644 A Million Times for You 6 (2/2)

He sounded firm and certain.

”I don't know if it's because I spoiled Bao'er rotten since she was young or she has inherited her father's heartless nature. She detests the thought of being in my custody, but I still don't want to give her up to him. I know very well what kind of a scoundrel Shi Shaochuan is. What's going to happen to Bao'er when he gets married again in the future? At least you wouldn't maltreat her if she remains in my custody,” said Jin Qingyue, voicing her thoughts.

Ling Ciye stared at her in an unruffled manner and questioned, ”How are you so sure that I'll be good to her?”

”I just know you will. Brother Ciye, I've never asked you this before, but does Bao'er's existence make you feel uncomfortable? If it does, I'm willing to give up the rights to her custody.”

Ling Ciye was truly appalled to hear her words for he had never expected her to say something like that.

”If I really don't want you to fight for her custody, will you really give it up?”

”Yes, I will, because I don't want you to be unhappy.”

”But I don't want you to be unhappy either.” He stood up and stared at her earnestly. ”No man would want to be someone else's stepfather willingly. They usually only concede for the sake of the woman they love. Since Shi Shaochuan wants to take the matter to court to fight for the custody rights, we'll go ahead and take him on.”

Tears welled up in Jin Qingyue's eyes as she said, ”Brother Ciye, why are you so nice to me? I'm not perfect, and I have an extremely flawed and embarrassing past.”

”Because you're nice to me, and you treat me with sincerity too. Let bygones be bygones and let's leave the past behind. The present and the future are of utmost importance. We still have a long way ahead of us. Slow and steady wins the race,” said Ling Ciye, hugging her tightly.

Greatly moved to tears, she nodded fervently and agreed, ”Okay.”

——

As evening approached, the warm, yellow lamp lit up in the elderly lady's backyard in Beijia Bay.

Xu Baizhi and the elderly lady were having dinner together while sitting by the dining table.

There were more dishes than rice. The food prepared by the elderly lady was bland and tasteless.

Xu Baizhi lost her appetite and stopped eating after a few mouthfuls.

She put down her chopsticks and remained silent while sitting opposite the elderly lady, who was eating unhurriedly.

Noticing that she had stopped eating, the elderly lady asked, ”You're not used to the food, are you?”

”A little.”

”But it can't be helped. You'll be staying here for more than just a few days. If you think the food I prepare is unappetizing, you shall cook our meals from tomorrow onwards.”

Bai Zhi agreed with a nod, ”Sure.”

The elderly lady's eyes lit up in surprise. ”Do you know where the difference between you and Ms. An lies?”

”I don't,” Xu Baizhi answered respectfully, well aware of how highly skilled the elderly lady was.

”You're both very popular with men, and your other halves are completely devoted to you. You don't enjoy stirring unnecessary trouble, and you both are blessed with fortune. But you're not different from her simply because your fate has been altered. You have to understand why the lives of everyone go on different paths. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your individual personality and willpower. Altering your fate will only change the rough path and direction that your life will follow. If you obstinately hold on to your core personality and mindset, it'd be difficult to alter your fate. The world would be in chaos if everyone's destiny could be changed so easily. I'll help you this once, but if you insist on going back to your former ways and continue being ignorant about how you should protect yourself, even Heaven can't help you.”

”I understand.”

However, the elderly lady shook her head and said, ”No, you don't. If you understood, you wouldn't still be thinking that you ended up in this plight because of someone else's doing. Instead, you'd be reflecting on yourself and trying to find out where your mistakes lie.”

Xu Baizhi was astonished and perturbed to find that the elderly lady could read her mind clearly.

She could not help but feel a little guilty.

”Your husband genuinely loves you. If you're true to him, do pull him out of this predicament too. Don't treat him half-heartedly. The circumstances are different now. You definitely have the ability to help him.”

”Got it,” Xu Baizhi answered with a straight face.

The elderly lady put her chopsticks down and said, ”Go and do the dishes, then come inside my room once you're done.”

”Alright.”