Chapter 129: Chapter 127: Misfortune Happens Every Day

"I..." The woman sounded hesitant and nervous, her voice choked with tears. "I haven’t worked in over ten years. How could I possibly find a job at my age...?"

"Why not? You don’t even look that old. You’re a long way from the legal retirement age, so why can’t you work? You’ve been relying on a man this whole time—do you really think a man like that is dependable? You could work at a supermarket, you could be a cleaner. There are plenty of jobs out there. Why won’t you stand up for yourself, yet you still complain that life is unfair?"

Many in the crowd were level-headed. These days, a woman has to be independent, especially financially!

Otherwise, people will think you’re just mooching off a man, and they’ll always look down on you.

They’ll think you do nothing at home all day but spend his money, that you don’t know how to save or even bother to dress up. A frumpy housewife who looks worse than a maid.

"Are you still not going to tell the truth?" Wen Ying asked, watching the woman patiently. The onlookers were now very confused.

’Isn’t she telling the truth?’

’She already admitted to the domestic abuse!’

"I..." The woman looked up at Wen Ying. "How do you know about my family? You’re not... spying on me, are you? Did that man send you to watch me?"

The woman’s mental state was, indeed, somewhat unstable.

"He beats you every time he’s unhappy, and your child has been scared to tears countless times, hasn’t he? You wanted to get a job, but he said someone had to stay home, so you couldn’t leave. If you even brought it up again, he’d hit you. You could have called the police, but you didn’t want to, for your child’s sake. You insisted on shouldering this injustice all by yourself.

Your child is old enough to understand. Have you ever asked him what he thinks? Why are you always doing things just to make yourself feel like a martyr?

Don’t you realize that growing up in a family like yours will cause him severe psychological problems? You’re not protecting him; you’re harming him! He would be happier even if he were just with his single mother!"

The woman covered her face and suddenly burst into tears, her whole body trembling.

"But his father said that if I leave him, our son will be bullied by everyone. They’ll call him a fatherless bastard, and he might even have trouble in school. I don’t want to gamble with my child’s future! What did I do wrong? Everything I do is for my child! Where did I go wrong? Why does everyone think I’m wrong? Will you only be satisfied once you’ve driven me to my death?"

The woman was sobbing incoherently.

"Miss, hang in there! I’ve already called the police!"

"You’re Doctor Wen, right? Doctor Wen, I support you! We’re your fans, and we’ll be your witnesses!"

A few young people suddenly shouted from the crowd.

"A woman like that doesn’t deserve any sympathy! What has she ever done for her child? Just believing whatever her husband says? Why doesn’t she do her own research and find out the truth? She’s clearly just making excuses for her own laziness! Hiding in her own self-righteous little world, thinking everything she does is ’for the child’! A friend of mine was driven to death by parents just like that! You fucking asshole parents!"

A girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen shouted curses while crying.

This is how the world is. It’s full of countless possibilities. Sometimes, what seems insignificant to you can be the last straw for someone else.

"If you continue down this path, not only will the rest of your life be miserable, but your child will also be led down a path of no return because of your influence. You’d best think about that,"

Just as Wen Ying finished speaking, the police arrived.

"Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Wen. We’ll take it from here."

Wen Ying’s arm was indeed a bit sore from holding the man for so long. The moment she let go, he plopped onto the ground with a THUD, grimacing in pain.

The man wanted to resist and slander Wen Ying, but she just pulled out her phone, opened a video, and showed it to the police.

The surrounding crowd saw it too.

"Animal! To be so brazen in public! Who knows what illegal things he’d do if there were fewer people around! Officers, you have to punish him severely!"

"And he’s a wife-beater!"

The woman sitting on the ground suddenly looked up. "No, no, I just fell on my own. My husband never hits me. It’s my fault for being lazy and annoying."

Everyone: "..."

The person involved had made her choice. What right did they, as bystanders, have to make decisions about someone else’s life?

It was true what they say: pitiful people have their own detestable qualities.

After a few words with Wen Ying, the police took the man away. The woman scrambled to her feet and followed after them, looking for all the world like a doting servant.

Some fans came up and asked Doctor Wen for her autograph. Wen Ying pulled a ballpoint pen from her hair.

She wrote directly in their notebooks:

Study hard and improve every day!

Don’t pretend to study, actually study!

School isn’t for dating! You are all future talents of our nation!

Zhang Wenliang stood to the side, watching Wen Ying sign autographs for her fans, the corner of his mouth twitching.

’Sure enough,’ he thought, ’any idealized image I have of Sister Wen Ying is bound to be shattered by reality.’

Once they had left, Zhang Wenliang pulled Sister Wen Ying away from the crowd. "Sister Wen Ying, that woman just now... is she really going to keep living like that?"

Wen Ying shook her head. "Maybe, maybe not."

"But can’t you see what will happen, Sister Wen Ying?"

"I can see. I can see that her fate is tragic, and that if this continues, her son will also end up on a path of no return. But it’s obvious she won’t listen to our advice, and her husband isn’t a normal person either. What are we supposed to do, adopt the child? To him, we’re just strangers. What right do we have to get involved in his life?"

Listening to Wen Ying’s words, Zhang Wenliang sighed endlessly.

He was happy. He had been happy his whole life.

He knew there was a lot of misfortune in the world, but he never imagined that when it happened right in front of him, he would be so powerless.

There was so much helplessness in the world.

You couldn’t always achieve or obtain something just by wanting it.

"If his mother is willing to change, perhaps their lives will change. But that’s a choice she has to make herself. Unfortunate things happen every day in this world. All we can do is offer a reminder when we can, but we can’t control the outcome. Whatever path they choose, they will have to bear the consequences."

Zhang Wenliang nodded, showing that he understood.

Wen Ying knew what Zhang Wenliang was thinking, but there was no way for her to explain it to him. He had to experience it for himself.

Reality is cruel. It’s not a field of flowers always in bloom, waiting for you to admire it.

Zhang Wenliang would probably witness many more things like this in the future.

This was a trial Zhang Wenliang had to overcome and understand on his own.

Wen Ying cleared her mind and started to focus on browsing the shops. Zhang Wenliang followed behind her, somewhat distracted.

"Is this dress pretty?"

Wen Ying was holding a light-blue, modern-style qipao. It was knee-length, with flowing sleeves and frog fasteners.