Chapter 32 That's just her lowly fate.
Zhou Yue took Zhou Mu to stay in the hospital for three days before returning home. Sun Caiying and Xia Dahai are truly rare kind-hearted people who have always felt sorry for Mu Mu. As soon as they learned that they had returned, Sun Caiying took Xia Mingyang to visit them.
Sun Caiying dismissed the two children and earnestly advised Zhou Yue: "Zhou Yue, let me say a few more words. Don't find me annoying. I don't know what's wrong with you about Mumu, but she is still your own flesh and blood. Don't wait until it's too late to regret it."
"Regret?" Zhou Yue scoffed. "I have no regrets. She has such a worthless fate. Does she want to be a rich heiress? I didn't drown her, I didn't throw her in the trash. I fed her and raised her to adulthood. That's already very good."
Sun Caiying stared at Zhou Yue in disbelief. She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. Drowned? Thrown away? Was this something a mother should say? If she had such a well-behaved girl, she wouldn't know how much she would cherish her. It was a pity that giving birth to Yangyang had damaged her health, and she would only have Yangyang as her son in this lifetime.
“Zhou Yue, listen to yourself, are you even speaking human language? You treat Mumu like this only because of her father, but the grudges of the previous generation shouldn't involve the child. Mumu is innocent. We're mother and daughter, it's fate. Mumu is a good child, you…”
“Sister Sun, I’m very grateful for your usual care for me, and I know you care about Mumu, but she’s my child. How I raise her is my business.” Zhou Yue interrupted Sun Caiying impatiently, and said in a huff, “If you really feel sorry for her, you can take her back and raise her. Let her be your daughter. I have no objection.”
“You…” Sun Caiying was so angry that she couldn’t speak. She pulled a long face and was about to leave. “Fine, I’ll mind my own business. I’ll wait and see how you regret it in the future.”
Zhou Yue said firmly, "I will never, ever regret it!"
Zhou Mu and Xia Mingyang overheard their conversation clearly from behind the door. When Xia Mingyang heard Zhou Yue's words, he immediately looked at Zhou Mu warily. He knew his mother liked her very much and was afraid that his mother would really agree. Although she was indeed pitiful, he didn't want another younger sister to live with his parents.
As soon as Sun Caiying came out, she saw Xia Mingyang, who was in a bad mood. She took Xia Mingyang's hand and touched Zhou Mu's dry and frizzy hair. "Mu Mu, if you are unhappy or hungry in the future, come to Auntie's house. Auntie will take care of you as much as possible."
She could only offer her the help she could. Their family's circumstances were limited, and it was already quite an achievement that they could raise Yangyang well.
Zhou Mu held back her tears, but her voice was still choked with emotion, "Thank you, Aunt Sun!"
*
After Jiang Chengli moved into the servants' quarters, Yan Songyu came here for the first time. He was sitting in a wheelchair, his long hair covering his eyes, and his beard hadn't been shaved for who knows how many days. A blanket was draped over his legs, and the curtains were tightly closed. He had returned to his previous decadent state. Back then, he could relieve his emotions by painting, but now all he could do was smash things.
"Honey, I'm sorry, something's happened lately, and I haven't had time to come see you. I remember your leg wasn't completely ruined, was it? It seemed like you were just limping, and your leg was a little twisted. You should be able to walk by now, right? Why are you still in a wheelchair?" Yan Songyu seemed concerned, but every word she said was like a knife stabbing into his heart.
Artists all strive for perfection, and Jiang Chengli is no exception. Otherwise, he wouldn't have locked himself in his studio for two years. Now, he feels disgusted just looking at his twisted right leg. The blanket and wheelchair are just ways of deceiving himself.
As Yan Songyu spoke, she drew back the curtains, and the sudden burst of bright light made Jiang Chengli unable to open his eyes for a moment.
"Honey, I've avenged you! Xu Huanzhi has been arrested." Yan Songyu picked up the remote and turned on the TV. The news was reporting on Xu Huanzhi's arrest for stealing trade secrets and attempted murder. "Honey, are you happy?"
Jiang Chengli smiled sinisterly, "Happy? You're very happy?"
He's already in this state, so what does Xu Huanzhi's arrest matter? Can he afford to pay for the life he's ruined by going to jail?
"Of course I'm happy!" Yan Songyu expressed her feelings with the brightest smile. "My enemy got his comeuppance! I wish I could pop champagne and set off fireworks to celebrate."
"Really? I thought you became like this because of me, so you could openly and unscrupulously hook up with Feng Yu and be happy."
"How could you misunderstand me like that?" Yan Songyu said, looking heartbroken. "I even prepared a surprise for you."
Jiang Chengli instinctively resisted the word "surprise" because he thought of the night of the car accident. "What was the surprise you were talking about on the day of Madam Wu's birthday banquet?"
"You still have to remember!" Yan Songyu seemed very happy. "It's the surprise I wanted to tell you today. It's just that it was postponed until now because of what happened recently. I've made a few changes, but don't worry, the content of the surprise is the same."
Jiang Chengli felt that Yan Songyu was acting strangely and wanted to see what she was up to, so he agreed to go out with her.
After having the servants clean up Jiang Chengli, Yan Songyu pushed his wheelchair to the Gularu Gallery. "Ta-da! Look, this is an art exhibition I specially organized for you. The theme is 'Regret,' mainly to commemorate your achievements and express your regret that you can no longer paint."
"I know your dream is to become a master of traditional Chinese painting like Master Kong Lingqi. Unfortunately, fate is cruel to the talented. A car accident made it impossible for your right hand to hold a paintbrush again. But fortunately, you have created many excellent paintings before. I have had them compiled. The theme of this exhibition was 'Rise,' the rise of a genius painter. Now, I have changed it to 'Regret.' Every genius's fall is a regret in art history. I have invited many people to witness this."
"Get out!" Jiang Chengli brushed away Yan Songyu's hand that was pushing the wheelchair. "Who gave you permission to act on your own? Who told you to touch my painting?"
"Honey, what's wrong? Are you worried that no one will buy your paintings?" Yan Songyu stepped forward to comfort him with concern. "Don't worry, you've already built up your reputation before. Now that you can't paint anymore, scarcity will make your paintings more valuable. I won't lose money by holding this exhibition."
"I know you have a strong sense of pride and don't want to spend my money. After this art exhibition, as long as you don't spend money recklessly, you can achieve financial freedom and no longer need me to support you. How about that? Aren't you happy?"
Happy? Jiang Chengli trembled with anger. If this art exhibition had been held before his car accident, he would naturally have been overjoyed. All his efforts were for success and to change his life. What does it mean now?
After being discharged from the hospital, Jiang Chengli refused to accept the fact that he could no longer hold a paintbrush. He tried many times before finally accepting reality. Since then, he couldn't stand anything related to painting. Now, Yan Songyu has hung up all his old paintings, and her words are full of regret and lamentation, constantly reminding him that he is now a useless person. What a load of rubbish! She is mocking him!
"Get out! You did this on purpose!" Jiang Chengli roared at Yan Songyu. "I could have achieved my dream, I was just a little short! It's all because of you, it's all your fault!"
He believed his own assumption of failure, and every painting in the gallery became a blade piercing him. Jiang Chengli could no longer stay. Angrily, he turned his wheelchair and left, unaware that there was a ramp in front of the gallery. The wheelchair went out of control and crashed straight into the busy street. "Ah—"
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