Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhai Sheng did not reply but his expression revealed everything.
Qi Minlan also saw that Qiao Nan seemed to have no reaction to this piece of news as though she had already known all about it. Qi Minlan felt extremely embarrassed for both herself and Qiu Chenxi. She could not understand why Zhai Sheng would tell her daughter’s love rival about such a thing since they had been husband and wife once.
No wonder this woman dared to fight against Chenxi for a man even though she was merely a caretaker. Because she knew of Chenxi’s past, she had the right to be confident even though she was only a caretaker.
In an instant, tears started streaming down Qi Minlan’s face. “I’m a mother and you should know that I don’t have many years left to live. Can we find somewhere to sit down and have a chat? I’m old and my legs aren’t strong anymore. I can’t stand for long.”
No matter how embarrassing it was, Qi Minlan had no choice but to press on. Children were debts, and for the sake of her daughter’s happiness, Qi Minlan had no other choice.
Zhai Sheng looked at Qiao Nan. Seeing that Qiao Nan did not refuse, Zhai Sheng then said, “Alright, then come on in. Anyway, we’ll be moving tomorrow.” Nan Nan would not be living here in the future. There would be no problem letting Qi Minlan in for a chat.
The way Zhai Sheng treated Qiao Nan as the center of his world and the way he listened to her made Qi Minlan extremely sour and heartbroken that she had lost such a good son-in-law. She had always known that the men of the Zhai family were good men who would be much more considerate toward their partners than other men.
Initially, as long as Chenxi had been intent on living an honest life, this happiness should have been her daughter’s.
After entering the house, Qiao Nan prepared three cups of warm water and did not prepare any tea for Qi Minlan. Since her guest did not mean well, there was no point in Qiao Nan treating Qi Minlan as a revered guest.
Qi Minlan held the warm cup in her hands but her heart was cold. “Zhai Sheng, how much do you know about Chenxi?” The conversation had already been started, and Qi Minlan’s initial plan had been ruined. As such, she could only choose another path.
“What I know is naturally more than what you want to hide from me.” Zhai Sheng had been tired of dealing with Qiu Chenxi and Qi Minlan since a long time ago. “All these years, my parents have been quite worried about my second marriage. I’m sure your family is clear of that. After I marry Nan Nan, we’ll have a child as soon as possible to fulfill my parent’s dreams of being grandparents. It’s Qiu Chenxi’s second marriage, and I can’t control the kind of man she finds. But if she really wants children, my suggestion is for her to adopt one or find a man with a child.”
“…” Qi Minlan’s face lost all color. She had truly not expected that Zhai Sheng had already found out about this fact that she had thought was well-hidden. “Zhai Sheng, if Chenxi was healthy and still fertile, would you—” not be so insistent on not wanting Chenxi to the point you wanted to get together with a caretaker?
“There’s no such thing as ‘if’. If we really want to talk about it, don’t you think that my behavior during those three years of marriage is enough to prove my stance? In those three years, I was extremely irresponsible, unlike my usual self. My family has always taught me to take on responsibilities as a man, but do you know why I didn’t do so after marrying Qiu Chenxi?”
Zhai Sheng talked to Qi Minlan about his three-year marriage to Qiu Chenxi for the first time. “That’s because I had no feelings for Qiu Chenxi. Before I got married, I made it clear to Qiu Chenxi that I didn’t like her and didn’t want to marry her. If she cared about her own happiness, she had better not come to our family. But she still chose to get married. After making that decision, I once again told her that I was a soldier, and with no foundation of feelings, the only thing I can promise her was that I would never cheat on her or betray her. At the same time, I didn’t think that I was responsible for her feelings or happiness.”
Before getting married, Zhai Sheng had already made himself clear and had told the Zhai family that he did not want to marry Qiu Chenxi.
But after finding out about this situation, Qiu Chenxi had taken the initiative to look for the Zhai family and had even convinced them that she would persuade Zhai Sheng otherwise. Since Qiu Chenxi was the one who chose that path, Zhai Sheng had simply fulfilled everything he had said before his marriage.
Zhai Sheng did not think for a moment that Qiu Chenxi had landed in this state because of him, and neither should he have to take responsibility for Qiu Chenxi’s happiness.
“My relationship with Qiu Chenxi before she did all those immoral acts was no better than it is now. Qi Minlan, if you really care about Qiu Chenxi’s happiness, I hope that you’ll let Qiu Chenxi know that there is no possibility between her and me. If she continues with her nonsense, the only thing she’ll be doing is wasting her own time. Her actions will not have any impact on my future happiness.”
Qiao Nan had been keeping mum the whole time, but she blushed at the last part of Zhai Sheng’s words. She understood what Zhai Sheng meant by his words: since Qiu Chenxi was barren, she should not try to disrupt his plans of having descendants.
Qiao Nan silently laughed at herself. She was probably overthinking it. How could that have been what Zhai Sheng meant?
Qi Minlan’s eyes were read, and watching a seventy-year-old auntie cry was rather heart-wrenching and emotional. “So you know everything. Yes, Chenxi can’t have children, but she’s my daughter. No matter how wrong she is, I can’t give up on her.”
“But she’s not my daughter. The moment she decided to give up on herself and decided to end our marriage, I already had nothing to do with her. Do you mean that I should lose my right to happiness for the sake of her happiness?” That was such a ridiculous idea that only Qiu Chenxi and Qi Minlan could come up with.
“As long as you’re willing, there can be a perfect solution to this. Chenxi has been proud all her life. After getting divorced from you, those friends of hers haven’t been good company. Just take it as though you’re fulfilling a mother’s wishes. Zhai Sheng, get remarried to Chenxi. I don’t care about those three years and how you treated Chenxi. I won’t even care about how the two of you get along after you get married, but Chenxi won’t be as insensible and do those foolish things again, nor will she have too many demands on you. I know that it’s about time for you to have your own child at this age. Both Chenxi and I agree on that. It’s alright if you’re unwilling to be with Chenxi. It doesn’t matter who you choose to be with. Once you have a child, everything of the Zhai family will belong to that child. My only request is that this child must call Chenxi ‘mom’.”
