Zhang Liang tried to argue, but Zhao Panpan simply waved her hand to stop him.
“You think your mother had a hard time raising you and your brother, so you want to be filial. Fine. Then you should be the one taking care of her—washing her clothes, cooking for her, making sure she lives comfortably in her old age. But you never actually did any of that. All you did was move your lips and expect me to do it for you. You wanted me to buy her clothes and gifts. Whenever we went back to your hometown, I was the one cooking, cleaning, doing the chores. Even the everyday greetings and concern for her had to come from me. And when she criticized me endlessly, all you told me to do was endure it. Passing your so-called filial duty onto someone else like that? That’s the behavior of a terrible man.”
“Back then I loved you, so I tried to accept everything that came with you. I thought being a little more tolerant toward your mother was only natural. But the truth is, the struggles she went through raising you and your brother were because of the two of you. That had nothing to do with me. I never owed her any of that.”
“You believe your brother dropped out of school and worked to support the family, so you think you owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Fine—then you should respect him, support your sister-in-law, help your nephew. That’s your responsibility. But why was I always the one expected to tolerate your sister-in-law’s sarcasm and your brother’s arrogance? What favor did I ever receive from them? The fact that I never stopped you from repaying them, despite how they treated me—that alone was already generous of me.”
“You’re the one who should repay them. But because you’re selfish and don’t want to sacrifice or suffer any loss yourself, you pushed everything onto me. I’ve had enough of your whole family. That’s why I insisted on buying a house outside and living separately from them. If you had simply lived peacefully with me, I would’ve tried to build a good marriage with you for the sake of what we once had. But you kept bringing them over again and again. Tell me—when they came, did you ever cook? When they left, did you ever clean up?”
“Your whole family drank my blood while stepping all over me, enjoying your happy family gatherings. And not only were you ungrateful, you just kept asking for more. I bought Kele so many clothes, toys, and study materials. Yet he called me a bad woman again and again. He even threw my Kele to death—and tried to run me over too…”
Zhao Panpan ignored the people gathering around them. She raised her hand and wiped away her tears. Kele was the deepest pain in her heart.
“I was foolishly in love. Maybe I deserved some of this. But now I don’t love you anymore. I don’t even like you anymore. So I will never again spend a single bit of emotion or money on you or your family.”
Zhang Liang was truly frightened now. He shuffled forward on his knees until he was right in front of her.
“I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Panpan, please forgive me. From now on we’ll just live our own lives, okay? We won’t have anything to do with them anymore. All these years I worked hard for you, I endured every hardship. If it’s for you, I can even cut off contact with my mom and brother.”
Zhao Panpan actually laughed in disbelief.
“You worked hard for me? Zhang Liang, don’t make me laugh. Even if I never existed, you’d still have to work, earn money, eat, and live your life. And besides, all these years your salary went straight into your mother’s hands. It had nothing to do with me. And if I’m guessing right, the fact that you can now say you’ll cut them off means they must have done something that hurt you. You’re only willing to stop contacting them because your own interests were damaged. Don’t push that responsibility onto me.”
What a huge burden he was trying to dump on her.
She refused to carry it.
Zhang Liang’s face flushed red. Every word she said was true, and he had nothing to argue with.
It felt like the last shred of dignity he had was being torn away. Standing in front of Zhao Panpan, he no longer had any pride left.
Seeing the woman who once smiled so warmly at him now standing there with cold distance in her eyes, Zhang Liang suddenly regretted coming today.
He shouldn’t have come.
But the murmurs from the watching crowd made him feel even more humiliated.
He stood up, trying to salvage a bit of dignity. “Panpan… I really just came to ask for your forgiveness. I’ve already apologized. I hope you live well from now on.”
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Panpan’s words about his salary being in his mother’s hands reminded him of something important—he needed to return to school and ask the finance office to change his salary card as soon as possible. That was the real priority now.
Zhao Panpan felt a wave of nausea. Just because he apologized, did she have to forgive him?
In this lifetime, she would never forgive him. And she would never get back together with him.
Otherwise, all the suffering and humiliation she endured before would have meant she deserved it.
Her hand gently touched her lower belly. Then she went out to eat breakfast. She refused to let a rotten person ruin her day.
Still, saying all those words that had been bottled up in her heart felt incredibly satisfying.
Sometimes, when the moment calls for it, you really do need to let yourself go a little crazy. Otherwise the only one who suffers is yourself.
At the breakfast shop, Zhao Panpan gave up her usual love of spicy food and forced herself to eat something lighter. She had heard it was better for the baby.
While eating, she scrolled through her phone and followed a few parenting bloggers, trying to prepare herself for becoming a mother.
But the more she read about early education, the more anxious she felt. She quickly sent a message to Zhang Yanyan.
“Yanzi, this is my first time being a mom. I have zero experience. What if the child becomes rebellious in the future? I don’t even know how to change a diaper. What if I can’t take care of the baby after it’s born? I can’t possibly learn everything from short videos, right?”
Zhang Yanyan replied quickly.
“You’ve never been a mom before, but you’ve been a child. So don’t worry too much about education. Just think about the kind of guardian you wished you had when you were little—and become that person for your child. And honestly, worrying about rebellion right now is a bit early.”
Then Zhang Yanyan sent her a group invitation link.
“Sweetie, go attend some events at postpartum centers, maternity hospitals, or baby stores. They usually teach things like breastfeeding, diaper changing, and common baby issues.”
The background noise in Zhang Yanyan’s voice message was loud—it sounded like she was at a wedding. Zhao Panpan simply replied with an “OK” sticker and didn’t bother her further.
After joining the pregnancy group, Zhao Panpan felt like a whole new world had opened up.
She saw that there was an event at ten in the morning at a postpartum center called Aiying. She quickly signed up in the group chat, planning to go check it out.
She didn’t have a mother and had never truly experienced a mother’s love.
But she knew one thing—she wanted to try her best to become a good mother.
Her child would have more than enough love.
After finishing breakfast, Zhao Panpan happily headed to the postpartum center.
Following the staff on a tour of Aiying’s facilities, she suddenly felt that when the time came for her to give birth, choosing a place like this might be the best option. She could recover properly while professionals helped care for the baby. That way she wouldn’t have to trouble her friends or exhaust herself hiring a nanny. It really seemed like the perfect solution.
After listening to a lecture about infant feeding, Zhao Panpan felt even more impressed by how professional everything was. She immediately added the staff member on WeChat.
Still, she wasn’t the impulsive girl she once was. Even though the staff kept urging her to pay a deposit, she politely refused for now.
By the time she left Aiying, it was almost noon. Standing beside the recruitment sign outside the shop, Zhao Panpan pulled out her phone to search for somewhere nearby to eat.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but lately she felt hungry much more often.
Just as she was scrolling through options, Zhao Yongwei’s call came in.
“Come home for a moment.”
“What’s going on?”
“Just come back first.”
Zhao Yongwei didn’t let her ask anything else before hanging up.
Zhao Panpan frowned, unsure what madness had gotten into him. But after thinking it over, she still called a taxi and headed there.
Their relationship as father and daughter had long since broken down. Good things never involved her anyway.
But she didn’t mind going to see just how shameless people could be.
She would treat it as a kind of prenatal education for the baby.