âShe has been so good to me. She has been with me for the past few months and has been taking care of me during this time. So please donât be angry any longer.â
If she could help it, Su Qingsang really didnât want to hurt Xiang Caiping.
âYou can rest assured, I will definitely explain everything to her. But, please, you really need to give me some time.â
Li Qianxue stopped crying. She rested her head on the table and didnât move a muscle. When Su Qingsang saw this, she felt rather troubled.
If only she had found out the truth about her birth a little earlier! Then she would not have so much to worry about.
âMom,â Su Yuxin stepped forward and patted Li Qianxue on the shoulder. âHow about we just listen to my sister?â
Old Master Li, who had been silent this whole time, breathed a long sigh. âQianxue, Qingsang did nothing wrong. You really need to calm down.â
Su Qingsang had only addressed Xiang Caiping as âmotherâ for a few months, and already Li Qianxue couldnât stand it.
Su Peizhen had been calling Li Qianxue âmomâ for more than 20 years, so how should Xiang Caiping be able to manage that?
Li Qianxue was able to reason out all of this. However, knowing was one thing, and accepting was another.
She looked up at Su Qingsang with tears in her eyes. âYes. You are not in the wrong. It is I that needs to be blamed. It has always been me.â
If she had not tried to force out feelings that werenât hers to control, or if she hadnât let Su Chenghuiâs viciousness go on unnoticed, would she have been separated from her daughter for so many years?
âMom.â Su Qingsang didnât like the atmosphere that was brewing, and hugged Li Qianxue, patting her on the back gently. âDonât say anything more. You have not done anything wrong. Neither of us is to blame.â
Yes. None of them was in the wrong; it had always been Su Chenghuiâs fault.
Su Chenghui had not left yet. He stood in the living room as if he was unsure about where to go and what to do.
This was, after all, his home. Even if he didnât like it at first, or was not able to accept it in the beginning, after more than two decades, it was his only home.
Li Qianxue wanted to drive him away, and it was not like he didnât have anywhere else to go. He just did not want to leave.
It was not until he heard the commotion coming from the dining hall that he entered slowly, almost like an old man.
He didnât step in straight away, but stood at the door, listening to Huo Jinyaoâs speech and then to Li Qianxueâs conversation with Su Qingsang.
Su Qingsang said that Li Qianxue was blameless. Therefore, he was the guilty one, she implied.
Su Chenghui looked as if someone had slapped him, and without thinking, he started to make his way out of that place. He walked quickly as if someone was chasing him.
Outside of Huo Jinyao, almost no one had realized that Su Chenghuiâs figure had appeared at the entrance of the dining room and then disappeared again.
Huo Jinyao narrowed his eyes slightly while he stared at Su Chenghuiâs back as he left.
Li Qianxueâs mood seemed a lot more stable after a while, and she took Su Qingsangâs hand and led them out of the dining hall.
The mother and daughter sat down on the sofa. Li Qianxue had many things to ask Su Qingsang about, and also a lot of things to tell her.
Su Qingsang knew that she was still quite frazzled and that she could not be so easily soothed in just a minute or two.
She had wanted to start on a different topic but felt that it would not be appropriate considering the mood at the time. She pulled out a tissue from her pocket and wiped away Li Qianxueâs tears.
âMom. Look at you. Your eyes have turned red. Try not to cry.â
âOkay. I wonât cry.â Li Qianxue wanted to cry again when she said that. However, she tried to restrain her tears as much as possible.
She took Su Qingsangâs hand and looked at her daughter. How blind had she been?
Although Su Qingsang did look like Su Chenghui, the shape of her face was clearly the same as her motherâs.
She looked quite similar to Su Yuxin. Li Qianxue didnât even notice it before. She really was blind and ignorant.
Old Master Li looked at the mother and daughter duo in front of him, and then glanced at Huo Jinyao from the corner of his eye. When it came to the facts, he did have some regrets before about a wonderful young man like Huo Jinyao not marrying his trueborn granddaughter.
Well, now he did not need to have any more regrets. Huo Jinyao married Su Qingsang, who was indeed his trueborn granddaughter.
Old Master Li did not rush to speak to Su Qingsang, but he did have something to say to Huo Jinyao.
âJinyao, I heard that you were going back to Rong City?â
âYes,â Huo Jinyao nodded. âQingsang and I have been married for so long but we have yet to go there. Tianyu Group originally had its headquarters there.â
âBut now weâre afraid Qianxue wonât be able to bear letting Qingsang go.â
It was not an easy situation. Seeing the state that Li Qianxue was in now, he knew she would never let Su Qingsang go to Rong City.
As if confirming the words of Old Master Li, Li Qianxue grasped Su Qingsangâs hand tightly. âI wonât allow you to go. Even if I could fly to Rong City, thatâs too far. I donât want you to go.â
âMom.â Su Qingsang felt a little awkward. She turned her head to look at Huo Jinyao.
âMom, look, how about this?â Huo Jinyao was so kind and accommodating that he followed Su Qingsangâs cue and called her âmomâ. âIâll go back to Rong City first. It will take a few days for me to finish the things that need to be dealt with. As for Qingsang, she can stay at home for the time being. Anyway, she had just quit her job at the hospital, and is free for now.â
âThatâs good. Then she can keep me company at home.â
Su Qingsang looked at Li Qianxue. Considering the situation, she could not refuse her.
She couldnât help but look back at Huo Jinyao and found that she has grown accustomed to this. When she didnât know what to do, Huo Jinyao would always give her strength and help her regain a sense of calm.
âQingsang, you stay here today then.â
âThen...â
âI will leave in just a bit.â Huo Jinyao understood. How could Li Qianxue possibly let Su Qingsang go back today?
On the other hand, Xiang Caiping was still waiting. Moreover, she was not stupid. Why wouldnât Su Qingsang come back when everything had seemed fine?
Li Qianxueâs lips moved a little, and she had wanted to say that she shouldnât care about Xiang Caiping, but she couldnât speak the words.
In order to divert her attention away from this, Su Qingsang changed the topic. âOh yes. So how did you come to know about all this, mom?â
She knew because of a DNA test that she did, and on top of that, Su Chenghui had confirmed it himself. However, it was absolutely impossible for Su Chenghui to tell it to Li Qianxue.
âIt was Yuxin who told me.â
Li Qianxue thought about it and felt a moment of fear. If Su Yuxin had not heard the conversation between Huo Jinyao and Su Chenghui...
Su Qingsang had never intended to acknowledge her. If they had really gone off to Rong City together, would she have never found out that Su Qingsang was her real daughter?
She couldnât even think of that possibility now.
âAnd how did Yuxin find out about this?â Su Qingsang was truly curious.
Su Yuxin didnât hide anything. He looked at Huo Jinyao and told him everything about how he came to know the truth.
Su Qingsang stopped talking then. Looking at everything that had happened, it was all meant to be.
She didnât want to acknowledge Li Qianxue, but a whole seemingly accidental chain of events had let to her finding out about this anyway.
âQingsang, now that you have returned to my side, I donât care about anything else. I wonât ever let you leave momâs side again.â
Li Qianxue was feeling very insecure now. She needed some kind of guarantee, some form of affirmation.
Su Qingsang nodded gently. âMom, donât worry. I wonât leave you.â
Even if she had to go to Rong City, she could come back quite often to see her.
When Li Qianxue got the promise she wanted, her expression relaxed a little. For a moment, she was reassured, and she reached out and hugged Su Qingsang tightly.
Huo Jinyao did not stay long. He only played one game of chess with Old Master Li. After that, he got up to say his goodbyes.
Su Qingsang took the opportunity to send him off and followed him out of the door.
âHuo Jinyao.â Su Qingsang had no regrets about acknowledging Li Qianxue. Especially after she saw what Li Qianxue was like just now, she couldnât hold back.
However, she still felt pretty uneasy. In fact, telling Xiang Caiping everything was just part of the difficulty. Everyone forgot that there was one more person who would be affected by this discovery.
Su Peizhen.
âHuo Jinyao.â Su Qingsang wrapped her arm around Huo Jinyaoâs waist. âTell me, did I do anything wrong?â
If not for her persistent pursuit of an answer, if she hadnât gone off to run a DNA test in secret, Li Qianxue wouldnât know anything.
âYouâve done nothing wrong. Donât think too much about it.â
âButââ
âI tell you, youâve done nothing wrong. Donât overthink it anymore.â
How could one not think about it? Su Qingsang looked at Huo Jinyao and then at the main door behind them. She lowered her head and spoke very softly.
âThere is one thing that I didnât mention just now, but itâs still something we have to face.â
âWhat is it?â
âSu Peizhen.â Su Qingsangâs expression was very troubled. âIf I am the trueborn daughter now, what should Su Peizhen do?â
Huo Jinyao frowned. âWhat she does should not be your concern, should it?â
âThis is not a matter of whose concern it is,â Su Qingsang sighed. âXiang Caiping and I have only been together for the past few months, and we have already developed such a deep bond. Su Peizhen has been with my mother for more than two decades, and their relationship must be so much stronger than ours. â
âYou donât like that? You donât wish to see her?â After all, Su Qingsang and Su Peizhen were often at odds with each other.
âNo, itâs not that.â Su Qingsang looked at Huo Jinyao. âIâm not the kind of person who canât tolerate that. And neither am I the type to be so cowardly as to face it. However, Su Peizhen is really different from me. Iâm afraid she wonât accept this so easily. It will break her heart. â
Li Qianxue was so angry now. Su Chenghui had been kicked out. Su Qingsang was afraid that she would take out her anger on an innocent party.
Although Su Peizhen was as pampered as they come, she was innocent in this matter. If Li Qianxue were to take her frustration out on her...
Huo Jinyao looked at her helplessly. âOkay. Donât think about it.â
âNone of these matters is yours to control, and they are not something you should be worried about either. Just take my advice. Naturally, these things are for your mother to worry about. It really isnât your prerogative to think about it.â
âBut then...â
âEven if Su Peizhen really is unable to accept this fact, and if she tries to give you trouble, wouldnât you still have me?â Huo Jinyao pinched her cheek playfully. âI wonât stand by and watch my wife get bullied.â
Whatever the case, Li Qianxue had finally managed, after much difficulty, to reconcile with Su Qingsang. How would she be able to tolerate her being bullied by someone else? Even if that person was Su Peizhen.
âWhat were you thinking? Who said anything about being afraid of bullying? I am worried about my motherââ
Li Qianxue and Su Peizhen have been mother and daughter for more than 20 years. Would she really turn against Su Peizhen just because she knew the truth now?
Could these two people be the same as they were before? Could the mother-daughter relationship continue as it was?
...