Mr. Victor Yu was silent for a moment. "Yes."
Julia Yu immediately looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "Then there's nothing to talk about. There's nothing going on between me and Mr. Mo—we're completely innocent. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!"
"Wait!" Mr. Victor Yu quickly said, "It's your aunt who mentioned that you haven't come home for dinner in a long time! If you're free today, come home for a meal, okay? We haven't seen each other for years. Dad really misses you."
"There's really no need, is there?" Julia Yu replied coolly. "I'd just be intruding on your little family of three. It's awkward."
Mr. Victor Yu paused, his voice pleading. "Xiao Jie, just think of it as Dad begging you, okay?"
That one sentence made Julia Yu tear up instantly.
If her mother's words made Julia Yu angry, then her father's words only made her feel bitter.
She's not a child anymore; she wouldn't believe her mother's one-sided story so easily.
When they divorced, she was already eighteen—not a fool. She could see what was really going on.
"Xiao Jie, it's been tough for Dad all these years. Some things, Dad just couldn't help. I know you hate me, but... but I just wasn't capable enough." Mr. Victor Yu's voice fell. "Your little brother's health has always been poor—he needed injections and medicine since he was a child. My salary each month wasn't nearly enough, and the whole family relied on your aunt's income. That time your aunt treated you badly, it was because your brother had another attack, and every penny we had went to the hospital. Your aunt only had three hundred yuan left. She didn't mean to say those things to you."
Hearing her father's choked voice on the phone, Julia Yu's tears suddenly spilled out. "Okay, I'll come over."
"Hey, hey, hey, do you still remember the address? Should Dad come pick you up?" Mr. Victor Yu asked nervously.
"No need, I'll come by myself," Julia Yu replied. "I still remember the way."
After hanging up, Julia Yu turned around and bought a bunch of nutritional supplements, then took a taxi to where her father lived.
Compared to the wealth of the Ge Family, Mr. Victor Yu's home was truly poor.
When they divorced, Mrs. Grace Ge didn't ask for the house, just half the money.
At first, Mr. Victor Yu lived in this house, but after having another child, he sold it and bought a small two-bedroom in the same neighborhood.
Julia Yu hadn't come back for years, and the place had grown even more rundown.
When Julia Yu arrived downstairs, she saw Mr. Victor Yu's thin figure from a distance, standing under the streetlight, looking out.
Julia Yu suddenly felt a wave of sadness and quickened her pace. "...Dad."
Mr. Victor Yu hadn't seen his daughter in years. When he saw her, he almost didn't recognize her.
Julia Yu was no longer the naive young girl from years ago. She had transformed into a capable, decisive professional woman.
"Hey, it's good you're back. Come on, let's go home and eat." Mr. Victor Yu hurriedly took the things from Julia Yu's hands. "You're home, that's enough. Why bring all this stuff? It's so expensive and not practical. Save your money—living on your own, you need to rely on yourself. You can't get by without money."
"It wasn't that expensive," Julia Yu replied coolly.
They quickly entered the house. Mrs. Linda Yu stood at the door, greeting Julia Yu with a slightly awkward attitude. "Xiao Jie, you're back! Come in, come in! This is your little brother, Leo Yu."
Leo Yu was about the same age as the Ge Family's son—both were ten this year.
But because of illness, Leo Yu was thin and frail, nowhere near as tall and strong as the Ge Family's boy.
"Xiao Le, say hello!" Mrs. Linda Yu nudged Leo Yu.
Leo Yu timidly called out, "Sister."
Julia Yu nodded in response, accepting his greeting.
Once inside, Julia Yu set the gifts down and immediately noticed how eager Mrs. Linda Yu was. "Dinner's ready—just relax for a bit and we can eat! I made several of your favorite dishes."
"Thank you, Auntie," Julia Yu replied coolly.
"Oh, oh, oh—no need to thank me!" Mrs. Linda Yu said, flustered, as she hurried away.
"Dad, I want to talk to you alone," Julia Yu said, turning to her father. "Is that okay?"
"Sure," Mr. Victor Yu nodded silently, agreeing.
Their home only had two bedrooms—one for the couple, and one that doubled as the children's room and study. There wasn't any extra space.
So they talked in Leo Yu's room.
"Dad, I want to know what really happened back then," Julia Yu said directly. "To be honest, my mom just contacted me too—for the same reason as you. I want to ask: are you reaching out because Auntie pushed you to?"
Mr. Victor Yu's lips moved, but he didn't deny it, which meant he agreed.
Julia Yu nodded and continued, "Back then I was busy with school and lived on campus most of the time. On weekends, you and Mom put on such a good act that I didn't notice anything was wrong. So when I got my college acceptance letter and found out you two had already divorced, I was stunned. Neither of you gave me an explanation—you both just remarried. Just because I didn't ask doesn't mean I wasn't hurt. Now I just want to know: what was the real truth back then?"
Mr. Victor Yu's lips trembled as he said, "Isn't it just what you saw?"
"I want to know more clearly," Julia Yu said. "This will determine how I treat you both in the future."
Mr. Victor Yu looked hurt. "Xiao Jie..."
"I'm a lawyer. I just want to hear the truth," Julia Yu said coolly. "You can think I'm cold and unfeeling if you want."
Mr. Victor Yu sighed. "Alright, there's nothing left to hide. Honestly, marrying your mother was a mistake from the start. That day, I came home from work and saw someone following a young woman—I thought he was a criminal, so I chased him off. Your mother thanked me and asked for my number. I didn't think much of it, but a few days later, I went to a blind date and found out my date was your mother. It felt like fate, and she liked me too, so we dated for two months and got married. After the wedding, she always seemed preoccupied, but wouldn't tell me why."
"After you were born, your mother didn't seem very interested in you—changing diapers and feeding formula was all me. I didn't get it at first, thought she was just cold by nature. Until one day, I saw her hugging a man across the street. I realized the man who had followed her that day was the same one. That night, I confronted her, and she admitted it—she'd just broken up with her first love, and he'd followed her home because he was worried. I mistook him for a criminal."
"I asked your mother what she meant—did she still want to be together? She said the past was the past, and she wanted to move on. So I let it go, since you were still little and I wanted you to have a whole family. But when you were in middle school, your mother cheated. I was furious, but before I could confront her, she accused me of having something improper with your aunt."
Mr. Victor Yu looked exhausted. "Your aunt and I have known each other since we were kids, grew up together—but back then, she was with one of your uncles. No matter how bad I am, I wouldn't steal another man's wife. Later, my friend got sick and died young. On his deathbed, he asked me to look after your aunt. I helped her out a few times, but your mom used that against me. Things got ugly; we even talked about divorce. Your mom wanted to take you with her, but I couldn't let that happen—you were just born and she barely cared for you. If you went with her, you'd suffer. I refused. She made a deal: we'd live our own lives and wait until you finished high school to divorce."
"Eventually, we completely fell out—neither of us cared about the other. You started living at school, so you didn't notice. Later, my feelings for your aunt grew, and things happened between us that shouldn't have. So after divorcing your mother, I married your aunt—I had to take responsibility. Your mom married her first love, and we never spoke again." Mr. Victor Yu spread his hands. "That's how it ended."
Julia Yu took a deep breath.
She knew things weren't as simple as her mother had said.
Both of them were trying hard to shift the blame onto each other.
How much blame they could shift depended on their own conscience.
Julia Yu wasn't about to just believe what they said—she'd do her own investigation.
"Let me ask you another thing: why did Auntie want you to call me home for dinner? No, let me be more direct—how did Auntie know about me and Mo Zixin? Who told you I work for Mr. Mo?" Julia Yu's questions grew sharper and sharper.
Mr. Victor Yu knew his daughter was grown up and couldn't be fooled anymore, so he told the truth: "It was your mom who told me."
Julia Yu nodded. That was enough—she had a general idea now.
"Xiao Jie, about what happened back then, don't blame your aunt. She was just desperate," Mr. Victor Yu explained. "Leo's health was always poor, constantly sick, and every hospital stay cost tens of thousands. We really didn't have much money. When you came for living expenses, the truth is, we didn't have any left."
"You could've explained if you had no money. Am I the unreasonable type?" Julia Yu retorted.
"I... I just overlooked it," Mr. Victor Yu said, rubbing his face. "Xiao Jie, I don't deny I made mistakes in the past—I'm sorry. However you blame Dad, I have nothing to say. Leo is your brother—if, someday, your aunt and I are gone, could you help Dad look after Leo?"
"No," Julia Yu refused flatly. "He's your son—you should take care of him. My responsibility is to support you and my mom, not my stepmother's child. After college, I only ever received three hundred yuan from Auntie. I'll pay back that three hundred, but that's all I can do."