“I won’t pursue this matter, but you should have a chat with her. As for you, just like I’ve said before, you should go study so you can help me out at the company after you graduate.”
He had missed out on a lot of important things because he refused to let go of certain elements of his past. He didn’t want to repeat this mistake in the future.
Jiang Youqian pressed his lips together. He was deeply moved by Jiang Mohan’s words.
He didn’t speak because he was at a loss on how to respond to this generosity.
After taking some time to recollect himself, he finally said, “Thank you.”
He wanted to say many things but didn’t know how to put them into words, so he could only use these two simple words to convey his deepest and most heartfelt gratitude.
Jiang Mohan, however, didn’t respond. He had a vacant and unfocused look in his eyes.
They walked together for quite some time. Although not much was said, both of them did a lot of thinking.
After sending Jiang Mohan back, Jiang Youqian returned home.
Qiu Mingyan was fine. She was neither interrogated nor apprehended.
However, she was terribly afraid. Jiang Mohan must hate me to the core.
It looks like there are some tough times ahead.
Jiang Youqian ordered some food as he didn’t know how to cook, and presented the dishes on the table.
“You’re still in the mood to eat?” Qiu Mingyan snapped. If we seized the opportunity well today, we wouldn’t have walked away empty-handed.
Jiang Youqian pretended not to hear her and brought Jiang Jun over to the table.
“Jiang Youqian!” Qiu Mingyan spluttered, “I’m talking to you! For all we know, we could be arrested tomorrow.”
She was well aware of what she had done, and she certainly didn’t think that Jiang Mohan would spare her.
All of a sudden, Jiang Youqian roared, “If you were going to be arrested, it would have been done long ago.”
Baffled, Qiu Mingyan asked, “What do you mean by that?”
In truth, it wasn’t that she couldn’t understand what Jiang Youqian said; she simply couldn’t believe it.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Jiang Youqian said, “Come and eat.”
Qiu Mingyan walked over and took a seat. However, she had no appetite. Turning to her son, she asked, “Youqian, do you have some kind of insider information? You have to help me. Whatever I did, I did it for you.”
“You did it for me?” Jiang Youqian snorted, “You were really doing it for yourself, weren’t you?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Qiu Mingyan exclaimed.
Staring at her, Jiang Youqian asked, “Have you ever asked me what I wanted?”
“In this society, only the rich and powerful are respected and recognized,” Qiu Mingyan argued, “Everything I did was for your benefit. Don’t you want to be rich and powerful?”
“Ha!” Jiang Youqian sneered, “You made this decision for me without even consulting me! So is this what I want, or what you want?”
Stumped, it took a while before Qiu Mingyan continued, “So, what is it that you want?”
“I want my mother to be a kind and gentle person…”
“What are you talking about?” Qiu Mingyan slammed the table in front of her and leaped to her feet. “Would I have landed myself in this sorry state if it hadn’t been for you?”
“You did it for me! You did it for me! You’re still saying that you did it for me! Those are all excuses!” An equally furious Jiang Youqian rose to his feet and looked her in the eye. “This has never been what I wanted! You’ve been projecting what you want onto me.”
“Mom, have you considered the fact that you might have made a mistake?” Jiang Youqian asked in a gentler tone.
“From the very beginning, you got involved with a married man and successfully elevated your status from mistress to wife. You mistreated your stepson and became the very definition of a wicked stepmother. Have you ever regretted your actions? Have you ever considered the fact that you might have made a mistake?”
“Watch your tone! You are in no position to say that. I’m your mother!” Her eyes, however, deliberately avoided his gaze. She was utterly humiliated to have been reproached by her own son like that.
“You’re right. I am in no position to say that,” Jiang Youqian said as he sat down, “Eat.”
Qiu Mingyan sensed that there was something very unusual about her son today. “Did Mohan threaten you or something? Tell me what he said. I’ll take full responsibility for my own actions.”
Jiang Youqian snorted, “How are you planning on doing that? How many mistakes have you made over all these years? And what you did this time was kidnapping! He could have sued you for deliberate assault. Are you prepared to go to prison for a couple of years?”
Unable to retort, Qiu Mingyan fell silent.
Jiang Youqian picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
Meanwhile, Qiu Mingyan just stared at him, thinking what a heartless son she had.
“Have some more, Dad,” Jiang Youqian said as he put some food into Jiang Jun’s bowl.
Jiang Jun, however, didn’t have an appetite. His son’s reproach towards his wife seemed to have been directed to him as well.
The only person eating at the table was Jiang Youqian. Jiang Jun and Qiu Mingyan just sat there watching him.
Putting another spoonful of food into his mouth, Jiang Youqian continued, “On the way back, Mohan said that he wanted me to study abroad and that he didn’t want to see my talent wasted. He still cares so much about me, even after how the both of you treated him when he was young…”
He began to choke on his words.
“Have the two of you ever wondered why I would rather wander aimlessly out there than come back to this house? I want to have a normal and loving family. Do you think this is love?” he scorned, “You have always loved yourselves only.”
“Youqian, I love you,” Qiu Mingyan insisted in a panicky voice.
“Whatever. If you say it’s love, it’s love. I’ll just pretend I grew up in a warm and loving family. Now, there’s something I want to tell both of you.”
“Go on.” At that moment, Qiu Mingyan was as meek as a lamb. She dared not speak too loudly. This was her only son and she didn’t want to lose him.
“In a couple of days, I’ll be studying abroad as per Mohan’s arrangement.” Lifting his gaze to look at his parents, Jiang Youqian continued, “He said that he’ll let me join the company when I return.”
Qiu Mingyan’s eyes bulged. “Really?”
She simply couldn’t believe what she had heard.
“Really,” Jiang Youqian affirmed.
“And he said that he won’t be pursuing the matter anymore.” With that, Jiang Youqian got up and left.
“Youqian,” Qiu Mingyan chased and called after him, “Darling…”
Jiang Youqian turned to look at her. “Think very carefully about how you should act in the future. If you do something like this again, don’t blame me for refusing to acknowledge you as my mother.”
Once he finished, he opened the door and walked out.
“Jiang…” Qiu Mingyan turned to her husband.
Jiang Jun, however, had already wheeled himself back into his room.
Neither of them had eaten anything as they had completely lost their appetite after being scolded by their son.
After leaving home, Jiang Youqian paid Nan Cheng a visit to find out how the matter was being handled.
“She’s dead. The police have taken over,” Nan Cheng reported.
“That woman deserves to die,” Jiang Youqian snarled.
Nan Cheng sighed. That woman did deserve to die. However, he couldn’t help but feel melancholic.
“Do you have time for a drink?” Nan Cheng asked.
“Sure. I happen to be looking for you as well.”
“You’re looking for me?” Nan Cheng asked curiously. “President Jiang has already informed me that you’ll be holding your mother accountable.”
Other than this, he couldn’t think of another reason why Jiang Youqian would be looking for him.
“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Jiang Youqian pulled Nan Cheng away. “Let’s find a place to sit down and talk.”
