Chapter 194: I Want to Tell You a Secret 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

During the first three days of the New Year’s holiday, Li Yan thought he would be very busy, but in fact, it wasn’t like that. Li Jie texted him, saying that Chen Mingying was also on holiday at home, including Yu Hong, who sometimes had time at home. Xiao Di was being watched more closely, and it wasn’t a suitable time for them to talk on the phone yet. However, she had already told Yu Xiaodi about this idea, and she felt a bit more at ease.

That night, Hai Fu spent some time with him, and after that, she really went to be with her family; Wen Qianyi had her own friends to meet; Qiao Huanxuan went home, and Bai Jie returned to the film crew; Yue Yao hadn’t delivered any news yet. So Li Yan just accompanied Zhang Yurong to her parents’ house once, and then he had limited free time, but enough to go out for a meal with Xu Ping and Sun Hui.

On January 3rd, since he was going to Carefree Island the next day, Li Yan went to find Huang Ying. Huang Ying worked at Jie Rui, where the holidays weren’t as extensive as those at the Paradise Group, with only three days off at New Year, and she had to return for duty on the 4th. With the company’s reforms and development, Huang Ying was gradually adapting to her new job and didn’t want too much rest. Rather, she felt that being a bit busier could make her feel more fulfilled.

Li Yan coming to accompany her made her very happy. They cooked lunch together at home since Li Yan hadn’t informed her in advance. It was just the two of them, so they didn’t make too many dishes. However, she cooked with great care, and they enjoyed the meal very much.

After resting for a while after lunch, Li Yan suggested going shopping. This made Huang Ying feel a bit surprised, a bit excited, and a bit nervous.

The relationship between them was quite special; it wasn’t a typical romantic relationship. Rather, it was because during her most vulnerable and helpless days, he helped her as much as possible, and she felt she had nothing to repay him with and didn’t see much hope for the future. After deciding to find someone casually to marry and share the burden, she chose to be with him, saying she would let him ’take care of her’ or offer herself in return. In the end, it wasn’t a relationship of mutual consent from the start, but a kind of helplessness.

There is a traditional kind of woman who truly follows the belief that a wife should follow her husband no matter who he is. Huang Ying was such a person. Once she decided and confirmed her decision, she truly saw herself as being supported by Li Yan, viewing him as her man but not seeing herself as his girlfriend. This change in mindset made their already good colleague and friend relationship even more intimate.

In the most vulnerable and helpless moments of a young girl’s life, having a mature man who is so considerate and caring makes it hard not to be moved. Moreover, she didn’t set up any defenses for herself, recognizing him as her man and naturally placing her heart on him. This wasn’t a love full of passion, nor was it initially about repayment or dependence; it was like a traditional marriage introduced by a matchmaker, quickly leading to marriage, and eventually supporting each other for a lifetime. A kind of calm and warm love blending with family feelings.

This was how it was for Huang Ying, and for Li Yan as well.

Initially, Li Yan never considered being with Huang Ying, nor did he think about caring for her long-term. He just felt that this girl was very pitiful, quite sympathetic, and coincidentally, a friend nearby, who was also genuinely kind to him during the months when he faced cold treatment from the business unit.

Therefore, whether it was visiting her mother in the hospital, admonishing her about the harshness of reality, proposing to lend her money, helping her with online momentum, or secretly aiding her with the help of He Zhengyuan’s Mortal Fund, he just wanted to help her within the scope of what he could see, contact, and offer assistance.

However, he didn’t expect Huang Ying to be so intense, or you could say, so principled to the point of being a bit inflexible. Because she couldn’t see the possibility of repaying him within a few years, she wasn’t willing to accept his help. Even after the Mortal Fund helped her through the biggest crisis, thinking about the difficult days ahead, she didn’t want to burden Li Yan, whose family’s financial situation didn’t seem much better than hers. So, she insisted on completing it in that way. When she decided to marry a stranger willing to take care of her family, and being supported by him, Li Yan, of course, couldn’t watch her gamble her entire life on a stranger, so he chose to agree to ’support’ her.

Li Yan was never a great person, or even a gentleman. But in supporting Huang Ying, he had no selfish desires or hypocrisy, genuinely just seeing it as a temporary measure. In fact, his choice was correct. After he agreed, Huang Ying no longer had worries, and with his encouragement, she began to walk out of the lows of her life, gradually regaining confidence in a dim future.

Teaching a person to fish is better than giving them a fish. Directly and forcibly giving Huang Ying a sum of money could make her feel at ease, but it wouldn’t make her happy and confident. Li Yan encouraged her, making her realize that in the days to come, she would slowly grow up, not necessarily needing to rely on him for a long time, which was truly what she needed. During this process, Li Yan also deposited a sum of money that wouldn’t shock her too much into her account, allowing her to feel at ease. (The money was the remainder of what he got from a former director who worked internally at the planning department).

However, people have emotions. Even though Li Yan had the mindset of lifting Huang Ying out of life’s mire, when a young girl regarded him as a life support, it would also cause his heart to change, sparking a man’s protective instincts. And Huang Ying, who was always sensible, obedient, never demanding much, and even a bit resigned to adversity, might irritate a young boy but would make a mature man more willing to cherish her. In their interaction, his feelings for her gradually changed without him realizing it.