Yang Xueyi thought it over and over, and in the end, her compassion got the better of her.
She felt that driving Ying Yun out at this moment was simply too inhumane.
At the very least, she should let this fallen Young Master get used to living in poverty, and only after he could stand on his own feet and truly integrate into the real world, then she could send him away.
Unfortunately, even though Ying Yun was down on his luck, this annoying guy still clung to his pride.
Yang Xueyi had already taken the initiative to call and offer him an olive branch, but at first, this guy didn’t even want to accept the step she’d given him, as if he were determined to keep his back straight and live with dignity.
Perhaps he didn’t realize that Yang Xueyi already knew all about his situation and secrets!
For someone like him, if he couldn’t rent a place from Yang Xueyi, where else could he find such a reliable landlord?
Most likely, he’d run into shady agents, lose his deposit to a scam, and there was no way he’d find a place with living conditions as good as Yang Xueyi’s.
But it was understandable.
Having been a favored child of the heavens all his life, it was hard for Ying Yun to accept his fate so quickly after falling into the mud.
Letting things go when possible was the best choice.
To spare Ying Yun’s self-esteem, Yang Xueyi told a little lie.
Sure enough, as soon as she made up a grand-sounding excuse about a stalker in the neighborhood and her own fear, which preserved Ying Yun’s dignity, he immediately accepted her offer.
Though he still stubbornly didn’t agree right away, his answer had already changed from a flat-out refusal to a silent consent.
She really couldn’t stand this type of guy who just had to keep up appearances no matter what.
Of everyone, the happiest about Ying Yun staying was Ms. Yang Meiying: “With Xiao Yun here, I feel more at ease too.”
“After what happened to his family, I never even got a chance to see Mrs. Ying and Mr. Ying. The day I went out, the Mistress came swaggering to the house, and by the time I got back, she’d already moved in and kicked Xiao Yun out, then fired me too.”
Yang Meiying sighed, “I just never thought Mrs. Ying would leave Xiao Yun behind like this. Now he’s here, all alone with nothing left. We’ve lived together for more than ten years—he’s practically half a family member. In the future, let’s help him as much as we can.”
“This child is so proud. I wanted to give him a discount on the rent, but he wouldn’t accept it. But since we’re all living together, I can take better care of you two on my weekends off. That’s much more reassuring than letting you fend for yourselves outside.”
Half a family member?
Yang Xueyi looked at Ying Yun, who had just come home from his night shift and instinctively called out “Turn on the lights” in a low voice as soon as he entered.
She couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes at this so-called “family member.”
“This Young Master, our house isn’t equipped with a smart home system. There’s no voice-controlled lighting.”
Ying Yun glanced at Yang Xueyi, his lips pressed in a straight line, but he didn’t bother to reply, as if she wasn’t worth his time.
Thinking of Ying Yun’s miserable life, Yang Xueyi didn’t mock him further.
She just pointed casually at the kitchen and said, “I made too much food. If you’re hungry, help yourself.”
Of course, Yang Xueyi hadn’t really cooked too much.
She just remembered Ying Yun eating discounted leftover vegetables alone at the hotpot shop, looking so pitiful, and she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
She was someone who never feared the powerful, but was easily moved by the weak.
No matter what, Ying Yun was still a doctor.
Doctors worked so hard—if he couldn’t even eat a full meal and had to survive on nearly spoiled veggies, how could that be acceptable?
But for a Young Master like Ying Yun, too much sympathy would only make him uncomfortable.
She had to come up with a reason so he wouldn’t get suspicious and could accept her kindness as a matter of course.
Sure enough, Ying Yun seemed surprised by Yang Xueyi’s words.
He glanced at her, then spoke as sparingly as ever: “I’m not hungry.”
As if!
After eating nothing but bland, watery leftovers, he must be starving!
Yet he could still keep up this act and claim he wasn’t hungry—Ying Yun really was something.
Yang Xueyi had expected this.
She put on a pitiful face: “I thought my mom would come home for dinner, so I made a lot. I spent ages preparing all these ingredients. If no one eats it, it’ll just go to waste. But if you really can’t eat, that’s fine. Still, could you help me wash the dishes?”
As expected, Ying Yun looked at her as if she’d said something unbelievable.
Clearly, the words “wash dishes” had never appeared in his life’s vocabulary.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Yang Xueyi cleared her throat.
“We’re roommates now, right? It’s all about helping each other out.”
Ying Yun’s face was cold, and he sounded incredulous: “Did your hand get dislocated again? Why do you need my help?”
“Look.”
Yang Xueyi showed him her finger, which she had already prepped with a band-aid.
“I accidentally cut myself while cooking. The wound is really deep, and it bled a lot. I don’t think I can touch water for at least two weeks…”
She put on her most pitiful look: “It really hurts so much…”
She was about to keep acting, but the next second, Ying Yun expressionlessly walked over, grabbed her hand, and without a word, tore off the band-aid.
Her pale, rounded fingertip had nothing on it.
He raised his eyebrow at her: “A deep wound? Lots of blood? Two weeks without washing dishes? Yang Xueyi, is there ever a true word out of your mouth?”
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
Yang Xueyi was fuming.
She couldn’t be bothered to keep up the act and just glared at Ying Yun: “Yeah, nothing I said was true! The food wasn’t for my mom—it was made just for you!”
“Having you wash the dishes was just to give you an excuse to eat. If you don’t want to, then starve for all I care!”
Ying Yun frowned: “You cooked for me? Why would you do that?”
Yang Xueyi was fed up with all this back-and-forth.
She decided to be blunt: “I know exactly what’s going on with you, so stop pretending!”
She pulled out a photo of Ying Yun and Mrs. Ying from her bag: “I went to the villa today to move some things and stole this for you.”
“Put it back,” Ying Yun glared at the photo, looking extremely frustrated.
“There was only this one left…”
Right, the rest had all been thrown out.
Only this one remained.
So he knew.
As for putting it back…
Did he still expect Mr. Ying to see the photo and have a change of heart about their mother and son?
What a joke!
Seeing it would only reopen the wound and add more resentment!
“So you’re poor now—so what? You still have your hands, your feet, and a decent job. Why wouldn’t you survive? Put the photo back? Will that let you go back to the past and be the Young Master of Yuan Yang Freight again? There’s no going back!”
“I apologize for mocking you as a down-and-out tenant before.”
“But you can’t keep being this fragile and sensitive. Don’t you know being too stubborn will only break you? If Han Xin could endure the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs, you can also grit your teeth and persevere! Even without the trust fund, without the shares and inheritance of Yuan Yang Freight, you can still work hard at the hospital and become a top dog! Isn’t being a doctor a high-paying job?”
“Right now, that Mistress couldn’t care less about you, but once you become Director, she won’t be able to reach your level! By then, half the doctors in Rong City’s hospital system will be your disciples. When that Mistress gets old and needs a doctor, you’ll just give the word—command the hospital system, stir up the winds and clouds, the Dragon King returns!”
As expected, as soon as she laid it all out, Ying Yun was first stunned, then speechless.