Chapter 46: I Feel Like She Needs a Hug Part 1

Silence spread rapidly through the small meeting room. Lin Wanjia was in no rush; though her influence had its limits, she had more than enough resources to buy a little time.

Compared to a few minutes of bureaucracy, finding out why this child—whom she had taken under her wing just like Su Ye—was acting out was far more important. She couldn’t let her wander down a dark path.

After a long pause, the girl seemed to lose her tension. She leaned back, meeting Lin Wanjia’s gaze with a calm, flat expression. “What if I said… it’s because I know I’m going to die?” she asked tonelessly.

Lin Wanjia looked at her, bewildered.

Is this some new form of delusion?

She could barely wrap her head around the girl’s claim of being from the future, but saying she was going to die… how was that possible? Fate had looked upon them with such favor that it hadn’t even taken Su Ye’s life; why would it claim a girl this young?

“When?” Lin Wanjia asked. “And why would you think such a thing?”

Yue Chengqi picked at her fingers. “I don’t know for sure. Maybe next year, maybe the year after. But at most, I probably only have until November 2000.”

She had verified so much already. Causality. She originally thought that if she knew the ‘result,’ she could avoid the ’cause.’ Now, she realized that it was precisely because she knew the result that she was gradually becoming the cause.

If all of this was a ’cause’ she had planted herself, if coming to 1998 was an inevitable experience, and if her life was as she suspected—a reversal of karma—then she had less than three years of stolen life left.

Based on the current situation, for everything to make sense, a ‘Yue Huan’ must have existed in the past. And that person was most likely her. How absurd.

But in the future, she truly did not exist. There was no Yue Huan, only Yue Chengqi. There could only be Yue Chengqi.

Then I must do something with these three years.

Yue Huan, shouldn’t you do something with this borrowed time?

Lin Wanjia finally processed the date. “Were you born in November 2000?”

Yue Chengqi nodded. She rested her arms on her knees and leaned forward. “So, I have to do something.”

“But you and Su Ye rise and fall together. You—”

“I’ll regret it either way,” Yue Chengqi interrupted with absolute certainty. “Whether I do it or not, I’ll regret it.”

“But the consequences of that regret won’t be borne by you,” Lin Wanjia countered. “They’ll be borne by Su Ye.”

“…”

Seeing her stunned silence, Lin Wanjia sighed inwardly. She’s still young, after all. Just a child. In the heat of the moment, everything she does is so reckless.

But then again, isn’t that what youth is? Pure, unbridled momentum.

She stood up. “Forget it. As long as you’re clear-headed. Five days of detention. This is probably the first time a ‘good girl’ like you has seen the inside of a cell, isn’t it?”

“I could get you out if I wanted to, but I’m requiring you to go in. Yue Huan, both you and Little Leaf must learn to look at the bigger picture.”

Yue Chengqi looked up at her. “Can you make sure this doesn’t affect Su Ye? Don’t let it ruin the partnership she’s trying to secure. It’s very important, very…”

That was Su Ye’s biggest partner in her early years, a vital pillar for her rise to wealth. Those products would give her absolute priority in the market, putting her in an invincible position.

Please, no.

She looked at Lin Wanjia with pleading eyes, eyes that suggested she saw through everything.

Please. It only takes a word from you.

Fortunately, Lin Wanjia didn’t play dumb. There was no need. She replied calmly, “No.”

“You and Su Ye must learn to bear the consequences of your own impulses.”

“Because I love you both, you must accept your punishment and carry the weight of your actions.”

Yue Chengqi’s eyes trembled slightly before she finally looked down at her hands.

She knew Lin Wanjia was right, but…

Why can’t I choose to end this stolen life on my own terms? Why can’t I just disappear with all the guilt and stop bringing trouble to Su Ye? Is it because there’s still something I haven’t finished?

“Sister,” Yue Chengqi asked with a trembling voice, “can you tell me now? The name you chose for the baby?”

Lin Wanjia smiled. “I cannot.”

“I have absolutely no interest in the so-called future.”

*

Su Ye was waiting just outside the meeting room. However, the police station’s soundproofing was too good. Even with her ear pressed against the door, she couldn’t hear a thing. Because she was leaning so hard, she nearly tumbled inside when Lin Wanjia finally opened the door.

She scrambled back two steps, her fingers twisting nervously. “Sister, I… I was wrong,” she whispered cautiously.

Lin Wanjia was exhausted and didn’t feel like dealing with her. She bypassed Su Ye and sat down nearby to catch her breath.

Su Ye shuffled over and began timidly massaging Lin Wanjia’s legs. “What happened, Sister? What did you talk about? Five days… is there really no room for negotiation?”

“None.” Lin Wanjia rubbed her temples. “I only asked for time to speak with Ah Huan. As for the station’s sentence, that has nothing to do with me.”

Su Ye looked ready to cry. “Sister, please go plead for her. Don’t let them lock her up. I heard the people in there are all big bullies. I’m scared Ah Huan will get picked on. Sister, we know we were wrong.”

“Do you?” Lin Wanjia let out a cold laugh, her eyes sharp. “You really know you were wrong? Put your hand on your heart and tell me you know you were wrong. Do you even dare?”

“You’re quite the quick study when it comes to fighting violence with violence. Last time you went off with Qi Sheng, I didn’t scold you, so now you think you’re capable, don’t you? I know what you want to say—you were scared, your brain short-circuited, you were so angry in that moment that you lost your head.”

“Su Ye!!” The woman leaned in, poking Su Ye’s forehead. “You’re going to encounter things like this for the rest of your life! If you keep going like this, you’re going to suffer immensely. When are you going to grow up?!”

“…”

“You feel wronged? Fine, be aggrieved. But remember, the ocean of grievances you’ll have to swallow in this lifetime is endless. As your business grows, more and more people will bully you. Your brain will ‘short-circuit’ over and over again, and she will face the decision of whether to stand up for you over and over again. If you don’t learn how to endure and hold your tongue, the two of you will eventually suffer a fall you can’t get up from!”

“…”

Su Ye kept her head down, her hands slowing to a stop.

Suddenly, she snapped her head up. Her eyes were red and swollen, her voice raspy. “Why are you yelling at us?! That man was the one in the wrong first! Why are you taking turns lecturing the two of us?!”

Her outburst stunned Lin Wanjia into silence.

“To be tactful, to be sophisticated, to know when to back down—I’ve been trying so hard to learn all of it!” Su Ye shouted. “Sacrificing small interests for big gains, opening my doors to make friends—I’ve been doing everything you told me! I’ve been doing it well! But how were we supposed to endure this today?! He said he should have killed me back then! He confessed to everything! He admitted his guilt! What did I do wrong? Do I have to be scolded too? Why didn’t you just arrest me along with her?!”

“Little Leaf…”

“I won’t accept it! He deserved to be beaten! Why should we let him go?! If there are consequences for hitting him, we’ll take them! At worst, I’ll lose my business reputation and start from scratch! I’m not afraid! I’m only twenty; my life is long. I don’t believe this one incident will ruin my entire life!”

“…”

Su Ye glared at her defiantly, eyes brimming with tears. She spun her wheelchair around and headed toward the meeting room door, shouting to the person inside, “I’ll wait for you to come out! I’ll bear the consequences with you! At worst, we’ll start over! It doesn’t matter!”

Without waiting for Lin Wanjia to speak, the girl angrily wheeled herself away, never looking back.

She ignored the voices calling her name, telling her to slow down.

Lin Wanjia was so frustrated she could hardly sit straight, her head spinning. Fortunately, Zhang Mingfang had been sitting nearby. Once the shouting stopped, she hurried over to support Lin Wanjia. “That child is so ungrateful,” Mingfang scolded. “Who else would look out for her if not for someone who cares?”

Lin Wanjia leaned against her, taking several deep breaths before speaking. “Don’t blame her. She’s young. Still so young.”

Lin Wanjia lowered her gaze and let out a long sigh. “It’s my fault too. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. She went through too much today. I should have waited until tomorrow…”

“You’re the one who spoiled her!” Zhang Mingfang snapped, cutting her off.

Lin Wanjia looked at her in shock.

“Even now, you’re blaming yourself?” Zhang Mingfang said angrily. “Those two brats caused such a mess, and you’ve been running around for them even though you’re not their mother. You’ve done more than enough. You spoiled them!”

“Are you going to make me angry too?” the woman asked, her voice tinged with a playful pout. Zhang Mingfang was instantly defeated. She silently hugged her and sighed. “That little brat. I really want to tan her hide.”

“If the one in your belly is this disobedient, I’m applying to be the first one to spank her.”

Lin Wanjia swatted her lightly. “Nonsense.”

“See? You also think Little Leaf is being disobedient.”

“…I can’t win with you!”

“Oh? The great Miss Lin, who can shake up Guangzhou from thousands of kilometers away, finally found someone she can’t outtalk?”

Lin Wanjia looked up at her. “Are you quite finished?”

Zhang Mingfang made a ‘zipping her lips’ gesture. “Fine, fine. I’ll stop.”

Lin Wanjia finally relaxed.

Back in the meeting room, she had already prepared herself for a fight with the little one, which was why she had placed constraints on Yue Huan beforehand. It wasn’t anything major—she simply forbade her from casually revealing the future to Su Ye ever again.

Yue Chengqi had found it strange. “Su Ye has never relied on my information.”

“I know,” Lin Wanjia had nodded. “But there are some walls she has to hit on her own. If fate is truly set in stone and unchangeable, you could just tell her who her future partners are the moment you leave, and she’d be set for life. She’d just have to go down the list.”

“But she wouldn’t grow that way. And she must grow up.”

Yue Chengqi looked down. “Growing up is cruel.”

To go from a crybaby little sister to a gentle, formidable woman who commanded the business world… who knew what price had to be paid? Who knew how much suffering she had to endure?

Lin Wanjia gripped her hand. “Since you want what’s best for her too, let her hit the walls she needs to hit now. The further you go, the higher the cost of hitting a wall, and the smaller the chance of a comeback.”

“You need to grow up, and so does she.”

“Do you understand?”

The subtext was clear: While the older generation was still around and capable of providing a safety net, they needed to let Su Ye experience her failures now so that her future would be smooth.

Yue Chengqi bowed her head. “I understand. I will remember everything that happened today. I will grow.”

But her heart was cold. She realized that the way she had asked Lin Wanjia those two questions had already exposed everything about the future. That was why Lin Wanjia had made this arrangement.

Lin Wanjia believed more than anyone that the future couldn’t be changed.

But I don’t believe it. I’m going to keep struggling.

“Good.” Lin Wanjia paused, stroking the girl’s face. “I believe in you.”

–

Now, Lin Wanjia stared down in thought for a long time before whispering, “Has her journey been a bit too smooth so far?”

“Don’t force her growth. She’s already much more outstanding than other children her age.”