Mu Qing inhaled deeply and tried to calm down.
Mu Chen looked at Mu Qing and said indifferently, “Don’t worry. The doctor said there’s no big issue with your heart. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to sit here and provoke you and expose your thoughts. Although I don’t care, I don’t want to bear the charge of murdering my father.”
Mu Qing looked at his son and asked with a hint of pleading, “Mu Chen, do you really hate me so much?”
Mu Chen nodded without any hesitation.
Mu Qing felt suffocated. After a moment, he said, “Mu Chen, do you still remember the time when you won first place in a Taekwondo competition when you were young? You rode on my shoulders and held onto the sides of my head, asking me to bring you to eat something delicious…” A hint of nostalgia could be seen on Mu Qing’s face as though he was immersed in a beautiful memory.
Mu Chen continued his father’s words. “Mother was standing at the side at that time, frightened. She was worried I would fall. She’d always been worried about me, afraid that I would hurt myself. If Grandma didn’t voice her support, Mother wouldn’t have let learn Taekwondo.”
Mu Qing fell silent immediately.
“Do you feel good reminiscing the warm memories between us? Don’t forget all our warm memories have Mother in them. We don’t have any warm memories that belong to just the two of us; all of our memories include Mother. Is that funny or sad?” Mu Chen’s voice was brimming with mockery as he said, “Even if you want to use tender feelings to move me, there’s no way to get around my mother. Hence, when you try to use these memories to soften me, I’ll be reminded of Mother and why she died…”
Mu Qing closed his eyes for a moment as though he was in great pain. When he opened his eyes again, he said pleadingly, “Fine, let’s talk about your mother. I know she’s the biggest reason for the distance between us. We might not be able to close the distance between us in this lifetime, but why don’t we try to understand each other’s thoughts?”
Mu Chen nodded with a rare show of good temper. “Alright, go ahead.”
Mu Qing did not expect Mu Chen to agree so easily. He was sure both of them would never be able to talk calmly about Liang Zhen in their entire lives. After a moment, he said, “Mu Chen, your mother and I were a mistake right from the start…”
Mu Chen scoffed; a layer of frost seemed to have formed on his face immediately.
Upon seeing this, Mu Chen hastily added, “Your mother is mostly innocent; it was all my fault…”
Mu Chen’s expression eased slightly.
Seeing this, Mu Qing continued to say, briefly recounting his relationship with Liang Zhen, “When Liang Zhou ran away from the marriage, it dealt a blow to my self-esteem. I couldn’t help but vent my anger on your mother. However, your mother’s sincerity moved me. Initially, she suggested that we only stay husband and wife in name. After a year, we would decide if we want to continue the marriage. I was attracted by her unique personality, and she was beautiful as well; I gradually fell in love with her. Although the marriage started as a mistake, it turned out well. During our marriage, your mother got along very well with your grandmother as well. At that time, there were many troubles in the Mu family, and I was in a terrible state; however, your mother and grandmother supported me and gave me a lot of warmth. Despite the Mu family’s state at that time, I was happy. Our happiness reached its peak when we had you, the heir of the Mu family. My life was complete. At that time, I really felt like God was watching over me…”
Mu Qing sighed and paused for a moment before he continued to say, “However, Mu Chen, you’re an adult now so you’d understand this. As men, in our lives, we’ll encounter many temptations. We get exhausted, and we can also get distracted. You and Song Ning are newlyweds so you might not understand what I’m saying now… Wait until your child is born,
But, Mu Chen, you are also an adult man. You know, in our lives, we will encounter a lot of temptations. We will also be tired, and we will also be distracted. You and Song Ning are newly married, so naturally, you won’t be able to understand what I’m saying. Wait until your child is born, and your life is in pieces… At that time, you’ll be able to understand my feelings…”
