Chapter 695 - 464: I’m Not a Bot (Part 3)

"That’s not true! Don’t talk such nonsense," Jiang Ning retorted, instantly agitated. Her glistening eyes widened. "After persisting for so long, we’re finally getting a resolution. I have every reason to be happy, so how could I be against it? Yaoyao is my own sister; of course I want her to be happy."

She truly wanted her sister to be happy, but her own happiness was an absolute lie.

Her expression and reaction had made that perfectly clear.

It was more than just not wanting them to get engaged; her resentment was practically radiating off her. She just wasn’t willing to admit it to herself.

She was just pretending to be magnanimous.

Girls were always like that. What they said rarely matched what they truly felt.

Sometimes, they even went as far as to deceive themselves.

The two of them were about to get engaged, and they hadn’t even bothered to tell her, making her feel like a third wheel. Jiang Ning had been furious that day. But on second thought, she realized that anything between Chen Yuan and Jiang Yao was for them to discuss and decide. It had nothing to do with her.

’That’s right... It has nothing to do with me.’

At that thought, an indescribable pain tightened in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"If you’re unhappy, you can say so. You can argue, you can cause a scene—at least let me know what you’re thinking," Chen Yuan said calmly. "Just don’t say the opposite of what you feel."

"What makes you think I’m unhappy? It was just a little sudden when you told me, and I needed some time to process it. Is that not okay? I’m over it now. It’s nothing," she retorted stubbornly, forcing an air of indifference.

She even forced a smile.

But the smile was undeniably stiff.

"Is that so?" Chen Yuan didn’t buy it at all.

"Forget it. Let’s not talk about this anymore. There’s nothing I can do if you won’t believe me. You always have to assume the worst in people." Jiang Ning shot him a resentful look before lowering her head and resuming her studies.

But she flipped through several pages rapidly, her movements swift.

All her earlier focus was gone.

Instead, her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea how she could possibly continue studying.

A moment passed in tense silence. Chen Yuan didn’t speak either.

Jiang Ning looked up, frowning. "Instead of just sitting here doing nothing, why don’t you go find Yaoyao next door? Don’t distract me from my studies. We’ve already said everything that needs to be said."

"I thought I was taking a break?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"You’ve been ’taking a break’ for half an hour. You’re not done resting yet?"

Chen Yuan was momentarily struck speechless. After a brief daze, a suspicion suddenly crossed his mind.

"Ningning, you’re jealous, aren’t you?"

"Jealous? What would I be jealous of?" She found the idea almost laughable.

"You’ve been a little cold to me ever since I brought up the engagement. If it’s not jealousy, what else could it be..."

"Impossible. Don’t you dare accuse me of making things up," Jiang Ning warned him with a glare, her lips pursing awkwardly. "Why are you being so annoying today? Hurry up and go next door. Don’t get in my way."

"You’ve been trying to shoo me away this whole time. You’re just jealous. You don’t want me and Yaoyao to get engaged, do you?"

"It’s not that. If I have any resentment, it’s only because you made such a hasty decision without discussing it with me. I told you before—if you were going to make a choice, you should have said so earlier instead of stringing the other person along. I’m just annoyed that you failed to do that."

"What have I decided? You’re the one who always told me to respect your opinions and wishes, and I have. I don’t understand why you’re being so difficult about everything... Why don’t you both just marry me at the same time? This engagement can settle it, and we can avoid all this entanglement that’s making everyone miserable," Chen Yuan said, his eyes darkening.

"If Jiang Yao and I really did both marry you, and we had a child, let me ask you this: how would you explain to them why everyone else has one mom, but they have two? What if they’re discriminated against because of gossip and rumors? What if they develop a complex because their family isn’t normal? I grew up in a single-parent home. Do you have any idea what that feels like?!" Jiang Ning, suddenly incensed, balled up her fist and punched him on the shoulder.

She immediately realized she’d lost her composure and pulled her hand back.

"Have you even thought about any of that?" she demanded, shooting him a glare, still fuming.

And she was right.

Chen Yuan himself had two fathers. He never knew how to explain it to people, so he usually just avoided the topic altogether, because the explanation was just too complicated.

It had taken him a long time to mentally prepare himself back in middle school.

Only then could he finally accept those unchangeable facts of his life.

"When they grow up... they’ll probably understand," he said after a moment of thought.

"And what if they don’t understand? Will you regret it then? So, I marry you with Jiang Yao. Fine. But can you guarantee that for decades to come—day in, day out—you won’t second-guess the decision you’re making right now? Life can feel short, but it’s also made up of countless days and nights. The situation with my family when I was a child was unchangeable—the dead can’t come back to life, after all. So am I supposed to let something like that have a chance of happening again? If Yaoyao and I marry you, and our life together doesn’t solve all these problems, then what? Do we get a divorce? If not, do we just suffer in silence forever?"

Jiang Ning had finally laid the issue of the next generation bare.

This was her biggest fear.

Aside from her traditional values, this was the one problem she could never find a solution for, which was why she was so conflicted.

’It was true, the two of them could marry him. Chen Yuan would be an unbelievably happy and cheerful man. But could a person really be so selfish? Perhaps Chen Yuan’s solution would be to just not have children.’

’Impossible.’

Jiang Ning longed for a happy, peaceful family more than anything. She also wanted to have her own baby, and a husband that she loved.