Pokémon: What should I do? My father-in-law always wants to tear me apart

The dusk poured into the Mi Yu family's small living room through the gaps in the mottled curtains, but it could not dispel the stagnant air in the room.

The sofa was divided into two by an invisible boundary. Lin Yi sat alone on the left side, his back tensely sunken in the old fabric sofa. Opposite him sat Mi Yu's sister Mi Meng, mother Mi Luoqi and grandmother side by side.

Mi Yu sat awkwardly in the middle, rubbing the hem of her skirt repeatedly with her hands, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Mi Yu bit her lips, and her cherry-colored lower lip was almost bitten to a bleeding mark.

She took a deep breath, finally mustered up the courage, reached out and held Lin Yi's hand tightly. Her fingertips were slightly cold, but conveyed unquestionable firmness.

She raised her head stubbornly and looked into her mother Miroqi's eyes, which were full of dissatisfaction. Her voice was soft but every word was clear:

"Mom, grandma, he is my boyfriend, his name is Lin Yi."

Miroqi's gaze was like a sharp scalpel, examining Lin Yi carefully from head to toe.

Hearing her daughter's words, she suddenly turned her gaze to Mi Yu, her eyebrows raised high, and the disappointment in her eyes almost overflowed:

"You didn't go to school these days, just running around with him?"

"I finished the course early because I had completed all the courses ahead of time..."

Mi Yu explained hurriedly, his voice getting smaller and smaller, like a dandelion blown away by the wind.

She tried to use the completion of her studies as an excuse, but was ruthlessly interrupted by her mother.

"I'm asking why you didn't tell me?"

Miroqi's voice suddenly rose, carrying with it the dignity of having been in charge for many years.

Her question was like a heavy hammer, causing Mi Yu to subconsciously shrink his neck. Even Mi Meng, who was standing beside him, shrank back in fear from her sudden anger.

Mi Yu's grandmother frowned her wrinkled brows slightly, her cloudy eyes moved back and forth between her granddaughter and daughter. In the end, she just sighed silently, swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and her skinny fingers unconsciously stroked the apron on her knees.

The entire living room fell into a suffocating silence, with only the ticking of the wall clock measuring this difficult moment.

Mi Yu's head was almost down to his knees, his fingers twisted around the corner of his clothes, his knuckles turning white.

When she mustered up the courage to raise her head, she was met with her mother Miroqi's suddenly gloomy face. The frosty coldness made her throat tighten, and she swallowed back the words she had prepared.

Lin Yi keenly captured this subtle stalemate, and gently covered Mi Yu's cold back of the hand with his slender fingers, conveying silent comfort with the warmth of his palm.

He slowly stood up, his posture as straight as a pine tree, took a deep breath, and spoke in a clear and steady voice:

"Hello, Auntie. My name is Lin Yi, Mi Yu's boyfriend. I know Mi Yu's family and I know how difficult it was for you to raise Mi Yu."

There was just the right amount of sincerity in his words, with a slight upward tone at the end, like the warm sun in winter, quietly melting the chill in the air.

Miloqi's originally tense shoulders trembled slightly, and his nose suddenly felt sore.

She blinked rapidly, with tiny drops of water on her eyelashes. She turned her head away to hide her emotions and just said "hmm" faintly.

"I know you, the champion of last year's Little Phoenix Cup."

She turned her head suddenly, her eyes as sharp as an eagle, "How did you and Mi Yu know each other?"

Lin Yi raised a gentle smile at the corner of his lips, with a hint of reminiscence: "Auntie, don't you remember me?"

"Ok?"

Miroqi frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"The boy who came to Magic City with his parents for a trip, but was forgotten by his parents in Magic City, with a dragon."

This sentence is like a key that instantly opens the floodgates of memory.

Mi Luoqi's pupils suddenly contracted. She stared at Lin Yi closely, carefully examining the face that had lost its childishness. Finally, she nodded slowly, with an imperceptible sigh in her tone:

"So it's you... the son of the current Lin Tianwang..."

Just as Lin Yi was about to speak, Miloqi suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him, his fingertips trembling slightly:

"Why would a rich kid like you fall for Mi Yu? If you are just saying sweet words and just want to have fun... I won't let you go!"

The ending note rises in a trembling voice, like a chipped knife, which is obviously shaky but still stubbornly remains sharp.

The living room fell into silence, with only the hum of the old ceiling fan as the noise.

Miroqi gripped the edge of the sofa tightly, his nails digging deep into the fabric.

She was of course aware of how ridiculous her threat was at the moment - how could a single mother who was abandoned by her husband and had to raise two daughters and her elderly mother alone fight against the son of the Four Heavenly Kings?

But the burning maternal love surging in her chest forced her to straighten her back, even though such strength was so fragile that it could not withstand a single blow in the face of reality.

Lin Yi, who always disliked being interrupted, was not angry at all. Instead, he showed a gentle smile.

He knew too well that human joys and sorrows could never be shared, and at this moment any words of empathy seemed pale and powerless.

At this moment, Mi Luoqi suddenly took out a bank card, and the card surface was glowing coldly under the desk lamp - it was the card that Lin Yi had given to Mi Yu before and then passed to Mi Meng.

"We don't need your pity."

Miroqi slammed the card on the coffee table, his voice as cold as ice.

In fact, Mi Meng had just undergone an expensive scar removal surgery, and her elderly grandmother needed long-term care. Mi Meng had just embarked on the path of becoming a trainer, and the monthly expenses were like a bottomless pit.

And her meager salary as a supermarket manager was just a drop in the bucket - even this job was arranged by Lin Yi's father more than ten years ago because of their old friendship.

But even so, she still chose to push away the aid with trembling hands, because some things are more important than money.

Lin Yi took the bank card in silence, and the metal edges hurt his palm.

He was not in a hurry to explain himself, because some things did not need to be said out loud on the spot - he turned around and quietly gave it to Mi Yu, who then passed it to her sister. After going around in circles, this gift would always return to where it should go in another way.

"Auntie, I really mean it."

Lin Yi looked directly into Miroqi's eyes, his gaze was sincere and firm, his voice was steady and powerful, trying to convey his inner sincerity.

"Sincerely? Sincerely, then why do you have two girlfriends?"

Miroqi said through gritted teeth, his eyes full of anger and pain.

She learned about Ruan Yaoyao's existence from Mi Meng last night, which made her toss and turn all night.

In her opinion, it is an equal relationship, but Ruan Yaoyao is the daughter of the fighting king and has a noble status, while her own daughter Mi Yu.

In this relationship, you can only be a "little one" at best, and will end up with a bad reputation.

In Miroqi's opinion, being able to become the lover of the son of the Four Heavenly Kings might be something that many people would flock to, but she did not want her daughter, whom she had raised with great difficulty, to become a canary in a cage kept by rich and powerful people, losing her freedom and dignity.

She was worried about her daughter's future, and this worry turned into sharpness and questioning in her tone.

"Mom, my brother-in-law is a good man."

Mi Meng couldn't help but speak. She held up the Poké Ball in her hand, with an anxious and sincere look on her face.

"He also helped me capture a dragon."

"Shut up! You haven't even started yet, and you're already my brother-in-law."

Mi Meng was frightened by the sudden scolding and shrank her neck. She responded with a low "Oh..." and stopped talking.

If facing Ruan Tianli, with Lin Yi's personality, he would most likely retort with something teasing and provocative like "Don't talk about the uncertainty, the rice is already cooked", but now facing this mother who seems strong but is actually fragile and full of worries, he naturally would not do so.

He understood that what Miluoqi needed at this moment was not confrontation, but understanding and comfort.

"Mom, no matter what happens in the end, ever since he saved me from those bullies when I was a child, I have decided that I will only like him, no matter what the outcome is."

Mi Yu raised his head, his eyes full of determination and persistence, his voice soft but extremely firm.

She stared at her mother, wanting to make her understand her feelings.

Miloqi looked at her daughter's serious expression, and a wave of sadness surged in her heart. She sighed softly, her tone full of helplessness and heartache:

"Mi Yu, my marriage is a failure, so I don't want your love to be sad."

She stood up, reached out her hand, and gently stroked Mi Yu's hair. Tears welled up in her eyes, which showed a mother's deepest love and concern for her daughter.

Lin Yi took a deep breath and slowly knelt on one knee in front of Miroqi.

Mi Yu widened her eyes and subconsciously tried to pull him up, but he gently held her wrist.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze in an instant. Mi Meng covered her mouth, and her grandmother put down her needlework and looked at the scene in shock.

"Auntie, I know that no matter how many promises I make, they will seem pale."

Lin Yi's voice was low and firm. "My father did arrange a job for you, but it's not charity. If you hadn't taken me in when I was lost, given me hot meals, and contacted my parents, the son of the Four Heavenly Kings you are talking about now might have starved to death on the streets of the Magic City."

He took out an exquisite little box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a jade bracelet with a warm luster.

He bought this on the way here. Miroqi was dressed simply and had no decorations on him.

Miroqi's eyes instantly turned red, and memories came flooding back.

Looking at Lin Yi's sincere look at this moment, she suddenly realized that the skinny child who praised her food so much back then has already grown into a man of his own ability.

"As for feelings..."

Lin Yi turned his head and looked at Mi Yu, his eyes were so gentle that water could drip out of them.

"I won't deny Yaoyao's existence, but my feelings for Mi Yu have never changed since the day she blocked the bully's fist for me."

He paused, then added: "Yaoyao and Miyu have reached a consensus. We will face all future problems together."

Mi Yu could no longer control herself and tears welled up in her eyes.

Mi Meng wiped her tears quietly, and her grandmother nodded gently, muttering "Good child, good child".

Mi Luoqi took the jade bracelet tremblingly, turned her head away to wipe her tears: "Get up, the ground is cold."

Her voice was still choked, but less sharp, "But let me make it clear first, if Mi Yu is wronged..."

"I am willing to accept any punishment."

Lin Yi stood up with a smile, took Mi Yu's hand and interlocked their fingers.

The setting sun outside the window had dyed half the sky red at some point, and the warm light poured in through the window, stretching the shadows of the four people very long, interweaving on the floor to form a cozy picture.