Most of these were leftover from the previous day or damaged in transit.
They were edible, but the leaves were limp and wilted, right on the edge of spoiling.
They had no taste at all, just enough to fill the stomach.
Wait another day and they’d go straight into the trash as kitchen waste.
So even at a discount, most people would still pass them up after taking a look.
But at this moment, Ying Yun didn’t even pick through them—he just scooped all the not-so-fresh veggies into his shopping bag!
He acted as if he’d found a treasure, not rejecting a single one!
The old Ying Yun wouldn’t even touch vegetables that weren’t fresh—he only ate expensive, same-day organic produce…
How hard had his life gotten, that he’d fallen so far as to buy these nearly-rotten discount veggies…
Was it because he was used to luxury and had blown through his doctor’s salary?
It had been over a month since Ying Yun’s family had their incident, but to be honest, you couldn’t really tell from his appearance—maybe he was just keeping up a brave front, but in reality he was already strapped for cash.
Because of his looks, lots of people in the market were sneaking glances at him.
But Ying Yun’s expression was calm and steady, showing no shame or embarrassment, not even a hint of trying to hide his situation.
Everything he did was natural and smooth, completely unafraid of what others thought…
Putting herself in his shoes, even Yang Xueyi wasn’t sure she could handle things with such composure.
How long had he been buying discount vegetables to get this calm?
Had he been living like this for the entire past month?
Was that why he was so skilled at it now, buying discount veggies as if it were nothing, uncaring of other people’s opinions…
Yang Xueyi felt incredibly conflicted.
But Ying Yun’s hospital night shift started at six, and it wasn’t far off.
What was he doing buying groceries here?
A moment later, Yang Xueyi understood the reason.
Carrying his bag of vegetables, Ying Yun walked into a nearby hotpot restaurant.
This place was famous for letting customers bring their own vegetables—a rarity among hotpot places.
The staff would wash and plate whatever you brought, and although there was a small service fee, it was much cheaper than ordering veggies directly from the menu.
The individual hotpot bases weren’t expensive either, so even dining alone was affordable and convenient.
Yang Xueyi watched Ying Yun calmly carry his big bag of discount, day-old veggies into the restaurant.
So he…
Had things really gotten this bad?
Buying veggies on the verge of spoiling, bringing them to eat a lonely hotpot meal by himself.
Just to keep up appearances, he’d spent all his salary, and now he was skimping on his own food to this degree?
But it wasn’t hard to understand.
For someone like Ying Yun, who’d been rich for over twenty years, suddenly having to show the world he was poor would be tough psychologically.
So he’d grit his teeth to save face, just like someone who’d rather wear a designer coat over socks and underwear full of holes…
Through the restaurant’s glass window, Ying Yun’s face was still handsome as ever.
From Yang Xueyi’s angle, she could see his straight nose, smooth jawline, and long, pale fingers resting lightly on his forehead.
He still looked so refined, as if nothing had changed, but in reality, everything had.
When the waiter brought him the menu, he waved it away.
Yang Xueyi understood—he was only planning to eat his discount veggies today, not even ordering any meat! So he didn’t need to look at the menu at all!
In the past, she’d wished for Ying Yun to suffer a little, but she never wanted him to suffer this much.
She’d have been satisfied if he just stepped in dog poop a few more times, got splashed by a passing car, or had a few weird patients curse him out…
She never expected…
That Ying Yun’s life would collapse so completely, falling apart until it was riddled with holes.
Yang Xueyi couldn’t watch any longer.
She bit her lip and turned to flee the hotpot restaurant.
Her heart was in turmoil.
She’d kicked out someone who was struggling so much just to get by—wasn’t that too cruel?
Even if Ying Yun’s “crime tool” was a bit scary and couldn’t really be confiscated, and even if living together would be super awkward, as long as she treated him like a mop…
She could endure it.
Ying Yun had already hit rock bottom.
She couldn’t just watch him die without helping.
***
Ying Yun sat in the hotpot restaurant, looking at his phone.
This was the fifth call from Ying Wenjun today.
He hadn’t answered the previous four.
After rubbing his brow, Ying Yun finally answered this one.
Ying Wenjun’s anxious, remorseful voice came immediately from the other end.
“Xiao Yun! I just got back from France. Your mom won’t see me, I… This is all my fault, I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you both.”
He sounded urgent: “I just got home and found everything changed. I don’t know who let her into the house—I never told her she could move in, and I didn’t expect her to change the layout without asking! The photo wall is all gone! She even fired Aunt Yang. I’ll have someone change the house back and kick her out right away. You can move back in—you’re the real owner of this house.”
“Your mom insisted on the divorce. I owe her, so I had to go along. Money, the house, whatever she wants, she can have it. She went to France to relax, and I understand…”
Ying Yun pressed his lips together and cut him off: “I was the one who let her in. Since she’s pregnant with your biological child, it’s normal for her to live there. I’m the one who should move out.”
“I didn’t change the layout, but I did take down the photo wall. With her moving in, it wouldn’t be right to leave those photos up.”
He paused, thinking there was one more thing he hadn’t said—he’d actually left a photo of him and his mother in the study for Ying Wenjun, as a keepsake.
“As for the trust fund, you don’t need to pay it out anymore. I won’t use it. I have a job.”
Hearing this, Ying Wenjun sounded even more anxious: “Did you listen to the rumors outside? Don’t worry about any of that. There was no affair.”
“After your mom broke up with her first love, she found out she was pregnant. She really wanted a child, so even though she was alone, she decided to keep you. I took the opportunity to pursue her, promised to treat you as my own, and that’s how we ended up together.”
He explained desperately: “We never told you because we didn’t want you to feel bad. But no matter what happens, you’re the child I raised—you’re my son, Ying Wenjun’s son…”
Ying Yun knew what Ying Wenjun was waiting for, but even as he hung up, he still couldn’t say that word—“Dad.”
Ying Wenjun’s infidelity was a fact, and Ying Yun should have hated him.
But…
For over twenty years, he’d treated a child with no blood relation as his own.
That kind of fatherly love wasn’t something to be taken for granted, and Ying Yun couldn’t bring himself to stand on the moral high ground and criticize him.
But to generously forgive him—Ying Yun couldn’t do that either, since he couldn’t make decisions for his mother.
What Ying Wenjun had done wrong was to Ying Yun’s mother—cheating on her during their marriage, unable to cut ties with the woman who showed up pregnant.
The way he stared at her belly, longing for a biological child—Ying Yun could never forget it.
Even though he still called Ying Yun his son on the phone, once his biological child was born, things would change.
The secret that had confused Ying Yun for ten years, that had left him troubled and unable to talk to anyone in his teens, the discovery that had felt like the sky falling when he was eighteen, had finally come out in such a light, sudden, almost weightless way…
Ying Yun’s feelings were complicated.
His first reaction was: So that’s how it is.
Not knowing how to face Ying Wenjun in this situation, Ying Yun chose to leave.
There were all sorts of rumors outside, but he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Ying Yun had stayed in a hotel for a month, then, at Aunt Yang’s urging, rented her house.
It was an extra expense, and things were tight, but Ying Yun had never been overly materialistic.
Moving from a villa to an economy apartment—he could handle it.
The only thing he couldn’t get used to was his stomach.
His digestion was delicate, and he was picky about food.
When he was young, he’d gone through countless housekeepers before Aunt Yang.
Only then did his stomach finally feel comfortable.
After the family incident, he’d had several major surgeries in a row.
By the time he came to his senses, Aunt Yang had been fired after he moved out, and she’d already found a new employer.
He finally decided to rent Aunt Yang’s house simply because she’d cared for him like a son all these years, and he couldn’t refuse her kindness.
He really needed a place to stay.
Aunt Yang’s place was close to the hospital, and compared to a random tenant, she could trust him to take care of the place and pay rent on time.
It was a win-win.
He just hadn’t expected Yang Xueyi would want to live there too.
“I’m here, I’m here! Ying Yun, you’re too polite—you waited for me to order, didn’t I tell you to go ahead?”
Yu Shi’s voice interrupted Ying Yun’s thoughts.
As soon as he sat down, he ordered three servings of the most expensive wagyu beef: “Since you’re treating today, I won’t hold back!”
“The veggies? Did you buy them for me? If I don’t eat soon, my rabbit will starve!”
Ying Yun pointed at the big bag on the floor: “I did. Got all the discount veggies from the market for you. Take them home later.”
Yu Shi had recently gone back to med school, happily brought home two lab rabbits, planning to raise them to eat, but ended up getting attached.
Now the rabbits were huge and had even had a litter.
He had a few surgeries today and couldn’t make it to the market, so he’d asked Ying Yun to buy the discount leaves to feed the rabbits.
“By the way, didn’t you already find a place? Why are you still looking at apartments?”
Ying Yun was brief: “The landlord is too difficult. A hassle.”
“Alright.”
Yu Shi nodded, understanding.
“I asked my friend before, and he has a spare place near the hospital too. I’ll ask him for the details to send you.”
Ying Yun was about to reply when his phone rang.
He looked down and saw the caller was Yang Xueyi.
What did this fake, annoying woman want now?
He frowned slightly, excused himself to take the call in a quiet spot, but before he could say anything, Yang Xueyi’s voice blasted through, “Ying Yun, I’ve thought about it. You can keep living there. I won’t kick you out. We should honor our agreement—since my mom and you already discussed it, I have to respect your arrangement and can’t break the contract unilaterally.”
Heh.
Ying Yun said coldly, “No thanks. I’m afraid I’ll lose control, get carried away, and make a terrible mistake.”
“No need to act like that. Don’t worry, I’ve already ordered pepper spray online. If you really lose control, I have ways to cool you down…”
Ying Yun almost laughed in anger.
“Forget it. Don’t take the risk. A man who loses his head might not calm down so easily.”
It was normal for Yang Xueyi to want him gone.
Now she wanted him to stay?
Who knew what kind of trick she was up to.
Sure enough, after he said that, the other end of the line went silent—Yang Xueyi probably couldn’t come up with another excuse.
Just as Ying Yun was about to hang up, he heard Yang Xueyi’s voice, as if she’d steeled herself—
“Actually, I’m scared…”
“I just heard from a neighbor that there’s a stalker in the neighborhood lately, specifically targeting women living alone. I’m scared to live by myself, so can you stay with me? Please, Ying Yun! Please?”
Yu Shi had heard about Ying Yun’s family troubles.
Lots of people at the hospital were gossiping, but as a friend, he never asked or joined in.
The call hadn’t lasted long, and when Ying Yun came back, he didn’t seem like anything was wrong—but his expression was a little strange, his eyes uneasy, clearly something was up.
When Yu Shi finished his second serving of wagyu, Ying Yun finally spoke—
“You don’t need to send me that apartment info.”
He looked down. In the swirling steam of the hotpot, his expression was hidden, but his voice was steady: “I’m not moving anymore.”
Yu Shi was surprised.
“Didn’t you say the landlord was difficult?”
“It’s not so bad.”
Ying Yun’s voice was calm.
“I’m pretty experienced at dealing with difficult people.”
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