Chapter 40 Establishing Connections

Yao Mingzhu sighed softly, a hint of envy in her gaze as she looked at Zhou Shufen.

"Actually, I envy you. Although you also have some wayward children, at least you still have them by your side. At my age, it's really too difficult to start over with them."

Zhou Shufen sat down next to Yao Mingzhu.

“Mingzhu, I don’t know what you’ve been through, and I don’t want to pretend to be some kind of confidante to advise you, but today, I really want to tell you what’s on my mind.”

Zhou Shufen's voice was gentle.

She never mentioned many of her thoughts after her rebirth to outsiders.

"People often talk about 'debts to children,' which does sound unpleasant, but upon closer examination, there is some truth to it."

"Now I finally see the true colors of my children. None of them know how to be grateful. No matter how much I poured my heart and soul into them, not one of them was truly good to me. It's just a pity that I realized this too late. But thankfully, I still have a daughter and a son who know how to be filial. So I'm not completely worthless."

"However, that's not what I really want to tell you."

"Now that I've lived this long, I've finally come to truly understand a principle: one should live for oneself. Only when you truly respect and cherish yourself will others cherish and love you in the same way."

Zhou Shufen smiled slightly.

Since her rebirth, she has been living a very relaxed and carefree life.

Once she was free from the trivialities of raising children, she discovered that life could actually be very light and wonderful.

Yao Mingzhu looked at Zhou Shufen.

She always felt that there was a profound power hidden in the other person's gaze that she could not yet comprehend.

And at this moment, the depression and pent-up frustration in her heart slowly began to loosen.

“What you said is so true, it seems like you’ve enlightened me. The problems I’m facing now are partly my fault. When I was young, I worked hard to make a name for myself in my career. Later, after I got married and had children, I couldn’t let go of what I was doing and always tried to manage both. As a result, I didn’t do well in either one.”

Yao Mingzhu gave a wry smile.

She has asked herself countless times: if she had made a different choice back then, would things be different now?

If they had spent more time with their children back then, would their relationship not be so distant now?

She had everything she needed, but it seemed that what she possessed couldn't fill the emptiness in her heart.

On the contrary, as time went on, she grew further and further apart from her children.

Zhou Shufen's heart stirred slightly, and her gaze dimmed a little.

Yao Mingzhu's situation is completely different from mine.

But precisely because of this, she can better understand the bitterness of being unable to control one's own destiny.

She was busy with work and naturally had no time to spend with her children.

It's not surprising that a child and mother can become estranged.

“I don’t think your child is unfilial.”

Zhou Shufen spoke slowly.

"It's not that they don't know how to get close to you."

"So you can't blame them for being immature; perhaps it's just that you lack a way of communicating with each other."

Is that really the case?

Yao Mingzhu's voice trembled slightly.

"But things have come to this point, I really don't know what else I can do!"

"It's okay."

Zhou Shufen spoke calmly.

"So many years have passed, and repairing a relationship can't be done overnight. But as long as there's still the will, you two should try to take it one step at a time. Let me think of something; I'm sure I can find a way!"

"What's the best way?"

Yao Mingzhu stared intently at Zhou Shufen.

"I really can't think of any ideas right now!"

"First of all, you can't rush things. After all, so many years have already passed. Start with small things, gradually get to know each other, communicate, and build connections step by step."

"Actually, the most direct and simplest way is to invest more money and material support. Now that you have a stable job and are financially well-off, if they encounter difficulties, you can take the initiative to help them. This will not only solve their practical problems, but also make them feel warm and gratified."

Zhou Shufen then listed several other specific and feasible methods.

Yao Mingzhu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Don't worry, I will definitely do what you said. Really, I've remembered everything."

"That's more like it!"

Zhou Shufen smiled with relief.

"Actually, I've always hoped that your family's relationship could be repaired as soon as possible. The conflict between you wasn't that big to begin with. To put it bluntly, it's just that those misunderstandings dragged on for too long and became more and more complicated over time. In reality, you both still have feelings for each other, but neither of you knows where to start or where to begin."

As she spoke, Zhou Shufen gently patted Yao Mingzhu's shoulder.

Yao Mingzhu had memorized every word Zhou Shufen said.

Once she calmed down, she began to turn her attention to another, more personal issue.

"I really don't know why, but suddenly I feel like you and President Guo are a good match!"

These words came as a surprise, leaving Zhou Shufen stunned.

"Were you so moved by what I said that you confused yourself? You must be drunk and talking nonsense, right?"

Yao Mingzhu also felt that her words just now were somewhat sudden.

However, she was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

"But I really think you two are a good match, both in terms of personality and age..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Zhou Shufen's expression change slightly.

He was clearly a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, okay, stop talking. We haven't known each other for very long, why are you talking about whether it's appropriate or not? It's a bit too much to talk about this so early."

"Fine, I won't say it then."

Yao Mingzhu chuckled and muttered.

But then he lowered his voice and added a sentence.

"But you need to understand the situation clearly. Mr. Guo was actually married before, did you know that?"

It was late at night, and I was slightly tipsy.

When two women get together, they inevitably start gossiping.

Zhou Shufen felt a surge of curiosity.

"He was married? How did they separate?"

"I only heard it from others, so I don't really know the truth."

Yao Mingzhu paused.

"To be honest, I don't really understand it either. I heard that after his ex-wife married him, she did almost nothing. Not only did she not do housework, but there was no proper source of income for the family, yet her expenses were outrageously high. I remember once she told the people in our office that she ordered more than a dozen new outfits every month."

These things are actually something that people in the office have heard about.

Mr. Guo is constantly socializing outside and is urged to go home almost every day.

Or they're constantly getting calls urging them to pay money.

"That woman is really difficult to deal with."

Yao Mingzhu scoffed.

"Even in that situation, Mr. Guo was still able to tolerate her. But what happened? Later, she actually cheated on him, which completely broke off relations between the two of them, leading to their divorce."

Yao Mingzhu shook her head.