[Author, shouldn't you compensate me for emotional damages?]
The rest of the plot could be summarized simply. Zhou Yinghuai and Chen Bai got together, broke up, and entangled themselves in a string of misunderstandings. One hurt the other, then suffered in turn. After a long succession of melodramatic scenes and a considerable amount of anguished romance, Zhou Yinghuai finally had an epiphany: deep down, he'd loved Chen Bai all along.
Thus began his desperate campaign to win his wife back. Wracked with regret, Zhou Yinghuai felt he owed Chen Bai more than he could ever repay. He insisted on drawing a clear line between himself and Ye Man and mercilessly took revenge on everyone who had looked down on or bullied Chen Bai.
At the end of his redemption arc, the story went like this: [Zhou Yinghuai stopped the bus carrying Chen Bai away. Kneeling in the middle of the road, he apologized, his eyes red. "Do you really not want me anymore?"
Chen Bai's nose stung. He hurriedly turned his face away. "I don't."
"I don't believe you. Look me in the eyes and say it. Say, 'Chen Bai doesn't want Chen Xiaoxi anymore.'"
"I…"
As they argued, an out-of-control car approached from the distance.
It hurtled toward them at terrifying speed. Zhou Yinghuai sprang to his feet and forcefully shoved Chen Bai out of its path.
Bang—
The enormous crash mingled with Chen Bai's anguished scream. "XIAOXI!"
Zhou Yinghuai lay in a pool of blood. Blood soaked through his clothes. His eyes moved weakly toward Chen Bai, and his lips formed words of reassurance. "Don't be scared. You're not hurt… Th-that's good."
Chen Bai's heart twisted painfully. He knelt and cradled Zhou Yinghuai's head. "I never resented you. Don't close your eyes. Hold on. Look at me… Don't leave me again."
"If you get better, I'll agree to anything you want."
Zhou Yinghuai raised a bloodstained hand to stroke Chen Bai's cheek and whispered on a breath, "Will you… m-marry me?"
"Yes."]
By the time he finished reading, Chi Qi was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, as if he'd swallowed a fly.
[Oh my god! You two lunatics were acting out a passionate romance scene in the middle of the road? Of course you got hit! Seriously, what is wrong with you? Have some basic awareness of road safety!]
[AAAAH! I AM SPEECHLESS! SPEECHLESS IS MY MOTHER TONGUE!]
"…" Mr. Chi covered his ears and retreated.
*Stop screaming! You're going to deafen your father!*
Chi Qi suddenly understood why Ye Man had been singled out for punishment. In a world full of madmen, wasn't the one normal person bound to be treated like an outsider?
He skipped straight to the ending and skimmed it rapidly.
It followed the same familiar formula: Zhou Yinghuai hired paparazzi to expose a scandal, framed Ye Man, and publicly disgraced him online. His reputation was destroyed, forcing him out of the entertainment industry.
[Beautifully written. My advice is to leave literature immediately. Put down your pen and never write again.]
Ye Man whimpered painfully, looking at Zhou Yinghuai with pleading, tear-filled eyes. He kept calling him A-Huai, hoping to awaken his memories.
But Zhou Yinghuai remained unmoved. He shook off Ye Man's hand and walked away with Chen Bai without a backward glance.
Just then, an angry roar rang out.
"Zhou Yinghuai, go to hell!"
[Wasn't this supposed to be a cheesy, fluffy romance? Why is there attempted murder? Aaaah! Please make sure you've got the right man! Don't stab me by accident!]
A man burst through the crowd, a fruit knife gripped in his hand. He charged toward Zhou Yinghuai, his bloodshot eyes shining with a sickening hatred.
"It's all your fault!"
The venom in his tone was unmistakable. Every word dripped with malice, enough to make anyone shudder.
"Do you have any idea how long Manman waited for you?"
"It's because of you that Manman is so unhappy! He's never looked at me the way he looks at you. You deserve to die!"
[An obsessive stalker fan! So sick! So horrifying! So, so, SO terrifying!]
[He staked out Ye Man's neighborhood, sent harassing texts, and secretly followed him around. He brought the knife because he planned to kill himself in front of Ye Man, leaving an unforgettable impression so Ye Man would remember him forever. But he happened upon Ye Man being bullied, lost his mind on the spot, and decided to murder Zhou Yinghuai instead…]
[Officer! There's a pervert here! Come arrest him!]
Mrs. Chi listened with great interest, her mind full of reflections. Art truly did imitate life. This was far more exciting than the novels she read.
Some people were gleefully running wild through the fields of gossip, while others were so frightened they wanted to flee for their lives.
Zhou Yinghuai's expression changed dramatically, but he didn't have time to dodge.
Everything happened so fast that no one could have anticipated it. At the critical moment, Ye Man rushed over and placed himself in front of Zhou Yinghuai.
The attacker's pupils contracted. He tried to pull the fruit knife back.
But he was moving too quickly. Despite his desperate attempt to change its course, the knife grazed Ye Man's arm, and blood instantly gushed out.
The man froze, his face pale with terror. "Manman, I… I didn't mean to."
He bent down cautiously, wanting to inspect Ye Man's wound.
Just in time, Zhou Yingnan arrived and punched him to the ground.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, shocked by the sight of blood, hurried forward. "Manman! Manman, are you all right?"
"Oh heavens! Who hurt my Manman?"
[It's him! It's him! It's that deranged stalker fan!]
Held in Zhou Yingnan's arms, Ye Man couldn't stop tears from slipping down his cheeks. He couldn't suppress the bitterness filling his heart. "A-Huai… A-Huai doesn't recognize me anymore," he choked out.
Even now, after being injured himself, Ye Man was still thinking about Zhou Yinghuai. Looking at him, Zhou Yingnan felt a sudden ache in his chest.
That tiny change in expression couldn't escape Chi Qi's eagle eyes.
[Ah, the second male lead always loves the deepest, yet he's destined never to get the one he loves. Sigh…]
Mrs. Chi nodded repeatedly. Exactly! In all the novels she read, the second male lead had a good family background, good looks, and extraordinary devotion. Every one of them left her full of regret.
Mr. Zhou sternly ordered the bodyguards to restrain the attacker, then said gently, "Yingnan, take Manman to get the bleeding stopped first."
Everyone's attention was on Ye Man. Even Zhou Yinghuai's expression had changed. He gazed at Ye Man in a daze, his eyes momentarily touched.
Chen Bai watched everything coldly, clenching his sleeve. Then he suddenly cried out, "My stomach… my stomach hurts a little."
Zhou Yinghuai instantly looked away from Ye Man. "Where does it hurt? Were you frightened?"
"It doesn't seem to hurt anymore. Maybe the baby's throwing a little tantrum."
Still worried, Zhou Yinghuai said, "Let's get you checked again. We can't be careless about your pregnancy. Your health is the most important thing."
[Were Chen Bai's ancestors chefs or something? He's so good at shifting the blame! Poor baby hasn't even developed shoulders yet, and it's already carrying the blame for its dad.]
There was no denying it: Chi Qi's criticism was vivid and struck directly at the heart of the matter.
Mr. and Mrs. Chi exchanged a look and turned away to keep from laughing aloud.
[Huh? There's more… plot? What, does Chen Bai have some kind of psychic telepathy?]
*What? Tell us more!*
[The author explained the supernatural nonsense with one sentence about the bond between mother and child? That's absurd! If that really worked, why doesn't my mom know whenever I'm angry?]
[Oh, even if she did know, she'd pretend she didn't, then deliberately stir things up, add fuel to the fire, fan the flames, and finally take advantage of the chaos.]
Mr. Chi secretly glanced at Mrs. Chi's face, which was black as the bottom of a pot, and laughed gleefully. He'd been hoping someone else would draw some of her fire.
*Little Seven, you're on your own!*
Mrs. Chi spotted him and reached for his arm. Pinching a bit of flesh, she applied pressure with quiet determination.
"…"
Mr. Chi couldn't understand. "Why are you pinching me?"
It wasn't as though *he'd* been the one speaking badly of her behind her back.
Mrs. Chi said coldly, "When a child isn't properly raised, it's the father's fault."
"Then when I upset you, can Little Seven take the punishment in his father's place?"
Mrs. Chi smiled brilliantly and said, enunciating every word, "Of course… not."
_
Inside the hospital room, Zhou Yinghuai held Chen Bai close, their fingers entwined.
"Xiaoxi, you promised you'd stay with me forever. You're not going to leave me, are you?"
"I'll never leave you."
Outside, Mrs. Zhou gazed at Ye Man, whose wound had just been bandaged. Her eyes brimmed with concern. She hesitated. "Manman, A-Huai, he…"
Ye Man closed his eyes, unable to bear the loving scene before him. "Auntie Zhou, hurry inside and see how A-Huai is doing."
"Manman, consider it a debt A-Huai owes you. The Zhou family will compensate you many times over."
Her love for her son ultimately prevailed. Mrs. Zhou didn't refuse. She signaled Zhou Yingnan with her eyes to follow her inside.
Zhou Yingnan agreed, his gaze dimming.
The two walked away quietly.
"Manman, don't be sad."
Ye Man's lips curved into a bitter smile. "A-Huai has amnesia. He's forgotten everything that happened before."
"Do you know how happy I was when I saw A-Huai again? Every day and night of these last two years, I've prayed over and over that he was safe."
"A-Huai has finally come back. It's just that… he's no longer *my* A-Huai."
The last words were spoken so quietly, yet they seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, striking Zhou Yingnan straight in the heart.
"Manman, you can't spend your whole life living in old memories. Don't trap yourself in the past, all right?"
"Then tell me what I'm supposed to do. What am I supposed to do?" Ye Man wept uncontrollably. He crouched on the ground, hugging his knees helplessly. "A-Huai promised he'd always be by my side. But now… he's making those promises to someone else."
"How can you expect me not to feel sad? I can't do it. I really can't."
Zhou Yingnan raised a hand to comfort him, but his position held him back. He could only speak stiffly. "Manman, don't wait for him anymore. You deserve the very best."
*Turn around and look at me. Anything Zhou Yinghuai could give you, I could give you more.*
Ye Man rubbed his eyes and exhaled. "I want to be alone for a while."
In the end, Zhou Yingnan still didn't dare move closer. His suspended hand fell back to his side.
He lowered his eyes to hide his disappointment. In the blink of an eye, he had recovered his usual calm and elegant composure. "All right. Come back soon."
It was as if the flash of disappointment had been an illusion, but Ye Man knew it wasn't.
Once the surroundings had grown quiet, Ye Man looked around to make certain no one was nearby. He dialed a number, his voice perfectly steady. "Are we trending yet?"
"Don't worry. Engagement is steadily increasing for all the relevant topics."
