"As long as they have fun, they don't mind who pays. I've been living off women for years."
"..."
Tian Tian was truly shocked.
She couldn't believe that the man who endured so much hardship now had such a wild past.
"Then what?"
"Then I met Hui Hui's boyfriend. His situation was similar to mine. His father had connections in China, but his mother couldn't stand it and took him to the US. His father didn't give them much living expenses, so we were in the same boat, and quickly became close friends."
"But he was better than me in one aspect: he was more devoted. Hui Hui also met him in the US."
"She went to study there on a work-study program after graduating from college. She worked as a waitress and washed dishes in a restaurant every day, and unexpectedly met Dou Bao's father. They fell in love."
Tian Tian could hardly imagine that Hui Hui, who now looked gaunt, unkempt, and like a petty, haggling market woman, had such a high education and capability to fund her own studies in the US.
"What happened later?"
"Later, we often hung out together. After he got a girlfriend, Dou Bao's father became dissatisfied with his current situation and tried to find ways to make money to give Hui Hui a better life."
"We were all arrogant back then, thinking we could do anything. We looked down on small amounts of money and always dreamed of getting rich overnight. Through a friend of a friend, we met some local second-generation rich kids."
"Later, we heard they loved racing, and that the winner would get a 500,000 US dollar prize. We decided to give it a try."
"My girlfriend at the time had a very good car, and she lent it to us. After some arrangements, we went."
"And then you had an accident?"
"No. We won money, and Dou Bao's father was very happy. We became more and more reckless, deciding to participate in more such races to earn more money."
"We were incredibly lucky during that period, and we really succeeded, winning several races in a row. At our richest, I had over 2 million US dollars in my private account."
Tian Tian listened intently, her eyes full of curiosity.
Chen Dongyang flicked the ash from his cigarette and continued.
"But living a life of debauchery every day, our physical and mental health quickly deteriorated. Dou Bao's father had a gastric hemorrhage from drinking one time, and his condition was very bad, but there was a race the next day. I desperately pulled him out of the hospital, and then the accident happened."
"He died on the spot. We were investigated, and I was imprisoned. My girlfriend used a lot of connections to get me out."
"After I got out, his body had already been transported back to China. I followed him back to China to see him, and only then did I find out that Hui Hui was pregnant."
"They had originally planned to save up a certain amount of money and then get married. Because of me, everything turned to dust."
Tian Tian was stunned.
So Hui Hui had such a tragic past.
"What happened next?"
"Dou Bao's father was an only child. His mother was heartbroken after losing her son in middle age. To compensate her, I gave her all the money in my card."
"Hui Hui felt it would be unfair to her boyfriend to abort the child, as it was his only bloodline. She wanted to keep it, but her family disagreed."
"Her family's conditions were quite ordinary. Her parents were workers and had already retired. They also had a younger brother in high school."
"They had pinned their hopes on her studying abroad to get a good job and help the family financially. Instead, this happened. Her parents insisted she abort the child and start over. To keep the child, Hui Hui cut off contact with them. With no other choice, I took her back to the US."
"However, she couldn't work anymore and had to rely on me for support. Over time, my girlfriend became unhappy, and we broke up."
Tian Tian was speechless, but she felt Hui Hui's image grow much more noble.
She was a woman of loyalty and righteousness. It was fate that played such cruel tricks.
"Then what? How did you end up back here?"
"Her belly grew bigger every day, and our lives became increasingly difficult. My mother insisted that I cut ties with her. I refused, and in a fit of anger, my mother stopped associating with me."
"With nowhere to live, I moved in with Hui Hui. But neither of us had green cards, and our passports were about to expire. Hui Hui felt that the cost of living abroad was too high, and suggested I return to China. I thought that with my abilities, I could provide her with a good life after returning, so I came back."
"My mother knew I was going to raise her child with her and had abandoned me to return to China. She was even more furious and instructed my sister not to let companies in my field of expertise hire me. I couldn't even find a decent job."
Tian Tian was surprised: "Your sister is that capable? She can accomplish something so difficult?"
"She's alright. She's also a fallen heiress, but her husband is quite capable. She herself enjoys making friends, and her friends are all quite influential."
Tian Tian said, "But your sister is young. Why couldn't she understand you?"
Chen Dongyang said, "She did understand me before. In the beginning, she accompanied Hui Hui to prenatal check-ups. Later, when she learned that Dou Bao had congenital heart disease and wouldn't be well even if he were born, her stance changed."
"She didn't want us to ruin our futures because of this child and suggested we abort it. Hui Hui had a huge argument with her. My sister thought we were heartless and that I was reaping what I sowed, so she stopped caring about me."
"..."
Seeing that Tian Tian had fallen silent, Chen Dongyang chuckled lightly.
"Do you know why I didn't respond when you suggested I work at Zhan's Group last time?"
"Why?"
"Because my sister is good friends with your parents. The reason I couldn't find a good job might be thanks to your parents."
"Ah?"
"Think about it, do you have an aunt named Chen? You must know her."
An aunt named Chen?
Tian Tian thought hard and suddenly had an epiphany.
"Chen Jiaojiao? Your sister is Chen Jiaojiao? You're Aunt Jiaojiao's brother?"
Chen Dongyang smiled again: "That's right. Didn't expect that, did you? If you call me Brother Chen, it's a generation too low. You should call me Uncle Chen."
My goodness, the world is so small. After all this, he turned out to be Chen Jiaojiao's brother.
"But Aunt Jiaojiao is a very progressive person."
Chen Dongyang said, "I used to think so too, but that's human nature. When something doesn't concern them, people can be very open-minded and generous. But once their relatives or friends are involved, they become selfish."
"She just wants me to have a good life, so I can't blame her."
Tian Tian still didn't understand: "But if she wants you to have a good life, why would she cut off your livelihood?"
Chen Dongyang said, "Think about it. If it were your brother, who had been playing all sorts of wild games, caused a friend's death, and now wanted to bring his wife and child over to raise, knowing the child has a congenital disease but insisting on having it, wouldn't you think he's out of his mind?"
"She knows that Hui Hui and I are not the same kind of people, and we shouldn't be together like this."