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Morning.
Ming Yu got up, freshened up, and as soon as she pushed the door open, she saw Yin Hanyu standing outside.
Ming Yu was speechless. “You didn’t stay out here all night, did you? I’m not going to eat Youyou. Do you really need to watch over me like this?”
Yin Hanyu: “…”
“I have something to talk to you about,” Yin Hanyu said.
“What is it?”
“Why do you keep rejecting Yin Yixuan?” Yin Hanyu stared at Ming Yu, refusing to let her avoid the question. “Don’t tell me you don’t like him.”
“Can liking someone fill my stomach?” Ming Yu looked at Yin Hanyu. “Since when did you become a matchmaker?”
“I…”
“Yin Hanyu, is it because you’re fulfilled and happy that you think I can be too?”
“Why not?” Yin Hanyu countered.
Ming Yu sneered. “Why? Based on what? You and Youyou grew up together. You had a foundation of childhood affection. You’re also a well-matched couple in terms of family background, so no one would interfere in your relationship.”
“But what about me and Yin Yixuan? At first, I wanted to kill him, and he wanted to toy with me…”
“Two broken people messing around and mixing in a little bit of sincerity…”
“A relationship that was barely built on any real feelings to begin with—how could it possibly withstand any real test?”
“What test are you talking about?” Yin Hanyu asked.
“Family status, and…”
Ming Yu paused for a moment, then looked at the grand Xiao family estate. “You and Youyou didn’t face real opposition because Youyou’s background isn’t low. And besides, you didn’t grow up in the Yin family or receive any of their benefits, so Old Master Yin didn’t have much say over you.”
“But if Youyou didn’t have the backing of the Xiao family, your relationship wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
“And what about me and Yin Yixuan? I’m an orphan with no parents, and he’s the carefully groomed heir of the Yin family.”
“Yin Yixuan isn’t like you—he can’t just walk away so easily, because everything he has comes from the Yin family. Even his knowledge and skills are thanks to them.”
“So he won’t rebel against the Yin family. And honestly, I wouldn’t want him to rebel against his own family just for me.”
“If the Yin family opposed you and Youyou, you could simply cut ties with them.”
“But could Yin Yixuan do the same? If he did, he would be miserable…”
“Because he’s not like us. He grew up with loving parents, grandparents, uncles, and brothers—a cherished son of heaven.”
“And if he really did choose to leave them for me, could he truly stay committed for a lifetime? Could he guarantee he wouldn’t regret it?” Ming Yu looked at Yin Hanyu. “Isn’t your mother’s tragedy the result of her father regretting the social gap after marrying below his status?”
“Why should I believe Yin Yixuan wouldn’t regret it?”
“If he does regret it—if he turns out like your disgusting excuse of a father…” Ming Yu spoke softly, but her eyes were filled with cold fury. “I would kill him first.”
“That would be just like those short videos making fun of love—when you’re in love, you take off your clothes piece by piece; when the love is gone, you stab each other over and over again.”
“In the end, love destroys you beyond recognition…” Ming Yu shuddered just thinking about it. “It’s suffocating. Disgusting.”
Yin Hanyu frowned deeply. “Ming Yu, why are you so pessimistic?”
“And why shouldn’t I be?” Ming Yu shot back. “You know me better than anyone. Since we were kids, our training and missions taught us to prepare multiple plans—A, B, C, D.”
“No matter how well we planned, we always had to prepare for the worst—death.”
“But what I’m saying now…” Ming Yu let out a bitter laugh. “This isn’t even the worst-case scenario.”
“In fact, Yin Yixuan’s mother already approached me, but I was too tired to deal with her, so I dismissed her quickly. But…”
Ming Yu’s tone changed. “If I were to be with Yin Yixuan, I wouldn’t be able to just dismiss her anymore.”
“Instead, I would have to respect her, listen to her. Over time, she would mold me into a perfect wife and an ideal daughter-in-law for a wealthy family. Or worse, she would subtly criticize and belittle me every day.”
“Yin Yixuan wouldn’t let her treat you that way,” Yin Hanyu said with certainty.
“I can’t have children.”
“What?” Yin Hanyu was shocked. “Is it because of that injury?”
“See?” Ming Yu let out a self-deprecating laugh. “People are unpredictable. Life is full of uncertainties. The worst outcome is always just around the corner.”
“Between me and Yin Yixuan, there’s already a huge gap in our status. And now, I’ve lost the ability to be a mother.”
“But this is my fate, and I accept it.”
“However, to Yin Yixuan, to his mother, to the Yin family—I wouldn’t even be considered a proper woman, because I can’t continue the family line.”
“So not only can I not provide Yin Yixuan with any benefits, I would also bring him shame…”
“This isn’t you,” Yin Hanyu interrupted. “Ming Yu, you wouldn’t think like this.”
“That’s right! This isn’t me!” Ming Yu said. “I wouldn’t think like this, which is exactly why I won’t accept Yin Yixuan!”
But she couldn’t stop others from thinking that way, because these were objective facts.
“No matter how big the gap between me and Yin Yixuan is, I will never feel inferior, never waste my energy over it, and definitely never lose myself over a man.”
“So, I would end up fighting against his family.”
“Fighting?” Ming Yu scoffed and shook her head. “I’ve spent half my life fighting just to gain my own freedom.”
“Do I really want to go back to a life where I have to live by someone else’s rules, just for a man?”
“I don’t!” Ming Yu said firmly. “I will never live that kind of life again.”
“I can live perfectly well on my own. Why would I put myself through that suffering?”
“No matter how good Yin Yixuan is, I love myself more.”
“I, Ming Yu, don’t need to—and will never—change myself for a man.”
“Everything I just said was simply me playing out the possible scenarios if I were to be with Yin Yixuan.”
“And just imagining it already makes me feel annoyed and suffocated…”
“So, I refuse!”
Yin Hanyu was suddenly at a loss for words.
Ming Yu took a deep breath and looked at him. “You could do it because you love Lin Qingyou more than yourself.”
“But I can’t.”
“And I don’t think loving myself is wrong.”
“I was abandoned as a child, treated worse than a pig or a dog.”
“The only person who ever took me in just used me.”
“No one has ever truly loved me, so I don’t know how to love someone else.”
“No one loves me—so I’ll love myself.”
“I can live freely and happily on my own. Why would I let Yin Yixuan drag me into those A, B, C, D scenarios?”