BXBX NOVEL Chapter 197: Mutual Concern
Chapter 197: Mutual Concern
“Don’t you think there’s something weird about Second Brother? What’s up with those books he’s reading! Second Brother doesn’t even have a daughter, but he’s reading books on how a father should guide an adolescent girl’s concept of love – Old Man, do you think there’s something wrong with him?” “What could be wrong? Move away, don’t block my view of Animal World.”
Father Yu turned on the TV, and Mother Yu exploded in anger.
“How can you not care about your son!”
“He’s 30 years old. Is there anything he can’t handle? Second Brother has always been a good child, when has he ever worried us? Don’t speculate, just sit down and watch TV.”
“Well…” Mother Yu thought about it and figured Second Brother should be alright. That boy had always been smart and sensible; hopefully, she was just overthinking things.
On the day before Panpan’s second psychotherapy session, Xiao Qian happened to receive a call from Jia Xiufang asking her to come home immediately, so Xiao Qian was absent the next day. Professor Liu took Dong Yi with her to the therapy session, but when an emergency arose halfway through, Liu left Dong Yi to handle it on her own since she seemed to be doing fine.
Following the instructions from Xiao Qian and Professor Liu, Dong Yi completed the entire treatment. After receiving the therapy, Panpan quickly fell asleep, leaving only Dong Yi and Yu Mingyi alone.
“Uncle—”
“Dong Yi—”
Both spoke simultaneously, then stopped in unison.
“You first!”
“You first!”
Such harmony was simply unparalleled.
Second Brother signaled for Dong Yi to go first, and after assembling her thoughts, she finally found the right words.
“Uncle, missed opportunities are usually unsuitable. If you’re feeling sad, you’re always welcome to talk to me. I’m willing to listen. Don’t let your hidden sorrows put you under too much pressure. I mean, actually, a person’s world can be wonderful too. Just don’t get sick from suppressing your feelings.”
Dong Yi had thought so long about what to say, but when she saw Yu Mingyi’s serious face, she found it hard to speak smoothly.
She was so much less professional than Boss Qian. When Boss Qian provided psychotherapy, it always seemed so natural. But Dong Yi always felt like she was a bit too stiff.
She didn’t dare to see what kind of expression Yu Mingyi had.
At that moment, Yu Mingyi’s expression was a strange mixture of amusement and frustration. What on earth was this little girl trying to say, going in circles like that?
“Are you talking about my divorce?”
“Ah, no, I’m sorry. I was just—I, I didn’t mean to make things worse?” She wanted to be like Boss Qian – subtle, mysterious, and silently impart wisdom like a gentle rain. But the “silent rain” effect didn’t come out. Instead, it felt like a bowl of chicken soup had been dumped on Uncle’s head, drenching him.”
It seemed like it would be a long time before she could reach Boss Qian’s level… So frustrating.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Yu Mingyi looked at Dong Yi’s guilt-ridden expression and swallowed down the theories he’d read in those books about educating young girls.1
Forget it. He and Dong Yi had similar personalities – neither was particularly good at comforting others. If he spoke the lines he had prepared to educate Dong Yi about not randomly pursuing boys with Mohawk hairstyles, it probably wouldn’t be very appropriate either.
“After getting a divorce, I can’t help but wonder if she’s doing well now.” Yu Mingyi held his sleeping son and spoke words he had never shared with anyone else before.
He’d never even said these things to his own family.
“If there’s still love, you can try to salvage the relationship. After all, Panpan is still there, and growing up in a complete family would be better for him.”
Dong Yi sat with him on the sofa, and the two of them chatted naturally.
“It’s not about love. It’s just that I’ve been worried about her illness. I heard her treatment has been going well recently, so I’ve been relieved.”
“Still thinking about each other after separating, Uncle, you must be a very sentimental person.”
Yu Mingyi chuckled, “Why am I talking about this with a little girl like you? Sit here for a while; I’ll put Panpan on the bed. When my mom comes over later, I’ll take you back to school.”
Yu Mingyi went into the room to put his son to bed. Seeing there was nothing else to do, Dong Yi helped him tidy up the room, wiping the table and mopping the floor.
However, she accidentally knocked over a folder under the coffee table, spilling its contents.
She hurriedly picked them up, but as she did so, she caught sight of the words on the papers.
It was very neat handwriting, strong and upright, just like Yu Mingyi himself. However, the content made it hard for Dong Yi to accept.
Yu Mingyi came out to find her looking at his resignation application. Dong Yi quickly put it down and said awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into your things. I just bumped into it while cleaning…”
“It’s okay. Everyone will find out sooner or later.”
“Uncle, are you really… going to resign?” Dong Yi couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, I wrote this a year ago. I just haven’t submitted it yet. With my rank, the contract term isn’t enough to resign, so I can still work for a few more years.”
It was already written a long time ago… Dong Yi found it hard to believe.
“Why? Uncle, don’t you like your job?”
“Uncle, can you tell me about it?”
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll just worry about you…” Dong Yi was anxious and didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, she thought of Boss Qian’s usual approach, so she looked up at Yu Mingyi with teary eyes.
Boss Qian once said that I’ve recently shown improvement in my condition and shouldn’t be too anxious; otherwise, my sleepwalking might relapse. Can you please not make me worry?”
Yu Mingyi had often seen Wang Xiaohong cry before, but it was always because he had wronged her in some way. Using tears as a weapon in the long run, Yu Mingyi had developed an instinctive aversion to women’s tears. However, Dong Yi’s tears were different; they were tears of concern for him.
Recalling how Dong Yi had clumsily comforted him earlier, Yu Mingyi knew that the caring little girl would keep worrying if she didn’t know the truth, so he sat on the sofa and explained to her.
“Don’t worry. I decided to resign a long time ago.”
At the time, his mother had urged him to get married. He figured his father wouldn’t approve, and Wang Xiaohong’s personality would surely cause trouble if he continued to rise in his career. Considering all factors, his father would inevitably agree reluctantly. Both his parents’ wishes would be maintained, and he himself didn’t have a strong concept of marriage; he thought that marrying anyone would be the same. So when his friend asked him to look after his widowed sister, he just went along and married her.
As a result, everyone was miserable. Wang Xiaohong’s illness didn’t get better and even worsened; his parents were unhappy, and Second Brother Yu was somewhat lost.
“Why did you want to resign so early?”
Mother Yu, who had just returned from buying groceries, had overheard the conversation while standing at the door, trying to take out her key to unlock it.
The sound insulation of the house wasn’t good, and the door was only a single layer. They could clearly hear the conversation between the two sitting on the sofa from outside.
“Given my current situation, I’m no longer suited to continue flying. I need to find a way to break the news to my father that won’t hurt his feelings..”