Chapter 349: Make a Bet

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Make a Bet

Bai Wanwan stopped in her tracks. She decided to wait for Yin Mei to compose herself before going in.

But Yin Ze returned before she could. He walked up to the entrance, heard the crying from within, and turned to ask Bai Wanwan, "Did someone bully my sister?"

He kept his voice low, clearly not wanting the person inside to notice him.

Yin Mei’s sobs were muffled, as if she were trying hard to stifle the sound.

"No one bullied Sister Yin Mei. She’s the one who rejected Kong Lai, but she seems very upset about it."

After hearing this, Yin Ze stood at the entrance, his fists clenched tightly, a storm of complex emotions swirling in his eyes.

"I never should have let them get close to my sister." He gritted his teeth, seeming to regret not having stopped them.

Bai Wanwan sighed. "Are you planning to lock Sister Yin Mei away for her whole life? I don’t know why you’re trying to stop this, but I can see that Sister Yin Mei likes Kong Lai, and he likes her too. She probably only rejected him because she was worried you would stand in their way."

Yin Ze whipped his head around to look at her. "Why do I stand in their way? Because the moment these males find out she can’t bear children, they’ll leave without a second thought."

Bai Wanwan was taken aback. ’Deep down, it seems there’s a belief that males place special importance on a female’s fertility.’

So, what Yin Ze said was right.

"So you’ve been stopping those males from getting close to your sister because you’re afraid she’ll get hurt?"

Yin Ze didn’t say a word, but Bai Wanwan knew she had hit the nail on the head.

"How will you know if you don’t even try?" Bai Wanwan blinked. "Why don’t we make a bet?"

"Bet on what?" Yin Ze’s tone was grudging.

"Let’s bet on whether he’ll give up after he finds out Yin Mei can’t have children. If he gives up after knowing the truth, it just proves he was never worthy of Sister Yin Mei’s affection in the first place, and she can move on sooner. But if things stay like this, with nothing being said, Sister Yin Mei will never be happy. He’ll always be on her mind."

Bai Wanwan paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, if he passes this test, you’ll stop interfering. How about it?"

Yin Ze glanced at her sideways. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded. "Fine. But if he abandons my sister, or even hurts her... what then?"

"I..."

Bai Wanwan felt like she had just dug a hole for herself. But this brother and sister had saved her life.

If there was anything she could do to help them, she wanted to at least try.

"Then I’ll take responsibility for helping Sister Yin Mei forget that male. And in the future, I’ll help vet her options and find a male who truly loves her. How does that sound?"

"You think you can find one?"

"Ahem... I’ll do my best, my best!"

Yin Ze frowned, clearly unconvinced.

But when he heard the quiet sobs coming from the stone house, his brow furrowed, and his heart was thrown into turmoil.

He even... began to feel he had done something wrong.

"You go get Kong Lai. I’m going in to talk with Sister Yin Mei."

With that, Bai Wanwan paid no mind to Yin Ze and went to enter the house.

"Sister Yin Mei, I’m coming in."

After saying that, she waited a moment before pushing the door and going inside.

Yin Mei was sitting in the shadows, her head turned to the side as she wiped away her tears.

"Sister Yin Mei, can I come and sit with you?"

"Okay."

Yin Mei’s voice was thick and muffled, trying its best to hide the fact that she had been crying.

After sitting down beside her, Bai Wanwan took her hand and whispered, "Sister Yin Mei, are you truly in love with Kong Lai?"

Yin Mei denied it instinctively. "I don’t like him."

"You really don’t?"

Yin Mei knew her eyes were still red, making her words completely unconvincing.

Bai Wanwan squeezed her hand. "Actually, I think Kong Lai is a very good male..."

"Yes, he’s wonderful. During the snow season, he worried I didn’t have enough to eat, so he would bring me food. He even sewed a Beast Skin Skirt for me himself. One time, I fainted from a stomachache when Yin Ze wasn’t around, and he was the one who carried me to the Clan Witch..."

She listed one good thing about Kong Lai after another, her eyes growing redder the more she spoke.

"Yes, and a male that good... if he becomes someone else’s Beast Husband... Sister Yin Mei, wouldn’t you be sad?"

Her words were undoubtedly salt in Yin Mei’s wound, but she knew that if she didn’t say something harsh, Yin Mei might just keep hiding in her shell like a turtle.

"Wanwan, don’t say any more. If... if he wants to form a partnership, then let him. It has nothing to do with me."

"Sister Yin Mei, what if? What if he’s willing to accept everything about you? By rejecting him like this, you’re hurting him too. Give yourself and him a chance. Talk to each other. If he can’t accept it, then you can truly let go."

Yin Mei was clearly stunned. She had never considered such a possibility.

Because she couldn’t bear children, she had been looked down upon since she was young, making her unable to face her own vulnerability.

She was even afraid to confess it to the one she loved.

"Wanwan, but... even if he accepts me, I still can’t give him children. I can’t drag him down."

Just as she was speaking, the door was pushed open, and Kong Lai’s figure appeared in the entrance.

In that instant, Yin Mei was clearly flustered.

"Yin Mei, is this why you rejected me?"

"No... you heard wrong. Why are you back? You should go. Don’t come here again."

Kong Lai strode forward quickly but was blocked by Yin Ze. "Don’t you dare force my sister. If you even think about bullying her, I won’t let you off."

Kong Lai gave a bitter smile. "How could I ever bully her? I wouldn’t have enough time in the world to dote on her."

Bai Wanwan stood up, slowly walked toward the door, and gestured for Yin Ze to follow.

Yin Ze glanced at her, and in the end, he restrained the urge to grab Kong Lai and instead turned to follow Bai Wanwan out of the house.

After stepping outside, Yin Ze was in a state of extreme agitation.

Bai Wanwan, in contrast, was much more relaxed. She sat on a stone stool, admiring his tall, slender figure.

"Deep down, you’re also hoping that Kong Lai will accept Yin Mei even though she can’t have children, aren’t you?"

His innermost thoughts having been exposed, Yin Ze’s expression soured.

"But... they never accept it."

This wasn’t something that only happened here. As long as a barren female was partnered with a male, she wouldn’t be sent to the Female Cave.

But even his best friend had been unwilling to partner with his sister.

After one disappointment after another, Yin Ze had lost all hope.

He just didn’t want his only sister to be hurt again.

Bai Wanwan tilted her head up to look at him. "What about you? Could you accept a female who can’t have children?"

Yin Ze didn’t hesitate for a second. "As long as I love her, I don’t care."

He answered without hesitation because he had already asked himself the same question countless times before.

’If you truly love a female, you have to accept everything about her and not let her be sad or hurt.’

’Therefore, those males who couldn’t accept that his sister was barren weren’t worthy of her affection anyway.’

His answer took Bai Wanwan by surprise. She hadn’t expected that in this backward world, where most males valued procreation above all else, he would have such progressive thoughts.

They looked at each other, and neither spoke again.

But suddenly, the sound of shattering stoneware came from inside the room.

Yin Ze immediately spun around and rushed into the stone house.