My Alleged Husband

Chapter 277 - 257: Entanglement_1

Old Master Zhang heard Zhang Yichen say this, and his heart ached. No matter what, Zhentian was his son after all, and he did not wish for his son to be unable to receive his grandson’s forgiveness in his old age. That was the last thing he wanted to see, but what could he do? Could he really stand up and scold his own grandson, then ask him to forgive his son? That was impossible, for he knew in his heart that all the troubles were caused by his son and daughter-in-law’s interference. If it weren’t for the two of them, his grandson wouldn’t have ended up like this today, nor would he have lost so many years of memories.

"Yichen, Grandpa has always wanted to ask you something. In your heart, do you really have no place for your mom and dad at all?" Old Master Zhang wanted to get to the bottom of it; he wanted to know if his grandson still had a place in his heart for his son.

Zhang Yichen, hearing his grandfather ask him this question, suddenly found it difficult to answer. No matter how he replied, it would hurt his grandfather, and if he went against his own feelings to please his grandfather, his grandfather would be happy, but he himself would be in pain. Yet, if he answered truthfully from his heart, his grandfather would surely be saddened and disappointed by his response. He didn’t want either outcome and felt torn.

Old Master Zhang seemed to perceive his grandson’s conflicted state and smiled. He said to his grandson in a relaxed tone, "Child, don’t feel burdened. Just speak your truth. No matter what you say, Grandpa won’t blame you. Grandpa just wants to hear what’s on your mind. Don’t say something that goes against your feelings just to make Grandpa happy!"

"Grandpa, I must admit that more than a decade ago, I always yearned for my mom and dad to be by my side, especially when I was in school. I saw other students with their parents’ company. They could see their parents visit their schools, but mine never showed up once. At that time, I truly wished for my parents to appear before me immediately, but so much time has passed, and I realize that those things from the past can never be compensated for. I know that over these years, my parents have failed to provide me with a lot of fatherly and motherly love. I don’t blame them, but it doesn’t mean I can live happily ever after with them for the rest of my life. After all, it was because they abandoned me that I ended up where I am today. I always hoped that when my parents came back, they would give me enough love. You all thought I had amnesia, but only I know deep inside why I ended up like this today. Who caused me to become what I am today? I know all the reasons. I just chose to keep silent because speaking out would only make everyone more heartbroken and sad."

"Child, Grandpa knew you’ve been in pain all along. You’ve endured so much on your own all these years. Grandpa thanks you for choosing to remain silent over those years, but now that so much time has passed, I don’t want you to feel torn between your mom and dad. I know you’ve lost your memory, but you still remember many things clearly. You chose to keep silent because you wanted to escape the pain. It was Grandpa’s fault. Grandpa couldn’t give you a better family. Grandpa should not have driven your mom and dad out of the Zhang Family in a fit of anger. If Grandpa hadn’t driven them away from the Zhang Family back then, perhaps you wouldn’t have suffered so much. Child, please forgive Grandpa for his selfishness back then..."

Zhang Yichen felt a deep discomfort hearing his grandfather’s words. Despite it all, none of what happened had anything to do with his grandfather, but Old Master Zhang had chosen to take all the blame upon himself. Yichen understood that his grandfather did this in hopes that he and his parents might reconcile and put past grievances behind them.

"Grandpa, I understand the hardship behind your actions, and I know what you’re trying to achieve," Yichen said, "You don’t need to talk about forgiveness with me, because the love you’ve shown me these past years has been more than enough. No matter what you’ve done before, I won’t hold it against you. After all, you’re my grandpa, the person closest to me, the one who raised me into the man I am today. Without you, how could I have achieved my current status? You taught me the difference between good and evil; you showed me that there are more good people than bad in this world. But Grandpa, does the abandonment by my parents truly get washed away by a few simple words? I have to admit, I too want to forgive them, but as soon as I think about the atrocious things they’ve done in the past, I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m afraid that if I choose forgiveness, they may do something even more dreadful to the people I love the most. Grandpa, the girl I saw at the hospital entrance the day I was discharged reminded me of the silhouette in my dreams, yet I can’t remember her name. How I wish the person from my dreams could come back to stand before me, to embrace me. The past is the past, and there’s no way to turn back time. What we’ve experienced has been lived; what’s done is done. Their abandonment, their actions can’t be completely covered up by a few comforting words on their return. It’s precisely because of what they’ve done that I’ve come to understand the kind of people they really are, and what kind of acts could lead them to forsake their own son."

Upon hearing his grandson speak this way, Old Master Zhang knew that the die was cast. No matter what he said, he couldn’t change the image that his son held in Yichen’s heart. This was all Zhentian’s doing; Elder Zhang, as a father, did not know how to mediate anymore.

"Child, if one day you find out there were things kept from you, things that are important to you, would you hate me when you learn the truth?" Old Master Zhang finally voiced the question deep within his heart, fearing that his grandson would hate him once he discovered that he knew the whereabouts of the woman Yichen loved but chose not to tell him.

Yichen smiled and said to Old Master Zhang, "Grandpa, rest assured, no matter what happens or what you do to me, I will never hate you. Every action you take is for my sake; you would never do anything to hurt me. So, no matter what you’ve done or how important it may be, you will always be my dearest grandpa. And nothing will change your place in my heart!"

Hearing this from Yichen, Old Master Zhang finally let go of the dilemma within his heart.