“It is not up to you to decide on whether it is going to happen.” Old Master Li was furious. “The company’s shares, everything in this family and house… you will not get a penny. Get out of my house.”
He was as vicious as he was angry. He used to be so happy with his son-in-law, but now he only thought about how disgusting Su Chenghui was.
Su Chenghui knew that this matter would not blow over so easily, and he thought he was ready to take responsibility for everything. However, this did not include divorce.
“Dad. Qianxue. This is entirely my fault. I admit that I was young and impulsive then. You can punish me as much as you want. But I will never agree to divorce Qianxue.”
“You have no choice. I’m going to kick you out of the Li house. Get out. Get out of the house right now!”
Old Master Li was pumped up with fury. As he was talking, he was unwittingly knocking his cane hard against the floor.
Compared to the level of agitation that Old Master Li displayed, Li Qianxue was much calmer. She patted her father’s hand and turned to face Su Chenghui.
“If we don’t get a divorce, should I continue to let you torture me this way?”
Su Chenghui looked at her. His lips seemed to move, trying to say that he had no intention of torturing her, but he could not manage the words.
Li Qianxue sneered, and her voice was cold as ice. “Su Chenghui, for so many years, you have used my love like a crutch, and you have recklessly tortured and humiliated me. Because I loved you, I was able to endure it all, time and again. Now I don’t want to endure it any longer. I’m telling you now that I want to divorce. ”
Su Chenghui grew anxious. He stood up and wanted to grab hold of Qianxue’s hand.
“Qianxue, I don’t want a divorce. I can promise you, I would rather do anything but that.”
“Go away. Get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you,” Li Qianxue waved his hand away.
Su Chenghui had suffered two strikes on his shoulders before. While Master Li was old in age, his hands had been through the practice of hard work, so those were pretty hard strikes.
This time, dismissed by Li Qianxue, he took two steps back. The movement hurt him, but he couldn’t care less about the pain now.
“Qianxue.”
“Su Chenghui.” Li Qianxue looked at him and seemed to understand the worry he must be feeling. “You can rest easy. Although you been unkind to me, I will not be unjust to you. Over the years, you have also contributed to the Su family. I will not let you leave the house empty-handed. You can now go to find a lawyer and write out the terms for our divorce. As long as your demands don’t go overboard, I will agree to them. ”
“Qianxue, I didn’t mean that at all.”
“I don’t care what you meant. I don’t care and I don’t want to know. I want you to leave this house, leave the Li family.”
“Qianxue.” Su Chenghui was truly anxious this time. He was okay with not having any money, or the Li inheritance or even anything to do with the Li legacy at all.
But he could not get a divorce, he would not agree to it.
“Go out. Su Chenghui, I’m telling you that I don’t want to see you anymore. I never want to see you again, not right now, not ever.”
“Qianxue, I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I beg you, will you please give me another chance?”
“Get out. You do something like this and still think I should give you another chance? Don’t even think about it.”
Li Qianxue didn’t want to talk to him anymore and tried to drive him away again. Because he knew about how determined she could be, Su Chenghui could not help but turn to Old Master Li and Su Yuxin.
Old Master Li ignored him completely. Su Yuxin watched this series of unfortunate events unfold today. He did feel some level of sympathy for his father, looking at him like this, especially when he was taking a beating earlier.
He did feel sorry for Su Chenghui’s present state. However, mixed with that pity was also hatred.
Meeting Su Chenghui’s eyes, he had to turn his head and look away. No matter how bad Su Chenghui was, he was also his biological father. He couldn’t bear to look at him like this.
There was the sound of a car outside the door. Li Qianxue had wanted to drive Su Chenghui away, but now she forgot all about him.
She hurriedly rushed to the door, had not even noticed that she hurried right past the coffee table, and almost knocked it over.
“Mom, be careful.”
Su Yuxin uttered a warning. Li Qianxue stood firm. She looked at Su Yuxin, and then at Old Master Li.
Old Master Li had not gotten his emotions in check yet, but he also understood then that Su Qingsang had come back.
He was different from Li Qianxue. He had only just heard the news and did not even have the time for it to sink in, but already he was just as anxious to see Su Qingsang.
Li Qianxue was just about to rush out, but she was still worried about Old Master Li, so she decided to stay with him. She stood right there, fidgety as ever.
She had half a mind to go up to welcome her, and yet she could not restrain the nerves that she was feeling.
As she was struggling with this, Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao had already both come through the door.
Su Qingsang had been restless on the journey here. From knowing the truth about her history to accepting it, she had spent a lot of time digesting the news.
After finally getting used to the fact, she had decided to let the matter go. Then, however, it just had to happen that Li Qianxue would find out about the whole thing.
The secret she wanted to keep hidden could no longer be concealed. She was not ready for all of this. How was she going to face Li Qianxue?
All she knew was that she just wanted to see her and that she would see her right there and then.
However, when she finally did stand at the doorway, she felt fear creep in. She was sitting in the car and for a moment, didn’t even dare to step out.
Huo Jinyao had tugged on her arm to get her out of the car, and once she was out, she took very quick steps at one point and slowed down to a crawl right after that.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes to walk through the garden. Very soon she was at the door.
“Go on in,” Huo Jinyao pushed her gently as she hesitated, and got her through the door.
Between all the hesitation and indecision, just like that, Su Qingsang was face to face with Li Qianxue.
She had, of course, seen her many times in the past two decades. However, she had never thought about it or even dared to think about the fact that Li Qianxue could be her mother. Her true biological mother.
This realization made her freeze right there and she didn’t dare to move. She only stared blankly at Li Qianxue.
Li Qianxue didn’t move either. She looked at Su Qingsang, thinking that this was her daughter. The daughter that she had never shown affection to, never taken care of.
After trying to keep calm this entire time, she suddenly lost all sense of control. Her eyes flooded with tears.
She stood there, as her body suddenly seemed to weigh a ton. Su Qingsang saw that her eyes had turned red, and her eyes filled with tears as well.
She stood at the door, timid, and yet her eyes gleamed with an eager sense of anticipation. She wanted to be close to her but she was not used to it.
That look tugged at Li Qianxue’s heart. She rushed forward and pulled Su Qingsang into a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry, so sorry. Mom has let you down.”
Su Qingsang’s tears spilled over. As Li Qianxue hugged her, she did not dare to move at all.
“I’m so sorry. Mom has really let you down.”
How could she ever have drifted off to sleep? How could she not have taken a single look at her child for the first time? How could she have let Su Chenghui take Su Qingsang away?
For more than twenty years, her own child was right by her side, but she had always failed to recognize the truth.
The heartache that she tried to repress came back again. Li Qianxue just felt that her heart had been broken to pieces.
“Qingsang. Mom has just let you down so much. I, I—”
Su Qingsang was finally able to react. While she was in Li Qianxue’s arms, she shook her head gently. “No. You have not let me down.”
Even though she was never considered a true part of the Su family, she had to admit that Li Qianxue had never made her life particularly difficult.
“Qingsang.” Li Qianxue was even more pained when she heard this coming from her. “Qingsang, you are my daughter. You are my real daughter. I didn’t even know, to think I never knew about this…”
“It has been so many years.” She took a little step back, holding Su Qingsang’s face in her hands. “For so many years, you were right by my side, and I watched you grow up, but I never knew you were my daughter. Isn’t your mom totally clueless?”
Su Qingsang was also close to tears. She shook her head hard, and her tears started to fall uncontrollably.
“No. I don’t blame you. I really don’t blame you.”
It was never her fault; it was Su Chenghui’s.
Su Yuxin and Old Master Li were behind them, watching the mother and daughter hugging and crying together, and no one said a single word.
Su Chenghui stood there, staring blankly at the mother and daughter as they reunited. He had struggled and endured pain, but this sight allowed him to breathe a long sigh of relief.
Everything was finally coming back on track to what it was always supposed to be, everything was coming full circle.
However, really, could everything just go back to where it started? He knew very well that something had changed long ago that things wouldn’t go back to what they were supposed to be, just because Su Qingsang now acknowledged Li Qianxue.
He had now lost Li Qianxue. Lost his last chance at asking for her tolerance and forgiveness. Lost her love.
All he had now was Li Qianxue’s hatred. As he came to this realization, Su Chenghui could hardly stand.
He felt more and more at a loss. Why? Why had things become the way they were now?
Huo Jinyao saw Su Qingsang’s tears. He rarely got to see her cry. The hot tears she shed spilled down her cheeks, wetting her clothes.
He had not intended to stop Su Qingsang from acknowledging Li Qianxue. This was her identity, this was her family.
“You… you really don’t blame me?” Li Qianxue looked at Su Qingsang’s face, and her own face was full of disbelief. “You should blame me. You should hold me responsible.”
Su Qingsang had so many, too many reasons to blame Li Qianxue for all this. Li Qianxue could casually point to any issue, and it would be another reason why she was to blame.
“No, I don’t really blame you. Really, I don’t.”
Su Qingsang wiped the tears off her face haphazardly. She could not bear to see Li Qianxue in this state.
While she did sympathize with Xiang Caiping, what she felt for Li Qianxue was a deep longing and thirst to be close to her.
This feeling had been around for many years, but at the time, she was still young, and because of the situation at that time, she had to suppress desires like that again and again.
Now she didn’t have to suppress that desire. She could be close to her mother, unabashedly and without remorse.
Li Qianxue looked at her with a pained expression: “Qingsang, if you really don’t blame me, can you call me ‘mom’ just one time?”
There were tears in her eyes, and she looked at Su Qingsang with hope, mixed with some nervousness.
Su Qingsang’s heart ached at that request. She raised her hand to wipe her tears. Her movements were very shaky, her nose was sore and her eyes stung.
She sucked in the myriad of emotions along with a deep breath and said in a soft voice, “Mommy.”
Li Qianxue suddenly started crying again. “Say it again.”
“Mommy.”
