Chapter 1207 - 809: No Regrets

Yin Shixiu was driving, secretly glancing at Su Xiaomeng with the corner of his eye, and seeing her looking straight ahead, he slightly relaxed.

In the end, Yin Shixiu also became one of those many men who were afraid of their wives... Not because the wife was fearsome, but because he feared she would get angry and leave him.

Seven years into the marriage, whether this itch was real for others, he did not know; he only knew he had just gotten past it.

Those old and rotten affairs, which were almost ten years past, could still be brought up, and Yin Shixiu was truly speechless.

If it weren’t for Chen Lan pulling up some information on "Pu Wei," seeing her face and the label of Beijing University professor on her career profile, he really wouldn’t have remembered this person.

"Pu Wei is a student of one of mom’s students; her family is a family of professors, from her grandfather’s generation to hers... "

"I know about this; get to the point!"

Su Xiaomeng immediately said impatiently, feeling very irritated when Yin Shixiu started beating around the bush.

Yin Shixiu licked his lips, "Actually, I had nothing much to do with her, just dated for a while. At that time she came as a guest with her teacher to the house, and just around that time I had recently returned to the country, met by chance... Thought she was well-read, gentle and elegant, and later on, one thing led to another, and we ended up dating..."

Yin Shixiu spoke simply, seemingly wanting to brush off Su Xiaomeng with this sentence. When faced with the red light, the car stopped behind the yellow solid line. Yin Shixiu took a moment to look at Su Xiaomeng, only to see her glaring at him fiercely with wide eyes...

"Yin Shixiu, I know there are many women you’ve been with! I’ve never wanted to dig into your past, but your past keeps jumping in front of me for no reason!"

The past Luo Feiya, the later Chu Jiao, and now this... Pu Wei.

A Beijing University professor whom she had never met, knowledgeable and well-known, who plagiarized a thesis written by a newly graduated master’s student, no matter how good it was...!

Chi Lun may indeed have been right; this Pu Wei might really be targeting her!

A young teacher who just graduated from school and entered university to teach fears nothing more than scandals of academic plagiarism and copying. Once it’s confirmed, the teaching career is done.

Thinking this through carefully... Su Xiaomeng felt a chill on her back.

No, no, a reputable Beijing University professor wouldn’t do something so absurd over a relationship that ended so long ago.

There must be some misunderstanding among these... Su Xiaomeng thought.

"At that time, Pu Wei was just twenty-two or twenty-three years old. She dated me with the idea of marriage, but I hadn’t considered marriage at all then." Yin Shixiu knew the matter had been exposed, and hiding it would make Su Xiaomeng uncomfortable, so he honestly spoke.

"A well-read, gentle and elegant daughter from a scholarly family, you think the other party is just playing around?"

Su Xiaomeng was simply incredulous.

"Well-read, gentle and elegant, scholarly family is true, but she was very independent and modern; during the relationship, she didn’t show any sign of entrusting her future to me... Who knew she would become so intense later."

Yin Shixiu shrugged, looking helpless.

Sometimes Su Xiaomeng felt this man was really cold-blooded and ruthless.

She thought that Pu Wei might be a woman deeply hurt by Yin Shixiu, but looking at his current attitude, it seems he doesn’t feel the slightest guilt towards Pu Wei.

"Later... how did it become intense?"

"Upon breaking up, she couldn’t believe it and attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills."

"..." Su Xiaomeng’s eyes suddenly widened, looking as if they might pop out, turning her head to look at Yin Shixiu in shock...

He continued narrating that past like an unrelated storyteller, a past... where he felt no remorse or guilt, a past... where a woman had once attempted suicide over him.

He spoke very calmly, really calmly...

Perhaps the only hint of emotion lies in his observation of her.

"How long were you together?"

"On and off, it should have been about a year..."

"What does on and off mean?"

"At the time, the foundation of the Yin Family in the country was unstable. I was flying back and forth between domestic and international; my time back in the country was limited."

"On and off... a year... That’s not short."

At least in Su Xiaomeng’s knowledge, a couple who can be together for a year and endure the scarcity of seeing each other often in that year has a higher possibility of getting married.

But obviously... they couldn’t make it through that year.

"Why did you break up?"

Su Xiaomeng asked again.

Yin Shixiu took a deep breath, pausing for a moment... The car had arrived at the Yin Mansion’s entrance, but instead of driving in, Yin Shixiu parked by the flower bed on the side.

"Xiao Meng, I’m not a perfect man. Before meeting you, I really didn’t know what love was. It was after meeting you that I wanted marriage, that I wanted to take on the responsibility of being a husband..."

"Why did you break up?"

Su Xiaomeng fixed her gaze on Yin Shixiu, seriously asking again.

"Boredom."

"...Bored with what?"

"Meng Meng, it was really so long ago, I don’t remember specifically what I was bored with. I just remember that I felt bored and irritated at the time, which is why I suggested breaking up."

Boredom...

Indeed, it’s the hardest hurdle for two people to overcome in a relationship.

"She is still single now... Do you think it has anything to do with you?"

"Meng Meng, I really haven’t been in touch with her again. The Pu Family and Yin Family have always been close, but because of this matter, the two families completely cut ties."

"Let me sum it up... it’s just a story of a jerk deceiving a young woman, right?"

"A jerk... I wouldn’t count as that, would I? Does dating have to lead to marriage... can’t you break up if you feel mismatched? Should I have compromised when she threatened to die?"

"You led her on, doesn’t that make you a jerk!"

Su Xiaomeng put herself in the shoes of the story’s heroine and no matter how she thought about it, she felt she couldn’t tolerate it!

"Meng Meng... you’re not going to be upset with me over something that happened so long ago, right?"

Su Xiaomeng glanced at him and asked, "Then why do you think a distinguished professor from Beijing University plagiarized my paper?! How significant do you think the connection is between what you did to her ten years ago and this incident!"

Yin Shixiu was momentarily at a loss for words, gripping the steering wheel. When Chen Lan gave him Pu Wei’s information, he vaguely guessed the possible cause behind this when he recalled that past.

"Made mistakes when young... Why were you so prone to make mistakes when you were young! The women you got involved with are extraordinary... like the previous Chu Jiao..."

"..."

After Su Xiaomeng said this, even she was a bit bewildered.

Chu Jiao had been dead for several years, and her name had always been a topic they tacitly avoided bringing up, bringing up absurdity, sadness, frustration, and pain.

As soon as Xiaomeng mentioned it, the atmosphere in the car dropped.

After a long time, Yin Shixiu reached out and held Su Xiaomeng’s hand, "Since it’s my reason for dragging you into trouble, I will definitely help you resolve it."

"..." Su Xiaomeng took a deep breath, then exhaled, "Forget it... you’ve said it’s something so long ago..."

"Meng Meng, I’m not someone who starts and abandons... just really not suitable."

"Stop stop." Su Xiaomeng quickly raised her hand to signal him to shut up, "Hurry back, I have to find Dick for help, send me the revised drafts, otherwise, just that publication time alone would make it impossible to clear my name."

Listening to all those trivial past events of Yin Shixiu from his younger days, she indeed felt annoyed, annoyed that before she knew him, he had so much past... annoyed that before she knew him, he had indeed been a jerk...

But...

Even though this kind of thinking isn’t appropriate, she still feels grateful that she’s not just another one of the countless others he got bored with.

Grateful that his care and affection for her has remained constant...

This sense of guilty pleasure is enough for her to let go of his past.

After all, if someone who is kind to everyone is kind to you, it doesn’t seem that special, but what if someone who is not good to anyone is only good to you?

This goodness becomes more precious.

It indeed satisfies a small bit of a woman’s vanity.

Yin Shixiu reached out to embrace her neck, their faces close together, and his thin lips opened softly, "Even if you think I’m a jerk, I’ll accept it, but remember, to you Su Xiaomeng, I, Yin Shixiu, would die without regret."

"...Can you not be so cheesy?"

"I’m speaking from the heart."

"Alright, I know. But... after all these years, do you really feel no guilt or apology towards Pu Wei? No matter what, a woman went as far as attempting suicide for you... it shows how deeply she loved... and you don’t feel even a little bit..."

"If I felt guilt and apology, I wouldn’t have married you."

"..." Su Xiaomeng stiffened, not really understanding what he meant, "Pardon?"

"Guilt and apology can’t bring about a good marriage, I don’t love her. I’ve never regretted my decision, even if she did die, it would only add another name to the history of tragic romances."

"Never regretted it before, and now even less so. If I had married her back then, how could I have met you?"

Su Xiaomeng involuntarily swallowed and then whispered, "Actually, when you married me, I always thought it was because you felt guilty and apologetic towards me..."

Upon mentioning this, Yin Shixiu’s lips curved into a slightly mischievous smile, and he said, "Actually, after sleeping with you, I did feel quite guilty and apologetic... but as I really got to know you, that guilt and apology gradually faded, especially after knowing you were pregnant..."

"...And after?"

"Only pure joy remained; I knew I had found the person I was waiting for!!"

..........