Mu Chen rose to his feet and gently hugged Song Ning. “Ning, you’re no longer Ning Xia. You’re now Song Ning, the medical student. You’re also Mrs. Mu. We have our own home now. I love you and so does Grandma. The others are irrelevant. Don’t torture yourself and be sad anymore, okay? My heart aches when I see you like this.”
Song Ning lifted her hands and wrapped them around Mu Chen’s waist as tears streamed down her face.
Mu Chen gently stroked her head, letting her vent her emotions to her heart’s content. He did not dare to imagine how she had gotten through those years. Her calmness and independence were all gained from her hardships. Although she had erected a wall around her heart, she was not as strong as people imagined her to be. When faced with the core issue, she would collapse completely.
After calming down, Song Ning told him the story of her parents.
“My father spent a lot of effort pursuing my mother. My grandparents were reluctant to let their daughter marry so far away. When my mother got married, my grandparents had sent her off with ten miles of dowry; it was rather sensational at that time. Alas, their ten miles of dowry was nothing to the Ning family. After becoming part of the Ning family when she moved to M City, she helped my father with his business. At that time, my father still hadn’t taken control of the Ning Group. With my mother’s help, my father’s business was relatively smooth-sailing.”
She continued to say, “After a while, my mother founded her own clothing business with my father. That was also when the Ning Group began its foray into the textile industry. For these reasons, my father stood out among his uncles. My paternal grandparents were filled with praise for my mother as well. It did not take long before my father was made the heir of the Ning Group. It was also because of that that I’d lived in Cloudy Peak Villa since birth.”
“As the business continued to grow, my father became busier as well. In order to care for me, my mother gradually stopped paying attention to the business and left it to my father. She focused all her attention on caring for me. She wanted me to be well-rounded so she did not slack in any aspect at all in regard to my education. Since I was young, I had to learn chess, zither, calligraphy, painting, dancing, and even embroidery. In fact, Aunt Liang Zhen discovered me when she watched my award-winning folk dance performance.”
“I used to be the pride of the Ning family. At that time, I really felt I was the happiest person on earth. My mother and Aunt Liang Zhen hit it off as soon as they met. My mother did hesitate when she agreed to let me act in ‘Yi Yao’. She felt that life was short so I shouldn’t let go of any opportunity that would allow me to challenge myself. Therefore, I took a break from school to film with Aunt Liang Zhen and Director Pan. After the filming wrapped up, I received news that my maternal grandfather was critically ill. At that time, my mother and I rushed back to her hometown and accompanied my grandfather during his final days. Unfortunately, half a month after my grandfather passed, my grandmother passed away as well. They’d supported each other for a lifetime, and they even left hand in hand.”
“When my mother and I returned to M City, the Ning family had changed. No, to be precise, my father’s heart had changed.” Song Ning stopped speaking after saying this.
Mu Chen gently caressed her hand as though to soothe her.
Song Ning took a deep breath before she said, “A woman and a five-year-old child were living at the house.” It seemed to have taken a lot out of her to utter these words. “At that time, my world and my mother’s world seemed to have collapsed. Before my mother could recover from her grief over my grandparents’ deaths, she was hit with her husband’s betrayal. Everyone hoped my mother would be accepting of this matter. No matter what, that child was the flesh and blood of the Ning family, after all.”
“At the same time, ‘Yi Yao’ became a huge hit, and I became a famous celebrity. At that time, someone suggested I become the face of the Ning Group. They reasoned that I would boost the group’s textile and clothing businesses,” Song Ning dug her nails into her palms as she said, “The person who suggested this was Su Tong, Ning Zhe’s lover. She was also the general manager of the Ning Group’s clothing company.”
“So, at that time, your mother agreed to leave the Ning family under the condition that she would have custody of you?” Mu Chen asked even though this fact was well-known back then.
Song Ning sneered. “Well, yes. However, that’s the result. The process was not easy. My mother had treated the Ning family sincerely, but in the end, she was alone and helpless. No one was willing to speak up for her at all.”
She held back her tears as she continued to say, “At that time, my mother asked me if I wanted to stay in the Ning family or if I wanted to stay with her. She told me that if I decided to follow her, I’d no longer be the young miss of a wealthy family and that our lives might be incredibly difficult in the future. She said if I stayed with the Ning family, I’ll retain my identity as the Young Miss of the Ning family. No one would dare to slight me, and my life would be easy.”
