Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Bai Xue’s word "divorce" made Ye He Ping, who was pacing back and forth in the living room, stop and look straight at her. Bai Xue lost her confidence but still stubbornly met his gaze.

She didn’t want a divorce, but seeing Ye He Ping scold her , she couldn’t swallow her pride. Besides, isn’t it usually the woman who mentions divorce, and the man gets scared and comes back to coax his wife? Unconsciously, Bai Xue calculated in this way too.

Time seemed to stop at this moment, so quiet that Bai Xue could hear her own heartbeat.

For a long while, so long that Bai Xue could hardly sit still, she heard the voice she both hoped for and feared, "Do you really mean it?"

No shouting, no questioning; such a calm voice made Bai Xue realize things weren’t going as she had planned. Staring blankly at the man before her, he didn’t even try to keep her. Could it be that the feelings over the years meant nothing to him?

The grievance and anger in her heart made the usually sharp-witted Bai Xue refuse to lower her head at this moment, "Yes."

"Fine, it seems we can’t continue living . If we both don’t want it, then let’s not do it. Tomorrow I’ll file a divorce report, and we’ll get divorced. You don’t like the older child, so she will stay with me. You take Ye Qian, and I’ll give you ten bucks a month for living expenses," Ye He Ping laid out the details directly.

Bai Xue’s face turned as white as paper, "Fine."

Ye He Ping took large strides towards the East Room, not wanting to stay any longer, which fiercely pierced Bai Xue’s heart. Tears fell like rain. The door to the West Room was flung open, and Ye Qian rushed out with red eyes and a tear-streaked face, her voice sharp, "Dad, don’t divorce Mom. Don’t leave Mom and me. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened, and sister wouldn’t have been wronged and ran away in anger."

As she spoke, Ye Qian reached the door of the East Room and hugged her father from behind, "Dad, Mom was just angry. For years, Mom has given so much for this family wholeheartedly, and you’ve seen it too. Whenever I and Mom are home, Mom would always apologize to Grandma, hoping that one day when the family’s situation improves, we could bring Grandma and sister here. Mom always said she didn’t dare say these things in front of Dad, fearing it would upset you more."

"Dad, when Mom hit sister, and she ran out, Mom cried the whole time. Mom is worried about sister and heartbroken that sister misunderstood her, feeling too ashamed to face her. Dad, can you understand the pain in Mom’s heart? What mother doesn’t want to be good to her daughter? It’s because I’m disappointing, getting such a disease, that our family ended up , and we still haven’t reached the day we can bring Grandma and sister here."

As Ye Qian spoke, she cried, holding tighter to her father from behind, unwilling to let go. Ye He Ping didn’t pull away, and listening to his daughter’s words, his eyes involuntarily reddened. Sitting in the living room, Bai Xue could no longer hold back her sobs after hearing her daughter’s words.

"Dad, if you divorce Mom, I won’t live," Ye Qian’s final harsh words ultimately softened Ye He Ping’s heart.

"Don’t say such things; what are you talking about?" Ye He Ping turned around and scolded, with a tone of concern, "Dad and Mom won’t divorce, and you also have to be well."

Ye Qian obediently nodded repeatedly, "I’ll behave, as long as Dad doesn’t divorce Mom."

Ye He Ping let out a long sigh, patting his daughter’s head, "Alright, go back to your room and sleep. Dad will talk to your mom."

Having brought her father’s words back, Ye Qian felt relieved, nodded, and obediently returned to the West Room. As she closed the door, she saw her mother still wiping tears and couldn’t help but worry. She just hoped that when her father spoke, her mother wouldn’t stubbornly refuse to budge.

Ye He Ping sat down opposite his wife, "I was just angry earlier. Lingzi suffered such a great injustice, and it’s one thing for you as a mother not to feel heartache, but to not recognize her really disappointed me. In my impression, you’ve always been gentle and good-tempered. You can ask around the whole courtyard; everyone sees you this way too. But I just can’t understand how you could say such things?"

"Prior to this, I too had some opinions about Lingzi, thinking she was immature, but as I gradually got to know her, I found she’s actually quite good—just not good at getting close to people, but she’s very sensible." Knowing that his wife wasn’t truly intent on divorcing, Ye He Ping continued, "When Lingzi comes back, get along well with her. No matter how you feel, she’s still our child. Moreover, the high school entrance exams are coming up soon. If she really gets in and wants to, let her stay in the dorm."

Wanting his wife and daughter to act as if nothing had happened was impossible, so it was better to have Lingzi stay at the school dorm once she got into high school. This way, they’d have less contact, and meeting only on weekends wouldn’t cause as many conflicts. Otherwise, he feared the relationship between mother and daughter might grow more distant.

"I want to mend things too, but how can I if she doesn’t come back home?" Feeling relieved that letting their daughter stay in the dorm meant her husband wasn’t entirely siding with their eldest daughter, Bai Xue’s heart eased, "Besides, the high school is in the city. How many families in the city let their kids stay in the dorm?"

"By then, even if we don’t let her, she might want to stay in the dorm," Ye He Ping forced a bitter smile. "Let’s not talk about this now. If she doesn’t come back tomorrow, I’ll go look for her at school the day after. She still has to go to school; let’s talk to her then. When she comes back, make sure things are good between you two, just don’t argue with her again."

"What else dare I say? I only said a few words, and she already made such a fuss." Bai Xue glared at her husband, "Even you would leave me for her. I don’t have the nerve anymore."

Ye He Ping chuckled awkwardly twice, "Wasn’t I also provoked by your words? Let me say this: in a marriage, you can’t just bring up divorce at every turn. There are instances where people divorce in anger only to later reconcile, but in the end, isn’t it the relationship that gets hurt?"

Bai Xue felt a bit embarrassed, "Okay, I understand all this. You don’t need to lecture me. You should go back to the company tomorrow. I’ll go to the school the day after tomorrow. She’s my daughter; can I truly be harsh to her?"

Ye He Ping hesitated for a moment, and Bai Xue saw the hidden anger for their eldest daughter. However, she said on the surface, "I just want to mend our relationship. If you think it’s not a good idea, then you go instead."

Seeing his wife’s intention, and always wanting her relationship with their eldest daughter to improve, Ye He Ping could no longer refuse and agreed without hesitation.

The turmoil in the Ye Family finally quieted down at midnight. Over at Grandma Zhang Linong’s bungalow, Ye Ling was escorting Zhao Guodong and Zhang Linong back, "It’s so late; you two should head back." (To be continued. If you work, you’re welcome to qidian.com to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)