Five years ago.
Shen Zhaoning dragged a heavy suitcase, her slightly swollen belly protruding, as she returned to the home she had left long ago.
“Dad, Mom, I’m back.”
Hearing this familiar yet long-lost voice, Shen Ze, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, and Xie Yunshu, who was arranging flowers, both turned their heads simultaneously.
Xie Yunshu was stunned for a moment before joyfully putting down her scissors and hurrying forward:
“Zhaozhao! You’re finally back! Why didn’t you call ahead so we could pick you up?”
Shen Ze set down the newspaper in his hands. Although he was still angry that his daughter had insisted on studying abroad against their wishes, he had missed this daughter, whom he had doted on since childhood, deeply over the past two years.
His gaze fell on his daughter’s somewhat pale and weary face. His heart ached, but he steadied his emotions, not letting it show.
His brow furrowed slightly, as if sensing something unusual.
Shen Zhaoning forced a smile, her eyes darting away, unable to meet her mother’s gaze.
Her hands unconsciously twisted together, her knuckles turning white.
“Dad, Mom, I…” Her voice trembled slightly.
Xie Yunshu walked up to Shen Zhaoning, her heart aching at the sight of her daughter like this. She looked her up and down, checking if something was wrong.
Then, her eyes landed on her daughter’s slightly swollen belly—subtle yet impossible to ignore.
In an instant, her face turned deathly pale. She froze in place, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
Seeing his wife standing there stunned, Shen Ze followed her gaze. Immediately, a surge of rage shot straight to the top of his head.
He sprang to his feet, trembling with anger.
“You…” He walked up to Shen Zhaoning, raising his hand as if to strike her.
Xie Yunshu reacted swiftly, blocking Shen Ze and shielding the trembling Shen Zhaoning.
Tears now streamed uncontrollably from her eyes as she cried out:
“What are you doing? What good will hitting her do? What if you hurt Zhaozhao?”
By then, Shen Zhaoning was already sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath.
Shen Ze took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. With great difficulty, he opened his mouth, his voice hoarse as he demanded:
“Speak. What exactly is going on?”
Shen Zhaoning sniffled, waiting for her emotions to settle before speaking slowly:
“I met him in Country Y. He was from the neighboring school, also an international student. After spending time together, I thought he was a good person, and we started dating.
We had been together for two years. After he graduated, I suddenly couldn’t reach him anymore. Later, he sent me a breakup text, saying he was going home to get engaged and that I wasn’t good enough for him.
When I found out I was pregnant, I called him again, but a girl answered. She said she was his fiancée.”
At the thought of that man, her heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and she broke down in tears once more.
Xie Yunshu quickly pulled her into her arms, gently patting her back with one hand while carefully wiping away her tears with a tissue in the other.
Shen Ze slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to rattle violently:
“You didn’t tell us when you were dating, and now you only speak up when something like this happens? Do you even care about this family? Do you even care about your father and me?”
Shen Zhaoning choked back sobs: “Dad, Mom, I’m… sorry. I’ve disappointed you. I truly thought he was a good guy back then.”
Shen Ze’s voice suddenly rose, carrying the authority and fury unique to someone in a position of power:
“I knew it! I knew you were too naive and easily deceived! Who is that man? Where is he now?”
Shen Zhaoning looked at her parents’ anxious, angry, and heartbroken expressions, feeling a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She knew she had disappointed her parents, even brought them shame.
“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry…” Her voice grew softer, filled with endless despair.
“I don’t want to say. It’s over between us, and I don’t want to disturb his life anymore.”
Xie Yunshu’s eyes were also red with urgency, her eyelids swollen: “Zhaozhao, how could you be so foolish?”
Shen Ze paced back and forth in the living room, his chest heaving with anger.
Xie Yunshu held Shen Zhaoning’s cold hand, suppressing her heartache as she spoke calmly yet sternly:
“The most urgent matter now is the child in Zhaozhao’s belly.”
Shen Zhaoning raised her head, her tear-reddened eyes now filled with determination:
“Dad, Mom, this is my child alone. I… I want to keep it.”
Xie Yunshu hugged Shen Zhaoning, feeling both frustrated and heartbroken:
“Zhaozhao, how could you be so foolish? You’re still young, with a long road ahead of you.”
“Keep it? Are you insane?” Shen Ze’s voice was hoarse, as if he couldn’t believe it. “You’re only twenty, not even graduated yet. Do you know what this means?”
“Dad, I know what this means.” Shen Zhaoning’s voice, though soft, carried a startling stubbornness.
“I know it will be difficult. I know people will gossip. I know this child will suffer without a father. But, Dad, this is my flesh and blood. I don’t want to give them up.”
“You… you…” Shen Ze trembled with anger, pointing at her.
“You’re going to be the death of me! You’re going to ruin yourself! Do you know what you’re doing? He’s about to get engaged. Do you know what the child you give birth to will be? It’s…”
“Dad, I understand. But they are just my children. They have nothing to do with him, and he won’t know about them.” Shen Zhaoning immediately interrupted him.
Xie Yunshu gently touched Shen Zhaoning’s face, her heart aching:
“Zhaozhao, how can you be so foolish! Have you thought about what you’ll say when the child asks where their father is?”
“Mom, they are my children. I’ll give them double the motherly love. When they’re old enough to understand, I’ll tell them the truth about their father.”
Shen Zhaoning’s tone was more resolute than ever before.
“What do you mean by ‘they’?” Xie Yunshu stared at Shen Zhaoning’s belly in shock.
“Mom, during my last checkup, the doctor said it’s twins. That’s why I’m even more reluctant to let them go.”
Shen Ze stood nearby, watching as the anger on his face gradually gave way to helplessness and heartache.
He slumped back onto the sofa, trembling as he pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a deep drag. Amid the swirling smoke, his eyes were complex and profound.
He knew his daughter had grown up—she had her own opinions and her own convictions.
Shen Ze sighed, his voice hoarse:
“Zhaozhao, we’ll give you a week to think it over carefully. If you still insist on your decision after a week, we’ll agree to let you keep the child.”
One week later
Shen Zhaoning took a deep breath and, under the solemn gaze of her entire family, spoke with unwavering determination:
“Over the past week, I’ve thought it through. I’ve decided to keep these two children.”
As soon as the words fell, before the elders could react, her three brothers could no longer hold back and spoke in unison, their voices urgent: “Little sister, why must you do this?”
Looking at her brothers’ anxious faces, Shen Zhaoning remained calm.
Finally, the family’s most authoritative figure, her grandfather Shen Junxiao, waved his hand:
“Enough. Since Zhaozhao has made her decision, let her go her own way. Our Shen family can certainly afford to raise two children.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Ze let out a long sigh. Helplessness and resignation mingled in his eyes, eventually turning into a heavy admonition:
“Zhaozhao, since your mind is made up and this path is of your own choosing, no matter what you encounter in the future, you will have to walk it alone.”
Shen Zhaoning’s gaze swept over each family member present. She nodded solemnly, her eyes slightly reddened, yet her voice was exceptionally firm:
“Thank you, I understand. I will never regret this. I will do everything in my power to raise these two children well.”
With the approval of her entire family, the heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart these past few days finally lifted.
Shen Zhaoning slowly raised her hand and gently caressed her rounded belly, where two vibrant lives were growing—her entire future hope.
She knew full well that the road ahead was long and fraught with thorns, but at this moment, not a trace of fear remained in her heart.
With her family’s support and the future companionship of her children, she was filled with boundless hope for what lay ahead.
She sealed away the name “Fu Huaixu,” along with that shattered, fragmented love, deep within the furthest recesses of her heart, locking it away with layer upon layer of chains, determined never to speak of it again in this lifetime.