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iocy.The trend seemed to be going lower, making Ye Feimo so frustrated that he nearly smashed a plate in anger.Why was it that Fang Dashao was like a fish in water at the Wens', enjoying their company...355

Tang Shuwen stood alone on the balcony, smoking in silence. The night in Paris was dazzling; there was a long river in the distance, with rows of castles across it, brightly lit like pearls embedded along both banks.

The night was also tranquil, and standing across to admire the scenery gave a unique charm.

Rings of smoke rose from between his fingers. He had already smoked three cigars, and he felt his spirits plummeting to their lowest point. Tang Shuwen did not have a heavy smoking habit; he would only light up one or two during periods of intense work pressure, and occasionally a few when going out with Ye Ershao and the others for fun. Such instances were rare, but today was different. He felt an indescribable irritability.

For the first time, he understood what it meant to bring trouble upon oneself.

He thought that these two relationships had been handled reasonably well until Zhao Yuning's unexpected pregnancy threw everything off balance. Her insistence on having the child would undoubtedly be a source of turmoil for both families and no one would truly find happiness.

His parents wouldn't, nor would Xue Ruo or he himself; neither would Zhao’s family or the child.

How could he handle this so that Xue Ruo would be happy

Tang Shuwen clearly felt Chen Xueruo's rejection and resistance. As a mother, she was torn between her love for the child, had a kind heart and was forgiving; she did not wish to hurt Zhao Yuning or the baby and blamed everything on herself. Tang Shuwen was deeply pained by this and also worried.

Going down this path, she would likely become fixated and might decide to break up with him if she couldn’t see a way out.

To add to her stress, Xiao Nian was currently in癡傻狀態 (a state of foolishness or being lost), showing no reaction, which added immense pressure on Xue Ruo. Tang Shuwen was genuinely afraid that he would lose both mother and child. At one point, he wished that Xueruo could be more selfish to quickly deal with the situation before it threatened their happiness and Xiao Nian’s interests, but she had never thought of doing so.

If she did, perhaps she wouldn't be the Chen Xueruo he loved anymore.

He admired her for being kind and tolerant.

Sometimes, though, he wished she could fight for her own happiness.

Might it be that Chen Xueruo didn’t love him, and thus felt there was nothing to fight for This was what truly troubled Tang Shuwen; it felt as if she could casually discard him at any moment, just like how she had given Zhao Yuning back to him.

This made him feel very uncomfortable.

It's unrealistic for her to fall in love with him so quickly, but at the very least, shouldn't she have some good feelings towards him

They can't just be nothing, with him only being Xiao Nian's father.

Tang Shuwén heaved a heavy sigh; his heart was weighed down heavily.

Xuérú didn’t say anything about what she thought in her mind. He could only guess everything by himself. A woman’s heart is as unpredictable as the sea, who knows how it will change from one moment to the next

The evening breeze blew lightly and felt cool, but not nearly as cold as his heart. Smoking no longer helped him forget his troubles. Tang Shuwén squinted his eyes, pinched out the cigarette butt, and threw it downstairs. Just as he was about to turn around and go back into the room, he suddenly sensed footsteps approaching from behind. A delicate female figure pressed up against his back, her pale hands embracing his chest, with a warm fragrance wafting over him from behind. His entire body seemed to be enveloped by this scent.

Tang Shuwén stood still but couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart. This joy slowly spread throughout his heart, causing his heartbeats to sound like thunder. He lowered his head and looked at her hands, unable to help wondering if she didn't plan on leaving him

Chen Xuérú rested her head against his shoulder; he had a faint scent of tobacco smoke about him. She had been following after him for some time now, seldom seeing him smoke so much tonight.

He felt quite agitated in his heart because of this.

"Shuwén, don't be angry okay" Chen Xuérú said softly, "I really miss Xiao Nian. He's sick, and we've been out for a long time now; it's time to go back home. We can talk about the future after that."

Although Tang Shuwén’s heart was filled with joy, his voice sounded cold, “Do you care if I’m angry”

He didn’t want Chen Xuérú to know that he wasn’t angry at her; it was just that he was angry with himself for not handling this situation well enough and causing her to be in such an awkward predicament.

But if she thought he was angry, then let her think so. It didn't matter.

"I… care." Chen Xuérú said. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t have come looking for him. And seeing him standing alone on the balcony smoking and feeling lonely, she wouldn’t be pained inside.

She hadn't spent time with a man in such a long while; it felt strange to her again. Or rather, because of the pain from the past, even after all these years struggling to raise Xiao Nian on her own, she had learned that everything depends on oneself. Even if she married him, due to the trauma she suffered before, she couldn’t bring herself to give her whole heart.

This man was marrying her for their child’s sake; she also feared becoming too entangled with him, only to be left battered and bruised in the end.

Especially after Zhao Yuning got pregnant, it gave her a sense of crisis. She closed off her heart even more tightly, believing that this was the only way she could protect herself. She also feared Tang Shuwén changing his mind, choosing Zhao Yuning and her child over her and Xiao Nian.

He didn't know how to handle their relationship for the moment; everything had to rely on his instincts.

She didn't want Tang Shuwen to be unhappy.

The gentle words of care dispelled all the gloom in Tang Shuwen's heart, along with his irritability. His mood brightened considerably; he almost held her hand and hugged her tightly.

But he restrained himself.

"Xue Ru, do you truly care" Tang Shuwen spoke softly, laced with a hint of sorrow and faint pain. Chen Xueru's heart ached—had she really hurt him

Did he think that she didn't care about him

Fearfully, Chen Xueru tightened her embrace around him, saying in a deep tone, "Shuwen, if I didn’t care, would I have followed you out Please don’t be angry. Yes, perhaps I was overreacting, but that’s because I’m afraid. I’ve been alone for too long with Xiao Nian, and finally having a home means so much to me; I love your parents and Man Dong, they give me the feeling of belonging, and I fear losing it if you waver. I just don’t want to lose this.

Tang Shuwen frowned, giving a mocking smile, "So you only value me for what I can provide If someone else could offer you a home, would you be indifferent then As long as he gives you a sense of belonging, no matter who it is, you’d follow him unwaveringly—is that your meaning"

"No!" Chen Xueru quickly denied his words. How could he think like this

She wanted to explain hurriedly but found herself at a loss for words. Tang Shuwen was the one growing anxious, turning around with a stern expression on his handsome face; it felt as though there was something dark and devouring about him, which made Chen Xueru feel afraid.

"Xue Ru, you just said you like my parents and Man Dong. What about me Where do I stand to you" Tang Shuwen asked in a deep voice, unable to resist grabbing her shoulders; he feared that she disliked him and held grudges over past incidents, especially with Zhao Yuning's pregnancy potentially worsening her impression of him.

Chen Xueru was taken aback, lowering her head without knowing what to say. Did she like him

A flush rose on her face; it was an undeniable truth.

How could she not like him

If she didn’t like him, this honeymoon wouldn't have brought her such joy.

"I see," Tang Shuwen slowly released his grip, eyes dimming as he mockingly curved his lips. "So you don’t like me..."

"No!" Chen Xueru quickly grabbed his hand; Tang Shuwen looked at her, and she blushed red. As an actress, she had said 'I love you' countless times on screen.

Saying that one likes someone is not hard, but at this moment, it feels difficult to express and causes his heart to race.

It turns out acting and life are different. People often say that drama reflects life and vice versa, yet there are times when certain words can be freely expressed in a play but feel too delicate to speak directly to him.

"Tang Shuwen, don't make this difficult for me," Chen Xueru said softly, her pretty face filled with helplessness. She's not stupid and understands that he is intentionally challenging her emotions, asking for something she cannot give fairly.

And what about him

Doesn’t he like her too

Tang Shuwen suddenly hugged her tightly, as if she were a fragile piece of glass. The faintly warm scent of her bath perfume made him feel comfortable and peaceful.

A kind of peace that is indescribable.

"I won't make things hard for you, but neither should you for me, Xueru. Promise me, no matter what happens, if there's anything on your mind, talk to me. Don’t make private decisions and don't try to guess my thoughts; do you understand Always listen to how I feel about things, can you do that" Tang Shuwen asked seriously. He didn't demand that she fall in love with him immediately but he believed trust was essential.

"I did what you asked me to, regarding the child’s matter, this happened before we got married and I wasn’t aware of it, so you can’t blame me for that," Tang Shuwen continued.

Chen Xueru smiled gently, "I didn't blame you, truly."

"Then don't blame yourself either; we both did nothing wrong."

Chen Xueru gave a bitter smile. If neither of them was at fault, then who is Is it the heavens' doing or is fate too cruel to blame

"Promise me, will you" This was already his second time asking Chen Xueru for trust.

"I will," replied Chen Xueru. Her pretty face lit up with a smile, her eyebrows and eyes full of light as if veiled by a thin mist, softly glowing with tender emotions.

Tang Shuwen's heart stirred, leaning down to kiss her lips.

Chen Xueru held onto his shoulders, responding to his kiss, the two embracing passionately on the balcony without regard for anyone else around them.noyed when her figure was attacked. She immediately stood up, puffed out her chest, and pulled in her waist: "We’re almost the same height. You just have slightly fuller breasts than me. I can fit at...