That was her exact thought!
Without a second thought, Tong Yuexin shook her head and flatly refused. “No. Mom, I don’t want to talk about these things right now.”
After everything she had been through in her past life, and with the mere thought of Lu Zhiying, Tong Yuexin felt practically despaired of men.
Was she not capable of raising Kaikai on her own? Why did she absolutely need a man? A stepfather wouldn’t necessarily treat a child well; if that was the case, it was better for the child not to have a father at all. At least she, as his biological mother, would never mistreat him.
Unless she happened to find Kaikai’s biological father and he turned out to be a genuinely reliable person, that would be a different story entirely.
Having been reborn this time around, she didn’t have a single shred of desire to get married. All she wanted was to live a good, peaceful life and stay by her parents’ side.
Anticipating her reaction, Zhou Qianshan sighed, took her hand, and said, “Xinxin, listen to Mom. Our life is indeed doing very well right now, but you can’t just let Kaikai grow up without a father forever, can you? He’s still little and doesn’t understand anything yet, but what are you going to do when he gets older and starts asking questions?”
Tong Yuexin stayed silent.
Zhou Qianshan continued, “And what about when Kaikai goes to kindergarten and elementary school in a few years? What happens when people start asking him questions? Mom trusts that you can raise Kaikai on your own, but he’s just a child—can he really handle all those cruel whispers and gossip?”
Still, Tong Yuexin remained silent.
Mistaking her silence for hesitation, Zhou Qianshan coaxed, “How about we just go take a look? See if you like him. If you really can’t stand the sight of him, we can drop it. But you can’t just never get married for the rest of your life, can you?”
Actually, that was precisely what Tong Yuexin was planning to do.
Seeing the worry written all over Zhou Qianshan’s face, Tong Yuexin pressed her lips together and said, “Mom, if a stepfather turns out to be unreliable, won’t Kaikai be the one who suffers? You can never truly know a person’s heart just by looking at their face!”
As she spoke, her mind was flooded with images of Lu Zhiying from her past life. Back then, she had been foolishly taken in by how well Lu Zhiying treated her, believing every single sweet word he whispered and letting him wrap her around his little finger.
And what had it led to?
Hadn’t it still ended with her plunging into that miserable fate?
“Mom, if you’re worried about Kaikai, as long as he stays by our side, as long as we guide him properly and give him enough love and affection, he won’t go astray or turn out bad. When Kaikai is a little older, I’ll explain to him about his father. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Zhou Qianshan opened her mouth to argue further, but Tong Yuexin sighed and said helplessly, “Mom, think about it this way. What if Kaikai’s stepfather only acts nice to us on the surface, but has someone else on the side?”
Just like Lu Zhiying in her past life.
Having no idea what her daughter had endured, Zhou Qianshan only looked surprised that she could be so pessimistic. Frowning, she scolded gently, “How can you think so extremely? We can just be careful and pick someone who treats both you and Kaikai well. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
“People can fake being good to us,” Tong Yuexin retorted instantly, without blinking.
Unlike Zhou Qianshan, Tong Yuexin had lived through it all herself, which was why she naturally anticipated the worst in people.
Zhou Qianshan, however, was different. Her relationship with Tong Zhitian had always been wonderful; even when lying on her hospital bed, Tong Zhitian had never left her side. Immersed in such a loving marriage, her heart naturally remained trusting, leading her to imagine the best in others.
A wave of helplessness washed over Tong Yuexin, but she looked back at Zhou Qianshan and said softly, “Mom, I know you’re doing this out of fear that people will talk about me or Kaikai, but we have to look at the reality of the situation, don’t we? After all, not every man in this world is as good as Dad.”
Hearing this, Tong Zhitian, who had been eavesdropping outside the door the whole time, couldn’t sit still any longer. He poked his head in and chimed in, “Daughter, you can’t look at it that way. If you try to find someone like me, where on earth are you ever going to find another man as great as your old man?”
Tong Yuexin couldn’t help but chuckle.
Zhou Qianshan shot him an exasperated look. “We’re talking about serious matters with our daughter, what are you poking your nose in for? If you want to listen, come inside and sit down. Sneaking around in your own home like a thief.”
With a cheeky grin, Tong Zhitian agreed readily and hurried inside.
He sat down right next to Zhou Qianshan, but turned his gaze to Tong Yuexin. “Daughter, wouldn’t finding someone also help take some of the burden off you when it comes to looking after Kaikai?”
Tong Yuexin pursed her lips and shook her head.
Help look after her child?
That was completely out of the question.
She had indeed married Lu Zhiying in her previous life, and what good had it done?
Back then, under the pretext of being busy with work, Lu Zhiying barely contributed around the house. Every day he would just come home, sweet-talk her, and feed her lines about how everything he did was for her and Kaikai’s future.
Even after they were married, Lu Zhiying was rarely home and spent almost no time with Kaikai. Throughout Kaikai’s childhood and upbringing, she had been the only one by his side.
Glancing between Zhou Qianshan and Tong Zhitian, she desperately wanted to tell them that this exact dynamic—what would later be called a “widowed parenting” household—was the most likely outcome she would face.
Yet she also knew that if she brought that up now, they wouldn’t understand or believe her.
Instead, Tong Yuexin simply turned the question back on Tong Zhitian. “So Dad, if I don’t get married, does that mean you won’t look after Kaikai or care about your own grandson anymore?”
Tong Zhitian was momentarily stunned. “Of course not! What are you thinking, Xinxin? Even if you choose never to marry, Dad will support you for the rest of your life!”
That was precisely the answer Tong Yuexin wanted.
Even so, Zhou Qianshan frowned, looking thoroughly unconvinced.
“Mom,” Tong Yuexin shifted her focus to negotiate with Zhou Qianshan. “You definitely have my best interests and Kaikai’s best interests at heart, which is why you want me to remarry. But think about it—if I remarry with Kaikai in tow, is it really that convenient?”
Zhou Qianshan initially wanted to say what could possibly be inconvenient, but stopping herself as a certain thought crossed her mind, she opened her mouth and fell silent.
Knowing that Zhou Qianshan understood her point, Tong Yuexin calmly explained, “After all, Kaikai isn’t that man’s biological child; he’s bound to mind it deep down. What if he demands that I have another child with him? Once that child is born, he’s naturally going to favor his own flesh and blood, and there’s no way he’ll treat Kaikai well.”
Pausing for a second, she looked straight into Zhou Qianshan’s eyes and asked earnestly, “Do you honestly think that would be good for Kaikai?”
Some men were masters of disguise—just like Lu Zhiying. Even if they pretended on the surface not to mind and swore they would treat Kaikai well, deep down, they still desperately wanted a child of their own.
Lu Zhiying had even gone so far as to take a mistress behind her back and father an illegitimate child.
The mere memory of what Lu Zhiying and Gu Xiaojuan had done in her past life filled Tong Yuexin with revulsion.
Zhou Qianshan hadn’t considered this angle before. Hearing Tong Yuexin lay it out like this, her expression grew heavy.
After a long pause, Zhou Qianshan finally sighed with resignation. “Xinxin, I understand your worries. All right, Mom won’t pressure you anymore. But still, Mom hopes that if you ever cross paths with someone truly reliable and suitable, you’ll give yourself a chance at a good home.”
Her gaze lingered on her daughter with boundless tenderness. Reaching out to stroke Tong Yuexin’s hair, she spoke softly, “Mom just doesn’t want you to be left all alone in this world once your father and I are gone. Even though Kaikai is your child, he’ll grow up, get married, and start a family of his own one day. Mom doesn’t want to see you end up so lonely.”