Manipulative Harem God

Chapter 93 The Abandoned Mother and Daughter? (2)

If it hadn't been for Ye Feng's appearance a few years prior, Li Liying would have likely reached out to the contact information left by the army officer for help.

However, with Ye Feng's unwavering support and assistance, their lives had become easier, and Li Liying felt a deep sense of gratitude towards him.

Now, as she glanced at the contact details of Huang Kai on her phone, she was filled with a mixture of certainty and reluctance.

She knew that her husband's death was shrouded in abnormal circumstances, but Li Liying was hesitant to unearth the painful memories and delve into the mysteries of the past.

She had already endured so much suffering, and her primary focus now was on raising Xiaoyu into a remarkable young woman.

A tinge of melancholy washed over Li Liying's face as she released a sigh, acknowledging the weight of the burdens she carried. With Ye Feng's release from custody, they could finally return home.

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After a few minutes passed, Ye Feng emerged from the police station, a wide grin spread across his face. "Sister Li, you've saved my ass again, haha!" he chuckled, his laughter echoing through the air.

Li Liying playfully nudged him with her elbow. "Watch your language! Xiaoyu is with us," she reminded him, her voice carrying a hint of admonishment.

Li Xiaoyu, covering her mouth, giggled and interjected, "Mom, don't worry. I didn't hear anything! You and Ye Feng can talk alone!" With that, she darted ahead, her footsteps dancing on the pavement.

"You come back here! Don't run on the road!" Li Liying called out, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Eventually, she shook her head, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and resignation.

Ye Feng laughed, his eyes filled with warmth. "Don't worry, Sister Li. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you and Xiaoyu."

Li Liying rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance. "Don't forget, I just bailed you out of jail. Otherwise, you would be rotting there. How are you supposed to save us if that were the case?" Although she complained, her cheeks turned slightly red as she walked alongside Ye Feng.

It had been two years since they had become entwined in each other's lives, and an air of ambiguity had always surrounded their relationship.

Initially, Li Liying had been hesitant to embrace any new romantic connections, but as time passed, the idea of moving forward didn't seem so bad anymore.

Thoughts of Xiaoyu needing a 'father' figure occasionally tugged at her heart, causing a trace of distress to flicker in her eyes.

"Sister Li, is something troubling you? You look sad," Ye Feng asked, genuine concern etched on his face.

Li Liying offered a wry smile and shook her head, dismissing his worries.

As they continued walking, Li Liying couldn't help but entertain a fleeting thought, her heartbeat pounding like a wild rabbit.

She bit her lip and stole a glance at the hand beside her. 'Whatever,' she thought with determination.

In that moment, she exhaled and stretched out her hand, attempting to grasp Ye Feng's.

Her gaze remained fixed ahead, feigning obliviousness.

Her heart thundered so loudly in her chest that she could barely hear the sounds of the outside world.

However, despite her repeated attempts, she couldn't seem to hold his hand.

Instantly, she shook her head, dispelling the thought and gave herself a gentle slap on the cheek, as if waking herself from a dream.

'What am I doing!?' she scolded herself internally. Her face flushed like a ripe tomato in the scorching heat.

"Are you alright, Sister Li? Should we stop by the hospital if you're feeling unwell?" Ye Feng proposed, his concern further fueling her embarrassment.

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Li Liying couldn't help but dart forward, attempting to hide her flushed face.

However, her actions only added to her own shame.

How could she act like a young girl in love?

As Ye Feng watched Li Liying's retreating figure, a fleeting smile crossed his face before being replaced by a dark expression.

"Sister Li, you should find a good man, not someone like me—a killer," he whispered, his voice tinged with complexity.

Shaking his head, Ye Feng wrestled with a maelstrom of emotions swirling within him.

His upbringing had been marked by hardship, growing up as an orphan in a distant orphanage.

At the age of ten, he made the fateful decision to leave the country, embarking on a journey abroad that led him down the path of becoming a mercenary, traversing borders illegally.

Being without a family, he had found solace in living abroad, devoid of any reason to return to his homeland.

Yet, he had made a promise to one of his old brothers, a pledge that compelled him to come back to the treacherous terrain of Hanland, a country with crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

There might have been one more connection he held in this country—a girl who had often visited him during his time at the orphanage.

However, neither he nor she were willing to entertain the notion of a relationship.

Rose was different; she was already deeply entrenched in the underworld, her hands stained with the mark of bloodshed.

But Li Liying and her daughter were different. They were decent people, their hearts untainted by the darkness he had experienced.

There was no way they could truly love someone like him, he reasoned.

It was merely a temporary attraction, destined to fade away with the passage of time.

In this moment, Ye Feng was just like any other person, a victim of his own mind, unaware of the future consequences his beliefs would bring.

He had fallen into the trap of misconceptions surrounding the word "love," a concept often depicted as pure, holy, and unconditional in mass media and literature.

But in reality, these portrayals were false representations. Words themselves hold no inherent meaning until we assign meaning to them.

For example, the word "hell" can represent a place of torture in one language, while in another language, it signifies brightness akin to heaven. (In Deutsch Hell means 'Bright')

Similarly, the word "love," like any other word, is merely a vessel for communicating feelings and thoughts.

Just as anger exists as both a mood and an emotion, spanning from feelings of slight annoyance to intense fury, love, too, encompasses both a mood and an emotion, centered around happiness.

At its core, love is simply an emotional attachment and dependency, ranging from extreme to barely visible.

Yet, people tend to complicate it with their own fantasies and expectations.

They long for someone who will unconditionally accept them, despite knowing deep down that everyone, including themselves, is inherently selfish.

This longing for unconditional love is practically unattainable.

Ye Feng, too, had formed his own notions of love, believing it to be something pure and reserved for good-hearted individuals.

In his eyes, a woman could never love a killer like him. But if we were to substitute the word "love" with "emotional attachment and dependency," many of the world's problems would become clearer, even to Ye Feng.

However, it is a harsh truth that would shatter the centuries-old fantasies humans have built.

Instead, they choose to ignore this cognitive distortion, preferring to live in a state of purposeful ignorance.

Humans are clever beings, akin to foxes, not mere sheep blindly following the herd.

Yet, they naively overlook anything that challenges their existing beliefs and fantasies, opting to remain in a state of blissful unawareness.

The notion extends beyond love alone.

Nearly everyone is aware that they are participating in a relentless rat race, despite the knowledge that an inevitable and uncertain fate awaits them in the end - all of them know that the traditional and honest works would not make them rich, give them villas or luxary cars.

Yet, they choose to overlook this looming reality, seeking solace in the illusion of a well-governed society, just laws, and a structured system.

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Author's Note: Some readers may find this chapter surprising, but I want to clarify something.

I've come across numerous villain novels on webnovel platforms, where the main character is often depicted as morally ambiguous or grey MC in general, dealing with self-proclaimed hypocrites and individuals deemed as sons of destiny.

This novel, however, deviates from the conventional villain narrative.

Here, you will find instances where these supposed sons of destiny or guardians may turn out to be better individuals than Zhang Wei, or sometimes it may be Zhang Wei himself who displays better qualities.

In reality, no one is entirely good or bad; it all depends on one's perspective.

There will be occasions when Zhang Wei kills people who, from a subjective standpoint, are considered good.

You might develop a dislike for him, but that is precisely the essence of a 'villain' novel.

A villain who eliminates anything that stands in his path!

Both sides possess their own merits and flaws simultaneously. You have likely read countless stories from the perspective of heroes, but now it's time to explore the narrative through the lens of a villain, one who remains undefeated.

Ultimately, this story delves into the depths of 'human selfishness'.