Help! My hunky roommate is begging me to touch his abs!

"Mom, do you think money or people are more important?"

Jin Bao'er asked, holding the woman's hand.

The woman smiled and said, "Poverty makes everything miserable for couples. If there's no money, how many couples can stay together?"

"If Dad hadn't had so much money, would you have agreed to marry him?"

This question stumped Li Jiaxin.

After a long while, she finally smiled helplessly.

The reason Li Jiaxin was stunned was not the question itself, but the person who asked it.

"Look, we're all family now, do you think the answer to this question would be different?"

Li Jiaxin smiled gently again.

Jin Bao'er laughed along, "It's been 5 years, we've missed 5 years."

Li Jiaxin shook her head as she listened, feeling a strange pang of sadness.

It turns out that their son not only shouldered the burden of the family for them over the past five years, but also silently endured the pain of betraying his loved one.

"Baby, do you know why Zhao Yuheng broke up with you five years ago?"

Li Jiaxin suddenly asked.

"Isn't this the same question we were talking about earlier? He's worried that his family doesn't have enough money and he can't give me happiness."

Jin Bao'er smiled bitterly as she spoke, "I'm used to his chauvinism."

Looking at Jin Bao'er like this, Li Jiaxin couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She looked at Jin Bao'er's reddened eyes and sighed inwardly.

This kid is just like my own son; he's all tough on the outside but soft on the inside. There are some things that need to be pointed out by someone.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking: "That might be it, or it might be more than that."

Jin Bao'er suddenly looked up at her, her eyes filled with shock: What else?

"After our family went bankrupt, we not only owed money to the developers, but also to the workers. When the workers couldn't get their money back, they started threatening the personal safety of my family members."

"The house was smashed to pieces. Then Zhao Yuheng and his father were injured a lot while protecting me and ended up in the hospital. I was also sent back to the countryside..."

Upon hearing this, Jin Bao'er's entire body stiffened, her fingers clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms, and she even forgot to breathe.

On the day they broke up, Jin Bao'er noticed that Zhao Yuheng still had a bandage on his forehead. It turned out that it wasn't just casually wrapped; he had actually been beaten while protecting his family.

He was so foolish that he almost believed the other person's nonsense, and they blamed him for so long.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by something inexplicably, and it hurt terribly.

"Was he seriously injured?"

Jin Bao'er's voice trembled.

"She only needed a few stitches in her head," Li Jiaxin said, her eyes reddening.

Upon hearing this, Jin Bao'er felt as if his heart had stopped for a second, and he could barely breathe.

It turns out that one reason was that she was afraid he wouldn't be happy, and another reason was that she was afraid of getting hurt.

Jin Bao'er's eyes were red, and tears fell like pearls.

Seeing this, Li Jiaxin quickly pulled out some tissues and handed them to Jin Bao'er, then wiped her own eyes as well.

"Over the past five years, he has become increasingly quiet and withdrawn, speaking less and less."

"I don't tell my family anything, I rarely call, and I almost always report good news and never bad news."

"I don't go home very often. This time, the number of days I brought my daughter-in-law home to stay was the longest of the year."

"I only learned later from his coworkers that, in order to pay off his debts, he had been sleeping only three or four hours a day for six months."

She paused, grasped Jin Bao'er's hand, and said in a choked voice, "I'm so afraid that this child, who has been worn down by reality, will miss out on the person she loves again."

"Baby, don't cry. When he comes back, you can scold him and hit him, and make him pay back all the grievances you've suffered over the past five years."

"How can you still bear to hit them? You can't bear to."

Jin Bao'er raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but couldn't help but smile.

He recalled that he hadn't asked for the reason beforehand, and that bastard would never tell him, no matter what.

I pinched his arm so hard it almost bled, but he still wouldn't say anything.

He was extremely depressed.

That scoundrel is really stubborn.

……

Zhao Yuheng followed Old Man Zhao to the company and entered the office.

Old Zhao slammed a stack of account books in front of him, his face still stern, but his tone wasn't angry at all:

"Check your own accounts carefully for the past few months, don't leave me with a mess."

Zhao Yuheng didn't dawdle; he pulled up a chair, sat down, and started flipping through the account books.

If you encounter anything you don't understand, just look up and ask a couple of questions.

The father and son spent half a day in peace, a rare occurrence, and the previous tension had subsided.

By the time the accounts were thoroughly checked and verified, the sun outside the window was already setting in the west.

"Alright, there's nothing wrong with it."

Old Zhao closed the booklet and was about to speak about the evening's arrangements when Zhao Yuheng grabbed his wrist.

"Old man, come on, I'll take you somewhere."

Zhao Yuheng's eyes sparkled with excitement, and his tone was full of anticipation.

Old Zhao was dragged by him and turned into the hardware store that had been open for more than ten years on the street corner.

The shop owner, Uncle Wang, greeted the two with a smile: "Old Zhao, what brings you here today?"

Just as Old Man Zhao was about to respond, Zhao Yuheng pointed to the jewelry section in the counter and said impatiently, "Dad, help me pick out a diamond ring for Jinbao."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao's cold and hard expression instantly softened considerably.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at his son, a rare smile playing on his lips: "You've got good taste, kid, knowing to ask your old man for help."

It's worth noting that he picked out his engagement ring and anniversary ring for Li Jiaxin at this store back then.

All his friends know that Old Zhao has a sharp eye for jewelry.

Old Zhao stepped forward, and Uncle Wang immediately laid out all the diamond rings in the display case.

He picked one up, examined it against the light, then put it down. His finger paused on another ring with a thick setting and a sparkling diamond.

"This ring is of good quality, the setting is solid, it's comfortable to wear, and it has a good meaning."

"A stable and steady life, without any setbacks."

Zhao Yuheng leaned closer to take a look, his eyes instantly lighting up. He held it in his hands, rubbing it against the glass: "This is it! Jinbao'er will definitely love it!"

He was busy negotiating the price with Uncle Wang when he turned his head and saw Old Man Zhao holding a plain ring inlaid with small diamonds, looking at it intently in the light.

Her fingertips caressed the plain ring, her eyes softened beyond belief, a stark contrast to her usual stern and lecturing demeanor.

The ring had a low-key and elegant design, clearly tailored to Li Jiaxin's style.

Zhao Yuheng couldn't help but tease, "Old man, why did you pick this one too?"

Old Zhao paused, his ears turning slightly red.

He coughed lightly, clutched the ring in his hand, glared at his son, and said stubbornly, "What? You're allowed to buy one for your wife, but I'm not allowed to buy one for mine?"

This made Uncle Wang laugh heartily. He patted the counter and joked, "Old Zhao, are you trying to surprise your wife again?"

"When you bought her her first ring, you were even more nervous than this kid; your palms were sweaty!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuheng also burst out laughing.

Only Old Zhao's face darkened, and he didn't want to speak.

The setting sun slanted in through the glass window, landing on the rings in their hands.

It refracts tiny rays of light, filling the room with a warm and sweet feeling.