Zhan Jingrui cried, and she felt like crying too.
"Don't be like this, don't cry. Jingrui, don't cry."
Zhan Jingrui was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
But hearing the tremor of tears in He Yao's voice, he still tried to compose himself.
Not wanting He Yao to see his disheveled state, he slid off the chair and knelt by the hospital bed, grasping her hand and burying his face in her arm.
Then, with a trembling voice, after several attempts, he managed to ask.
"Did it hurt?"
He Yao thought he was referring to her head. Although the anesthesia had worn off, it did ache a little.
But she still said, "It doesn't hurt. I had anesthesia, it doesn't hurt."
Zhan Jingrui's nose stung, and he felt the urge to cry again.
"I meant back then. When you found out you were pregnant, and everyone made things difficult for you, and I wasn't by your side... did it hurt a lot?"
After saying this, he looked up, his eyes and nose red, his lips trembling as he looked at He Yao.
"Why were you so foolish? Why didn't you tell me?"
He Yao was pulled back to that time by his words.
It was indeed quite humiliating. Her mother, uncle, aunt, and even his uncle had all treated her with disdain and embarrassment.
But no matter what, she had gotten through it. What was the point of bringing it up again?
"It's okay, I'm tough and resilient since childhood..."
"Don't you dare say that! I don't care what happened before, but you're not allowed to talk about yourself like that again!"
Zhan Jingrui hated He Yao's self-deprecation. He abruptly shifted from his remorseful and sorrowful mood to an irrefutable seriousness.
"I didn't know the truth before, and I misunderstood you, which is why I got together with Chu Xi and lost contact with you for so many years. It was all my fault."
"I apologize to you, He Yao. Whether you forgive me or not, from now on, I won't allow you to leave me again."
"I'm sorry to you, sorry to our child, for letting you bear so much alone. From today onwards, I want to compensate you, to make up for everything I've owed you over the years."
He Yao had also had such dreams before.
In her dreams, she and Zhan Jingrui cleared up their misunderstandings, he held her hand, spoke affectionately, and they started anew, vowing to be together for a lifetime.
He Yao thought this scenario was what she had longed for. If it ever truly happened, she would go mad with joy.
But in reality, it didn't.
The misunderstanding was cleared up. But they could never go back to how they were.
"Get up. Wipe your face. Let's talk properly. Don't be like schoolchildren."
He Yao didn't want both of them to be trapped in a childishly sad mood and make irresponsible decisions.
So, after letting Zhan Jingrui hold her hand for a while, she said calmly.
"Regardless, we've both cleared up the misunderstanding. Knowing that you no longer resent me, and are even willing to start over with me, makes me very happy."
"It means you truly loved me. My eyes weren't blind, and my love for you wasn't in vain. That's enough."
"I don't need your compensation. I'm alone now, and when one person is fed, the whole family isn't hungry. I don't need much material comfort."
"Having a stable job and a decent monthly income is enough for me."
"It's enough for me to be hurt. Chu Xi is innocent, and you can't wrong her again."
"Let's be friends from now on. True friends who can put aside our grievances and face each other honestly."
"You go marry Chu Xi, and I'll live my life well. With our hearts unburdened, this is the most perfect outcome, isn't it?"