Chapter Forty-Seven

Yuxing Yue's view of Sun Yao changed a great deal. Throughout everything, he had been steadfastly defending them for Yang Shuting's sake. After this ordeal, Yuxing Yue was completely convinced that Sun Yao was genuinely devoted to Yang Shuting and would never allow her to suffer any wrong.

Following Sun Yao’s advice, Yuxing Yue prepared to call the police. Originally, she hadn’t planned to involve them, not wanting to escalate matters. But Sun Yao clearly understood the law, and Yuxing Yue found herself heeding his words, without quite knowing why she trusted him so easily.

Yu Chun quickly interjected, "Don’t call the police! I’ll leave, isn’t that enough?" The oppressive aura Sun Yao exuded was too much for him, so he could only retreat for now, already scheming how he might approach the two of them next time. It was only when Yu Chun had truly gone that Yang Shuting finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sun Yao turned back and asked with concern, "Are you both alright? That man didn't look like a good person."

"Uncle Sun, actually, he is..." Yuxing Yue trailed off, unwilling to call Yu Chun father, or even mention his name.

Sun Yao began to piece it together. The moment Yu Chun had addressed Yang Shuting as "wife," he had suspected this man was her ex-husband. Now, seeing Yuxing Yue’s reluctance, he was almost certain.

"It seems I was right," Sun Yao said, patting Yuxing Yue on the shoulder. "Listen, if that man comes to trouble you and your mother again, let me know in advance. I will help you immediately."

"Thank you, Uncle Sun."

"Alright, it’s over now. You two should go inside—if he comes back, it won’t be good," Sun Yao urged.

"Won’t you come in and sit for a while, Uncle Sun?" Yuxing Yue asked.

"No need. Sun Ying saw me rush out and is probably waiting anxiously at home. She’s afraid to be alone, so I’d better hurry back," Sun Yao explained.

"Goodbye, Uncle Sun," Yuxing Yue said, seeing him off. Only when he heard the car start up did Sun Yao finally leave.

Back at home, Yang Shuting let out a long breath and collapsed onto the sofa. Yuxing Yue went to the kitchen to pour her some water. Yang Shuting sighed, "I didn’t expect him to come after all."

"Mom, do we need to move again?" Yuxing Yue asked worriedly. They had moved several times before, all to avoid Yu Chun. Nothing good ever came of his appearances, whether before or after the divorce. His presence represented not just danger, but the destruction of their hard-earned peace.

His sudden plea for reconciliation put both mother and son on guard; such requests for forgiveness and reunion never led anywhere good. Yuxing Yue suspected that now that their lives had improved, Yu Chun was looking for another opportunity to extort them. Yang Shuting knew better than anyone what kind of man Yu Chun was. Neither of them would ever trust him again, not after how much he had hurt them in their youth.

Yang Shuting said, "We’re not moving. Now that we have your Uncle Sun, what is there to fear? If we keep running, he’ll think we’re cowards and just keep pressing his luck. It seems it’s time for us to take action, or else he’ll never stop harassing us."

"Then, Mom, do you have any good ideas?" Yuxing Yue handed her the glass of water.

Taking it, Yang Shuting replied, "Right now I’m too tired to think of a plan, but I’ll come up with something later."

You can evade trouble for a while, but not forever. To prevent incidents like today’s from happening again, Yuxing Yue retreated to his room to ponder. Yang Shuting, exhausted, fell asleep without even washing up.

The light in Yuxing Yue’s room stayed on. He couldn’t sleep, his mind still spinning. He didn’t want to rely on anyone else. He just wanted to solve it himself. He pulled out his laptop and began searching the internet for information about harassment after divorce—whether such actions were illegal.

From what he could find, the man hadn’t technically committed a crime yet, but what caught Yuxing Yue’s attention was that if an ex-husband continued to restrict his ex-wife’s personal life and financial freedom after divorce, that was already a violation of the law. There was a glimmer of hope, slim as it was, but it was worth a try.

With that thought, Yuxing Yue turned off the lights and lay in bed, gazing at the stars outside his window. Soon, a shooting star streaked across the sky, and he made a silent wish: that his mother could be happy forever.

Morning came quickly. Yuxing Yue got up, intending to wake Yang Shuting, only to find that she was already up and gone. On the living room table, she had left a note: “Just received notice—I’ll be living at the company for the next week. Don’t worry about me; with your Uncle Sun around, I won’t be so afraid. –Yang Shuting.”

She would be at the company all week, leaving Yuxing Yue alone at home. He was free, but watching over an empty house brought a sense of loneliness.

Just then, he received a message from Yang Shuting, saying that Sun Yao would also be staying at the company for a week. Sun Yao worked at the same company as Yang Shuting, and since he had no one to look after Sun Ying, he thought of Yuxing Yue. He requested Yang Shuting to ask if Yuxing Yue could help take care of Sun Ying. After yesterday’s events, Yuxing Yue felt a certain fondness for Sun Yao. Out of gratitude, he agreed to watch over Sun Ying for a week.

Yang Shuting quickly replied, saying Sun Yao would bring Sun Ying over in the evening. For safety, Sun Yao suggested that Yuxing Yue stay at their place for the week, just in case Yu Chun tried to bother them again. Yuxing Yue thought to himself, "That’s actually good. If I stay at Uncle Sun’s, I won’t be disturbed at all this week."

After learning this, Yang Shuting relayed the message to Sun Yao, who was relieved—he’d expected Yuxing Yue to refuse, but he agreed so readily. Sun Yao no longer saw him as cold and distant, but rather as easygoing.

Yuxing Yue wanted to go out for a walk to clear his mind after last night’s ordeal, still worried Yu Chun might show up again—no one knew when he’d strike. He thought of visiting Zhang Yi to see how his recovery was progressing and check on his recent situation.

Dressed the same as yesterday, Yuxing Yue set out, this time without incident. He didn’t run into Wu Siying. The memory of her made his face flush; last time, she’d kissed him without his consent, just to make her suitor give up. He hadn’t seen her since messaging her yesterday.

Recalling this, Yuxing Yue’s cheeks reddened. If he could do it over, he would never have meddled and let that suitor win Wu Siying’s heart. If he were that suitor, he’d want to knock Wu Siying to the ground for rejecting him.

After about ten minutes, Yuxing Yue arrived at Zhang Yi’s door. Zhang Yi opened it—his parents were out. Seeing Yuxing Yue, Zhang Yi greeted him like an old friend, embracing him warmly.

"Bro, is your arm healed enough for you to be hugging me?" Yuxing Yue expressed concern for Zhang Yi’s still-recovering right arm.

"It’s fine, Xing Yue. I feel like my right arm is recovering faster every day," Zhang Yi replied with a laugh.

"Kids shouldn’t lie. If you do, your teeth will fall out," Yuxing Yue quipped, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh, come off it. Who’s the kid here? If we’re joking around, you’re more of a kid than me," Zhang Yi retorted.

All in all, seeing Yuxing Yue again, Zhang Yi found that he had changed a great deal. Yuxing Yue himself was aware his appearance was shifting—his once-ordinary features gradually becoming striking. He was used to his old face, but now, it was difficult not to attract attention.

"Xing Yue, you’re something else. Haven’t seen you in ages and you’re so much more handsome," Zhang Yi teased.

"Thanks for the compliment. You were right before—I shouldn’t have been so insecure about my looks. The more confidence I have, the more energy I feel. I guess that’s the reward of success," Yuxing Yue replied.

"How’s everyone else? They’re not talking to me," Zhang Yi said with a hint of bitterness.

"I can’t reach them either. Maybe they’re just lazing around, not wanting to check their phones or computers."

"Recently, Yu Li told me that Senior Xiao Jian is going into seclusion to try and break his habit of groping men," Zhang Yi added.

Yuxing Yue shook his head. "Trust me—Xiao Jian will never succeed at that."

"How can you be so sure, Xing Yue?" Zhang Yi asked.

"I know him better than anyone. He’s had that habit for nine years. He hasn’t shown it lately, but I thought he’d changed—turns out it’s back," Yuxing Yue explained.

"But how do you know he’ll fail?" Zhang Yi pressed.

Yuxing Yue’s demeanor grew serious. "Xiao Jian doesn’t have patience for anything, except games or if I ask for help. Otherwise, he can’t stick to anything. Trust me, after a month, he’ll be climbing the walls."

"It can’t be that bad, can it?"

"Think about it," Yuxing Yue said. "If you locked yourself in your room for a month with nothing but bathroom breaks, no phone, no games—could you take it?"

"If it were me, I’d want to get out. I couldn’t stand doing nothing," Zhang Yi agreed after hearing Yuxing Yue’s analysis. "No one could handle that, really."