My Alleged Husband

Chapter 216 - 196 Forced Helplessness_1

"Grandfather, I’m not going to talk to you now; I should call my dad instead. After all, this is good news for him. He’s been unable to be by your side all these years. If I suddenly tell him that I’ve asked them to come home and stay with you, they wouldn’t know how happy to be!" Zhang Yichen said to Old Master Zhang.

"Then you should go ahead and call him!" Old Master Zhang was pleased to hear his grandson say this.

At home, Zhang Zhentian was pondering where Xia Jing could have gone after running away from home when his phone started ringing. He thought it might be Xia Juan calling him back, so he rushed over to pick up the phone with a hint of panic. But when he saw that the caller was his son, his heart was filled with both joy and disappointment. He was excited that his son had called him again, but he felt a sense of loss that the call wasn’t from his wife, with whom he had lost contact once more.

"Hello, Yichen, you’ve called dad today. Is there something you want to tell me? I hope you won’t speak ill of your mother to me today. She’s already run away from home and asked for a divorce. Do you know about this?" Zhang Zhentian thought that his son was calling again to complain about his wife, but he didn’t know that his son was actually calling with some long-awaited great news.

Zhang Yichen was momentarily dumbfounded. He didn’t understand what his father meant. What did he mean by saying Xia Jing had run away from home, or that he shouldn’t speak ill of her? What had he said? How could Xia Jing run away from home, and what did that have to do with him?

"I don’t understand what you mean by that. Does her leaving have anything to do with me? Is it because I said something? Well, let me tell you, I haven’t called her since the last time I called you. What does her leaving have to do with me? Was it because you didn’t take good care of her, or did she not want to be with you anymore? Why are you so intent on holding onto her?" Zhang Yichen said to Zhang Zhentian, his dissatisfaction apparent.

"Yichen, I want to tell you a few words," said Xia Juan. "No matter how much wrong your mom might have done to you before, no matter what she said or did to your girlfriend, all of it stemmed from a mother’s love for her son. Why can’t you just understand her heart? Do you really have to push her away from here? Now look, she has left, and I can’t even find her. I don’t even know where she went. Are you satisfied now? Do you really not want to see your mom living with you? Could it be that in your heart, a girl you’ve known for merely ten years is more important than your own birth mother?"

Zhang Yichen was dissatisfied with his father for blaming him for Xia Jing’s departure, unwilling to be slandered in such a manner. He yelled at his father, "Oh, so you’re saying her leaving is my doing, right? Let me tell you, I, Zhang Yichen, am not that despicable. Whether Xia Jing leaves or not has nothing to do with me. Even if she didn’t leave, I wouldn’t force her away. I’m not that kind of person. I’m telling you, her departure today has nothing to do with me; I haven’t said a single word to her. I originally called you today to say that I’ve agreed to let you come back and live with us, but the things you’ve told me today have really disappointed me. Is this how you see your son? You really understand me? What does it mean ’a girl I’ve known for ten years can’t compare to my birth mother’? Let me put it this way—although I’ve only known Zhizhan for ten years, during those ten years she’s missed me every moment, looked for me every day. What about you? Even if you missed me, have you looked for me? What am I to you? An item that can be traded or abandoned casually? People can’t be that selfish," he defended.

"How dare you call us selfish," Elder Zhang retorted, deeply hurt by his son’s words and actions. "Do you realize how cold you’ve made us feel today? No matter how many faults one’s parents might have, they still wish for their child’s peace and happiness. Then why can’t we ever do anything right in your eyes? What wrong has your mom done? You misunderstand her over and over. What have we done wrong? You keep shutting us out time and time again. Because of you, Grandpa won’t let us return to the Zhang Family. Because of you, your grandpa endures the pain of missing us every day. Also because of you, your girlfriend has had to face your mom’s relentless questioning time and time again. Is this the life you’re giving to the people who love you? Is this your way of showing love?" Zhang Zhentian was so angered by his son that he spoke out without thinking anymore. He didn’t want to talk further with his child; he just knew that all this had started because he had abandoned his son. However, when he returned, his father repeatedly shut him out. He could interpret this as a grandfather’s selfless love for his grandson, but he couldn’t forgive such love that prevented them from coming home time and time again.

"Since you’ve already said so much, I’ll just tell you the truth. My decision to let you come back and live with us was made out of desperation. Don’t think that by agreeing to let you come back, I have forgiven you in my heart. I just don’t want to see my grandpa, who has loved me for twenty years, hiding and crying in his bedroom, looking at your photos unable to say a word. I don’t want to see him have to abandon his own son because of me. I don’t want to see my beloved girl get hurt by my parents over and over again because I refuse to forgive them. I don’t want to see all this happen again. That’s why I chose to forgive you, but this forgiveness doesn’t come from my heart. Even if you return, we will still be strangers; I won’t call you Dad or Mom because you don’t deserve it. The hurt you’ve caused me is endless. Whether you believe it or not, I hope you understand her leaving has nothing to do with me. I have never said anything to her; those words were spoken only to you. If she truly chooses to leave you and not return to this home, then it just proves that you are the one who said something you shouldn’t have, and it has nothing to do with me. Also, I hope you understand that my agreement today for you to return home is not just for my grandpa. It’s also for my beloved woman, whom, due to your pressure, has chosen to be forever parted from me. Do you know what that means? It means I’m losing my true love of ten whole years," Zhang Yichen told Zhang Zhentian. "Do you know? Today I was prepared to call you Dad, but as soon as you answered my call, the first thing you did was to blame everything on me, and that’s shattered any good feeling I had for you once more. Maybe you think I’m selfish, but I hope you realize, aren’t you being selfish too? To have your momentary freedom, you were willing to abandon your son who had just turned one month old, to leave him to your elderly father for twenty long years. By comparison, I’m not nearly as heartless as you. Today, I’ll make myself clear: I’ve said my piece. If you want to come back, then come back; if not, let it be. But if you choose not to return, don’t tell others it was me who refused you or it was my grandpa, because he didn’t want to put me in a difficult position, shutting you out again. I don’t want to hear any of those words that disrespect my grandpa. You can threaten me, bully me, abandon me, but I will not allow you to threaten my grandpa, bully my grandpa, or abandon my grandpa, because he owes you nothing. If there’s any debt, it’s what you owe my grandpa. I hope you remember that, and don’t let your actions hurt my grandpa again; he can’t bear any more partings...."

Now, Zhang Zhentian didn’t want to say another word. Already dealing with the blow of Xia Jing’s departure, he didn’t feel like arguing with his son again. He quickly hung up the phone and, collapsing onto the couch, lay there silently, wondering where on earth his wife could have gone.