Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 421 Conceptual Substitution_1

"That’s the situation. It’s a bit shameless to say it, but reaching this point was never my intention."

As soon as Xiao Ming returned to his room, he spilled everything about his interactions with Ding Jianwei like bamboo tubes spilling beans.

"I respect her self-sacrificing purity, and I pity her lonely adherence to her beliefs. At the same time, I have very important things to do myself, and I need her standing behind me, holding a lamp to illuminate my path.

All things considered, I indeed betrayed my vows and promises to my wife, and I should be nailed to the pillar of shame for scoundrels, let alone standing before you with any sense of righteousness."

You have every reason to be angry and can curse me, but there’s one thing I hope you understand: just because I made one mistake doesn’t mean I can go on to make a second one.

After all, I still hope to receive Xue’er’s forgiveness and didn’t plan to just give up completely."

After finishing his piece with a hardened heart, he let out a breath, not looking at Zhou Qingyuan and Yang Hanqing’s already aggrieved faces, closed his eyes, and waited for the storm that would surely come.

Minutes passed, and nothing happened.

Zhou Qingyuan hung her head, hands clenched into fists.

"So, all this talk of identity and responsibility is BS, right? You’re unwilling to accept me just because you don’t like me, correct?"

How could I not like you after being entangled with you for years in a past life?

I truly shouldn’t and can’t afford to like you!

With a silent sigh in his heart, Xiao Ming coldly nodded: "Yes."

Zhou Qingyuan suddenly lifted her face, her teeth clenched: "Look into my eyes, and tell me yourself, you don’t like me!"

Xiao Ming opened his mouth but found his throat clogged like there was a huge stone stuck in it, unable to utter even half a word.

Zhou Qingyuan’s eyes gradually brightened, and with a pounce, she climbed onto his lap, grabbed his collar, and demanded loudly, "Why? Why is Ding Jianwei allowed, but not me?"

"You... you’re not the same."

"How are we not the same? Is it just because she has a dangerous profession, constantly at risk of losing her life?

That’s unfair!"

"When it comes to feelings, there’s no such thing as fairness..."

"Don’t give me that crap!"

Zhou Qingyuan’s nose almost touching his, she hissed, "Xiao Ming, you are the first man I’ve ever fallen for, and I don’t care whether you’re single or not, nor whether you’re a good person or a bad one.

You can reject me, even see me as just a friend for the rest of your life; that’s fine. But you can’t look down on me, you can’t insult me!"

"I didn’t..."

"Then why can she do it and not me?"

Zhou Qingyuan voiced this almost like a shout, and a single tear flung from her eye, landing on Xiao Ming’s face.

Xiao Ming felt like crying too, because he simply couldn’t answer that question.

He sighed softly, gently cradling Zhou Qingyuan’s face: "My good girl, can you calm down first?

No matter what, I am a married man with a wife!"

"Even at this point, you’re still using identity as an excuse?"

"It’s not an excuse. With your attributes, you deserve a complete happiness.

No man in this world is worth your settling, including me, understand?"

"What about Ding Jianwei? Does she deserve only to be someone’s mistress?"

Xiao Ming curled his lip: "Honestly, given her job and lifestyle, let alone a complete happiness, it’s hard for her to even have a normal relationship.

Qingyuan, you’re naturally beautiful, immensely talented, come from a good family, and you’re so young; your future holds endless possibilities. Why would you rush headlong into disaster?"

"I love you!"

Zhou Qingyuan cried as if her tears were pearls breaking off a string, heartbroken, "I love you, I want to be with you, I want to see you every day.

Beyond that, I don’t need anything else!"

"Nonsense!" Xiao Ming held back his own pain as he wiped away her tears, "The Zhou Qingyuan I know is a girl proud to the extreme.

She’s a natural strong woman, her grand ambitions can put all men to shame, she wouldn’t bend so low for some lousy guy."

"But even though I’m bending so low, you still don’t want me..."

Zhou Qingyuan threw herself into his arms, weeping loudly.

Xiao Ming’s heart nearly broke, and after a long hesitation, he sighed: "If you could give up the idea of being my mistress, I could try my best to cherish and protect you, like... like an elder brother.

Right, you wanted ten songs, didn’t you? I’ll write them for you, okay?"

Zhou Qingyuan lifted her head: "Are you pitying me?"

"Don’t be so difficult, okay?"

Xiao Ming rubbed his nose in frustration, "Anyway, I’m never going to divorce my wife, and even if we really got together, I couldn’t meet you every day.

Wouldn’t you rather have an open relationship that everyone can see, instead of sneaking around in a relationship that has to stay hidden?

Anyway, no matter the feelings, with enough time together they all turn into familial love. Apart from physical intimacy, there’s not much difference between a brother and a lover."

Not sure if it was because she was confused, Zhou Qingyuan fell silent, furrowing her brows in thought.

Amidst his anxiety, Xiao Ming couldn’t help but bitterly smile to himself.

In this life and the last, he had been convincing women with switch-and-bait tactics, but this was the first time he was pushing someone away, and it felt utterly awkward.

Across from him, Yang Hanqing, who had been silent the whole time, stared at Xiao Ming, the corners of her mouth curled in disdain, her eyes flickering constantly.