Chapter 200 is already over.

"I dare not write letters, dare not leave messages, I can only secretly inquire about your whereabouts at night, and piece together your possible whereabouts based on scattered rumors from old servants and distant relatives."

“Over the past ten years, I have traveled to almost every corner of China. In every place I went, I would go to the local household registration office, factories, shelters, and even beggar dens one by one to ask, just to confirm whether you were still alive.”

Li Huachen's hand froze, and her fingertips trembled slightly.

She didn't look up; her gaze remained fixed on the sole of the shoe in her hand.

"These past years must have been very difficult for you..., haven't they?"

Zhou Yufan smiled wryly.

After a long while, he suddenly raised his hand and, right in front of her, ripped open her collar.

That once tall and slender body is now covered with crisscrossing old scars.

“Several times I lay in the ditch, burning up, coughing up blood, and on the verge of losing consciousness. At that time, I thought, if I die, who will remember you? Who will look for you? So I gritted my teeth, swallowed the muddy water and wild vegetable soup, and crawled out of there.”

"As long as I think that you are still alive and waiting for me somewhere, even if it is just wishful thinking on my part, I have to keep going."

She slowly put down the shoe sole in her hand, her eyes instantly reddening.

"You think... I didn't wait for you?"

“From the day the Zhou family had their accident, I have been squatting on the stone steps at the entrance of the old house every day, waiting from dawn to dusk, from spring to winter. I don’t believe you will abandon me, I don’t believe you are dead. Even if the wind and snow penetrate my cotton-padded clothes and my feet are frozen, I will not leave.”

"But what I got in return was my parents carrying suitcases and coldly kicking me out of the house. They said I was a disgrace, that I shouldn't have married into the Zhou family, and that I was shameless for getting entangled with a down-on-his-luck young master."

Her voice trembled.

“I was pregnant and heavy, and it was difficult for me to walk, but they wouldn’t let me stay overnight or give me a penny. I had to beg for food all the way and survive on the charity of kind people.”

“The winter I arrived in Guixi, the snow was particularly heavy. I gave birth to Rongkai in a dilapidated temple at the entrance of the village. There was no hot water, no midwife, and not even a clean cloth to be found. I could only wrap him in tattered clothes that I had picked up. He cried so softly when he was born that I thought he wouldn’t survive… but he has survived to this day.”

She sniffed and continued.

"Later, I got a job as a temporary worker in a textile factory, standing in front of the machines for fourteen hours a day. When I returned to the dormitory at night, I would hide in a corner and cry secretly with my child in my arms. The people in the factory looked down on me, saying that I had a child out of wedlock and that I was immoral. If it weren't for Sister Pan, who was kind and took care of Rong Kai at night so that I could get some sleep, I really... I really don't know how I would have gotten through it."

Zhou Yufan reached out to take her hand.

She recoiled as if startled, pulling her hand back abruptly and stepping backward.

"Hua Chen, I was wrong... I was really wrong."

Zhou Yufan's voice was hoarse and his eyes were red.

“I’m sorry to you, and I’m sorry to Rong Kai. If I hadn’t failed to protect you back then, how could you have suffered so much? You can scold me, hit me, anything is fine, as long as… as long as you feel a little better, as long as you’re willing to hate me, I’ll accept it.”

Li Huachen raised her hand and wiped her face.

"It's all in the past."

"Now all I want to do is raise Rong Kai, to give him an education, to feed him, and to help him grow up safely. I don't want to bring up those old grievances or the past again."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sudden, urgent commotion erupted outside the door.

Immediately following was Li Rongkai's sharp shout.

"Let go of me! I didn't mean it! He insulted my mother first!"

Zhou Yufan's heart tightened.

Without thinking twice, he quickly stepped forward.

"Comrades, you must have made a mistake. Rong Kai has been a sensible and obedient child since he was a child, and he never causes trouble. How could he possibly hit someone? There must be some misunderstanding!"

Comrade frowned.

"Sensible? You saw it with your own eyes? He smashed that kid's forehead open! Blood was everywhere, and he's still in the hospital with over a dozen stitches in his head! How could something like this be fake?"

Zhou Yufan's heart skipped a beat.

"No, impossible! Rong Kai is a kind-hearted boy. He wouldn't even step on an ant. How could he be so violent? Comrade, I really know him. There must be more to this than meets the eye. You have to let us finish what we have to say!"

"Who are you? Don't meddle here!"

The comrade's voice became even more stern.

In a moment of desperation, Zhou Yufan had a sudden inspiration.

“I am his… his cousin! My name is Zhou Yufan, and I live at the east end of this alley. The child's mother is an orphan and a widow, and life is hard for her. As an elder, I have to stand up for her! Comrade, please, have mercy and let us speak a few words with the child! Just a few words! Even just to hear what happened!”

At that moment, the interrogation room door was pushed open, and Li Rongkai was brought out with tears streaming down his face.

His eyes instantly reddened when he saw Li Huachen.

"Mom! I didn't start it! It really wasn't me! It was that principal's nephew who provoked me first. He kept cursing you behind your back, saying really nasty things, and he even pushed me down the stairs! If I had put up with it, I would have died! That's why I fought back!"

Li Huachen, who had been keeping her head down, was suddenly stunned when she heard these words.

"Who? Who dares to insult me? Who is so bold as to gossip behind my back and slander me?"

Li Rongkai cried so hard that his whole body trembled, and his voice was broken and intermittent.

"It was the principal's nephew, Pan Lin! He blocked me by the playground and said I was a widow with no one to care for me, always flirting with other women, and that I was an unwanted wild child. I... I couldn't take it anymore, and in a fit of anger, I pounced on him and hit him! But he pushed me first, so I had no choice but to fight back!"

Li Huachen's face turned pale instantly.

Zhou Yufan stood to the side, his fists clenched tightly.

"You bastard! Where is that Pan Lin? Where is he now? I'm going to settle accounts with him face to face! How dare he bully an orphan and a widow with such a vicious face? It's utterly lawless!"

"Second brother! Don't be impulsive!"

Zhou Shufen lunged forward and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Rushing out now won't do any good! The comrade is here, and they're just following the law. Our top priority right now is to get Rong Kai out of here and prevent him from being taken away. Making a scene will only escalate the situation!"

She took a deep breath and turned to face that comrade.

"Comrade, please have mercy! How old is the child? He's only twelve, a sixth-grade student. He's usually very well-behaved and never gets into fights. He must have been driven to the brink by that kid to act impulsively. You were a child once too, don't you understand this kind of anger?"

She paused, her voice slightly choked.

"Please be accommodating and let us take him to see a doctor so we can apologize in person. We'll pay every penny of the medical and nutritional expenses you owe! As long as you don't take him away, we can discuss anything, okay?"

The comrade frowned and remained silent for a moment.

Just then, Zhou Yufan suddenly pulled out all the money.

"Comrade, please take this money. It's not much, but it's a small token of our appreciation. Please use it to buy that person some supplements or to cover some medical expenses. We will absolutely not shirk our responsibility! Our family has always been honest and upright people, and we would never default on a debt! Please be lenient!"

Just as everyone held their breath and waited for a response, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.