Chapter 219: It's been a long time
The scorching summer heat left everyone parched, and the streets seemed deserted, devoid of the usual bustling crowd. The once lively road was eerily empty, with only a delivery driver emerging from a shop, standing out starkly against the silence.
Han ShuYi still had no idea what was happening outside.
Had HuMing called the police?
If he had, what should he do next?
Han ShuYi didn’t know, but he understood one thing: he needed to escape from here and find a way to contact his mother.
In his family, the only person he could truly rely on now was Zhou WenLi.
The hope in Han ShuYi’s heart hadn’t been completely extinguished.
He couldn’t comprehend why his family insisted on accepting HuMing, why they chose to follow his words.
After all, HuMing was an outsider, while he was their own flesh and blood.
Why did they trust an outsider and turn against him?A sense of despair crept into Han ShuYi’s heart as he recalled the couple who had been sent to prison. That couple had chosen to believe in him under any circumstance. Now, looking back, he realized that was the most precious thing.
Han ShuYi found it ironic. His life seemed exactly like HuMing had said—a clown..
‘No, I absolutely can’t become that kind of person!’
Han ShuYi wrestled with himself, trying to shake off the doubts and confusion clouding his mind.
He shook his head vigorously, casting away the negative emotions.
The current situation demanded a clear solution: he needed to find a phone, call his mother, and have her secretly help him.
Once the thought took root, it refused to let go.
However, he hadn’t considered that relying on others whenever faced with difficulties meant he hadn’t truly grown, even if the problems were resolved.
He often thought he was no worse than HuMing, yet when it came to choices, the difference between them was stark.
HuMing sought help from others to expedite his goals, not because he couldn’t achieve them without assistance.
Perhaps from the very beginning, Han ShuYi’s failure had been inevitable.
"Han ShuYi?"
A voice suddenly called out from behind him. Startled, Han ShuYi instinctively prepared to run, but the voice was too familiar, and his brain quickly registered it.
He spun around abruptly, seeing a familiar figure standing before him.
He had thought this person would disappear from his life, yet here they were, meeting again under such pitiful circumstances.
"Li Yue?!"
At the entrance of the alley, a young woman stood. The most striking feature was the red mark on her face.
Hearing Han ShuYi call her name, Li Yue’s expression remained calm, much to Han ShuYi’s surprise.
He had expected her to react with anger or excitement upon seeing him.
But none of the scenarios he envisioned came true. Li Yue looked at Han ShuYi as if he were another ordinary person.
"It’s me."
Li Yue was dressed plainly, her black T-shirt stained with oil spots, and her once sleek hair now unkempt.
It was as if the Li Yue of the past no longer existed.
She observed the disheveled Han ShuYi—his swollen face and tattered clothes bore no resemblance to the refined person she once knew.
"Uh… Can you help me?"
Han ShuYi stared at Li Yue, a trace of hope flickering in his eyes. But this hope did nothing to stir Li Yue, whose gaze remained indifferent. If this had been the past, she would have eagerly followed him, asking what he needed.
She glanced at him, then said, "Follow me," before turning away.
This time, Han ShuYi didn’t overthink it and quickly followed her.
Since Lee Tian’s scandal, the Lee family has been in financial ruin.
The house Li Yue once lived in was auctioned off, and to make matters worse, Lee Tian’s mistress had run off with his money.
Under such circumstances, Li Yue and her mother were forced out of their home.
Her grandparents refused to take them in, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Yu YueLuo couldn’t accept this reality. She pleaded desperately with her family to let them return.
But her actions had disgraced the Yu family. How could an outcast daughter hope to return?
Thus, Li Yue lost her home completely.
Her mother, unwilling to endure a life of poverty, eventually resorted to selling herself in an attempt to reclaim her former lifestyle.
Li Yue despised this. When her mother first told her of her decision, Li Yue tried to dissuade her, but Yu YueLuo wouldn’t listen.
Everyone around Li Yue seemed to have gone mad, and she felt on the verge of losing her own sanity. Ultimately, she chose to leave her side.
The cracks in their family had widened into an irreparable chasm.
The dreams Li Yue once cherished were long shattered. Since then, Han ShuYi had stopped contacting her.
After experiencing all that, how could Li Yue not see things clearly now?
Han ShuYi followed Li Yue to a dilapidated apartment building.
The walls of the stairwell were coated in dust, and any trace of white paint was long gone. Each apartment door was old and worn, far from anything new.
Han ShuYi found it hard to believe that Li Yue lived in such a place.
Li Yue took out a key and opened the door. Inside, the room was sparsely furnished: a table, a long, shabby sofa, and an old television.
The small space wasn’t cramped, but Han ShuYi felt that adding even a single item would leave no room to move.
Li Yue retrieved a carton of milk from the fridge and a half-eaten baguette from a cabinet, placing them in front of Han ShuYi.
"You look like you haven’t eaten. This is all I have—make do."
At the sight of food, Han ShuYi, who hadn’t eaten all day, hurriedly stuffed the bread into his mouth, devouring it ravenously.
Watching his pitiful state, Li Yue was reminded of the Han ShuYi she used to know.
Back then, he had always seemed so distant, almost untouchable.
But now, here they were, sharing a room. Looking at the man eating her food, Li Yue couldn’t help but laugh.
She wasn’t laughing at Han ShuYi but at herself.
At how her past self had been so captivated by his image, viewing him through rose-colored glasses.
Han ShuYi was just an ordinary person. Why had she lowered herself so much for him?
After all, now he was the one sitting in her home, utterly helpless…