Three years after our breakup, you came back to China, and I'm just giving up. Why are you cryi

A flicker of struggle flashed in Lin Guoming's deep eyes.

He reached out and gently stroked the large, black head beside him, remaining silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"In our generation, marriages were all arranged by parents. I don't know where they got the girl. On the wedding day, I got completely drunk and stumbled into the room... When I woke up the next day and saw her crying, I realized something was wrong."

"Seeing her pleading with me, seeing the despair in her eyes, my heart softened," Lin Guoming said, his voice filled with guilt.

"Once she recovered a bit, I made an excuse to my parents, saying I was going to take her to town to buy some daily necessities, and then secretly helped her escape from here."

"When I got back, my parents found out about it and beat me so badly that I lay on the ground and couldn't get up."

Lin Guoming gave a bitter smile. "It was around that time that I broke ties with them. I know I've let them down, but I've let that girl down even more."

His eyes flashed with pain, and the guilt and regret of the past overwhelmed him like a tide: "Two months later, a large group of policemen suddenly came to the village and arrested many people. Even my parents were taken away. But my brother escaped, and I was not investigated."

"It wasn't until years later that the girl came back and found me. I then learned that she hadn't held me accountable. Moreover, she had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, who were very cute and looked like me."

She approached me and asked me to move to a city with her to raise the child together.

At this point, Lin Guoming gently shook his head, his tone resolute: "I refused. She didn't force me after that, she just built this little house for me and gave me a sum of money, enough for me to live in this small mountain village for the rest of my life."

Lin Guoming's voice gradually lowered, "She left and never came back. She would only occasionally send me some photos of the children and tell me that the children had grown up and were doing well."

Lu Hao listened quietly, a pang of sorrow welling up inside him.

He didn't care about anything else, but he was surprised that Lin Guoming didn't leave with that woman.

According to Lin Guoming, the woman has forgiven him and is even willing to raise the child with him, giving him a chance to make amends.

But he chose to stay alone in this place of sorrow, bearing the guilt and loneliness all by himself.

"Second Uncle, why don't you want to leave?" Lu Hao finally asked the question that had been bothering him.

"I've already ruined her life. Now that she's finally escaped the nightmare, how can I possibly step back into her life?" Lin Guoming said calmly, but behind that calm tone lay guilt and a desire for self-redemption.

"By staying here, looking at this house, looking at this money, it's like a constant reminder to myself that I can never repay the mistakes I made back then."

Lu Hao sighed deeply, his heart aching even more.

From his perspective, both he and that woman were victims of this sinful marriage, people hurt by the times and by ignorance.

The culprits behind this tragedy are Lin Guoming's parents, those who are blinded by feudal ideology and disregard the lives and freedom of others.

Fortunately, these wicked people were eventually punished by law.

This can be considered a belated explanation to those who were hurt.

But he also knew that the deep-seated traumas of those victims, the scars etched by time, would take a lifetime to heal.

It may even take a lifetime to heal.

As for why Lin Guodong was able to escape this calamity, although Lin Guoming did not say it explicitly, Lu Hao already had the answer in his heart.

The night was already deep and dark, and the lights in the courtyard illuminated the cigarette butts scattered on the ground.

Lin Guoming stood up, dusted himself off, and turned to walk into the small villa.

Lu Hao touched the cigarette pack in his pocket, took out the last cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, which cleared his confused mind a bit.

He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, which dissipated in the cold wind, like those dusty past events that seemed to have disappeared but lingered in his heart, impossible to shake off.

Just then, a slender figure walked over and sat down next to him.

Lu Hao didn't turn around, nor did he show any surprise. He simply spoke calmly, "You heard everything?"

"Can't you keep your voices down?" Lin Ran's tone was calm, but there was a sob in it.

Lu Hao turned his head and looked at Lin Ran sitting next to him.

Under the dim light, she lowered her head, buried it between her legs, hugged her knees with both hands, her shoulders trembled, and her suppressed sobs grew louder and louder.

Lu Hao's eyelashes trembled, and a wave of heartache washed over him.

He didn't say much, but simply reached out and put his arm around Lin Ran's shoulder, pulling her tightly into his embrace, his voice gentle: "Here's a warm shoulder for you to lean on."

Lin Ran rested her head on Lu Hao's shoulder, and her long-suppressed emotions burst forth at this moment. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, soaking Lu Hao's down jacket.

Lu Hao didn't say anything more, but gently patted Lin Ran's back, soothing her tenderly.

The cold wind continued to blow, but it seemed to be blocked by the warmth between the two. In the courtyard, only Lin Ran's suppressed sobs remained.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Ran's crying subsided, her face still bearing traces of wet tears, making her look heartbreaking.

Lu Hao stroked her hair, his tone gentle yet heavy: "Lin Ran, now that you've heard everything, what are your thoughts?"

Lin Ran raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with tears, filled with determination. "I'm going to send him in and make him pay the price for what he's done."

"Have you thought this through?" Lu Hao looked into her eyes. "He's your father, after all."

"No matter who it is!" Lin Ran's tone remained firm, without the slightest hesitation, and the determination in his eyes was unwavering. "He has committed a crime, and he cannot get away with it just because he is my father."

Looking into her determined eyes, Lu Hao felt a surge of admiration mixed with heartache.

He hugged Lin Ran tighter, his voice low: "I'll take care of it. I'll go to the town police station tomorrow."

"Okay!" Lin Ran nodded emphatically.

She rested her head on Lu Hao's shoulder again, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and felt the warmth and security emanating from him. The fear and unease in her heart dissipated at that moment.

Lu Hao didn't make a sound to disturb her, but gently patted her back, looked up at the dark night sky, and had a deep look in his eyes.

He knew that tomorrow would be a difficult start.

They will face not only Lin Guodong's resistance, but also those secrets that have been buried for many years, and the judgment of the world.

But he will not back down or give up.

He will stay by Lin Ran's side, face all the difficulties together, bring Lin Guodong to justice together, and heal the wounds inflicted on her.