Chapter 91: Don’t Change

Tears streamed down Yao Jia’s face.

Meng Yutang quickly handed her a tissue. “Child, it’s okay now. It’s all in the past. Don’t cry.”

Yao Jia wiped her tears, her voice choked with emotion. “I usually don’t cry…”

Meng Yutang nodded with a gentle smile, comforted. “Uncle Meng knows. You’re worried about that rascal.”

Once Yao Jia calmed down, he continued, “Ever since this incident, I’ve realized that having too much money isn’t necessarily a good thing. Yao Jia, what’s the point of earning so much money in a lifetime? Isn’t it just for the happiness of having children and grandchildren around? But my son suffered so much because I had too much money.”

Hearing this, Yao Jia couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. She heard Meng Yutang sigh deeply.

“That’s why, after the incident, I lost interest in making money. I handed over the management of the company, stopped doing business, and Jiang Rui and I divided our assets into three parts. One part is for Meng Xingzhe, one is in a family trust from which we draw monthly, and the last part we donated to charity, hoping to accumulate some blessings for Meng Xingzhe.”

Yao Jia thought that Meng Yutang and Jiang Rui were truly remarkable people. In this world, how many can resist the temptation of money? How many claim that money is insignificant compared to loyalty, yet hesitate when it comes to dividing wealth?

Those who can truly see money lightly are truly extraordinary.

After a pause, she heard Meng Yutang continue, “Since that incident, just as you care for Meng Xingzhe, his mother and I worry about him too. But because we care, we ended up spoiling him.”

Meng Yutang shook his head and sighed. “After he was rescued, his physical wounds healed quickly, but he was left with mental and emotional scars. Since then, he can’t stand the dark, needs a light on at night, and is terrified of ants and dogs.”

Yao Jia was aware of this. She used to find it amusing that a grown man like Meng Xingzhe was afraid of ants and small dogs.

But now, all she felt was pity.

“Apart from his reactions to darkness, ants, and dogs, his biggest change is that he no longer helps others. He believes that helping others leads to no good. The fact that he survived that ordeal is a blessing to us, so we never said no to him. Whatever he wanted to do, we let him. We thought, if he doesn’t want to help others, then he shouldn’t, as long as he’s happy.”

Meng Yutang couldn’t help but shake his head again, sighing heavily. “But who would have thought, slowly he changed completely. He became the opposite of his childhood self, a complete egotist, always considering personal gain first, indulging in pleasure. Even when he started a business, he was lazy, never like other busy bosses, leaving most things to Bei Luonan.”

Yao Jia couldn’t help but interject, “So later, you and Bei Luonan conspired to have Meng Xingzhe work in the Customer Service Department at Kunyu Electric for some experience.”

Meng Yutang smiled. “Yes, I was afraid that if he didn’t change, he’d become a self-centered, profit-driven machine, which would be too unlikable!”

Yao Jia lowered her gaze, thinking that the Meng Xingzhe she first met was indeed quite unlikable.

“Yao Jia.”

Suddenly, she heard Meng Yutang call her with heartfelt sincerity.

She looked up, meeting his kind and grateful eyes.

“Uncle wants to thank you. I heard that while he was in the Customer Service Department at Kunyu Electric, that boy helped others more than once. Yao Jia, it was you who changed Meng Xingzhe, who gave him the ability to help others again.”

Yao Jia wanted to speak, to say no, she wasn’t as good as he said.

But Meng Yutang interrupted her, “Xiao Yaojia, you two youngsters should get along well, don’t argue or give each other the cold shoulder over differing opinions. Opinions can be reconciled. Uncle Meng is telling you about his childhood today to let you know that he has reasons for not being as selfless as you. Give him some time!”

Yao Jia quickly waved her hands, saying no.

“No, it’s not like that! He’s fine just the way he is now!”

If she had known about his childhood earlier, she would never have expected him to be a selfless person who helps others.

Yao Jia and Meng Yutang chatted for a long time, and it wasn’t until she was about to leave that she realized the sky outside had darkened.

If she stayed any longer, she’d probably be invited to dinner.

Yao Jia quickly bid farewell to Meng Yutang.

After their conversation, she had an overwhelming urge to see Meng Xingzhe. She wanted to hug him, to offer warmth and comfort to the child he once was.

As soon as she left the nursing home, she took a taxi straight home.

Once home, she carefully washed her face, erasing the traces of tears shed for the young Meng Xingzhe.

After freshening up, she was about to leave when Gan Yu stopped her.

“You’ve been working yourself thin. Why don’t you have a proper dinner?”

Gan Yu dragged her to the dining room, ensuring she ate a little dinner.

Then she hurried out, quickly making her way from the east district to the single-story villa in the west district.

The sky had turned dark, and streetlights began to illuminate one by one. She walked quickly, passing under each streetlight. With every step, her desire to see Meng Xingzhe grew stronger.

But when she arrived at Meng Xingzhe’s building, she looked up to see that the windows corresponding to his apartment were dark.

He’s afraid of the dark, so if he were home, there would be lights on.

Yao Jia felt a bit disappointed. But she didn’t want to call him, to ask where he was or when he planned to come home.

She wanted their first words to break this inexplicable cold war to be spoken face-to-face.

That was important to her.

There was a bench in the community, and Yao Jia sat down, watching the crescent moon slowly move eastward.

Though the city’s winter wasn’t as bone-chilling as the far north, sitting for too long still made her shiver.

Yao Jia sat on the bench, occasionally stamping her feet and rubbing her hands, and took a long report call from her assistant.

Finally, when she was about to see double of the moon, she heard the sound of a car engine nearby.

That sound was so familiar, just like the one from Meng Xingzhe’s SUV.

She quickly stood from the bench, craning her neck to look down the road.

Around the corner came a beam of light. The anticipated SUV, bathed in the glow of its headlights, drove toward Yao Jia.

Behind that light sat Meng Xingzhe.

The car came to a sudden stop as it passed Yao Jia.

Meng Xingzhe stepped out, surprised to see her, his movements a bit disjointed.

“Why are you standing here? How long have you been waiting? Are you cold? Why didn’t you call me so I could come back earlier…”

He was still rambling when Yao Jia couldn’t wait for him to stop and threw herself into his arms.

Meng Xingzhe froze for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

His heart was warmed by waves of heat.

“What’s wrong, hmm?” he gently stroked her back, whispering in her ear.

She buried her face in his chest, muffling her voice.

She murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Holding Yao Jia, Meng Xingzhe was overwhelmed by a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

Not hearing her voice or seeing her for the past few days had made his world feel incomplete and bleak. Now that she was in his arms, his world was whole again, vibrant and colorful.

He caressed the back of her head, wishing he could pamper her like a little girl.

He stepped back slightly, forcing her to lift her face from his chest so he could see her.

He leaned down, looking into her eyes. “What’s wrong, hmm? Why the sudden apology?”

His voice was deep and gentle, so pleasing it was almost criminal.

Yao Jia buried her head into his chest again, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I’ll tell you later!” she said, her voice carrying a hint of playful stubbornness.

Meng Xingzhe chuckled softly. He embraced her too, gently stroking her long hair and back.

Suddenly, a car horn blared behind them.

Then came a teasing voice.

“Hey, handsome and beautiful, even though you two hugging under the streetlight looks like a scene from a drama, could you please move your car first?”

Yao Jia quickly jumped out of Meng Xingzhe’s arms, covering her face as she turned away.

Meng Xingzhe got into the car and parked it in a spot.

Then he returned, finding Yao Jia by the bench, her face buried in her coat collar.

He wanted to tease her but couldn’t bring himself to. In the end, he took her hand and led her to the elevator to go home.

As he held her hand, he couldn’t help but scold her a bit, “Why are your hands so cold? How long were you waiting? Yao Xiaojia, are you stubborn? If I’m not home, can’t you call me to come back? Why freeze outside?”

He started to nag again. Yao Jia listened with her head down, and soon a smile crept onto her lips.

Thinking back, the root of their arguments was always his concern for her.

He couldn’t bear to see her overworked, wanting to keep her safe at home, so they argued.

He couldn’t stand her donating blood, fearing her body couldn’t handle it, so they argued.

Suddenly, her heart felt sweetly sour. He was only trying to do what was best for her.

Once they were home, Meng Xingzhe immediately turned on the lights and the air conditioning.

He took off his coat, pulled Yao Jia onto the sofa, and wrapped her hands in his, gently rubbing them to warm her up.

He wore a turtleneck sweater, the collar resting against his Adam’s apple. He looked both refined and handsome.

Yao Jia looked at Meng Xingzhe, who was still strikingly handsome after days apart, and suddenly felt a pang of grievance.

“Why didn’t you contact me these past few days?”

Meng Xingzhe looked into her eyes and said seriously, “I didn’t dare to.” After a pause, he explained, “…I felt like I wasn’t good enough for you.”

Yao Jia’s eyes widened, “Huh? Why?”

Meng Xingzhe touched her puzzled cheek, “Because you’re too good. You’re always thinking of others.”

Yao Jia tilted her head, resting it in his palm, “You’re good too! I know you didn’t say anything, but you’ve been visiting Huang Dahuang every day these past few days.” She looked at him, her eyes blinking softly, “You’re better than me. See, I got so busy I couldn’t even visit Huang Dahuang again.”

Meng Xingzhe’s palm rested on her soft cheek, his heart melting. He smiled at her, “But you sent your assistant to see him.”

Yao Jia laughed, showing her neat little white teeth, “My assistant said you moved Huang Dahuang to a VIP room, a single room so his parents could stay with him. You visited him every day, bought him fruit, peeled it for him, and patiently told him bedtime stories. Oh, and you even went to his countryside home to bring his beloved little yellow dog to the hospital to play with him!”

Yao Jia could imagine how Meng Xingzhe must have struggled to overcome his fear of dogs, tying the cage with the little yellow dog to the back seat of his car, nearly at his breaking point, taking the dog for a bath and disinfecting it before bringing it to the hospital, allowing little Huang Dahuang to play with it on the lawn outside the ward, and then enduring his fear and anxiety again to return the dog to the countryside.

Then he rushed back, exhausted.

Thinking of this, Yao Jia felt her heart melt, rubbing her cheek against his palm, saying, “Meng Xingzhe, you’re truly wonderful!”

Meng Xingzhe laughed, his eyes filled with joy.

“You finally see how great I am!”

After a pause, he added, “I thought you were still mad at me.”

Yao Jia pulled away from his palm, sat up, and looked at Meng Xingzhe, “Today, Uncle Meng called me over.”

She saw Meng Xingzhe raise his eyebrows in surprise.

“Uncle Meng told me about what happened to you when you were a child.”

Yao Jia saw a flash of surprise and helplessness in Meng Xingzhe’s eyes. His vulnerability was laid bare before her, and he seemed a bit embarrassed by it.

Yao Jia moved closer to Meng Xingzhe, spreading her arms wide to hug his tall frame, patting his back to comfort him, reaching back through time to console the helpless and frightened little boy he once was.

After a while, she released him, putting some distance between them, and looked at his face, earnestly telling him, “Meng Xingzhe, I’m sorry. I was wrong. I always held you to my own standards, wanting you to become someone who helps others unconditionally. I thought being that kind of person was what it meant to be kind. But I never considered why you are the way you are, why you have these principles. I never thought about the harm you suffered from helping others in the past, nor did I realize that some people in this world aren’t worth helping!”

Meng Xingzhe touched her cheek, firmly telling her, “Yao Xiaojia, why are you apologizing to me? Don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong. This time, it’s truly my fault. You weren’t helping unconditionally, because that iron hoe was left in the yard by Huang Dahuang to chase away a dog for me, and that’s why he fell on it. You wanted to donate blood because you felt guilty for me, you wanted to make amends for me!”

He paused, then continued, “I was wrong. I didn’t consider that you were trying to make amends for me when I called you a saint. It’s my fault!”

Yao Jia shook her head vigorously, “No, it’s my fault! I’m too much of a saint! I’ll change!”

Meng Xingzhe quickly stopped her, “Don’t change, Yao Xiaojia, don’t change! Don’t let my issues make you afraid to help others. Stay as you are, sincere, passionate, selfless, eager to help. That’s the real you. If you help someone who doesn’t deserve it, I’ll bear the consequences for you! Trust me, there’s nothing I, Meng Xingzhe, can’t handle!”

At that moment, Yao Jia’s heart pounded as if it would explode. Even though Meng Xingzhe subtly showed off at the end, she felt it didn’t detract from his manliness at all.

Thinking of the consequences of helping others, she recalled the scumbag who had deeply hurt him as a child.

She suddenly bent down to roll up his pant leg.

As she rolled it up, she saw a fierce scar on the outside of his left thigh. It was left by a vicious dog bite, and even after all these years, it still looked painful.

Her eyes filled with red-rimmed tears of anger as she said to him, “I really want to tear that backstabbing bastard from your childhood to pieces!”

Meng Xingzhe’s heart clenched suddenly.

“He’s already been punished by the law.”

He wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye. It flowed out, making his heart tremble.

“I’m not crying, I never cry!” The girl stubbornly argued in his palm, making his heart tremble even more.

His fingers brushed her eye corner, and he asked, “Do you remember when we helped Chen Luoxi find her child?” He gently told her, “You said something that woke me up. You said if a child fell into the hands of a stranger with bad intentions, how scared and desperate for rescue they would be. If they couldn’t wait for someone to save them, how hopeless would they feel?”

“Isn’t that exactly what happened to me?”

“Ever since I helped someone as a child and got nothing but harm in return, I vowed never to help anyone again. But your words reminded me of how I once longed to be rescued. If it weren’t for you waking me up, I might have become the kind of person I once despised!”

He cupped her face, gazing deeply into her eyes. Moved, his voice was slightly hoarse as he told her, “Yao Xiaojia, truly, you are my salvation.”

As his words trailed off, his passionate kiss landed on her lips.