Li Qianxue thought of a past incident with Su Qingsang, about how she even secretly tried to harm her. She had wanted Su Qingsang out of Lin City.
She could barely think about it and felt as if she would go mad if she did.
“She hates me. She hates me.”
“Mom.” Su Yuxin was close to tears. He hugged Li Qianxue: “Don’t do this. We will go to her now. I believe she will acknowledge you.”
Li Qianxue would not believe it. She couldn’t find a reason why Su Qingsang would forgive her.
If she were in Su Qingsang’s shoes, she wouldn’t acknowledge such a mother, right?
“Mom. Let’s go.” Su Yuxin steered her towards the direction of the elevator. Li Qianxue suddenly waved his hand away.
She stood up. Her face had sudden icy firmness about it. Su Yuxin was taken aback by her sudden reaction.
“Mom? What do you…”
“Yuxin. We are going to Rong City. We are going to find your sister.” Li Qianxue took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
“Okay. Let’s go now.”
“But,” Li Qianxue’s voice turned serious, and her eyes were filled with hate, “Before we go to Rong city, we have to make a trip back home first.”
“Mom?” Su Yuxin looked at Li Qianxue’s expression and seemed to guess what she was going to do.
“Let’s go.” Li Qianxue seemed like someone who had weathered a storm and was finally calm.
She was going to find her daughter, but before that, she was going to face the culprit who had allowed all this to happen—who had robbed her of a relationship with her own daughter.
Even if that person were the man she had loved for more than twenty years.
This time, she would not just let it go.
…
Old Master Li looked at Su Chenghui who stood before him, and then considered the chessboard placed between them.
“What’s wrong with you today, Chenghui? You seem rather absent-minded. This style of play isn’t quite so characteristic of you.”
“Eh?” Su Chenghui looked up at the old man, and his eyes fell back on the chessboard again, only to find that he had put two of his chess pieces in the wrong places.
“It’s nothing.” Picking up the third piece, Su Chenghui suppressed the feelings of uneasiness within him. He had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.
Old Master Li watched him place a pawn and then took up a piece to follow suit. Instead of making his move on the chessboard in a hurry, he looked at Su Chenghui.
“Qianxue has gone off to the United States for quite a long time now. Now Yuxin is also keeping her company. As we move past the New Year, this house seems quieter than ever, with just the two of us left.”
Su Chenghui had nothing to say to this. Li Qianxue used to be quite temperamental with him, but every time she threw a fit like a child, it would not last long.
This time, however, because of the matter with Su Peizhen, he had been in trouble up until now.
“Your wife and children are gone, and you don’t want to make a call to ask that they come back?” Dropping the chess piece, Master Li’s voice was warm but had a faint tone of accusation.
Su Chenghui bit his lip, suddenly feeling a sense of guilt. “Since Qianxue wants to go out to do what she likes, let her have her fun before she comes back.”
Old Master Li didn’t say anything. Su Chenghui was losing spectacularly.
“It seems that you are not in the mood to play chess with me today.”
Old Master Li looked at Su Chenghui and sighed. He hoped that someone would just come into the room and pack up the chessboard.
Just then, the door of the house was pushed open. A cold draft blew in, and the old man glanced at the doorway.
Li Qianxue was standing there, and right beside her was Su Yuxin. Neither of them looked like they were in a very good mood.
“You’ve come back?” Old Master Li was very glad to see his daughter. “Why didn’t you call beforehand? I would have gotten someone to pick you up.”
“You’re back?” Su Chenghui saw Li Qianxue, stood up, and looked at Su Yuxin. “And so is Yuxin. Why did you head to the United States without telling me first?”
Li Qianxue took a few steps towards Su Chenghui. Su Chenghui was struck dumb when he saw the look in her eyes.
Su Yuxin moved forward a little but then decided to stop in his tracks.
Li Qianxue stared at Su Chenghui intently, her hands at her sides, drawn tightly into fists.
The palm that had been bleeding before was now bleeding again. Both Old Master Li and Su Chenghui were focused on her face. Only Su Yuxin saw the blood dripping from Li Qianxue’s palm.
“Mom…”
He called out to Li Qianxue, but she turned a deaf ear to him.
She was now face-to-face with Su Chenghui, who had never seen her like that before. His heart was beating fast, and the feeling of unease within him stirred again.
“Qianxue. You…”
A resounding slap landed on Su Chenghui’s face.
Li Qianxue’s palms were bleeding, and the slap stained Su Chenghui’s face with blood.
This slap was hard and severe, more severe than when she had mistakenly thought he was having an affair. Su Chenghui saw stars.
“Li Qianxue, you—”
Li Qianxue slapped him a second time.
Her entire body was shaking from the intense anger she felt. Her palms were numb from the slapping, but she didn’t feel it was enough.
When she raised her hand and was about to hit him the third time, Old Master Li stood up. “Qianxue, what are you doing?”
Li Qianxue panted heavily. Her palms hurt, but her heart hurt even more.
When she thought of Su Qingsang’s apology when she hung up the phone, she couldn’t breathe. The thought of her neglecting Su Qingsang, completely ignoring her for so many years, made her feel as if she had been stabbed with a knife.
Her hand was still in mid-air as she looked at Su Chenghui’s blood-stained face, clenching and unclenching her fists again.
Finally, she loosened her grip, little by little. Staring at Su Chenghui, she spoke in a very low voice, emphasizing every word:
“Su Chenghui. We are getting a divorce.”
Su Chenghui’s face was still hot from the slaps, but at Li Qianxue’s words, there was a flash of fear in his expression.
“Su Chenghui. We are getting a divorce.”
Li Qianxue said it again, and when she said those words, she felt like her whole body was able to relax.
It seemed like a burden that she had carried for many years had been lifted. She stared right at Su Chenghui, speaking slowly, but with quiet determination.
“Su Chenghui, I do not care who says what this time. I will divorce you.”
“Qianxue.” Old Master Li looked at his daughter. He saw now that his daughter’s palms were bleeding.
He quickly moved to stand in front of Li Qianxue. “What happened to you? What happened?”
Li Qianxue didn’t answer his question. All she did was stare at Su Chenghui, never taking her eyes off the man.
This man whose love she had sought for more than twenty years.
She had to keep in mind, how cruel, how ruthless, how vicious this man was.
“Qianxue? What on earth happened?” Old Master Li couldn’t get an answer from his daughter, and so he turned to Su Yuxin.
Su Yuxin had finally stepped through the door. He didn’t say a word when he saw the puzzled look in Old Master Li’s eyes.
“Qianxue.” Old Master Li recalled that Li Qianxue had gone to the United States to see Su Peizhen. Had something happened to Su Peizhen?
Li Qianxue was in no mood to see her own father. She only had eyes for Su Chenghui.
As Su Chenghui looked at Li Qianxue, he realized his bad premonition was playing out.
Meeting Li Qianxue’s eyes, he suddenly came to realize one thing. Li Qianxue was about to give up on him.
She didn’t want him anymore.
This realization made Su Chenghui panic. He could not even bother to ask what had caused Li Qianxue to act this way.
“Qianxue. You are not in the right frame of mind now. Let us talk when you are calm…”
“Su Chenghui. I hate you.” Li Qianxue interrupted him. She looked at him, and the memories of their many years together flashed in her mind.
“I really hate you. I have never hated you like I do now.”
This hate was real.
“Do you know how much I hate you? If I had a knife in my hand, I swear, I would kill you right now without any hesitation.”
Her voice was a little sore. She was too tired from the journey here.
After a long-distance flight, she had found out that her daughter, whom she had raised for more than 20 years, was not even her own.
And her own flesh and blood no longer wanted her and had left. Li Qianxue was only able to survive until now without falling apart or going mad because Su Yuxin had been with her.
It was also because she still had a hint of hope, a glimmer of hope that she would still be able to see her real, biological daughter.
She clung onto those thoughts for support so that she would not fall apart. However, those emotions urgently needed an outlet at this time.
“I really, really want to kill you. Hack you to pieces.”
Li Qianxue’s words stunned Su Chenghui. He looked at Li Qianxue, and a possible explanation flashed in his mind.
“You, you—” Did she know? But how could that be?
The panic within him amplified. This time, Su Chenghui did not know how to react at all.
“Su Chenghui. If you didn’t love me, I would be able to forgive you. You could hurt me, and I could also forgive you. But you should never have deceived me.”
This was not just plain deception. What Su Chenghui did was far beyond the scope of those two words, lies and deception.
Old Master Li looked at Li Qianxue, but he sensed that something else was up.
“Qianxue, what is going on? What happened?”
He knew how much his daughter loved Su Chenghui, more than anyone. In the past two decades, this husband and wife had treated each other respectfully, but he knew more or less what happened between them.
He could not bear to see how Su Chenghui treated his daughter sometimes, but he thought their marriage was solid.
Over time, Su Chenghui would see how good his daughter was to him. In recent years, his son-in-law and daughter seemed to have warmed up to each other a lot.
However, listening to his daughter now, the whole situation seemed completely different.
When Li Qianxue closed her eyes and opened them again, she still could not restrain the rollercoaster of emotions that was pouring from within.
“You… you know?” How could that be? Su Chenghui suddenly looked at Su Yuxin. What on earth had happened?
How did Li Qianxue know?
Li Qianxue sneered, her smile icy. “Did you think that you could conceal this lie your entire life? You thought you could deceive me for your whole life? Dream on, Su Chenghui.”
Old Master Li looked at Li Qianxue, then back at Su Chenghui, and finally settled his gaze back on his daughter.
“What on earth is going on? Please explain.”
Li Qianxue chuckled, and then reached out and pointed at Su Chenghui. “Ask him, Dad. You can ask your good son-in-law what he had done.”
Old Master Li’s piercing eyes fell on Su Chenghui.
Su Chenghui felt a little weak in his knees, and could hardly sit still.
She really knew. How did Li Qianxue know?
…
