Old Madam Jiang’s mind went blank. She lifted a hand as if to stop them, but when she met that cold gaze, she seemed to freeze in place and could only watch helplessly as the housekeeper escorted the mother and her two daughters out.
The grievances Xu Jingheng had buried deep inside suddenly surfaced, and his nose stung.
For the past two years, he really had been deeply troubled. Whenever Song Ruoruo appeared, they were forced to become the center of attention, while countless people whispered behind their backs.
Some mocked Song Ruoruo for having no shame; others said he was too cold and heartless.
He knew all about it. Some people had even started betting pools behind his back, wagering on when Song Ruoruo would finally win him over.
It wasn’t just outsiders. Even his family and friends had urged him to cherish the person by his side.
It was as if Song Ruoruo’s presence had seeped into every corner of his life.
It surrounded him, leaving him nowhere to hide.
Xu Shichu gave his shoulder a comforting pat, then turned and sat down on the sofa, looking calmly at Old Madam Jiang.
“Tell me, what exactly are you thinking? Why do you keep helping the Song family?”
She poured herself another cup of tea, as if nothing had happened.
Grandma was still fuming and didn’t feel like answering her just then.
Xu Shichu glanced up. When she saw that the old woman was still ignoring her, her patience quickly ran out.
She hurled the teacup in her hand to the floor. Porcelain shards scattered everywhere, and her voice turned cold. “You still won’t tell me?”
Grandma jumped. She leaned back against the sofa, quickly wiping away her tears and putting on a wounded, remorseful expression. “I—I just feel that I owe the Song family.”
Xu Shichu was confused. Had something happened between Grandma and the Song family all these years that she didn’t know about?
Before she could think it through, Grandma continued:
“I was partly responsible for the Song family’s baby being switched back then. If I hadn’t suggested going to the resort, none of what followed would have happened.”
Xu Shichu almost got lost in the twists of her reasoning. “You mean what happened when we gave birth at the resort?”
Every time she thought about it, she was so furious she felt her heart seize.
She had always been cautious. When she decided to go on vacation, she arranged for a medical team and a group of bodyguards to go with her.
But she never expected an emergency to happen. At the critical moment, Grandma’s kind heart had gotten the better of her again: she actually sent the bodyguards and medical staff to help someone else.
With too few people around to help her through labor, Xu Shichu ended up losing all three of her children.
As for He Wan, she had Song family bodyguards with her. She had been the one to tell the bodyguards to go help, just to please Grandma. How could the Jiang family be blamed for that?
When Grandma nodded, Xu Shichu nearly lost her temper.
“The people you wronged most back then were my three children who got lost—not the Song family!”
“The Song family had its own bodyguards, and He Wan was the one who insisted on coming along. What does that have to do with you?”
“But you’ve hurt your own grandsons again and again for someone else. What were you thinking?”
Grandma’s face turned pale. “I—I…”
Xu Shichu didn’t want to say any more to her.
Just then, she saw Old Master Jiang return from outside and greeted him simply. “Dad.”
Old Master Jiang nodded. “You’re back, Chuchu?”
He glanced at his wife and asked, “Did your mother do something foolish again?”
Xu Shichu sighed. “Dad, it’s not as if this is the first foolish thing Mom has done. You should keep an eye on her more often…”
She was finding it hard to stay calm. “And as for the Song family, don’t have anything more to do with them!”
After that, they left without even having dinner.
Xu Shichu and Xu Jingheng were both quiet on the way back. Neither of them said a word.
Only after they’d finished dinner did Xu Shichu stop her son. “Be careful not to get the wound on your arm wet.”
Xu Jingheng nodded. “Okay.”
Xu Shichu reached up and rubbed his head. After hesitating for a long while, she finally asked, “Have you been treated unfairly at home all these years?”
Xu Jingheng froze. His raven-feather lashes trembled slightly. “No.”
“Really?” Xu Shichu wasn’t convinced. “Has your dad treated you well all these years?”
Xu Jingheng wanted to say yes, but then he remembered his father’s almost severe attitude toward him, and how extremely partial he was to his younger brother. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words.
After a long pause, he said, “Pretty well.”
At least his father treated him far better than he treated that illegitimate son.
Caught between the two, he was better off than the one below him, but not as well off as the one above.
He had long since learned how to make peace with it.
Seeing how plainly he was saying one thing and meaning another, Xu Shichu felt a pang in her heart.
So even then, there was already a rift between him and his family. That was why he’d grown into someone who didn’t understand love and didn’t know how to love.
Being the kind of partner who patiently guides someone into love wasn’t easy. Other girls had no obligation to keep making allowances for him, but Mom did.
She had brought him into this world, so teaching him to care for others and giving him love were responsibilities she had to shoulder as Mom.
Xu Shichu didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she asked about what he liked to do in his free time. “What do you usually do to relax?”
Xu Jingheng shook his head. “I had a lot of classes to attend, and now that I’ve graduated, I’m always busy with work. I don’t get much time to relax. When I have a brief break, I usually just clear my mind.”
These past two days were only different because Mom had come back, giving him a chance to step away from work.
At this time of day, he’d usually still be working overtime at the office.
Xu Shichu felt for him. “You’re still young. You should go out and have fun when you can. Don’t push yourself too hard. More than any great success you might achieve in the future, Mom just wants you to be happy.”
She meant it. Back then, she had followed her heart and chosen the career she loved, even though it meant her father kicked her out of the house.
Now, she didn’t want her son to be trapped by that sense of duty, either.
A strange feeling welled up inside Xu Jingheng.
All his life, what he had heard most from his family were their expectations of him. Because his surname was Xu, his future path had been decided for him since childhood. He carried a heavy burden of responsibility and didn’t dare rest for even a moment.
And with an illegitimate son in the family eyeing his position, his foolish younger brother clearly wasn’t a match for him, so Xu Jingheng also had to keep an eye on the Jiang family.
He couldn’t—and wouldn’t—allow the Jiang family’s company to fall into that illegitimate son’s hands.
So, little by little, he pushed himself harder. He had to reach the top and grow strong enough to shield the people he cared about from life’s storms.
Xu Shichu took his arm. “Since you don’t have anything to do right now, come watch a movie with Mom. Think of it as taking a little break.”
Xu Jingheng found the idea novel. He was already this grown-up, and he had never watched a movie with Mom before!