"I didn’t mean it that way. I just hope you won’t get blinded by all the hatred in front of you and fail to see anything else."

"Like what?"

"Well, for instance, when you said those heart-piercing words earlier, didn’t you notice his deeply hurt expression?"

"So what? He deserves it." She turned her face away. He had been coldly watching her tear-streaked face before, indifferent to her distress. She was just giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"Daughter, have you ever thought about why your revenge plan was successful? If he was a man who didn’t care about you at all, you wouldn’t have been able to hurt him in the slightest. No matter how malicious your words, they would be nothing more than trivial irritations to him. So how could he be heartbroken? You must understand that people who don’t care about you will never be hurt by you. Only those who do care are truly vulnerable."

Ye Lu chuckles in surprise, "Are you suggesting that he cares for me? Ha, how could that be possible? Is caring for me equivalent to tormenting me and intentionally causing me embarrassment and sadness?"

"Why do children always enjoy doing things that irritate adults? All they do is to attract attention from their parents. Isn’t it the same in trying their best to annoy and torment someone else? Isn’t it a proof of their weak existence and a hope to be noticed by the other party? No one would waste their time on someone they don’t care about. This includes him, you, and many, many others out there."

Yan Yu stood up.

"I’m tired, I’m going back to rest now. Regardless of how you feel about this man, I only hope that you won’t be lost in your own emotions. Do not just look at things from one perspective, but from different angles!" She warned. Unlike her, who only had regret left in the end.

After Yan Yu left, Ye Lu’s heart gradually calmed down.

Thinking about her mother’s words, remembering third Young Master Jun’s angry and pained face just now, and recalling his shocked and hurt expression when she told him the child wasn’t his, she felt her heart shudder and grew surprisingly still.

Could it be... Does he truly have feelings for her?

With this thought, she couldn’t help but remember the past - his bullying and coercion of her. But, she also recalled his multiple instances of defending her which she had always deliberately ignored.

At her wedding where she was abandoned by Shang Jingchen and surrounded by abusive women, he was her knight in shining armor. When her two children were laughed at and labeled as illegitimate children at the banquet, he stepped forward to claim they were his. When Shang Jingchen and his wife insulted her, he protected her.

There were also the small things - when her foot was injured, he carried her to work; when someone tried to throw sulfuric acid on her, he avenged her...

Ye Lu’s heart suddenly panicked and she shook her head quickly, trying to fling these thoughts out of her mind.

Now that they have come to a point of irreconcilable differences, thinking about the past is meaningless and will only add to the chaos in her heart.

...

"Dad, Dad, why are you so late today? Today, the doctor checked grandma’s health again and said that she is recovering very well. Hehe, all thanks to me! I won against that smelly old man, you don’t have to go abroad anymore."

Ye Yiyi was triumphantly grinning, her little face full of excitement and anticipation of praise.

"Yiyi..." Third Young Master Jun picked her up, holding her tight in his embrace.

If Ye Lu was the one continuously stabbing his heart and causing him unbearable pain.

Then this little girl provided a slight comfort and warmth to his suffering heart.

"How wonderful it would be if you were my biological daughter."

If she were his legitimate offspring, his bloodline, then no matter how many injuries he endured, this angel-like child would heal him. He would be willing to give up everything he has in exchange for this child.