Those struggles he had ignored were like memories resurfacing, flashing back in his mind one after another.

But he still didn't want to admit defeat; he still believed he could change.

Just as Su Hanze was about to speak, Jiang Tian stood up first.

With Jiang Xiuyu's comfort, she seemed to regain her composure.

She stared silently at Su Hanze.

Su Hanze felt inexplicably nervous under her gaze.

What was she going to say to him?

"Su Hanze, I'm begging you, please stop using the excuse of 'liking me' to trap me. I really already have a boyfriend, a partner I've chosen myself, Wei Su..."

At this point, Jiang Tian paused, a gentle light appearing in her eyes. "Putting everything else aside, he allowed me to be myself, to admit my weaknesses, to acknowledge my shortcomings. In front of him, I didn't have to pretend to be anyone. This kind of freedom was something I never had in the Su family, and it's something I desperately wanted to obtain."

"Of course I know very well that relying on myself is worse than relying on anyone else. With him, at least I am not restricted. I can go to work and earn money with my own hands. I am very happy."

As she said this, she looked at Jiang Xiuyu, her eyes revealing a hint of gratitude: "Auntie, thank you for your understanding, but my fate with your son has come to an end."

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

Jiang Xiuyu sighed softly.

She patted Jiang Tian's hand and nodded, without saying anything more, but her eyes were full of understanding.

Looking at Jiang Tian's resolute expression, Su Hanze felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Her sense of self led her to choose to abandon him and choose another man; how could he not be in pain?

"I've said everything I needed to say. You really don't need to waste any more of your time on me. I'll be going now."

Jiang Tian ignored everyone and quickly turned and left.

Su Hanze stared at the figure that was gradually shrinking in his field of vision until Jiang Tian completely disappeared around the corner, and he still hadn't come back to his senses.

He could certainly go after her, but he had no reason to.

The two met again and again, talking the same old things over and over. How could Su Hanze not sense that Jiang Tian was gradually drifting away?

This time, she distanced herself from him even further.

He wasn't sure at some point in the future when they would become true strangers.

"Stop looking. You just won't admit it. You've never really learned how to respect her. Letting her go is better for both of you. Otherwise, what's the point of being a miserable couple? It'll only lead to a lifetime of suffering."

Jiang Xiuyu's words were like needles pricking Su Hanze's temples.

He couldn't help but turn back to look at his mother.

"You've never truly respected her"—for some reason, at this moment, he seemed to truly understand those words.

Yes, he never respected her, let alone understood her.

He shared the same opinion as everyone else, believing that Jiang Tian should absolutely obey him and never leave him.

Unfortunately, this woman left without warning.

"The Wei Su she mentioned..." Jiang Xiuyu suddenly asked with a hint of doubt in her voice, her inquiry tinged with weariness, "Is it the youngest son of the Wei family?"

"...It was him."

Su Hanze did not deny it.

Jiang Xiuyu knew Wei Su, of course. She voiced her doubts: "I remember he's not that old. Are you sure it's him?"

“It was indeed him. He is almost 10 years younger than Jiang Tian, ​​which is why I was worried and afraid that she would be deceived by someone else.”

Jiang Xiuyu couldn't help but smile helplessly, her smile tinged with self-mockery: "So it was him... These things have nothing to do with us anymore. No matter how bad Jiang Tian is, she won't be mentally imprisoned. That's all she wants. Nothing else matters to her. So you don't need to belittle others. There must be a reason why the two of them are together."

Su Hanze remained silent.

Jiang Xiuyu looked at her son and said earnestly, "Many people say that marriage is like a chessboard, and it's only interesting if you find someone of equal skill to play against. This applies to some people, but you can't see the potential value of others without getting to know them. On the surface, Jiang Tian is marrying up, but in reality, she's more than a match for you. But some people don't want to be the best on the chessboard; they just want the right to freedom."

“In the Su family, she was precisely unable to achieve this kind of freedom.”

Su Hanzhe could clearly see the melancholy in his mother's eyes.

Despite being seen as a successful woman by others, she still harbors unspeakable sorrows.

Su Hanze recalled a time when his father and mother argued when he was a child, and he flew into a rage, smashing the villa to pieces.

He was still young then, and his parents argued until the early hours of the morning without stopping.

He hid at the corner of the stairs, secretly listening to the conversation between the two people.

My mother was in great pain. She said she regretted marrying into the Su family, because she had lost the right to enjoy the rights of a normal person.

His eyes welled up with tears as he thought of his mother and Jiang Tian.

"Do you know?" Jiang Xiuyu reached out and grasped his cold hand, the warmth of a mother passing on to her son, "Your father got angry again yesterday. We still argue about trivial things. He smashed our wedding photos again. I've lost count of how many times he's done this..."

Su Hanze's lips were tightly pursed; clearly, he was somewhat at a loss.

After moving out of the old house, he thought he had escaped the den of iniquity, but he forgot that his parents were still there.

Seeing her son's hidden guilt, Jiang Xiuyu chuckled softly, "All sorts of vested interests have made our divorce incredibly complicated. And I'm still clinging to the past, thinking that reconciliation is the best thing. But in fact, my subconscious knows better than anyone else that what's broken is broken, and it can't be put back together. I think that gluing broken things together will make it round and complete, but I've forgotten how much grime is hidden in the cracks, that they're already filthy beyond recognition. That's just playing dumb."

"Hanze, a broken mirror can never be mended. Stop making things difficult for others. Just listen to your mother and let yourself go, okay?"

Su Hanze pursed his lips and looked into his mother's sincere eyes. He suddenly felt a sense of responsibility as a son.

He's not that beastly; he doesn't even know how to be grateful to his mother.

His parents' sacrifices for him over the years are countless.

"I don't want to let her go, but for your sake, I won't bother her anymore..."

Su Hanze forced himself to say something, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally told the truth—

"I know she definitely won't give me another chance, I'll let go..."

It wasn't just for her, but also for his own mother.

Today, Su Hanze once again felt the strength from his mother.

He wasn't unloved; at least in his parents' eyes, he was always the most important person.

Seeing that her son was about to let go, Jiang Xiuyu was moved to tears.

Just as she was about to say something, Su Hanze's phone suddenly rang.

Su Hanze took out his phone, and when he opened it, he found that it was a message from his secretary.

Then, his pupils dilated slightly!

The secretary's message was very concise, with every word highlighting key points.

Shen Dingkun's wife arrived at the company and was causing a scene at the front desk. The security guard was about to call the police.

Su Hanze suddenly stood up!