Chapter 575

Chu Molin did not go to the office, but instead went to the mountain behind his house.

There’s a place within the mountain known only to him, a place he discovered by chance.

Chu Molin laid on a rock, drifting into his memories.

He clearly remembered his childhood, when his mother was the one sweeping him off his feet. He spent most of his time with her till he was six, barely seeing his father.

“Mom, why are we here?” young Chu Molin asked his mother.

“Linlin, we’re waiting for your father. He said he’d come to pick us up,” Gong Xinya gently ran her fingers through her son’s hair.

“Why didn’t dad come to pick us up in the first place?” Little Chu Molin failed to understand the inherent intricacy.

He could only remember how his mother’s smile felt bittersweet as she squatted before him to say: “Linlin, remember, no matter what happens in the future, always stay strong and aim to attain a position higher than a platoon chief, do you understand?”

Young Chu Molin, still a child back then, did not grasp why his mother would say such things to him, but being an obedient child, he nodded in agreement.

Mother continued that ritual every single day, standing with him at the entrance of the village, to the point where the villagers thought her a fool.

Little Chu Molin did not understand why the villagers would talk like that, until he overheard their comments that his mother was an unwanted, illegitimate child of the Gong family, who got pregnant before marriage. So, the villagers looked down on her.

But she loved him dearly, never able to bear the slightest hint of hardship.

His mother, in Chu Molin’s opinion, was the best person in the world.

So he picked a fight with the villagers when he heard their words. When he returned home, he expected her to scold him, but she didn’t.

All she did was pat his head with compassion and tell him: “Linlin, sometimes, martial arts aren’t the solution to every problem. You must learn to use your head and figure out the trick to one-move victories.”

Young Chu Molin watched her in confusion, hoping she would explain herself more clearly.

But she didn’t add anything else, simply telling him he would understand when he was older.

Not until he turned seven, when he was taken back by the Chu family, bearing their name, did he live under their roof – until he left home at sixteen.

Chu Molin remembered how ecstatic he was then, finally able to live with his father, no longer having to keep a far distance from him.

He was overwhelmed with joy, but how did he not notice his mother’s reluctance in joining the Chu family then? If he had noticed, would she not have left him?

However, little Chu Molin, back then was solely focused on living with his father, neglecting the subtle unhappiness his mother exhibited since they moved in. He rarely saw that pure smile on his mother’s face any longer.

Sometimes, he could even see her secretly crying.

But he didn’t dare to ask her what was wrong.

When he was eight, his mother fell seriously ill.

Holding his hand she said: “Linlin, you must study hard in the future, strive for success, aim high – do you understand? And don’t blame your father, it’s me who failed him.” Chu Molin took her words to heart as he thought her condition was salvagable and nodded in agreement.

Later, she passed away with a smile, as if she was going to see someone else.

Six months later, his father brought home his new wife, Zhao Xuezhi, and their son, Chu Yi, and moved into Chu’s house.

He felt angry and hostile back then, so he started skipping school, climbing over the wall, climbing trees, rebelling in every possible way.

His father couldn’t handle him, not to mention his new wife

However, the child she brought with her kept calling him ‘brother’, no matter how much he scolded or hit him, he just clung to him calling him ‘brother’.

Eventually, Chu Molin learned to ignore him and never responded to him, until the birth of his younger sister, Chu Xiaoqiao, which caught his attention.