For many days, Tian Tian was listless, not even attending Shang Jin Cheng's funeral.
Although Chen Dong Yang stayed with her every day, a closeness she had once longed for, her feelings for him were no longer the same.
When she couldn't sleep, she often reflected, asking herself if this relationship was truly necessary.
From the very beginning, this relationship had been fraught with difficulties and secrecy, and ultimately, it had led to a loss of life.
More accurately, it had led to the loss of several lives.
"I did not kill Bo Ren, yet Bo Ren died because of me."
At this point, could the two of them truly pretend as if nothing had happened and continue?
Tian Tian knew she was not behaving well, causing worry and betraying Shang Jin Cheng's sacrifice.
But she couldn't help it.
When feelings for someone change, they change. When you can no longer love, you can no longer love. It cannot be forced.
Before, when Chen Dong Yang smiled at her, even the slightest subtle movement would make her blissfully happy.
But now, not only did she feel nothing, she even began to feel repulsed.
Why was he being so cautious, so fawning?
Were they going to live the rest of their lives awkwardly and hypocritically like this?
After questioning herself for half a month, when Chen Dong Yang once again offered her food, Tian Tian couldn't hold back.
"Don't you have work to do? Don't you have your own things to be busy with? Is it meaningful for you to guard me like this every day?"
"I am useless, and if you turn away, I won't be able to survive. Is that the feeling I'm giving you now?"
To be honest, Chen Dong Yang was indeed very cautious.
Ever since Shang Jin Cheng's incident, he felt like he was walking on thin ice whenever he faced Tian Tian. He didn't know what to say or how to act.
It seemed that whatever he said or did was not to her liking.
He knew that Tian Tian was simply overcome with guilt and was struggling with herself, not targeting him, and needed time to heal.
So he continued to be patient.
However, Tian Tian's words today still made him unable to help but feel hurt.
"Tian Tian, what do you mean by that?"
"You are an intelligent person, Chen Dong Yang. Why ask such a foolish question?"
The current Tian Tian was like a hedgehog; she wouldn't feel at ease unless she pricked Chen Dong Yang a few times.
"I don't like you anymore. I even hate you as you are now. Can you please stop hovering around me? Just leave, I don't want to see you."
After finally reaching this point, Chen Dong Yang knew that besides Tian Tian, he would never find anyone more suitable for him.
She was just temporarily losing control of her emotions; he couldn't take her angry words to heart.
He wanted to embrace Tian Tian and calm her down, but Tian Tian resolutely dodged him.
"I'm not joking. Really. We can't continue this anymore."
"Every time I see you, I think of Zeng Hui, I think of that day's events, I think of the tragically deceased Shang Jin Cheng. How can you expect me to pretend as if nothing happened?"
"I think I probably won't fall in love with anyone again in this life, especially you. So, please leave. I originally wanted to talk things through amicably and part ways peacefully, but I truly can't. Forgive me, just consider me a scumbag, Chen Dong Yang, leave."
After speaking, before Chen Dong Yang could retort, she returned to her room and locked the door.
Chen Dong Yang waited in the living room all night, but she didn't come out. The next day, she still refused to communicate with him.
Having no other choice, he had to seek help from Chen Jiao Jiao.
Recently, Tian Tian and Ge Er's situation had also been a headache for Jiang Nan Fang. Coupled with her fifth child, Zhan Jing Chen was in his rebellious phase, making her life a daily struggle.
Yesterday, Jiang Jing Chen had defied her over a minor issue again, and Jiang Nan Fang, utterly exhausted, came to find Chen Jiao Jiao to chat and relieve her stress.
As the two were lying on the bed doing their skincare routine, they received a call from Chen Dong Yang.
Chen Jiao Jiao exchanged a look with Jiang Nan Fang and told him to come find her.
After hanging up, Chen Jiao Jiao asked Jiang Nan Fang what they should do.
"It's not a solution for Tian Tian to continue like this. She's always been sensitive and too pure and kind, and now she's carrying such a heavy burden. I'm truly afraid she'll become depressed if this goes on."
Speaking of this, Jiang Nan Fang became angry.
Her children were grown, and their thoughts were no longer hers.
Even when something happened, their first reaction was to hide it from their parents.
Every time one of her children started dating, any major event that occurred was already a done deal, and she only found out from others.
From her perspective, she felt defeated.
The children of the Zhan family were all passionate lovers; they wouldn't stop until their hearts were broken in love. Yet, she was powerless.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have had so many children. They're all debt collectors, so annoying."
"What's the use of saying these angry words now?" Chen Jiao Jiao offered no comfort.
"They are almost thirty years old; we can't stuff them back in. Let's talk about practical matters. What's your plan?"
Jiang Nan Fang closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm out of ideas, that's why I came to you."
Chen Jiao Jiao adopted an attitude of detachment, speaking as if it didn't concern her.
"If you ask me, you've been overly protective of Tian Tian and Ge Er. You always wanted them to have a simple, smooth life. As a result, your protection was too much, making them fragile; they can't handle a little setback."
"In fact, you should have let go earlier. Just like us back then, we were thrown into society by our parents to be tempered, we endured all sorts of hardships, saw through human nature, and our ability to accept things became stronger. We wouldn't be so devastated by a relationship."
Jiang Nan Fang retorted, "You're getting old, your memory is bad, you've forgotten how devastated you were back then."
"..."
"Aren't you also speaking with hindsight? They are almost thirty years old; I can't start over again. Say something practical, do you have any good suggestions?"
Chen Jiao Jiao had none either.
"She doesn't even want Chen Dong Yang now. What good ideas can I have? How about I introduce you to a psychologist?"
Jiang Nan Fang was so angry she wanted to hit Chen Jiao Jiao a few times, "Forget it, if she were willing to cooperate and see a psychologist, she wouldn't be such a headache."
These children of Zhan Bei Jue, when they excel, they are incredibly brilliant, and when they are stubborn, they are incredibly stubborn. Once they've made up their minds, even eight horses can't pull them back.
Their mother is also very helpless.
Chen Jiao Jiao also closed her eyes and sighed, thinking for a while longer.
"How about letting her go out for a while to relax? If she stays home, she'll only think more and more sadly and get stuck in a rut. I can recommend some good places for you."
Jiang Nan Fang retorted, "Why don't you just recommend them to her directly? Why go through me? Perhaps it would be more effective if you told her yourself."
Chen Jiao Jiao didn't want to.
Her personality was naturally carefree, and she wasn't good at comforting people.
Especially if they didn't listen after the first or second time, she'd get so angry she'd want to sever ties.
"I'll say it. If you really want to help her this time, why not let her go to impoverished places? Let her witness more of the world's suffering, understand her own happy life better, and she won't be so melodramatic."
"I think the reason she's like this now is because her life is too comfortable, too happy, and she doesn't know how to cherish it..."