Chapter 41 My child must…

The suppressed emotions seemed to have found an outlet, and Mingwei's tone became angry and sharp: "His father! A womanizer and utterly irresponsible! His scandalous affair with that little starlet has been caught on camera by the media! Although it hasn't been exposed yet... if it really comes to light, it will be a huge disgrace to the Chu family!"

“However, your grandfather… will never let this matter be exposed.” She gave a wry smile.

Xie Tang understood immediately; the Chu family must have used some means to appease the media.

“The adults are at fault, the child is innocent… That little life is, after all, a member of the Chu family. Your grandfather is a Buddhist, he won’t let him become a threat to the Chu family, he can’t just ignore it.”

Mingwei seemed to be trying to convince herself, or perhaps she was trying to persuade Xie Tang.

Xie Tang, however, felt that this "homework" was completely unnecessary.

What does that child have to do with her? She can't accept it.

Even if Chu Song eventually has to be raised by her side, that's his business, and it's none of her concern.

“This isn’t the first time, they…” Mingwei murmured almost silently.

Xie Tang heard it clearly.

"They" likely refers to Master Chu and Chu Zhi.

Despite her seemingly calm words and composed face, Xie Tang could read a deep-seated pain in those murky, dull, stagnant eyes.

This woman was betrayed by her husband time and time again, and had to watch helplessly as her father-in-law brought her husband's illegitimate children back to the Chu family one by one.

But why doesn't she get a divorce?

The marriage has long been dead in name only, so why have I trapped myself in this cold cage for eighteen years?

How did she manage to get through those long years?

Is it love?

Is it a lingering attachment to Chu Zhi?

Or is it a responsibility to the child?

"The child is Chu Zhi's. The old man has decided to register the child's household registration under either Ali's or Asong's name. Ali and Wen Qu frequently appear in the media, and their every move represents the Chu family's image. If the child is with them, it's impossible to hide him. So..."

Mingwei paused for a moment, then looked at Xie Tang, "The only option we can consider is to have them raised with A-Song. Can you... understand their reasons for doing this?"

“I understand.” Xie Tang paused for a moment, looked directly at Ming Wei, and laid out all the questions in her heart. “But I want to know more about you. When Grandpa put Chu Yi in your care back then, how did you feel? Could you really… calmly accept the child of your husband’s betrayal calling you ‘Mom’?”

Mingwei froze abruptly, slowly raising her eyes to look at Xie Tang, remaining silent for a long time.

The floodgates of memory were forced open, and my eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Faced with a child the same age as Chu Song, a surge of hatred and anger welled up, but in the end, it could only turn into helpless sorrow and compromise.

She couldn't resist Master Chu's decision; it was as if she were being pushed forward by an invisible giant hand, powerless to change anything.

She hated Chu Zhi's heartlessness, hated Chu Yi's birth mother for ruining her marriage, and hated the tyrannical rule hidden beneath Chu's kind face...

Each one felt like a sharp knife stabbing into my heart.

But she had to bury all her emotions deep inside and play the role of a loving mother.

She wanted to hate Chu Yi, but whenever she met those cautious, innocent eyes, she felt cruel.

He was just an innocent little life and shouldn't have to bear the sins of adults.

Therefore, she was forced to treat everyone equally, ensuring that what Chu Song had, Chu Yi could not be left out.

As a mother, her greatest tragedy is that she cannot show too much favoritism towards her own son.

Only she knew the excruciating pain she felt.

The pain of the past still lingers in my heart, and now I have to watch helplessly as my son repeats the same mistakes...

That's ridiculous!

Why not resist?

Why remain silent now that they were powerless to resist eighteen years ago?

Mingwei's heart was silently screaming and questioning.

Xie Tang's thoughts were in turmoil, and she felt as if the world before her had turned upside down.

She simply couldn't understand what the reason was that had sustained this woman's eighteen years of forbearance.

"Do you still love him?" After pondering for a long time, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind—she guessed that Mingwei might still have feelings for Chu Zhi.

“Love?” Mingwei stared at her blankly, her voice as soft as a sigh. “What is love? Where is there any love left? He burned all love away the moment he betrayed her.”

“But I can’t leave… If I leave, I’ll really have nothing left.” Mingwei lightly touched her lower lip with her teeth, trying her best to suppress her surging emotions. “I can lose everything, but my children must get what they deserve.”

“If I leave, I don’t know how many women will want to marry into the Chu family. At that time, A-Song and the others may end up with nothing.”

She let out a long sigh, as if she wanted to pour out all the pain and grievances that had been building up for years.

This is why she willingly imprisoned herself in this cage for eighteen years.

Xie Tang felt a deep sense of sympathy, but found it difficult to agree.

This sacrifice was too great, and this maternal love was too heavy.

Did she never consider how Chu Li and Chu Song felt watching her live such a painful life?

Can they accept this sacrifice with a clear conscience and act as if nothing happened?

Did they also advise her to let go?

Suddenly, Xie Shuang's image appeared in Xie Tang's mind.

Having also been betrayed, Xie Shuang knew that clinging on was pointless, so she resolutely left, giving up the enormous fortune that should have been hers.

Others might not understand, but for Xie Shuang, it was a choice to protect her last shred of dignity and freedom.

She thus gained tranquility away from the hustle and bustle, physical freedom, spiritual joy, and a brand new life.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you and A-Song." Mingwei looked at Xie Tang with guilt in her eyes.

Xie Tang forced a helpless smile.

For her, it wasn't a matter of feeling wronged;

But for Chu Song, it was a burden he could never shake off in his lifetime.

She felt deeply heartbroken for his helpless situation and for having such an irresponsible father.

-----------------

After dinner, Xie Tang watched TV with Ming Wei.

Mingwei seemed absent-minded, and soon after she yawned, got up and went back to her room to rest.

Xie Tang went up to the second floor, where Chu Song was standing on the balcony of the room.

He was wearing loose loungewear, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his gaze piercing through the sparse branches and leaves, directed towards the hazy night outside the window.

I don't know what he was thinking, but his pensive profile exuded an irresistible charm.

Xie Tang was somewhat surprised that he had a smoking habit, and silently walked to his side.

Chu Song turned his head: "What do you think?"

Instead of answering directly, she asked, "You didn't refuse, is it because you were powerless to refuse, or because you're used to compromising?"

Chu Song smiled bitterly and did not respond.

He could no longer utter those high-sounding reasons for maintaining family harmony and allowing his grandfather to enjoy his later years.

He gazed at the low-hanging night sky, which seemed like a giant velvet cloth enveloping the world.

He knew he had been running away—running away from facing his true feelings, running away from the decision that could overturn everything.

Xie Tang couldn't bear to see him so restrained: "Brother Song, have you thought about this? He's a living, breathing person, not a rag doll. From the moment you agreed to adopt him, taking responsibility for him and raising him to adulthood became your responsibility."

Chu Song remained silent.

He certainly understood that Xie Tang was right, and his tone involuntarily carried a hint of impatience: "On what grounds are you telling me this?"

Xie Tang sensed his disapproval of her meddling and felt wronged: "I'm sorry, it was my fault..."

Chu Song glanced at her, saw through her thoughts at a glance, and interrupted her irritably: "You pity that child?"

"I'm just worried about you!" Xie Tang finally mustered up the courage to say it.

She thought Old Master Chu was completely wrong—if he truly cared for Chu Song, he shouldn't have made such an absurd arrangement.

Chu Song was also wrong; he was wrong to sacrifice himself to take on a responsibility that should not have been imposed on him.

Chu Song's face darkened, the cigarette between his fingers crumpled, and he said, word by word, "A-Tang, whatever decision I make, you only have the obligation to cooperate."

Xie Tang was silent for a few seconds. It would be unwise to offend him for the sake of an unrelated child, and she also knew that the troubles he was going through were far beyond her comprehension: "Okay, I understand."

Chu Song realized that his attitude was too extreme, and the anger he had nowhere to vent made him lose control.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm the one who should apologize." He suppressed his emotions, turned around, went back to his room, picked up a stack of documents from the table, and said, "Please sign the adoption agreement..."

He looked at Xie Tang standing by the balcony door: "I knew about this not much earlier than you did. If you need compensation, just ask..."

"No need." Xie Tang accepted the agreement.

Even if there were unreasonable terms, she had no right to modify them, but out of professional habit, she calmly and quickly browsed through them.

The agreement was clearly drafted by professional lawyers, and from Chu Song's perspective, it was impeccably rigorous.

Regarding adoption, she only needs to sign in the adoptive parent section.

After signing her name and handing it back to him, Xie Tang turned to the wardrobe to get a change of clothes.

Suddenly, her wrist tightened as Chu Song grabbed it.

Before she could react, he suddenly pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Xie Tang instinctively struggled slightly.

Chu Song buried his head deep into her neck, absorbing her unique scent, which seemed to carry a strange soothing power, giving his tense and tired mind a long-lost sense of peace.

“...Just for a little while,” he said in a muffled voice, deep and filled with exhaustion and dependence.

Xie Tang's stiff body slowly relaxed, she stopped struggling, and tacitly accepted his embrace.

She raised her hand, hesitated in mid-air for a moment, and finally gently lowered it, her movements a little awkward, landing on his soft hair.

His fingertips moved with a soothing gesture.

-----------------

Chu Li's room was next to Chu Song's.

Wen Qu stood behind the curtains, not intending to eavesdrop, but she overheard the argument next door.

She glanced back at Chu Li, who was playing games on the sofa, walked over, straddled his lap, hugged his neck, and gently kissed his cheek.

"What's wrong?" With a beauty in his arms, Chu Li only glanced up, his attention still on the game.

Wen Qu, displeased, blew a breath into his ear: "In your eyes, am I not as important as a game?"

Seeing that she was truly angry, Chu Li put down his phone, placed his hands on her waist, and softened his tone: "Of course you're more important. What is it?"

Wen Qu glanced at the wall: "Guess what I just heard?"

"What?" Chu Li's hand had already wandered into her loose silk nightgown, caressing her delicate skin.

Wen Qu did not stop her, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law doesn't want to raise that child."

"Oh." Chu Li continued, "Still not giving up? Even if they don't want to raise the child, it's not our turn. The matter of the child has already been settled, and it's not something that Asong can just push away."

"It's all your fault," Wen Qu complained, "Why didn't you try to fight for it back then?"

This statement has a double meaning.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you insist on raising him?" Chu Li understood the underlying meaning—blaming him for not fighting for the position of family head back then, and he couldn't help but get angry as well. "What good genes could my dad have given birth to with that little starlet? The old man doesn't want him to wander outside because he's afraid they'll use him to threaten the Chu family!"

Seeing that he was angry, Wen Qu gently stroked his chest with her slender fingers and said softly, "I was just trying to make things easier for myself."

Chu Li really couldn't figure out what she was up to: "Haven't you always prioritized your career and not wanted to have children?"

“I didn’t want to before. But now,” Wen Qu gazed at him, her voice sweet and charming, “I’m not young anymore, let’s have two children soon, a son and a daughter, to make a perfect family.”

Chu Li looked at her in disbelief.

She has never been a patient or loving person when it comes to children. When she said she didn't want to have children, he respected her decision.

This sudden change must be suspicious.

“We’ve been married for seven years. If we don’t have a baby soon, your grandfather might start to have a problem with me.”

As she spoke, Wen Qu kissed his lips, skillfully unbuttoning his shirt, her voice soft and sweet, "Is it okay?"

Her kiss landed on his heaving chest.

Chu Li lifted her chin: "You don't want your career anymore?"

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she smiled gently: "At my age, children are more important."

Chu Li didn't believe her, but she stirred his heart and mind.

Her alluring eyes were so captivating that he couldn't look away.

She chuckled softly, and every kiss that landed on his skin made him intoxicated and unable to extricate himself.

He had no intention of delving into her sudden desire for a child; he simply wanted to enjoy the moment.

A smile returned to his lips, and he passionately responded to her kiss.