Way back to Our Past

44. Are You Still Willing to Be With Me?

Translator: Amber97

Jiang Xinyue completely lost face tonight. If Ling Mubai had taken the initiative to send her home, she would have been less embarrassed.

However, Ling Mubai just asked his assistant to send her home. Since the assistant also drank too much, he was so dizzy that he didn’t dare to drive on the road. Therefore, Jiang Xinyue had no choice but to find another driver.

Jiang Xinyue became a laughing stock tonight. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. After going back home, she smashed everything in her room.

Hearing the loud noise, Qin Surong hurriedly walked in. Seeing that her daughter had lost her temper, she asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s all Qu Wan’s fault!” Jiang Xinyue told her about what happened in the hotel tonight. Feeling wronged, she said, “I thought that Qu Wan wanted to bless Mubai and me, but I didn’t expect her to trip me on purpose. That’s so infuriating!”

“Why did you come to Mubai?” Qin Surong glared at her and continued, “Don’t ever keep a close eye on men, or you will ask for trouble.”

Being criticized by her mother, Jiang Xinyue cried out with grievances. “Mum, I’m in a bad mood now. Please don’t scold me.”

“Alright. But you should stay at home these days. Don’t come to find Mubai. I have a way to deal with that bitch! ”

“Really?” Jiang Xinyue was doubtful.

Qin Surong sneered, “After all, I am far more experienced than you in this aspect. Just wait for my good news. This time, I must make Qu Wan notorious so that she never dares to show up in the public again!”

Qin Surong was a scheming woman. After hearing her mother’s promise, Jiang Xinyue felt relieved and went to take a shower before sleeping.

The next day, the second roadshow of the reality TV dating program began. Fifty outstanding candidates who were carefully selected by the judges attended the show. Qu Wan took a glance at all the candidates, and her gaze fell on a man named Wei Lianheng for a few seconds.

Sitting in the seat reserved for distinguished guests, Ling Mubai fixed his eyes on Qu Wan. When he saw that she was looking at a candidate, his face immediately darkened.

In the second round, Qu Wan could raise questions to the candidates. She paid great attention to Wei Lianheng and asked him a few more questions. “Sir, what is your opinion on marriage and love?”

“Love is driven by impulse. It may disappear in an instant, or it can continue to exist for a lifetime. Responsibility is quite important in marriage. If one chooses to marry his beloved one, he has to bear the corresponding responsibility and obligation.”

Qu Wan then asked, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think this is true love?”

“No, I don’t. If two people fall in love at first sight, they must appreciate each other’s particular characteristics. This is just a temporary passion and can’t be considered as true love. In a long-term relationship, the two have to be attracted by each other’s values and accept each other’s flaws. Only through this process can their love grow deeper.”

Qu Wan nodded and then asked questions to the next candidate.

Ling Mubai’s face turned livid. He knew Qu Wan very well. If she wasn’t interested in a person, she would just ignore him, let alone spend time to know more about him.

He stared at Wei Lianheng. This man was quite ordinary, and he didn’t have an impressive family background. To conclude, he had no merits that deserved Qu Wan’s attention. Besides, compared with other candidates, he didn’t have any competitive advantages or specialities.

Ling Mubai couldn’t understand what was good about this man. However, since Qu Wan showed great interest in Wei Lianheng, he couldn’t help getting anxious.

His assistant whispered, “Mr. Ling, something’s wrong with Miss Qu. Do you want to…”

Since his assistant also noticed this, Ling Mubai was more convinced of his judgment. “Investigate the background of this person and keep an eye on him these days.”

“Yes, sir!”

In the third round, Qu Wan would interact with the candidates to improve their intimacy through a small game.

The rule of the game was that the candidate should go through a path full of obstacles with Qu Wan on his back. He had to reach the destination within the specified time and Qu Wan was responsible for telling him the right direction.

This game was designed to test how well Qu Wan could cooperated with the candidates, so as to prove whether they had a special chemistry or not.

Wei Lianheng stared at the obstacles in front of him for a while and kept them in mind. After the game started, he moved quickly and was about to reach the finish line.

The host cheered and the audience also started cheering for the two of them.

Wei Lianheng was about to succeed. However, he suddenly stepped on a stone and fell to the side after losing his balance.

Ling Mubai stood up in an instant.

The stage was full of obstacles. If Qu Wan fell down, she would be severely hurt.

Just as Ling Mubai was about to rush onto the stage, something unexpected happened. Although Wei Lianheng couldn’t keep his balance, he did not let go of Qu Wan. Instead, he moved sideways to protect her.

The two of them fell to the ground and the staff on the spot quickly came to help them up.

Since Qu Wan was well-protected, she didn’t get hurt. However, Wei Lianheng was in a far worse condition, for his arms and forehead were broken by obstacles.

Seeing that Qu Wan was safe and sound, Ling Mubai felt relieved and sat down. Then he turned to look at the assistant sitting beside him.

Intimidated by his fierce look, the assistant said, “It’s not me!”

Although he really wanted to teach Wei Lianheng a lesson for Ling Mubai, he didn’t take action just now.

The staff helped the two of them up. Seeing that Wei Lianheng’s forehead was bleeding, they asked if his injuries were serious and if he wanted to go to the hospital. Wei Lianheng just waved his hands and said, “There’s no need to go to the hospital. I’m not that fragile.”

Qu Wan took out her handkerchief and helped to wipe the blood on his face.

Ling Mubai happened to see this scene, and his face was as black as thunder.

He couldn’t see through Wei Lianheng. This man could reach the finish line smoothly, but he suddenly fell down. What was his intention?

Wearing a complicated look, Ling Mubai didn’t say anything.

The staff at the scene kept asking Wei Lianheng, but he just said that his injuries were not serious and that he could continue to attend the program. As a result, the cameramen continued with their shooting and the fourth round began.

In the last round, the candidates would confess their love to Qu Wan. After having such a frightening accident just now, Qu Wan showed more interest in Wei Lianheng than the other candidates. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

When encountering danger, people tended to protect themselves out of instinct. She was deeply moved by Wei Lianheng, for he chose to protect her regardless of his own safety.

She had been through a failed marriage and experienced the bitterness of life. What she needed now was such a responsible man. Since Qu Wan had already taken a fancy to Wei Lianheng, she no longer paid attention to other candidates.

When other candidates confessed their love to her, Qu Wan remained expressionless, and soon it was Wei Lianheng’s turn to go on stage.

“Miss Qu, I’m an ordinary employee of a company. I don’t have a prestigious background or good economic conditions. I’m already very excited to stand in front of you. Actually, I won’t say those sweet words like the other candidates. I just want to tell you my true experience.”

He became a little emotional, and his eyes turned slightly red.

His father had an affair when he was a child and abandoned his mother. Since his mother couldn’t take this blow, she committed suicide. As a result, he became an orphan at a young age and was raised up by his relatives. He managed to finish university with the help of kind-hearted benefactors.

When he was still in university, Wei Lianheng fell in love with a girl from a rich family. The two of them were deep in love, and after graduation, they got married secretly without noticing their family. They led a simple but beautiful life.

Wei Lianheng had always been a hard-working man. However, faced with financial difficulties, the company’s higher-ups planned to lay off some employees. Her wife’s parents had long been dissatisfied with him, and when he was about to lose his job, they forced their daughter to divorce him. Sadly, his marriage came to an end.

“I didn’t have enough money back then, and my father-in-law paid for the wedding. So after the divorce, I left without asking for any property. Even until now, I am still penniless…”

After he finished, Qu Wan was stunned. It seemed that she was listening to her own story.

Actually, Ling Mubai was also shocked.

During the second round, Qu Wan felt that Wei Lianheng had something similar to her, so she asked him about his views on love and marriage.

She was quite satisfied with his answer.

A temporary impulse couldn’t be called love. True love must stand the test of time, which was an indispensable process for a couple to fully accept each other.

If she had known this before, she wouldn’t have suffered so much.

Her marriage to Ling Mubai was merely out of passion. Once the passion disappeared, their marriage came to an end.

She had confused love with marriage. Ling Mubai was nice to her, but she forgot that reality wasn’t a fairy tale. The more expectations she had for their marriage, the more disappointed she became.

Perhaps Wei Lianheng’s story had reminded her of her miserable past, Qu Wan asked in a little hoarse voice, “Mr. Wei, do you hate your ex-wife?”

“I once hated her!” Wei Lianheng answered.

“Don’t you hate her now?”

“I don’t hate her anymore.” He let out a sigh of relief, as if he had let go of his psychological burden. “Actually, I am very grateful to my ex-wife now. She has helped me learn how to love someone and enjoy the sweetness of love. We can’t be tortured by our painful past forever. Instead, we have to look forward to a brighter future. Am I right?”

His words made sense. People had to move on, instead of indulging in the tormenting past.

Qu Wan had always known this, but she avoided facing reality for the past three years. She found it so hard to put the past behind her.

She wasn’t as generous as Wei Lianheng, for she still hated Ling Mubai. Every time she saw him, she felt a heart-wrenching pain and couldn’t treat him as a stranger.

Since Wei Lianheng was able to let go of the past and start a new life bravely, he was a broad-minded person who wouldn’t be petty at all.

What made Qu Wan more into him was that they not only had similar experiences, but shared the same view on love and marriage.

Also, when they were in danger just now, he subconsciously protected her from being hurt.

Humans are selfish in nature, and protecting themselves is a kind of human nature. Qu Wan believed that Wei Lianheng was truly nice to her. Since he was willing to bear harm for her, he would protect her well in the future.

People who had been hurt before were more likely to be moved. In her view, Wei Lianheng was the most suitable person she had seen so far.

Qu Wan took a deep breath and asked the last question, “After hearing your story, I also want to share mine with you. The main reason leading to my previous failed marriage is that I am infertile. As a result, my mother-in-law disliked me and my husband had an affair. If you choose to be with me, we won’t have children and we have to endure great loneliness in our late years. Are you still willing to be with me after knowing this?”