Chapter 116: Questions
Lu Yucai’s fingers tightened around the armrest of his wheelchair before slowly loosening.
Like a man who had finally freed himself from his own dilemma, he said calmly, "I won’t leave her if I’m still the only recipient of her love."
Meng Xiaoni chuckled lightly. His laughter carried almost no emotion, just like the rest of his expression.
Yet his next words struck Lu Yucai like a knife.
"She might be loyal to you now, but will she still be loyal after ten years? The reality is that women are fickle, and they have too many options. Why would one woman remain loyal to only four husbands?"
As he asked the question, Meng Xiaoni stared at his own reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window.
Lu Yucai lowered his gaze. "Because when she was given a choice, she still decisively chose us."
Meng Xiaoni continued staring at his reflection. "How long can that decisiveness last? Can it last a lifetime?"
Lu Yucai fell silent.
Meng Xiaoni finally spoke again.
"Lu Yucai, I don’t understand you. You claim that you want to die, yet you’re constantly trying to find reasons to survive. It’s contradictory."
Lu Yucai was stunned. "Even I don’t know. I want to survive for her, but I keep doing things that make me feel as though I don’t deserve to survive at all."
His words made Meng Xiaoni pause. "Then choose one. If you can’t choose, don’t make her suffer. She’s a kind person."
Lu Yucai looked at him.
"You’re siding with her."
Meng Xiaoni shook his head and finally turned toward Lu Yucai, though he still didn’t meet his eyes.
"I’m not siding with anyone."
Meng Xiaoni stayed silent for a moment, staring at the air in front of him before finally speaking.
"You might not believe this, but I used to be biased against women. However, I’ve realized that Ni Mengxue is genuinely a kind woman. Even after I treated her badly, even after I rejected her outright, and even after I used her love for my own benefit, she never became angry and even willingly let me take advantage of her."
He paused.
"By this point, many women would have snapped. She didn’t. That proves she is genuinely a good woman, so I don’t want her to suffer. I don’t want to see her unhappy. Even though I don’t like her that way, I still wish for her to be happy."
Lu Yucai remained silent.
Meng Xiaoni continued, "You can’t make up for the people who died, but you can make up for their deaths by taking care of the people they left behind. As long as you look after those who are still alive, the dead would at least be able to rest peacefully in the underworld."
His gaze remained calm.
"And as for blaming yourself for surviving while the people you loved died, you should be smart enough not to repeat the same mistake."
Lu Yucai suddenly raised his voice. "But I still failed again! I still failed!"
Meng Xiaoni shook his head. "I heard that this time, only Ruo Chiwu died. Last time, you lost many more people."
He looked at Lu Yucai.
"Lu Yucai, you’ve improved. Instead of thinking only about how you’ve made another terrible mistake, look at the brighter side. If you continue dwelling on everything negative, you’ll never be able to move forward."
He gestured toward the people outside.
"And what about the people who are waiting for you to recover? Just look at them. They’re filled with worry, anxiety, and panic because they want you to survive."
Meng Xiaoni’s voice remained calm, but his words became heavier.
"And you, on the other hand, aren’t even fighting. Lu Yucai, for once in your life, try to fight."
He paused.
"If you think you’ve let down those who are dead, then at least try to make it up to those who are still alive and might be living only because they want you to survive."
After saying that, Meng Xiaoni turned and walked away.
Although he hadn’t been present when Ni Mengxue had declared that she would die if any one of her husbands died, he had heard about it.
Once Meng Xiaoni left, Lu Yucai remained in the room for a while.
When he finally came out, he saw Ni Mengxue leaning against the wall.
Her leg was tapping lightly against the floor as though she were following some musical rhythm. Her expression remained calm, but there was a faint trace of panic in her eyes... something she rarely allowed herself to show.
Lu Yucai suddenly felt as though he understood a lot more than before.
He wheeled himself toward her. Ni Mengxue immediately walked over and began checking him.
Only after confirming that he wasn’t injured did she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She gave him a cautious smile.
"You’re not hurt by anything Meng Xiaoni said, right? He thinks about things too logically sometimes. If he said anything that made you uncomfortable, just tell me. I’ll warn him and make sure he doesn’t say anything harsh to you again."
Meng Xiaoni, who was still nearby, paused. He remained expressionless as he walked past the sofa, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water.
He deliberately maintained his usual calm demeanor.
Yet, for some reason, the atmosphere in the room seemed to grow colder.
Ni Mengxue didn’t notice.
Lu Yucai did. He suddenly looked at Ni Mengxue.
"Come here."
Ni Mengxue leaned closer subconciously. The next second, Lu Yucai reached up and kissed her.
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
Until now, Ni Mengxue had always been the one acting shamelessly affectionate and taking the initiative with her husbands.
But now, Lu Yucai had actually taken the initiative to show affection in front of everyone. It was practically unprecedented.
Someone nearby immediately whispered, "Mr. Lu is really making progress. I wonder when we’ll get a Young Master Lu."
Meng Xiaoni stood up and walked toward the door.