Chapter 85 You Killed My Mother

Although those words were spoken by Miss Song herself, Liu Shen was not a man without discretion. He formally sent an invitation, inviting Song Bei to come to Yuelai Manor for tea after her shift. He was extremely humble, not only greeting her with a smile but also personally serving her a bowl of tea.

This has never happened before.

Even the former Prime Minister Le Yuan has never tasted tea served by his son-in-law!

As a third-ranking scholar, he was highly talented and inevitably arrogant. He would never bow or bend his knee. Even before he became the son-in-law of a high-ranking official, the emperor might not be able to make him smile.

This was a man who was blessed with extraordinary talent and was favored by the times. Among his fellow officials, who hadn't said a few sarcastic things about him behind his back?

Now this person is serving him tea and trying to please him.

Lord Song felt that he had finally gotten his revenge today.

But I still feel suffocated.

How could such a talented person have given birth to such a good-for-nothing son?

He really doesn't deserve his daughter.

But the daughter had already said it.

People in public cannot lack dignity; once words are spoken, they are like water spilled on the ground—they cannot be taken back.

Lord Song felt deep regret, believing that he had pushed his daughter too far, leading her down such a wicked path, and that she had only herself to blame.

Just bear with it!

At least my daughter was genuinely happy.

Lord Song accepted his fate and began exchanging witty remarks with Liu Shen.

I'm fairly satisfied.

The Liu family seems to genuinely want to arrange this marriage.

There's really not much to say. The Liu family is of high social standing, and Liu Shen is a man with a bright future. Marrying him would be a good deal. It's just that his son is utterly useless; it's enough to make one nauseous.

His disdain was so obvious that Liu Shen couldn't ignore it, so he said he would bring his son to the Song residence to pay a visit another day.

This is the proper thing to do, and Lord Song did not refuse, saying he would certainly clear the path to wait for him.

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest, and they parted with beaming smiles.

Everyone felt that a major problem had been solved.

Song Bei should indeed be happy, but Liu Shen is celebrating a little too soon.

Because his son was unwilling.

She stood in front of him, head bowed, without saying a word.

Not saying it is, in fact, saying it.

Like this.

In an instant, a fire of passion engulfed his entire being, boiling his blood.

He smashed the teacup again.

"What exactly do you want?!"

What on earth are you trying to do?! Are you really going to remain unmarried for life because of a servant girl?! Have you really gone mad?!

"I don't want to. I don't want to marry Miss Song. I only like Shanlai. I know she is a servant. You will definitely not allow me to marry her as my wife. I don't intend to make a fuss about this with you, so please be more understanding and don't make things difficult for me."

Knowing there was no way to avoid it, Liu Min simply spoke up to avoid another chance.

This is truly insane.

Knowing that his son had indeed gone mad, Liu Shen calmed down, stood up straight, and remained composed.

Liu Min continued, "I've never asked you for anything before, just this once, please grant my request."

This time, Liu Shen remained silent.

Madam Yue stood to the side, wanting to speak up several times to smooth things over, but finding herself at a loss for words, she remained silent, simply standing there worriedly, glancing between her husband and son…

I really don't know what to do.

“You beg me, so I’ll agree to your request,” Liu Shen finally spoke, sounding quite calm. “Why are you so confident? Is it because we’re father and son? That’s certainly a plausible reason, but why don’t you think about this: if we’re father and son, why don’t you listen to me? Would I ever harm you?”

“I believe that the master is doing this for my own good, but the master is not me after all, and does not know what is best for me. That is why I spoke up to remind the master that I really only ask for this one thing. Just promise me, and I will do whatever you ask.”

Raising a son is supposed to bring honor to the family, but he's like this, he's like this...

Liu Shen took a long breath.

"What if I don't agree? What will you do then?"

"I don't know," Liu Min answered honestly, "so I can only ask you, sir."

Liu Shen laughed when he heard this.

"Begging and groveling won't work. It won't work on me, and it will be even less effective on others. Why do you have to do something stupid? Don't you think it's ridiculous? How could I possibly agree to that? Not only will I not agree to that, I will also punish you. Otherwise, it would be a waste of the flaw you've exposed. You really are a bit stupid."

"Okay... let's send her back to Pingcheng first."

That's already very kind.

Liu Min didn't panic, he just said, "She was chosen for me by my grandmother."

"Of course I know, otherwise why would I tolerate her to this extent? Listen, she didn't do anything wrong, but you're so stupid. You're blatantly harming her, you're using her as a target!"

Liu Min, however, did not think so.

He didn't think he had harmed Shanlai; he just wanted to be with her. What had he done wrong? It was clearly everyone else's fault.

He didn't accept this explanation, so he remained calm.

He is determined to win today, no matter what it takes.

He raised his head and looked directly at Liu Shen, his father, the father who gave him life and raised him.

"Master, you killed my mother."

You've wronged me.

He stared intently at his father, the man who had killed his mother.

He knew that many people, intentionally or unintentionally, wanted him to know that it was his father's infidelity that led to his mother's death. He knew, he had always known, and he had always remembered, even though he had never met his mother. After all, it was his mother who brought him into this world! As long as he lived, he would be grateful for his mother's kindness and remember her hatred…

If even he has forgotten, then this person is truly pitiful.

What is she? What exactly is she?

When her body cooled down, did they all feel that her death was timely?

I hate them, I really hate them.

But his grandmother raised him.

His enemy was his grandmother's son.

He owed his grandmother a debt of gratitude and had a responsibility to repay it, so he had to do whatever his grandmother wanted him to do.

Despite the boundless hatred in my heart.

But he always remembered it.

I remember that it was this person in front of me who killed his mother.

He is where he is today because of this person. If he had a mother, he wouldn't be like this today.

So what gives you the right to treat me like this?

Liu Shen stared blankly at his son.

His son spoke those words calmly, but they sent a jolt through him, a deafening roar in his heart, as if a mountain had collapsed...

Li Zhaohua, his lawfully wedded wife, the mother of his son. Zhaohua is her courtesy name; her given name is Yi, Li Yi…

He always remembered.

But that's all I can remember.

He hadn't thought about her for a long time, as if she had never existed in his life.

I don't think I've ever remembered her face, because all these young ladies from wealthy families seem to look the same: the same delicate eyebrows, the same shy and hesitant eyes, even the curve of their lips when they smile is the same, and they always keep their heads down...

Their first meeting was in the bridal chamber. She moved the fan that was covering her face, revealing her face to him. It was like a wall painted a stark white, but her lips were a fierce red, which was very strange.

He didn't like her; he married her for his mother's sake. Even though they were officially husband and wife, he still didn't like her. But he had married her and had a child with her, so he would treat her well. Once Xingdu's matter was settled, he immediately set off to go back because he knew she was about to give birth.

But she died.

How could he have died? Just because he heard that sentence?

But he clearly didn't do anything.

But she died.

He was left with a child covered in blood who couldn't even cry.

His child was born with only half a life left. The servants washed him clean, wrapped him in a small blanket, held him to show him, and then tucked him into his arms.

Why did he dodge it?

His child.

Why didn't she want to hug him? Why did she flee back to Xingdu as soon as she was buried?

Is it because of guilt? Do you feel sorry for her?

When the tears fell, he didn't know it. He only felt a lump in his throat, many words stuck in his chest. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he found that only crying could be heard.

I feel so sorry for her!

Even now, he finally remembered her face—the face right before his eyes, the face of their child, which bore her features, yet he had only realized it today…

He lowered his head, letting tears stream down his face.

Late at night, Shanlai, holding a lamp, quietly crept to Liu Min's bedside.

"Wake up."

She called his name softly and gently shook his arm.

A moment later, he opened his eyes groggily, only halfway, squinting at people for a long time, and then suddenly sat up, his eyes fully open.

Why did you come here?

She was wearing such thin clothes.

She quickly pulled back the covers. "Come here right now!"

The heat hit him, and Shanlai sat down without hesitation, sharing the same bed and the same blanket with him.

"Your hands are so cold!" Liu Min was a little angry, her brows furrowing. "You really don't take your health seriously. What if you get sick tomorrow?"

Shan looked at his face, then suddenly lunged forward without warning, falling on top of him, her arms passing under his armpits and grabbing his shoulders from behind.

"That way you won't be cold."

Instantly, he felt a chill run down his spine. He thought it might be because she was too cold.

So he reached out and hugged her, wanting to give her as much warmth as possible.

She trembled against his chest.

It must be too cold.

Even his voice was trembling.

"Go apologize to the master tomorrow."

"What?" The last syllable rose sharply.

“I said, you go and apologize to the master tomorrow, and also apologize to the mistress.”

"Why?"

He loosened his grip, straightened up, and tried to pull her up from... He wanted her to look at his face and answer him.

He was unhappy; his face was tense, and his lips were almost pressed into a thin line.

Shanlai suddenly leaned down and kissed him.

Kiss his lips.

And not just the lips.

He stood there, letting her do as she pleased, until she easily kissed his mouth open, sucked and bit his lips and tongue, and took his breath away...

She didn't know how much time had passed before she stopped, breathing heavily, her face and body burning hot.

He was the same.

"Why don't you go apologize to Master and Madam tomorrow?"

She leaned on his shoulder, looking up at him.

He didn't answer, but just stared at her lips.

What kind of magic is there that has caused such a drastic change in his body?

He became obsessed, clinging to her body, doing what she had done, and even more.

He knew.

Once, during a break in class, the professor was absent, and several classmates behind him started making a ruckus, shouting strangely. Annoyed, he was about to leave when a book suddenly hit his shoe, hurting him. He frowned and looked down; the pages were flipping rapidly, revealing a bizarre and fantastical scene…

He knew what it was, so he immediately kicked it away, as if it had pricked his foot.

For a long time afterward, he hated himself for having such a good memory, unable to forget things he shouldn't have remembered.

It really is a scourge; the current state of things is all that thing's fault!

Shanlai naturally sensed all the changes in him. Quite coincidentally, she also knew what was happening and was aware of what would happen if it continued.

But she was willing.

Because she had already made a decision before coming.

His hands and lips possessed a magical power; a mere touch was enough to make her body blossom, like a vine, entwining and yearning for more.

However, he stopped.

Despite his difficulty breathing, as if he were about to die at any moment, he stopped.

He kissed her lips again.

“Wait for us…” He lowered his head, smiled shyly, pursed his lips, and said, “I don’t want to apologize to them, but if you want me to go, I’ll go…”