Chapter 7 (Charter 07) She had tried so hard...
Xie Shuang cried as she hit him, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was hoarse and broken, each word like a knife, piercing Xie Tang's young heart.
"Ah Tang! Are you trying to scare me to death? Do you know how dangerous it is outside? What am I supposed to do?"
"Listen! Listen carefully!" Xie Shuang forcefully turned Xie Tang's trembling face, forcing her to look into her tear-streaked eyes, each word like the cruelest verdict:
"Grandpa's gone! The Qin family doesn't want our home anymore!"
"Once we're gone, whether it's Grandpa or Chu Song... it's all in the past! It's all over!"
"We no longer belong there! That world... that world with Chu Song, has nothing to do with us anymore!"
"Ah Tang! You have to accept reality! You have to... move forward!"
"We moved forward..."
These four words, like a cold brand, were deeply engraved in the soul of eight-year-old Xie Tang.
It signifies the complete collapse of the shelter, the forced severing of ties with the past, and the sealing away of the warm dream of "Brother Song" in the ruins of the past.
Since then, Xie Tang, dragged along by Xie Shuang, has stumbled and struggled to begin a new life.
She was forced to get used to a two-bedroom apartment in a residential complex, to the noise of public schools, and to a life without a driver or expensive toys.
She made new friends and lived an ordinary life that was completely different from that of the "high society".
It took her a very long time to slowly and painfully accept the cold truth that her grandfather was gone forever.
Every time I think about it, it feels like my heart has been struck by a blunt object, and the pain is so intense that I can't breathe.
Acceptance does not mean letting go.
That pain was simply an old wound that had been wrapped up by time and festering inside.
Similarly, she spent a long time, almost exhausting herself, learning how to breathe, walk, and live in a world without Chu Song.
She learned to stop subconsciously searching for that familiar figure, and to stop expecting that gentle call.
She accepted reality—the "Song-gege" who had illuminated her entire childhood had completely left the stage of her life.
Acceptance means recognizing reality.
Letting go means releasing your attachment.
In the end, she did it all.
As Chu Song listened to her calm narration and looked into the deep pool in her eyes that had become silent after accumulating too much pain, his heart ached with a painful ache.
He seemed to see that small figure lost in despair, Xie Shuang's desperate and heartbroken slaps and tears, and even more so, he saw that the words "move forward" like a rusty, dull knife, repeatedly cutting into her heart, eventually smoothing out all her expectations and dependence on him.
The girl he had almost forgotten had actually tried so hard to run towards him.
But he was absent when she needed him most.
——————
When I left the courthouse, the sun was already high in the sky.
Xie Tang took a taxi to the hospital alone, while her colleague took the documents back to the law firm first.
Flower shops are scattered around the hospital.
Xie Tang carefully selected a large bouquet of carnations, held it in her arms, and walked towards the ward.
In the ward, Xie Shuang had just finished chemotherapy. Her face was pale, her body was thin, and her face was full of unconcealed fatigue.
The caregiver helped her slowly lie back down on the hospital bed.
Xie Tang stood at the door of the ward, and the image of her mother when she was healthy clearly appeared in her mind—beautiful and elegant, with a gentle temperament, and always smiling tenderly.
She hadn't seen her laugh genuinely in a long time.
Fate seems particularly unfair; my mother, such a kind and gentle person, has experienced all the hardships of life.
Qin Ruhai and Ji Yan, despite committing countless evil deeds, still lived a life of great wealth, peace, and prosperity.
Just then, Xie Shuang suddenly turned over and saw Xie Tang standing in the doorway. A gentle smile immediately appeared on her face as she slowly sat up: "A-Tang..."
Xie Tang quickly stepped forward and gently placed the carnation in her hand into her mother's arms.
"You're wasting money on flowers again." Xie Shuang smiled faintly as she lowered her head to smell the fragrance of the flowers.
"How is this a waste of money? As long as these flowers make you happy, it's worth it. Besides, we don't lack this little bit of money right now," Xie Tang said softly.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuang paused slightly, sighed softly, and gently placed the flowers on the bedside table.
Xie Tang saw this and naturally understood that her proud mother still felt guilty for accepting Qin Ruhai's "charity".
"Mom..." Xie Tang gently held her mother's hand and softly comforted her, "Don't feel guilty, really, this is what you deserve. He was so rich back then, but he only gave us 500,000. Do you know? He gave those three kids more pocket money than that every year. He wronged us, so... just accept it without feeling guilty."
Xie Shuang gazed at her daughter for a long time, her heart filled with self-reproach.
Not only did she fail to give her a complete family, but she has also been a burden to her all these years.
Xie Tang knew her mother was overthinking again, so she quickly changed the subject to distract her: "Mom, I'll bring a friend to see you in a while."
Xie Shuang's eyes suddenly lit up, and she hesitated before asking, "Is it your boyfriend?"
"You know him too." She suddenly remembered the cold light at the airport five years ago, which made it impossible for anyone to hide.
Twenty-one-year-old Xie Tang trembled in front of the security checkpoint.
The hospital phone number was still pressed against my ear, and the word "malignant tumor" on the diagnosis report felt like a knife.
She didn't even realize her wallet was missing until the ground staff coldly said, "You can't board without your ID."
The airport waiting area is announcing the time via loudspeaker.
That was the second time she had broken down since she could remember.
She curled up on her suitcase and cried, feeling helpless and tormented.
"How are you?"
Xie Tang looked up, and through her tear-blurred vision, she saw the man's tall figure standing against the airport overhead lights.
As she choked back tears as she recounted her ordeal, he calmly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her, saying, "I'll take you to the police station."
He took her to have a temporary ID photo taken; the girl's eyes were red and swollen in the photo.
Until the boarding pass was held between his long, slender fingers: "Flight rebooked, first class..."
At the boarding gate at noon, he slipped cash into her hand.
Xie Tang clutched the note with the number written on it; at that moment, she was determined to return the money to him.
"So..." Xie Shuang suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Chu Song was the one who helped you back then?"
Xie Tang gave a soft "hmm".
After returning from the hospital, Xie Tang clearly felt that her cold symptoms were getting worse—her head was very dizzy and her limbs felt weak.
She dragged her tired body and hurriedly went into the bathroom to take a hot shower.
I had just finished washing up when my phone suddenly rang. I picked it up and saw that it was Tang Zhi calling.
Xie Tang was working on a criminal case, and Tang Zhi happened to work at the procuratorate.
She quickly answered the phone, sat down on the sofa, and started chatting. Time flew by, and she completely forgot that her hair was still wet and dripping.
When Aunt Yu came over with a towel, she was curled up on the sofa, shivering.
The old man pressed his rough palm against the back of her neck: "You're asking for trouble, washing your hair when you have a cold."
Xie Tang wasn't used to being taken care of like this. "Aunt Yu, I can do it myself."
"Do I know you too well? You'll probably forget to dry yourself before going to sleep again. Don't take your youth for granted and think your body can handle it. You'll regret it when you're old and have headaches and fevers."
Without a word, Aunt Yu wrapped her wet hair around her head, her movements as swift as wiping the paws of a sulking cat.
Xie Tang felt a warmth in her heart and did not refuse again, letting Aunt Yu help her dry her hair.
Tang Zhi was still talking in detail on the other end of the phone, but Xie Tang's vision gradually blurred.
The last thing I remember is the dry, sun-kissed scent of the wool blanket.
When Chu Song returned, he saw Xie Tang curled up asleep on the sofa, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red.
Aunt Yu told her to go back to her room to sleep, but she was fast asleep and couldn't be woken up no matter what she did.
"Xie Tang?" His fingertips touched the burning forehead, and he immediately picked him up horizontally, finding him surprisingly light in his arms.
He then called the family doctor.
Xie Tang was in a daze, and she obediently cooperated with whatever Chu Song said.
She was still vaguely thinking that even if Chu Song "sold" her now, she probably wouldn't have the strength to resist.
When she reached out to have her blood drawn, she instinctively ducked under the covers the moment the needle pierced her vein.
The results came back quickly: it was a cold caused by the flu virus, with a persistent high fever.
A IV drip hung above the bedside as Chu Song unbuttoned her cuffs.
Seeing the hesitant look in Aunt Yu's eyes, he calmly opened his tablet to look at the documents: "Go back to sleep, I'll keep an eye on things."
After one IV drip was finished, he helped her change to another one.
Looking at Xie Tang, who was lying on the hospital bed breathing with her mouth open and completely unguarded, Chu Song wondered: Does she trust me that much?
At 2:14 a.m., after the three IV drips were finished, he bent down and brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead. Her temperature had dropped, but he felt a dampness on his hand.
Xie Tang opened her eyes in the darkness.
The man's tall, straight figure gradually disappeared through the crack in the door.
Her heart skipped a beat; he seemed to be treating her with excessive tenderness.
She seems to be taking this gentle trap seriously.
-----------------
As morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, Xie Tang watched Chu Song at the dining table, flipping through a financial magazine. His appearance, dressed in a suit and tie, was completely different from the gentle man who had stayed by his bedside the night before.
Chu Song looked up at her and saw that her complexion was much better than last night. "Take your medicine on time. The family doctor will come again at noon."
"Okay." Xie Tang recalled that Chu Song had stayed by her side for several hours last night. "Thank you for last night..."
"Legally, caring for a sick wife is a husband's obligation."
Chu Song's words warmed her heart.
"At the family banquet the day after tomorrow, if Grandpa sees you looking so sickly, he'll think I can't even take care of a woman properly."
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Xie Tang's unrealistic thoughts.
"Okay." She looked down and stirred the oatmeal porridge, not seeing the fleeting regret in the man's eyes.
Until—the porcelain spoon was suddenly pressed down.
“However…” Chu Song’s tone changed, his eyes softening, “I’m good to you because you are A-Tang, the A-Tang who warmed me like a little sun when we were little.”
Xie Tang was slightly taken aback, as if struck by a gentle electric current, and couldn't recover for several seconds.
“With me here, you don’t need to try to please anyone or bow down to anyone, not even Qin Ruhai. With me, you can be yourself without any worries.”
My heart started pounding uncontrollably.
Besides her grandfather, he was the second person to speak to her so solemnly and gently.
This warmth and favoritism moved her, but also left her somewhat at a loss.
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