The country entrusted me to buy an aircraft carrier, Hou Liangping, do you dare to investigate?

Sure enough, her mother's expression immediately changed. "We'll talk about it later? How many years have you been saying that? When are you going to finally get married? Do you not want to get married at all? Are you going to make your father and me worry for the rest of our lives?!"

Hearing the dissatisfaction and resentment in his mother's voice, Huang Feipeng felt even more irritated. He had worked so hard to provide a better life for his family and to fulfill his responsibilities as a son, so why couldn't his family understand his efforts? Instead, they always used this method to put pressure on him.

"I'm really busy with work, and there are many things you can't understand!" Huang Feipeng's voice rose a few decibels, and his emotions gradually spiraled out of control. "You have no idea what I face every day! It's not that I don't want to get married, but I simply don't have time to think about these things right now!"

The mother's face flushed instantly, her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak, while the father sat silently to the side, his face grim. The tension in the air grew stronger, as if it could explode at any moment.

"You're busy with work? Is that an excuse for not getting married?" The mother finally couldn't hold back anymore and retorted sharply, "Your brother is busy too, but he still got married and had children! And you, you're getting on in years and still single, do we really have to find you a blind date?!"

Huang Feipeng was stunned. The mention of his younger brother's name felt like a thorn piercing his heart. He knew that there had always been comparisons within the family. His parents' satisfaction with his brother was obvious, while for him, there was only endless disappointment and blame. Although he had achieved some success in his career and even gained considerable fame, in his parents' eyes, none of this was as important as a stable family and "starting a career and starting a family."

“You’re always like this! Always comparing me to my brother, but I’m not him! I have my own life!” Huang Feipeng slammed his fist on the table, his voice hoarse. “I’m not trying to escape anything, but you can’t keep putting pressure on me like this!”

The father finally spoke, his voice deep and strong: "Feipeng, you can't put off getting married any longer. Your mother is right, we're getting old and want to see you live a stable life. We won't stop you from becoming a policeman, but everyone needs a family, that's a matter of course."

"I know!" Huang Feipeng almost roared, his emotions completely collapsing. At that moment, he felt incredibly lonely, as if everyone in this family only cared about whether he got married or not, and no one truly cared about his inner feelings, his pressure and anxiety. He even felt that his efforts, struggles, and sacrifices had not been properly understood.

The argument ended abruptly after he stormed out of the house. He drove into the night, his heart filled with frustration and helplessness. The car was cramped and stuffy, and with each breath he took, his inner turmoil raged. He knew this wasn't an ordinary family dispute, but an explosion of long-suppressed emotions. He had always tried to be a dutiful son, but he could never escape those invisible shackles.

Huang Feipeng slowly exhaled, his hands trembling slightly. He realized he couldn't go on like this. The car drove through a familiar street; Ye Yao's apartment was nearby. Suddenly, her smile appeared in his mind—that gentle smile that could make him temporarily forget all his troubles. She was always so quiet, always bringing him a touch of comfort.

He desperately wanted to see her, even just for a glimpse, hoping it would offer a moment of peace amidst his endless anxiety and family pressures. But at the same time, he hesitated. Ye Yao was unaware of his inner turmoil; perhaps she wouldn't understand. Her life was always so peaceful and simple, while he carried too many inexplicable and complex emotions.

Huang Feipeng thought it over and over, but ultimately gave up the idea. He couldn't take his emotions out on her anymore. She was his safe haven, but precisely because of that, he couldn't let his storm engulf her world.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, eyes fixed on the road, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. He knew the road ahead was still long; work, family, relationships—each was pulling him back, making it almost impossible to breathe. But he had to keep going, no matter how tired or exhausted he was, he couldn't stop.

Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from my mother: "Feipeng, Mom didn't mean to pressure you. Mom just wants you to be happy."

Huang Feipeng felt a pang of sorrow as he read the brief message. He knew his mother meant no harm; it was just that her love was too heavy, so heavy that it suffocated him. But this heaviness was also a responsibility he couldn't easily shake off.

Huang Feipeng leaned back in his car seat, feeling as heavy as if he were filled with lead, and even his breathing became somewhat suffocating. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this depressed. The irritability and repression in his heart seemed to have been accumulating deep inside for a long time, and now it suddenly seemed to have found an outlet, bursting out all at once.

He looked out at the street ahead, the dim light of the streetlights casting a desolate glow on the ground, making the city seem especially deserted at night. Outside the car window, a few cars occasionally drove by, but they seemed like lifeless ghosts, drifting alone in the silent night. Huang Feipeng felt that his mood at that moment was like this quiet street—empty, devoid of anything left.

"Why does it always have to be like this..." he murmured to himself, his voice low, almost as if he were asking himself a question.

His mother's nagging, his father's indifference, and the suffocating pressure at home made it hard for him to breathe. He desperately wanted someone who understood him, someone who truly knew how exhausted he was. Unfortunately, that person wasn't at home, nor at his workplace. Even he himself sometimes didn't understand what he was pursuing, what he truly wanted.

Suddenly, his phone screen lit up, interrupting his thoughts. It was a message from Ye Yao.

"Feipeng, are you alright? I was a little worried about you today." The message was simple and short, but the gentle tone warmed Huang Feipeng's heart.

He held his phone, staring at the screen for a long while, a warm feeling slowly welling up inside him. She would actually text him at this time; Ye Yao's concern for him was always so gentle and unintentional. It was precisely this quiet care that made Huang Feipeng feel that she was the only one who truly understood him. She always appeared quietly when he needed her most, offering him a touch of comfort without a word.

However, Huang Feipeng knew very well that he couldn't always rely on her gentleness.