"Xiao Ning, if I had known you'd turn out like this, I should've strangled you at birth to save myself from this disgrace."
"I have not disgraced anyone. Every penny I've earned is clean and honest."
Lan Yening went silent for a moment, lowered his head, and spoke with deep resignation in his voice.
"Mom, if you think there's something wrong with me, why are you still trying to set me up with girlfriends?"
"Because I don't want others to know you're broken inside, to have people gossip behind my back."
Lan Yening looked up, staring blankly at his mother. His eyes were void of emotion, filled only with despair, like his soul had been hollowed out.
"Xiao Ning, I'm sorry, I—" Zhang Ya, realizing how deeply she had hurt her son, tried to apologize, but he ran off before she could finish, his face filled with despair.
The setting sun cast its glow over the park's lake, painting it a deep red.
