R70 Chapter 8

He Misses Her, But Cannot Ruin Her Reputation

The color drained from Xie Yun’s face.

In that instant, he truly believed that Wu Yunzhu knew about his conspiracy with Cheng Yaoyao.

She even knew clearly the identity of the child in his arms.

Just then, the child in his arms began to cry.

Xie Yun’s face grew even paler. He forced out a strained smile, trying to hide his inner panic.

He looked down at the crying child in his arms, his voice trembling slightly, “Yunzhu, this child… you know, we decided together to adopt him back then.”

“Now we really don’t have enough money for formula. Could you lend me some first? After all… this child will call you ‘Mom’ in the future. You wouldn’t want people talking behind your back about how poorly you treat him, would you?”

His tone carried a hint of pleading, but his eyes flickered uncertainly, clearly testing Wu Yunzhu’s reaction.

Wu Yunzhu looked at him coldly, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

She crossed her arms, her tone indifferent. “Xie Yun, that’s quite an interesting thing to say. When we adopted the child, I never signed anything, and it was agreed that I wouldn’t contribute a single cent.”

She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife. “Besides, didn’t Cheng Yaoyao come to your house these past two days carrying bags large and small? What’s the matter—didn’t she bring you money for formula? Or is it… you think I’m easier to fool, so you came to put on another act for me?”

Xie Yun was rendered speechless by her words, his expression instantly freezing.

He hadn’t expected Wu Yunzhu to expose his lies so directly, or that she would know everything about Cheng Yaoyao.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found his words seemed so pale and powerless.

After speaking, Wu Yunzhu turned to leave, throwing out one last line before going. “If you really need money, why don’t you ask Cheng Yaoyao for it? Isn’t she quite generous? As for me, don’t bother me again.”

Xie Yun stood there frozen. The child’s crying in his arms grew louder and louder, but he seemed unable to hear it, his mind in complete chaos.

“This child’s crying is annoying to death—get out of here already!”

Wu Jianguo stood up, his face dark as he glared at Xie Yun.

This bastard actually dared to come asking his daughter for money for his illegitimate child right in front of him!

If he weren’t so old now, he would definitely beat Xie Yun senseless!

Xie Yun left dejectedly with the child in his arms, and on the road he ran into Yuan Ye carrying a lunch box.

Yuan Ye had just finished work. All afternoon, Wu Yunzhu had been on his mind, and he was thinking about what excuse he could use to see her when his eyes suddenly landed on the lunch box he had cleaned after lunch.

With barely any hesitation, he took the lunch box and headed toward Wu Yunzhu’s home.

He didn’t expect to run into Xie Yun holding a child halfway there.

Xie Yun looked gloomy, his face full of defeat, with the child in his arms crying loudly.

“Your son is about to starve to death, and you still have time to stand here staring at me?”

Yuan Ye sneered coldly and walked past him carrying the lunch box.

Xie Yun stood frozen in place, startled.

What did he mean by “his son”…

Why did it seem that overnight, both Wu Yunzhu and Yuan Ye knew something, speaking in ways that were unclear yet made him suspicious?

Xie Yun’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, as if two little people were fighting inside.

One was trying to recall if he had slipped up during any previous meetings with Cheng Yaoyao.

The other was denying that Yuan Ye and Wu Yunzhu knew about this, since his plan with Cheng Yaoyao was simply flawless!

Xie Yun returned home with the child and prepared formula according to Cheng Yaoyao’s instructions, then changed the diaper.

Full and satisfied, with a dry bottom, the baby in the swaddling clothes finally fell asleep peacefully.

Xie Yun wasn’t so lucky. By the time the child fell asleep, he was starving, his stomach growling.

In the past when Wu Yunzhu was home, by this time he would have already eaten his fill and gone out to play cards.

Not like now—busy until this moment without even a bite of hot food.

Xie Yun stood in the kitchen, rummaging through cabinets and drawers, only finding a few shriveled handfuls of noodles and half a bag of yellowing rice.

The stove top was covered with a layer of dust, clearly unused for a long time.

He frowned, feeling irritated.

When Wu Yunzhu was around, the kitchen was always spotlessly clean, the food always hot and fresh. He never had to worry about these trivial matters.

But now, he had no choice but to do it himself.

He gritted his teeth, cursed under his breath, and steeled himself to start the fire.

The firewood under the stove was damp and wouldn’t light after several attempts, choking him with smoke until he coughed.

After finally getting the fire lit, he clumsily poured water into the pot—too much water. The pot bubbled away while the noodles floated limply on top like a pile of mush.

Xie Yun looked at the shapeless mass of noodles in the pot, feeling frustrated.

He tried adding a little salt, then randomly sprinkled in some soy sauce, but accidentally poured too much. The whole pot of noodles instantly turned dark and murky, giving off a strange smell.

Frowning, he picked up a strand of noodles with his chopsticks, hesitated, then put it in his mouth.

The moment it touched his tongue, he almost spat it out—it was salty to the point of bitterness and had a burnt taste.

He forced himself to swallow it, but his stomach churned in protest.

“What is this garbage…”

Xie Yun muttered under his breath but still forced himself to keep eating.

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused.

He remembered the meals Wu Yunzhu used to make—fragrant and perfectly seasoned.

Back then, he had taken it all for granted, never imagining he would one day end up in such a state.

He looked down at the dark, murky mess in his bowl, complex emotions welling up inside him.

His stomach protested audibly. Xie Yun closed his eyes, pinched his nose, and finished the remaining half bowl of noodles.

He threw the bowl and chopsticks into the pot and climbed onto the kang to sleep, thinking about how to coax Wu Yunzhu back tomorrow to cook for him.

After mocking Xie Yun thoroughly, Yuan Ye quickened his pace with the lunch box in hand.

But when he reached Wu Yunzhu’s doorstep, he suddenly hesitated.

Would coming here so rashly cause trouble for Yunzhu?

Captain Wu was an extremely principled man. If he knew that Yuan Ye harbored those kinds of feelings for his already-married daughter…

And then there was Aunt Sun—the typical example of someone who hides a knife behind a smile.

Yuan Ye stood there deliberating. After thinking it over, he decided to go back. He could return the lunch box to Yunzhu tomorrow just the same.

He missed her, but he couldn’t ruin her reputation.

With this thought, Yuan Ye’s mood improved considerably, and a trace of a smile appeared on his stern face.

Just as he was about to turn around, the door in front of him suddenly creaked open.

Sun Hongying was carrying a basin of dirty water. Not expecting anyone outside, her arms threw it out by inertia. When she saw Yuan Ye, her expression clearly stiffened.

Unfortunately, the water that had been thrown out could no longer be taken back.

A full basin of dirty water splashed all over Yuan Ye.