were fighting tooth and nail, this person pops out of nowhere. Tsk, tsk...’