Chapter 238 - 127: Invisible Barrier

Chapter 238: Chapter 127: Invisible Barrier

"Are you really going to cry over such a little thing?"

"That’s not it."

Suppressing her emotions, Jiang Wanyi handed the baby to Chen Yuan.

"It’s about time for her bath. She’s all yours."

"Easy."

After handing the baby to Chen Yuan, Jiang Wanyi went back to the master bedroom and closed the door.

The moment it shut, tears streamed down her face, one after another, impossible to stop.

She had thought about this problem long ago. The idea of her playing the "bad cop" role... she didn’t think she could do it.

She had also wondered what she would do if Chen Yuan ever had to discipline the child harshly. As their relationship deepened, she became certain she wouldn’t have a problem with it. She would know, with absolute certainty, that he was doing it for the child’s own good.

And she understood Chen Yuan’s reasoning. No matter how good his relationship with her daughter was, they weren’t related by blood.

There were some things a biological father could do that he couldn’t. Even if she promised him she wouldn’t think twice about it, he probably wouldn’t believe her.

Jiang Wanyi knew this herself. The reason she was sad wasn’t because of what Chen Yuan had said. It was because no matter how close they became, there would always be an insurmountable chasm between them.

If they couldn’t cross that chasm, a barrier would always exist between them, and they could never truly be together.

The tears fell, one after another, unstoppable.

She went through one tissue after another until her eyes were red and swollen.

She didn’t want to cry, but she just couldn’t stop.

When she thought of Chen Yuan again, he suddenly felt like a stranger. He seemed like a transient figure in her life, someone who would eventually leave her. They might even lose all contact, and he would become just another name in her WeChat contacts.

At this thought, she cried even harder.

The countless images of their future she had imagined all shattered in that instant.

As long as that chasm existed, they could only be best friends, nothing more.

SOB SOB SOB...

Her tears soaked a large patch of the blanket covering her.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and the more she wanted to cry. She just couldn’t get past this mental block.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

A knock sounded at the door.

"What is it?" Jiang Wanyi said, wiping away a tear.

CREAK—

Chen Yuan gently turned the knob and opened the door a crack.

’If it wasn’t a good time, she would have stopped me, so this doesn’t count as barging in. Since she didn’t say anything, it should be fine to enter.’

But when he came in, he saw that Jiang Wanyi’s eyes were red and the floor was littered with tissues.

"What happened?"

"It’s nothing."

Wiping away another tear, Jiang Wanyi got out of bed. "Is the baby looking for me?"

"No, I just put her to sleep. I was just wondering if you wanted to go check on her."

"I’ll go in a little bit."

Chen Yuan winced at the sight of all the tissues on the floor.

’Crying this much over such a little thing... Could her postpartum depression be flaring up?’

"Don’t cry. I’ll listen to you. From now on, if she causes trouble, I’ll be the one to discipline her."

"You won’t, I know it. Don’t lie to me."

"Why not? I’ve been taking care of her since she was eight months old. If she picks up any bad habits, I won’t be able to stand it either. I’ll definitely find a way to correct them."

"Nonsense."

Jiang Wanyi didn’t believe a word he said. "Don’t I know what kind of person you are? You’d never do something like that."

"Why not?"

"She’s my child. Why would you do something that would risk upsetting me?"

"But Mili’s situation is different. I’ve helped raise her, in a way," Chen Yuan said.

"I know your personality, too. You probably couldn’t bring yourself to be the ’bad cop.’ But when it comes to raising a child, someone has to play the bad guy. When that time comes, it’ll have to be me."

"And now you’re not afraid I’ll resent you for it?" Jiang Wanyi asked, displeased.

"It’s no use being afraid. I can’t just stand by and watch her go down the wrong path," Chen Yuan said.

"And what if I do resent you?"

"Then I guess that would mean I was wrong about you."

"You’re so annoying! I said I wouldn’t, so I won’t!"

The tears she had just managed to stop started falling again. Chen Yuan grabbed a tissue and dabbed them away for her.

’For her to cry this much over something so minor... It really might be her postpartum depression,’ Chen Yuan thought. ’I have to stop this.’

"You’re so annoying!"

Jiang Wanyi threw her arms around Chen Yuan, sobbing.

"You weren’t wrong about me. I’ll never, ever blame you."

The sudden embrace made Chen Yuan freeze. He gently rubbed her back.

Time seemed to stand still as Jiang Wanyi held Chen Yuan tightly, refusing to let go.

In that moment, she felt the invisible chasm between them had shrunk considerably.

"You’re a mother now, and you’re still crying like this."

"I didn’t cry in front of her. What’s wrong with crying in front of you?"

"Then let’s try to cry a little more quietly so we don’t wake the baby."

"You’re impossible."

Unable to help herself, Jiang Wanyi smiled through her tears.

"You look much better when you smile."

"I’m going to check on the baby."

Parting from Chen Yuan, Jiang Wanyi went into the other bedroom.

Little Mili was fast asleep. She gently pulled the blanket up for her and planted a kiss on her cheek, feeling content.

"I’m going to take a shower."

"Go on."

Jiang Wanyi went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower.

The streams of water from the showerhead flowed down over her, calming her racing thoughts.

’She had once joked with Chen Yuan about how perfect it would be if Mili were a little older and he were a little younger.’

’But looking at it from another angle, if he were a few years older, and she a few years younger, perhaps their story could have been a different one.’

’As the water washed over her body, Jiang Wanyi tried to rein in her emotions, to suppress her feelings.’

’Chen Yuan was already doing more than enough. It was just her being too greedy.’

’She shouldn’t be feeling this way.’

’I won’t think about it anymore. I’ll just let things take their natural course.’