My Alleged Husband

Chapter 254 - 234 Rumors Abound_1

Time flew by, and two months had passed. Ran Zhihan was finally being discharged from the hospital. Originally happy about her discharge, she had no idea what awaited her. Only after she left the hospital did she realize so much had happened during her stay.

Ever since she had a falling-out with Zhang Yichen in the hospital, someone had been spreading rumors everywhere claiming they were from Ran Zhihan. They said it was Xia Jing who forced Ran Zhihan to stay in the hospital for so long, suggesting that Xia Jing was trying to assert her dominance over her future daughter-in-law, to secure her own standing. Others said it was all the doing of Zhang Yichen’s parents; they didn’t want their son to be happy, which is why they made such a decision. People claimed that Zhang Zhentian and Xia Jing returned here to compete with their son over the inheritance; they didn’t want to see their son’s wealth fall into the hands of this kind-hearted girl, so they chose to coerce her time and again. All these rumors were purported to be spread by Ran Zhihan. Everyone laid the blame squarely on her shoulders. After hearing about these matters, Xia Jing didn’t seek to find out who had actually spread the rumors but believed that they had indeed been spread by Ran Zhihan.

On the day Ran Zhihan was discharged, Zhang Yichen arrived at the hospital’s entrance, waiting for her to come out. Yet, when she did come out and clearly saw him, she pretended to be blind and didn’t acknowledge him, brushing past him. He reached out and grabbed Ran Zhihan, but she responded to him as if he were a stranger, her tone neither warm nor cold, "Why are you grabbing me? May I ask who you are? It’s not proper for men and women to touch each other in public. Let go of me, or I’ll accuse you of molestation!"

How could Zhang Yichen possibly let go? For the past two months, he had been looking forward to seeing Ran Zhihan every day. But his grandfather wouldn’t let him out, nor would his parents, and since he and Ran Zhihan had broken up, he was too ashamed to leave. He had no choice but to be a homebody for two whole months!

"Two months have passed, why are you still angry? I’m here to pick you up. Can’t you give me some face? Come on, let’s go home together, back to our place. Don’t wander outside alone anymore. I will take good care of your parents; you can rest assured. I will never let my parents hurt them again. Just come with me, and let’s have a good life together!" Zhang Yichen finally resorted to pleading humbly.

It’s undeniable that Ran Zhihan was deeply moved by what Zhang Yichen said to her, but what could she do? Now that she had made her decision, how could she turn back? If she went back now, would her parents suffer the same or even more severe harm as before? She couldn’t guarantee it, because as a son, he ultimately couldn’t stop his parents’ decisions.

"Go home? What home? My home is not in the same direction as yours, and moreover, there is no ’us’ to speak of. Have you forgotten what your parents came back and said, what they did? The pain they inflicted upon me, almost costing my parents their lives? How could I dare to be with you recklessly? I don’t want my parents to lose their lives again because of me; that would be too selfish. I must live an open and honest life, be upright, live up to heaven and earth, and be true to my own parents. I should be without guilt in my heart, but your parents... they truly chilled me to the bone!"

Ran Zhihan shook off Zhang Yichen’s hand, turned, and walked away. She didn’t want to see this man standing before her, for if she did, she couldn’t help but have her heart stirred.

"Can you really let go of our decade of feelings just like that? Since the day I met you, I fell deeply in love with you. You were the first girl who made my heart skip a beat, and I swear I will never feel this way about anyone else in my life. Can’t you forgive me just this once? Why should I, as her son, have to pay for the mistake my mother made? She owes me more than a decade of maternal love; she wasn’t by my side for even a day. Why should I bear responsibility for her mistakes? Do you not see how unfair this is to me? I know that maybe in your eyes, it’s acceptable for a son to pay off his father’s debt, and likewise for a mother’s debt, but do you know? The debt my mother owes has nothing to do with me. Her mistakes should be her own burden to bear, not mine to suffer the consequences. Not only is that unfair to me, but even more so to you. You did nothing wrong by being with me. I like you just the way you are, I feel happy when I’m with you. I can be my true self in front of you, cry if I want to, laugh if I feel like it, be as I wish to be, whereas in front of others, no matter whether I am happy or not, I have to put on a cheerful face to win the benefits I desire. But with you, it’s different. You are the love of my life. How could I ever put on an act in front of you? Can’t you just follow your heart and be with me? If you agree, then let’s get engaged tomorrow. What do you say?" Zhang Yichen looked at Ran Zhihan with hopeful eyes.

Ran Zhihan was stunned; she had not expected this man, who had always been slow on the uptake, to propose to her so openly. She wished she could accept his proposal, she wanted to say yes. Inside, she felt torn, struggling to decide whether to maintain her initial stance or to give in. She didn’t know what the outcome of this choice might bring.

"I don’t know what I should do. I don’t know what the consequences of my choice will be. I only know that because of being with you before, my mother has suffered incredibly. My parents again and again took the blame for me, risking their lives. Now I hesitate a little: if I am with you now, will my mother suffer the same hurts as before? Your mother hates me so much, no matter what I do, I can never earn her approval, let alone a good word from her. How can I face her? Perhaps in her heart, there’s only room for you, her son, and no place for a future daughter-in-law like me. If that’s the case, why should I persist in this struggle? By staying with you continuously, I would just allow your mother to hurt me repeatedly. I wasn’t born just to be humiliated by your mother. I am the child my mother painstakingly carried for ten months. Doesn’t my mother feel pain when I am bullied over and over again? She knows, but she has always chosen to stay silent, because she hopes that we can live a joyous life together. And for so long, I haven’t even told my parents about your existence. I didn’t want them to know you are from a wealthy family, for in their eyes, not only would there be a difference in family status but also in education. That would only make the divide between us seem even larger. How then can we be together? If your mother, for the sake of temporary benefits, can hurt me time and again, can you really guarantee that you can stop her from hurting my parents again because of me?"

Zhang Yichen was taken aback; he had no idea how to respond!