Hear My Heart: My World Falls into the River of Love

Chapter 25 - Does this make you feel disgusted?

He Xiu was silent for a moment and then bowed his head to chuckle.

Being laughed at like this by him, Jian Yan became embarrassed. She really cared about the strawberries, though, because after picking them, she would need to pay money...

"Eh, I'm sorry..." She returned the strawberry back to the basket and smiled apologetically at He Xiu.

The corners of He Xiu's mouth rose into a smile. He looked at her and said, "It's okay, it was my bad. I should be more serious when picking strawberries."

Jian Yan: "..."

He Xiu really did as he had said and took strawberry picking more seriously. He held one in his hand and lifted it up for Jian Yan to see. "How about this? It's not too small yet not too big, and the color is uniform. On a scale of attractiveness, it's 100%."

"...Mhmm, pretty good."

He Xiu smiled and plucked it, placing it into his basket. Because Jian Yan had changed the subject, he also no longer monitored his words. Instead, he bluntly said to her, "Back then in the dining hall, when you had suddenly brought up my parents, I had really been somewhat angry, but I was more angry at myself afterwards for speaking without thinking the matter through and telling you that Zhao Ying Fang wasn't my mother. Although she really isn't my mother, that is a secret of the He Family. He Jing Long had always told outsiders that I am Zhao Ying Fang's eldest son..."

He Xiu spoke all of this in one breath. He then continued to say, "I arrived at He Mansion when I was already seven years-old. My father said that, because I was born with an unhealthy body, I had stayed abroad to receive treatment the entire time." He smiled mockingly. "I don't know how much of this excuse others believed, but no one performed an in-depth investigation. People treated me with the same courtesy as if they were actually treating the eldest son of the He Family. People of the business world are so hypocritical."

Jian Yan slightly pursed her lips, not knowing if she should say something. As a child, she had felt that if her family had been wealthy, she wouldn't have experienced so much suffering, but the fact was that even a wealthy family like the He Family could have other sufferings.

He Xiu remained quiet for a long time before he said with a steady voice, "My mom, she died the year I turned seven years-old..."

Jian Yan suddenly grabbed his hand. "Don't say anymore."

He Xiu tilted his head to look at her. Jian Yan exhaled lightly and said, "It must be very agonizing to remember it, right? You don't need to force yourself to recall those memories again."

He Xiu's eyes glimmered with a watery light. Shortly after, he finally realized that they were holding hands. He looked at Jian Yan, slightly hesitant. "You're...touching me."

Jian Yan only just seemed to realize that their bodies happened to be touching each other. It was of her own volition too. Seeing that her expression was strange, He Xiu eased the mood by chuckling. "After this, you wouldn't happen to want to beat me up, right?"

Jian Yan giggled softly, lips raised into a smile as she withdrew her hand. She blinked at him before saying, "Actually, my situation is much more extreme than what I had previously told you. Rather than simply having something against men, I have misandry."

He Xiu's eyebrows furrowed together. "Misandry?"

"Mmn. I have had it since I was a child. My father gambled and lost a lot of money. He took everything valuable in the house to settle his debts, but it still hadn't been enough. The creditor would drop by every day to harass him to settle the debt and would even spray red paint on the door of my house. Once, he even barged directly into the house and viciously told my father to pay up. Perhaps because he really saw that there was indeed nothing valuable in the house, he told my father, 'If you have no money to settle the debt, then use your daughter to repay the debt.' He had said this while reaching out to stroke my face. Although it was simply my face, I feel that disgusting sensation every time I recall that moment. I get goosebumps over my whole body."