Qi Qun froze and furrowed her brows. "What do you mean sneaking around? Do I need to act all sneaky in my own room? What are you implying, Li Xiangchen? Are you treating me as an outsider?" Qi Qunâs eyes turned teary as she said this.
"Well done, Li Xiangchen. I married you and gave birth to your three children over the course of thirty years, and now you treat me like a stranger! How very conscientious of you!"
"Enough!" Li Xiangchen snapped, his face suddenly turning unpleasant. "I merely made a little comment, and youâre reading too much into it..."
"Am I overreacting? Am I overthinking? Li Xiangchen, regardless of why I married you in the first place, donât forget that it was you who proposed to me, knelt down and begged me to marry you. Did I force you? Tell me, did I coerce you?"
"Enough already, Qi Qun! Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, and we need to visit the elder at the Lu family. I donât want to argue with you!"
"You donât want to argue?" Qi Qun sneered. "So what, you think I enjoy it?"
"Besides, if you hadnât been looking at me like I was up to something, would I have quarreled with you? Li Xiangchen, do you still have a conscience? How on earth did I ever marry you..."
"You willingly married me. It was my proposal, but you couldâve easily refused. So, itâs all on you, Qi Qun! Iâve put up with you for many years!"
"Tolerated me for all these years? So what? Canât stand me anymore, right? Canât tolerate me anymore, right? Want to throw me out of this house, right? Li Xiangchen, youâre indeed treating me like an outsider. Iâve spent thirty grueling years at the Li family only to be treated like a stranger by you. Does it feel right to say such things? Whereâs your conscience? Has it been eaten by a dog..."
"Enough already, Qi Qun, you..."
A loud door-slamming sound interrupted them. Both in the room were stunned, and Li Xiangchenâs speech halted abruptly!
"Youâve been arguing for half your lives now; is that not enough?" At the doorway stood Li Weihuan, his expression ice-cold as he stared back at Qi Qun and Li Xiangchen.
Qi Qun was flustered. "Weihuan, when... when did you come back? Have you eaten dinner? I can ask the kitchen... "
"Mom..." Weihuan interrupted Qi Qun, "Mom, donât bother. Iâm not hungry. But I do have some things I want to ask you. You keep saying that Dad treats you as an outsider. How do you treat him? You say heâs heartless; whereâs your conscience?"
"..." Qi Qun was startled into silence, unable to find words.
Weihuan raised his eyes to his father. "Dad, Iâll be honest. You could have lived a peaceful and happy life. But for this woman, youâve been miserable all these years. Are you planning to remain so?"
"Weihuan!"
Qi Qun was shocked, her body trembling with anger. "Weihuan, what are you saying? Are you suggesting your father divorce me..."
"Yes, I do wish you two would divorce."
"..."
Weihuan laughed and looked at her, his voice low but loaded with profound sadness. Qi Qun was left speechless.
"Mom, do you know why I loved visiting the Lu family and playing with my uncle and aunt when I was a child? Because I felt the Luâs were more like a family than we ever were!"
"My aunt has been taking care of my grandfather and the Lu family painstakingly for all these years. Mom, if you were in her shoes, could you do the same, even a tenth of it?"
"If you canât, then why would my grandfather choose you? Not just him, any man who wants a peaceful life would never choose you. Only my father, too foolish and naïve, could fall in love with a woman like you..."
"Weihuan, what... what are you saying...?"
"The truth! Sure... It was inappropriate for me, his son, to say those things. But thinking about it, I have hardly done anything to make you happy all these years. Iâve been disobedient, so one more wrong wonât make a difference. Whether itâs the seventeenth or eighteenth level of hell, it makes no difference to me!"
He lifted his head to look at Qi Qun, his voice thin and tired. "Mom, let my dad go. Let yourself go too! Youâve tortured each other enough in this lifetime. Arenât you tired? Iâm exhausted from just watching!"
"Weihuan, what are you blabbering about?" Before Qi Qun could respond, a womanâs sharp voice sounded from behind Weihuan. It was Li Muyun!
Li Muyun hurried over and addressed Li Xiangchen and Qi Qun in the room, "Dad, Mum, itâs really late, you should get some sleep. We still have to visit Grandpa at the Lu Family tomorrow! Donât be late!"
Once she finished speaking, she pulled over Li Weihuan, speaking coldly, "You, come with me!"
Li Weihuan was dragged away by Li Muyun, causing the surrounding area to fall silent. Qi Qun held her chest, suffocating from a surge of discomfort that couldnât be released.
Li Xiangchen glanced at her and coldly said, "Iâm going to sleep in the guest room," before turning around and walking away.
He also shut the door in passing.
When Qi Qun heard the door close, her eyes trembled, and her nose instantly ached with sourness. But she commanded herself not to cry.
The misunderstanding of her son, the resentment from her husband, the helplessness of her daughter...
She doesnât care. Up until now in her lifetime, what she gained was far less than what she lost.
She was so unwilling to let it be.
In her lifetime, she would never be willing to settle!
...îîîîîîîîîîîî
Li Muyunâs room.
Li Muyun threw her bag onto the bed, turned around, and looked at Li Weihuan. She said sharply, "So, what are you up to? Arenât you satisfied with how chaotic our family already is? Can you rest easy knowing youâre tearing our family apart? Huh?"
"I just canât stand it, thatâs all!" Li Weihuan answered indifferently, a hint of frustration in his demeanor.
Listening to him, Li Muyun sneered, "You canât stand it? So you can say whatever irresponsible things you want? Weihuan, how old are you? Twenty-five, right? Youâre not a kid anymore. Canât you be a little more mature? Sure, Mum has made her mistakes, but sheâs still your mum. Without her, you wouldnât exist. How can you speak to her like that? Thatâs unfilial."
"And regarding Dad! No matter how wrong Mum might have been to him, itâs not your place to judge! Also, have you not thought about why Dad has put up with it all these years? Whatâs freedom? Is freedom always equivalent to happiness? Youâre wrong. Some people would rather not have freedom all their lives!"
"Take yourself for instance, Nanxi is already with your second uncle now, she has nothing to do with you anymore. Yet arenât you still advising us to pretend not to know Nanxi, to protect her tomorrow? The reason, isnât it the same thing? Weihuan, hear this, even if it could be treated as a threat, I would tell you straight. This family might not feel much like a home anymore, but without it, you will never find your sense of belonging. Hence, I donât wish to hear about divorce from you again. If not, regardless of whether I owe it to second uncle, I wonât help you to continue hiding the fact that Nanxi was involved with you, I will spill it. After all, if itâs not good, everyone might as well share the burden."
...îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
In the hallway, during Li Xiangchenâs journey to the guest room, he walked past Li Muyunâs room and vaguely heard her words. He touched his forehead, and his eyes were moistened with sadness.
Does this home, as of now, still feel like home?
Li Xiangchen returned to his room, he smoked one cigarette after another once he was out of the shower, sitting by the edge of the bed.
The sound of knocking was heard. He pursed his lips and quietly said, "Come in," the door was unlocked, and Li Muyun stepped in.
"Dad, why are you smoking again? Didnât the doctor say you canât smoke?" Li Muyun frowned, she walked over to snatch the cigarette stub from his hand. Seeing there were several stubs in the ashtray next to him, she knotted her brow even more, "Dad, are you disregarding your health?"
Li Xiangchen looked at his younger daughter and let out a sigh, "Muyun, Dad wants to ask you something. Answer honestly, without any reservation."
"What is it?" Li Muyunâs eyes flickered.
"Do you really think that your mum and I, should not get a divorce?"
At the doorway, Qi Qun, carrying a cup of calming tea, was about to come in when she heard Li Xiangchenâs words. She stood frozen in her steps!