Chapter 388: 263: Providing Help in Time of Need

Words : 1669 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 388: Chapter 263: Providing Help in Time of Need “Wait!” As Ye Meiru was about to reach the doorway, Mei Yitong, as if possessed by some spirit, couldn’t help but call out to her, unsure if it was an illusion; he felt that her expression was full of resolution. After all, she was a woman he had once loved. He hated her past ruthlessness, yet he also hoped she wouldn’t do something she’d regret for life. Ye Meiru then turned around and stared steadily at Mei Yitong without speaking. This, however, made Mei Yitong uncomfortable. He cleared his throat lightly and asked, “What are your plans next? If it’s convenient, do tell me.” “You...” She uttered softly, pausing for a moment before returning to the table to sit down, her eyes gently fixed on Mei Yitong, “Do you still care about me?” “Even if we can’t be lovers, we are still friends. I don’t want you to do anything that harms yourself,” Mei Yitong said. “Harm myself?” Ye Meiru sighed softly. “Indeed, over these years, I myself don’t know what I’ve been after. Do you want to know who I’ve truly loved?” Mei Yitong looked away towards the window, staying silent. “From the beginning to the end, I’ve loved Zhou Mikang,” Ye Meiru continued on her own. “I came to you hoping you could help him, at any cost.” “Any cost?” Mei Yitong turned his head and frowned at Ye Meiru, “Really, any cost?” Ye Meiru nodded solemnly, “Yes, as long as you can keep him safe, I’ll do whatever you want.” Mei Yitong clearly understood the implication in her words. He struggled to suppress the rage in his chest and questioned, “If you really loved him that much, why did you hurt him so badly back then? And why did you deliberately make me and him fall out over you?” “Back then, I was too young and foolish.” Her lips barely moved as she lightly tossed out a sentence that seemed to dismiss Mei Yitong. “And now you understand?” Mei Yitong laughed sarcastically, “How convenient that you understand now that he’s married. Haha...” “If he hadn’t got married, I couldn’t have come back. You know what my grandfather is like; if I had come back while he was still single, my grandfather would have immediately sent me to an even more remote place. I couldn’t risk it, nor did I dare to bet, because I feared I might never see him again in my lifetime. These years of life have truly made me realize, I love him, and he is the best man to me in this world. His kindness to me is unconditional, yet I hurt him so grievously. Thus, as long as I live, I must make amends, with everything I have, as long as he can forgive me. I would even lay down my life if necessary.” “How noble, but...” Mei Yitong snickered, “What you ultimately want is for him to marry you, isn’t it?” “Yes, that is my dream, but...” Ye Meiru sighed heavily, “I won’t force him, let’s just leave it to fate.” “Alright then...” Mei Yitong stood up to see her out, “What you plan to do next, I no longer wish to know. Goodbye.” “Goodbye.” Ye Meiru did not linger, swiftly standing to leave. Even as her figure vanished, Mei Yitong remained standing there, lost in thought. ... Stepping off the green train, Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe unconsciously hugged their arms close. The December air was relentlessly biting. Coming out of the warm train compartment, they felt bone-chillingly cold. In their hearts, they also felt a chill to the bone. Once they arrived back, they spread the news that they were selling the house. Initially, no one took them seriously, but as the news spread by Lin Xiaohua and her daughter spread, people began to visit. Yet all of them pressed the prices extremely low, trying to take advantage of the situation. They urgently needed the money to help the Zhou family, but they couldn’t really allow their son-in-law’s heartfelt gesture to turn into something worthless and trivial. If not for the help from Luo Gangshun, Fat Auntie, and Dagang’s Grandpa, perhaps, those who came to take advantage of them and speak sour words would have been even more numerous. What made them feel utterly cold-hearted were Old Master Lin and Old Lady Lin, as Lin Baohe’s biological parents and Lin Chuxia’s grandparents, their first action upon hearing the Zhou family’s misfortune was to come to Lin Baohe’s door and curse, saying that heaven had eyes and that they had got their just deserts. How deep must a grudge be, to kick someone when they’re already down? What they found most unacceptable was that they actually claimed Chuxia had married an old man for wealth and when he suddenly died, it had all been for naught. Those who attended the wedding had the intention of clarifying the situation for Chuxia, but unfortunately, at such times, the darker side of human nature revealed itself. They would rather believe the fabrications made up by Zhao Qiyan and her daughter than the facts that everyone spoke of. The couple faced tremendous pressure but finally managed to sell the house, and at that moment, they thought of nothing else but to quickly sell it to help the Zhou family and their daughter. The buyer of the house was a local official, over forty years old, named Fang Quan, who had been transferred from another place. As his parents were not comfortable living in the city, they ended up buying their courtyard. The price was right, and after the transaction was successful, the couple quickly took the money and returned to City A. Over the days that had passed, they had no idea of the Zhou family’s situation and were so anxious they wished they could fly straight to Chuxia’s side. But the problem was, both of them were terrible with directions! On their way here, they had been picked up by a car, and on their way back, Jing Zhe had dropped them off at the train station. The couple simply couldn’t recognize the roads. Fortunately, they had written down the detailed address of Old Master Wan’s house. Along the way, they asked for directions and finally arrived at Old Master Wan’s courtyard in the late afternoon. Having lived there for some days, once inside the courtyard, the couple no longer got lost. Midway, however, they saw their daughter helping Old Madam Zhou walk ahead, accompanied by another woman, who, judging by her silhouette, must be Chuxia’s mother-in-law. Zhao Yulan was just about to shout Chuxia’s name when Lin Baohe quickly stopped her, “Don’t shout. City folks don’t like loud calls; you’ll embarrass our Chuxia.” “Almost forgot,” Zhao Yulan chided herself while patting her head, “My brain’s almost like a block of wood,” she said as she quickened her steps to catch up. Hearing the hurried footsteps behind her, Chuxia reflexively turned around, then her eyes widened with shock, “Dad, Mom, you...” “Fellow parents, we’re back,” Zhao Yulan hurriedly pushed a large bag into Lin Yanqiu’s hands. “This is all we could gather; I hope it hasn’t caused any delays?” “Brother Lin, sister-in-law ...” Lin Yanqiu’s voice choked up, unable to continue. Old Madam Zhou’s gaze towards the couple was filled with gratitude, “You two, your timing couldn’t have been better. Thank you, really, thank you.” “Auntie, no need to thank us,” Baohe responded, “Most of this money is from the Zhou family. What we managed to borrow was limited, and we don’t even know if it will be enough. We wanted to borrow more, but...” Thinking back to those indifferent faces that refused them, Zhao Yulan bit her lip, unable to continue. Lin Baohe then patted her, smiling reassuringly at Old Madam Zhou, “Auntie, where are you heading now?” “To borrow money,” Old Madam Zhou said plainly, “You really helped us a lot.” Just an hour ago, Xiao Bingqi had come with his men to reclaim the house. Being a man who bore grudges, since he could not deal with the Jing Family, he decided to vent his anger on the Zhou family, whom he could handle. Therefore, upon hearing that the Zhou family’s old house was to be repossessed, he dropped everything and brought people over. Zhou Xikang and Zhou Shanping indeed found a rather large house, but when they went to withdraw funds, they discovered that the Zhou family’s accounts had been frozen. Since the Zhou family usually received their provisions supplied directly, they hardly kept much cash at home. Thus, scraping together their resources, they could barely cover half a month’s rent. As for the rest of the rent, the large family still needed to eat, right? Currently, everyone was unemployed, and even if they found jobs and went back to work, they wouldn’t get paid immediately. Out of necessity, Old Master Zhou had to lead the family to move things out, while Old Madam Zhou took Chuxia and Lin Yanqiu to borrow money from several well-acquainted families. The Zhou family could certainly borrow money if they tried, but it was indeed a humiliating matter, and for Old Madam Zhou, with her status, it was difficult to ask for such things. Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe hadn’t anticipated that coming at this time would, after getting a definite answer from their daughter, finally lift the weight that had been oppressing their hearts. No matter what, they had finally managed to help as they had hoped. (To be continued. 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Chapter 388: 263: Providing Help in Time of Need

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