King of the Wilderness

Chapter 182: Chapter 145: The Mindset of the First Wife

(This Chapter focuses on the process of accepting Emily, if you dislike it, please do not subscribe)

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After hanging up the phone, Emily sat on the sofa in her clinic, looking out the window, her heart still inexplicably tense.

She knew this was not a simple afternoon tea; it was more like a trial from the original wife, and those blueberry muffins seemed to her no different than the ”poison apple” in Snow White’s hands.

At two in the afternoon, Emily, with a nervous heart, drove her Subaru back to ”Wood Forest Land.”

Lin Yu’an and Bo, being very perceptive, used the excuse of checking the traps to take the two excited Bernese Mountain Dogs and disappear into the distant forest.

In the huge log cabin, only Aliya and Emily were left.

Aliya had already changed into comfortable home clothes; she placed two sleeping children in the cradle on the porch, then smiled and welcomed Emily inside.

In the living room, flames were warmly dancing in the fireplace.

On the coffee table sat a delicate tea set, a plate of muffins exuding the scent of butter and blueberries, and a jar of honey from Montana.

”Please sit, Emily.”

Aliya poured her a steaming cup of honey black tea: ”Try it, this is honey from our own farm, it tastes really good.”

Emily sat down nervously, holding the warm teacup in both hands, yet she dared not meet Aliya’s eyes, as she awaited the impending questioning.

However, Aliya’s opening remarks completely caught her off guard.

”Emily, Lin has told me everything.”

This sentence was like a bomb, exploding loudly in Emily’s mind! Her hand shook the teacup suddenly, spilling some of the hot tea.

”I...” She opened her mouth, feeling guilty, but didn’t know what to say, her face suddenly becoming awkward.

”Don’t be nervous.” Aliya’s tone was still calm and gentle, she took out a tissue and handed it to Emily.

”I didn’t invite you here to blame you or to warn you.”

She looked into Emily’s eyes; those light green eyes showed no anger, no jealousy, only an openness and honesty that Emily could not comprehend.

”To be honest, I was worried before.” Aliya sighed softly, adding a spoonful of honey to her tea, slowly stirring it, as if organizing her words.

”I was worried that Lin, with his rigid mindset, would feel unnecessary guilt because of this. I feared he might give up on our previous agreement about the big family, thinking he’s letting me down.”

Emily was completely stunned, her brain freezing at these words.

”You know, Emily.”

Aliya continued, ”I grew up in a Mormon community in Montana. My father had four wives, and my brothers also have several wives.”

”In our view, a truly strong man has the ability and love to shelter a larger family, providing more women and children with safety and happiness.”

Emily looked at the woman in front of her, who was smiling as she expressed such shocking opinions, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was joking or genuinely believed it.

”Lin is a very traditional Chinese man.” Aliya’s tone carried a hint of helplessness.

”In his view, monogamy is normal. You might not see it, but he’s actually someone who lacks a sense of security.”

This statement showed a trace of doubt in Emily’s eyes.

Lin Yu’an? Lacking a sense of security? That man who could build a log cabin alone in the wilderness, calmly face armed robbers, and even coldly decide the fate of others, could lack a sense of security?

Aliya noticed her doubt, she picked up a muffin, handed it to Emily, and also took one for herself, speaking slowly.

”I know the person you see is strong, calm, even a bit cold, but that’s just a thick armor he’s put on.”

”When I met him, he was still in college, and at that time, although he was very capable, he was completely different.”

Her gaze seemed to travel through time back to the past: ”At that time, he would be upset for not scoring first in an exam, be sulky over losing a basketball game, just like any ordinary boy, he sometimes felt fragile and lost.”

”He had an unfortunate childhood, and it was only through his extraordinary efforts and talent that he gradually reached where he is today.”

”Every step he takes is cautious, fearing he might lose everything he has, maybe this mindset has been etched in his bones, existing even today.”

”Because I can feel him, his fear of losing, but since he doesn’t actively speak up I don’t probe, I just need to be by his side, and act as his listener.”

Emily listened quietly, this past that she never knew created the first crack in her mind’s image of the devilishly powerful man, making him more real, and multidimensional.

”Everything he’s doing now, building such a big house, storing so many supplies, even... making some cold decisions, might be rooted in his deep fear of loss.”

Aliya’s voice became softer: ”He might want to prove in this way that he can hand-build an absolutely safe future for me, for the children, proving that our future together isn’t just an illusion.”