"Yes. He concealed his history of infectious disease—Hepatitis B—as well as his romantic past and the fact that his ex-girlfriend had an abortion..." Mu Yuting selectively recounted some facts, sticking only to what had already transpired.
"Dawei is such an honest boy. He told me himself he's never even been in a relationship, how could he..." Mu's Mother couldn't believe it at all.
The scumbag was named Du Dawei. He had contracted Hepatitis B as a child, but his entire family kept it a secret from outsiders. In her previous life, Mu Yuting only learned about Du Dawei's condition after giving birth to their child.
After delivery, a doctor came to the hospital room to notify them that the newborn would need to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Du Dawei directly asked the doctor, "If the father has Hepatitis B and the mother does not, can the child still receive the Hepatitis B vaccine?"
At that moment, Mu Yuting, holding their child, was too shocked to speak...
The doctor replied, "As long as the mother does not have Hepatitis B and all prenatal liver function tests were normal, the child should be fine and can receive the Hepatitis B vaccine right after birth."
After the doctor left, Mu Yuting asked, "Why did you hide your illness?"
Du Dawei shrugged it off indifferently, "If I hadn't hidden it, would you have married me? This illness doesn't necessarily mean I'd pass it on to you. You have Hepatitis B antibodies in your checkup, right? What are you afraid of?"
Seeing her trembling with anger, Du Dawei clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively, "We already have a child. Do you want a divorce? Fine, you can leave, but the child stays with me."
This was the first time Du Dawei brought up divorce—within an hour of Mu Yuting's natural childbirth. Of course, he didn't actually want a divorce at that moment; he was using the threat of divorce and taking the child as a reverse tactic to pressure Mu Yuting into letting the matter go.
In the end, they didn't divorce because of the child. Mu's Mother came to see the baby and advised her, "Since the child is already born, you have to take responsibility and give them a complete family! One can't live only for themselves. You're a mother now—you can't be so selfish."
To provide their child with a complete family, Mu Yuting had no choice but to endure it.
Over the next few years, she also discovered that Du Dawei was fooling around outside their marriage and maintaining ties with his first love. Though she never caught them in the act, she repeatedly received harassing calls from Du Dawei's ex-girlfriend and learned that the other woman had once had an abortion because of him.
This led to numerous arguments between them.
After every fight, Du Dawei would make excuses, deny everything, and play the victim. Mu's Mother would forcefully mediate and use money to smooth things over, leaving Mu Yuting with no choice but to endure it again and again for the sake of her mother and daughter.
They hadn't divorced earlier because Du Dawei was doing poorly financially and was still willing to put on an act in front of his mother-in-law to swindle some money. Nearing forty, after squeezing the last of his mother-in-law's retirement savings, Du Dawei ran off to another city to pursue a career. Once he found success, he started pushing for divorce.
For Mu Yuting, the divorce was also a form of liberation. So even though the terms were harsh, she accepted it as long as she could get a quick, smooth divorce and take the child with her. If they hadn't divorced, being entangled with him for a lifetime would have been the most painful outcome.
She just never expected that the child she had poured all her energy into raising would ultimately be easily taken away by that scumbag Du Dawei. It was like tending a fruit tree seedling with great effort, only to have someone else snatch the whole pot away just when it started bearing fruit—leaving her with nothing in the end.
It was truly laughable.
Fortunately, she had been reborn. As long as she remembered, she would not repeat the same mistakes.
Mu's Mother gritted her teeth with an audible click. "What? That Du Dawei is actually such a person? Not only did he hide his infectious disease, but he also forced his ex-girlfriend to have an abortion and break up with her because her family was poor? Tingting, how did you find out about these things? Have you verified them all?"
"As for the disease, we can go to the hospital for a check-up anytime. As for the abortion with Du Dawei's ex-girlfriend, the girl said it herself, and Du Dawei admitted it." However, it was something he had admitted in her previous life, and Mu Yuting had no intention of mentioning her rebirth.
"Thank goodness we found out before the wedding. Otherwise, if you had gotten married and had children, what would we have done then? Your whole life would have been ruined!" Mu's Mother was both furious and relieved.
"Can't you get a divorce after marriage? Why should you be tied to a scumbag for life?" Mu Yuting did not agree with her mother's old-fashioned thinking.
Mu's Mother frowned deeply, staring at her for a long time before saying, "Divorce hurts women and children the most. If there are children, it's best to avoid divorce if possible. Don’t worry about the wedding arrangements—I’ll handle it."
"Mom, how are you planning to handle it?" Even though she knew her mother had already given up on the idea of her marrying that scumbag, she still wanted to hear the details.
"This weekend, I’ll invite Du Dawei’s family over. We’ll all sit down and talk, make everything clear, and call off the wedding." Mu's Mother sighed heavily.
Mu Yuting finally felt at ease.
In December, night fell early. The north wind howled, bringing a biting chill.
After dinner, the mother and daughter took turns washing up. Neither was in the mood to watch TV, so they went to bed early. They shared a bed but slept at opposite ends, each under their own blanket.
There were three bedrooms in the house. A few years ago, after their father passed away suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage due to high blood pressure, the mother and daughter began sleeping in the same bed—Mu Yuting’s childhood bed.
They were both afraid that the other might suddenly fall ill, unable to bear losing another loved one. Staying close brought them comfort.
The lights went out, and the bedroom instantly darkened. Only a faint glow seeped through the warm yellow curtains.
Mu's Mother let out a long sigh. "Don’t blame me, dear. I only… want what’s best for you."
"I know."
Parents who love their children plan for their future. Mu Yuting knew her mother loved her, which was why she had bought her a new apartment in full as a wedding gift, decorated it according to her preferences, and furnished it with appliances and daily necessities so the young couple could enjoy their newlywed life.
However, without consulting her, her mother had proactively told Du Dawei that his name would be added to the property deed, making it jointly owned marital property.
Upon hearing this, Du Dawei’s family was overjoyed and urged them to proceed with adding his name to the deed. The elderly Dus even planned to move into the new apartment before the wedding to enjoy it ahead of time.
The greedy couple, carried away by their excitement, said to Mu Yuting, "After you get married, give the new apartment to your younger brother, Du Xiaowei. Having a property will make it easier for him to find a partner. Your mother can buy another bigger place for you two to live in. We’ll move in to take care of you and help with the children."
Mu Yuting felt something was off the moment she heard this. This family was just… too greedy. They often complained about having no money, contributed nothing to their son’s wedding, offered no bride price, and now, even though the woman’s family had fully paid for the apartment, they were already scheming to claim it!
In her previous life, it was precisely because of this that Mu Yuting began to consider canceling the wedding and calling off the engagement. However, Du Dawei was cunning; he claimed his parents were only joking and that there was no need to be upset. He insisted that although his family was poor, his feelings for Mu Yuting were completely genuine.
Mu Yuting remained skeptical, but her mother was utterly convinced and repeatedly tried to persuade her. She urged her daughter to be more tolerant and not take jokes too seriously. She advised her not to look down on a man for being poor, emphasizing that sincerity was what truly mattered.
Years later, her failed marriage taught her that there had been signs all along—fate had given her hints from the very beginning.
A joke?! Often, the truth is hidden within a joke.
Was it really about poverty? No, it was a matter of character. If both parents in his family were of such poor moral standing, what were the chances that Du Dawei could "emerge untainted from the filth"?
Sincerity? When a man has no other means to deceive a woman, he resorts to hollow professions of "sincerity."
Her phone buzzed twice. Mu Yuting opened it to see a text from Du Dawei: "I'll pick you up after work tomorrow to clear up the misunderstanding. Love you forever!"
She didn’t reply, letting out a silent, cold laugh in the darkness.
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