Chapter 181: The Tolerant Virtuous Wife in a Harem Novel…4

Xie Hui had said they would stay for a week, but in reality, Xie Shu couldn’t take it anymore by the third day. Watching Zhou Yang’s sister and mother argue every day left her feeling both awkward and at a complete loss.

Before they left, Xie Hui handed Zhou Yang’s sister a contact number.

“I’ve more or less understood your daughter’s condition. Do you still have any money left? Once you get to the city, call this number. Someone will take you to apply for assistance. When the time comes, your daughter’s surgery and treatment will be fully covered.”

What Xie Hui told her about was a charity project he had set up back when he created the Virtual Idol. It was specifically aimed at helping children with serious illnesses whose families couldn’t afford surgery.

“Thank you. I still have a little money left.”

When Zhou Yang’s sister took the business card, her hands were trembling, like someone drowning who had suddenly grabbed hold of a lifeline.

She had already planned to use her last bit of money to confront Zhou Yang at his school. Worst case, she’d die with him.

After their shop closed, the family lost their only source of income and had no way to pay for the expensive surgery. She hadn’t been able to sleep at night, watching her daughter frown in pain even in her sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts of joining her husband and his family in the afterlife.

On the way back, Xie Hui had Xie Shu take the bus. Watching her get so carsick she could barely stand, he didn’t offer a hand to help.

The client had always treated her like a princess, pampering her in every way. Yet Xie Shu was willing to lower herself into the dust for Zhou Yang.

To put it bluntly, she was relying on the fact that her father’s love for her would never change.

“Are you still planning to give Zhou Yang money?”

Back home, just as Xie Shu was about to go rest, she froze at her father’s question, frowning in hesitation.

“Dad, I don’t want to give money to Zhou Yang, but I do want to help his sister. Yinyin is really adorable. She’s only four.”

“I’ve already arranged for her mother to come here. You don’t need to worry about Yinyin.”

Xie Hui took a sip of tea handed to him by the steward. The client’s body was getting older, and this trip had really worn him out.

Xie Shu wasn’t used to being treated so coldly by her father. Her physical discomfort only made her feel even more wronged in that moment.

“Dad, have I really disappointed you that much?”

Xie Hui looked up and met her teary eyes. He nodded lightly and said firmly, “Yes.”

Watching her turn and step into the elevator, Xie Hui sat down on the sofa to wait for his secretary to bring over some documents. In the meantime, his thoughts drifted back to the issue of Xie Shu.

Honestly, the girl wasn’t beyond saving—at least not yet.

Although Zhou Yang was the protagonist in this world, he hadn’t told his harem about each other from the start. By the time those women found out about his infidelity, they were already entangled in too many interests and couldn’t break free.

Xie Hui had thought this incident might at least leave a lasting impression on Xie Shu. But to his surprise, after resting in her room for an afternoon, she brought up Zhou Yang again at dinner.

“Dad, I heard from Lili that that freshman girl at our school is clinging to Zhou Yang again! It’s so annoying. Why can’t she understand the importance of keeping her distance from someone who’s already in a relationship?”

Xie Hui, who had been reading the newspaper, looked up at her.

“Oh? Does she know about your relationship with Zhou Yang?”

That one question left Xie Shu stumped. After a long pause, she finally replied, “Zhou Yang said our relationship is between the two of us. There’s no need to tell others.”

“Then what exactly is wrong with that freshman being with Zhou Yang?”

Following her father’s logic, Xie Shu thought it over carefully and realized… there really wasn’t anything wrong. She instantly felt both angry and anxious.

Xie Hui acted as if he didn’t notice her frustration. He took a sip of water and continued, “Since it’s not public, guess what Zhou Yang might be telling that freshman?”

Xie Shu, who had just been rendered speechless, immediately shook her head without thinking.

“No way! Dad, Zhou Yang’s not that kind of person!”

“A person who leeches off his sister’s blood to get through school, then turns his back on her—yeah, I believe he is that kind of person.”

She had just been denying it so righteously, but when Xie Hui brought up that incident, Xie Shu fell silent.

Xie Hui thought for a moment. All forms of affection come with possessiveness—love, family, friendship, none are exceptions.

Many children get jealous when their mother has a second baby, afraid that someone will steal her love.

Some people feel hurt when their best friend makes new, closer friends, fearing they’re no longer the most important.

And love is the most possessive emotion of all.

As for Xie Shu, the reason she ultimately played the role of the generous, understanding wife might not be entirely because she loved Zhou Yang.

According to Xie Hui’s judgment, it was more that if she didn’t hold on to her belief, it would mean everything she had done up to now was wrong. She couldn’t bear the possibility of losing everything, so she forced herself to accept it.

When Zhou Yang first started hiding his flings from Xie Shu and the others, that was the best time to put a stop to it. Any woman with a brain and an ounce of self-respect would never accept something as ridiculous as sharing a man, no matter how outstanding he was.

“You’re really that sure Zhou Yang wouldn’t do that? The freshman you mentioned—are you saying Zhou Yang has to be with her? Or do you think he’s too stupid to know where to draw the line?”

Xie Shu had always admired Zhou Yang. In her eyes, he was the smartest person she knew, second only to her father.

“Dad, are you really that against me dating? What if I can’t get married in the future?”

Xie Hui noticed that she was starting to waver. She was even trying to change the subject in a clumsy attempt to hide her panic and unease. He curled his lips into a faint smile and replied, “No. I’m just against unhealthy and misguided relationships. Marriage isn’t your only future.”

In the past, Xie Hui had worried that once he was gone, the kids would be lonely, so he had always hoped they would build families of their own.

But in this world, he almost wished Xie Shu would stay single forever. A lifetime of solitude would be better than ending up like that.

Just then, Xie Hui’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from the bodyguard he had assigned to follow Zhou Yang.

This was the peak of Zhou Yang’s arrogance. He hadn’t yet learned to be cautious, which made it the perfect time to catch him slipping.

“Come on. I’m taking you somewhere.”

“What? But Dad, we haven’t had dinner yet!”

Xie Shu was forced into the car with her father. The driver took them to a hotel in their part of the city. The view was wide open, and from where they were parked, they had a clear line of sight to the hotel entrance.

Once they arrived, Xie Shu clutched her stomach and leaned against the seat, staring at her father.

“Dad, are we here to eat at this hotel?”

Xie Hui leaned back calmly, waiting without a word.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Xie Shu frowned in frustration. Wasn’t he hungry?

It wasn’t until a couple walked out of the restaurant next door—clearly very close—that things changed. As they reached the entrance, the man even leaned down and kissed the woman on the cheek. The woman blushed and nestled into his arms.

If she hadn’t recognized one of them so clearly, Xie Shu might’ve just rolled her eyes and muttered something about being force-fed romance again.

Almost instinctively, she reached for the car door to get out. But just as her hand touched the handle, Xie Hui placed his hand over hers, stopping her.

“Dad, what are you trying to do?” she asked, startled, looking up at him.

Xie Hui remained composed, his expression as calm as ever. Meanwhile, Xie Shu was already on the verge of exploding.

“What’s the rush?” he said. “Maybe they’re just having a normal meal. Holding hands between friends isn’t that big a deal.”

“And just because it’s a hotel doesn’t mean anything. Like you said, maybe they’re just discussing student council matters inside.”

After he finished speaking, he saw her slump back in her seat, drained of strength, tears silently rolling down her face. He handed her a tissue.

Early-stage infatuation was actually easy to deal with. The person she liked always had one shining trait that made her fall head over heels.

So first, he shattered the illusion that Zhou Yang was some kind of genius. Then, he let her witness his betrayal with her own eyes.

When someone’s in love, they can tolerate a lot of flaws. They’ll ignore them, even come up with excuses to justify them.

But cheating? That’s a line that can’t be crossed.

It’s like a beautiful porcelain vase. No matter what others say, or what kind of past it has, the owner can choose not to care.

But once it breaks on its own, revealing the filth inside, the owner’s attachment vanishes in an instant.

As Xie Shu sat there crying, she couldn’t help but think of that little girl, Yinyin, who had tugged on her sleeve and handed her a piece of candy.

Yinyin had said she knew she was dying, but she still wanted to try to live. Her mother had already lost her father, and if she disappeared too, her mom would be devastated.

Such a sensible child. And the initial treatment costs weren’t even that high.

Yet Zhou Yang was willing to bring his little junior to such a fancy hotel, but couldn’t spare a bit of money to help his own sister get treatment.

Xie Hui waited until her sobs had quieted down, until only faint sniffles remained, before finally speaking.

“So? Do you still want to go take a look? You can wait here until they come out.”

When he didn’t hear a response for a long time, he asked again, “What are you thinking about?”

Xie Shu wiped her nose with a tissue, lifted her head, her eyes red and swollen, and stared at her father as she replied:

“I’m thinking about what you’re going to feed me later. I’m really hungry, Dad…”