Chapter 611 Is He Really the Only One?

Chapter 611: Is He the Only Option?

Within two days, Yu Lan came again.

She mentioned her boyfriend wanted her to quit her job.

The sheer absurdity of it made Jiang Yu laugh.

"Yu Lan, let me be honest—how many people these days can’t even find work? When everyone’s barely scraping by, who would dare to quit their job?"

People would laugh their heads off if they heard this.

"He’s a mechanic, but at his age, he’s probably not highly ranked, right? Does he really think his salary alone can support you and his sick mother?"

Yu Lan had also considered these issues, which was why she hesitated.

His reasoning was that she should quit to care for his mother and keep the household stable.

With the home front secure, he could focus on making money.

"And what about his ex-wife and their child? He has a responsibility to support that child too. Can one paycheck really cover all that?"

Jiang Yu wasn’t against the marriage—who Yu Lan chose was her call.

She just didn’t think Yu Lan should throw away her job over a guy.

Yu Lan bit her lip, gripping the hem of her shirt.

"But he promised me his whole paycheck from now on."

Jiang Yu spelled out the cold truth: "Is that money really for you? It’s for his mother’s medical bills, his son’s living expenses, and household costs. It might not even cover everything—you’d probably have to pitch in."

These words were cruel, but they were also reality.

Yu Lan carried scars from her past—she craved love and security.

The slightest hint of connection, and she’d dive in headfirst.

A spark of hope could blow up into a wildfire.

But she didn’t realize that a marriage couldn’t be sustained by love alone.

Groceries, clothes, everything—it all costs money.

"Jiang Yu… you think I shouldn’t marry him?" Yu Lan’s voice cracked.

She was desperate for someone to lean on.

"I spilled my past to him, and he didn’t judge me. My own family hated me for it, but he didn’t."

Jiang Yu shook her head. "I’m just laying out the facts. If everyone thought things through like this, fewer people’d jump into marriage. I won’t interfere with your decision—whether you choose to marry him or not, I’ll support you."

Her words left Yu Lan torn for a long time.

She wavered between marrying and not marrying.

In the end, she made her decision—Yu Lan transferred her job to someone else.

Jiang Yu first assumed she’d sold it—but after asking around, she found out the job went to the man’s ex-wife.

Yu Lan took the money but sold her job at an extremely low price.

Hearing this news, Jiang Yu felt her heart sink.

"I want to call her foolish, but given what she’s been through all these years, how could I bear to pile on her misery? All I can hope for now is that he’s a good man."

Even if he’s deceiving her, it’s best if he deceives her for a lifetime.

He Tingyue knew she was in a bad mood and didn’t make things worse at this moment.

Anyone with eyes could see this man was bad news.

Yu Lan’s partner was named Fan Daxi, and their wedding was set for the winter solstice.

With just a week left, Jiang Yu called Ding Jianan to ask if she wanted to come for the wedding.

When Ding Jianan heard Yu Lan was getting married, she was truly happy for her.

But like Jiang Yu, she was more concerned about the man.

She asked a series of questions, and Jiang Yu answered truthfully, including the matter of Yu Lan transferring her job.

Upon hearing this, Ding Jianan exclaimed, "That’s insane! How could she be so foolish! Isn’t this man’s motive obvious? He just thinks his bedridden mother means paying for care, so why not marry a wife to take care of her! Jiang Yu, didn’t you try to talk her out of it?"

Jiang Yu sighed. "Of course I did. I laid it all out for her, but what good did it do? Director Ding, Yu Lan’s way of thinking doesn’t follow normal logic."

Her past experiences destined her to be different from ordinary people.

Ding Jianan went quiet. "I’ll buy a ticket to Beicheng right now. I’ll talk to her myself!"

Within two days, Ding Jianan arrived in Beicheng.

Fortunately, Jiang Yu had a spare room at home where she could stay for a few days.

She barely set down her luggage before she rushed off to speak with Yu Lan.

After all, it was Yu Lan who had asked Jiang Yu to share the wedding news with her.

Naturally, Yu Lan was overjoyed that Ding Jianan had come.

But the moment they met, Ding Jianan came out swinging: "Do you know how many people dream of securing a job in the city but never get the chance? This job of yours—Jiang Yu had to call in favors to get it for you! And you just gave it up like that. Have you even considered how she feels?"

Yu Lan’s smile faded slightly, her voice tight. "I thought you came to congratulate me."

"I didn’t. I came to stop you from making a huge mistake! Fan Daxi is not a good match. If he were, he wouldn’t have made you transfer your job at a low price—and to his ex-wife, of all people!"

Yu Lan paled, choking out, "Ex-wife?"

Ding Jianan thought, *Just as I suspected.* She was more exasperated than sympathetic now.

"If you didn’t know she was Fan Daxi’s ex-wife, why did you hand over the job to her for so little?"

Yu Lan stammered, "He said she was a relative of his mother’s doctor. He wanted to curry favor so the doctor would take better care of his mother."

Ding Jianan shot back, "That’s a scam! Come on, let’s go get your job back right now!"

She grabbed Yu Lan’s hand to pull her along, but Yu Lan wouldn’t move.

"Just leave it. The job transfer is already done. If he finds out, he’ll be furious."

Ding Jianan froze, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

Suddenly, she understood why Jiang Yu hadn’t tried harder to dissuade Yu Lan.

This foolish woman had already dived in headfirst, unable to pull herself out.

“He lied to you, and you’re okay with that?”

Under Ding Jianan’s disbelieving stare, Yu Lan suddenly felt lost.

She averted her eyes and murmured, “It’s not that I don’t care. I’ll confront him later. I believe he’ll give me an explanation. But I already promised him I’d quit, so who the job is transferred to doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Ding Jianan’s heart sank, her throat closing as if choked.

She felt like she was clutching a drowning person, desperately trying to pull her up, only to lose to the current.

“Yu Lan, is he really the only one?”

Yu Lan’s throat burned with bitterness. She knew what Ding Jianan meant, and she understood all too well the concerns Jiang Yu had laid out for her—all meant to help her.

But she was trapped.

Turning her back to Ding Jianan, she slowly lifted her chin, forcing back the tears in her eyes.

“Sister Ding, look.”

She pushed up her sleeve, revealing her scarred wrist.

“I’ve done this so many times, but never dared to use a real blade. Guess I’m too scared to die.”

“Sometimes I wake up feeling like I’m still in Yunan, chained up in a cellar like a dog.”

“Watching myself give birth to one daughter after another, hearing their cries, only for silence to follow.”

“I never held them, never spoke a word to them, yet they cling to me like nightmares, every single day.”

Yu Lan bit her lip as tears flooded down her face.

“I’m afraid to die, but living hurts too much.”

Then, she met Fan Daxi.

She believed Fan Daxi could save her.

Ding Jianan cradled her wrist, scalding tears dripping onto the scars as she choked on sobs.

She had always believed that taking Yu Lan in and finding her a job meant saving her from the abyss.

But she never realized—Yu Lan was still drowning.