My Alleged Husband

Chapter 488 - 467 Misunderstanding_1

"Since our son has already admitted his mistake, then why should we keep berating him like this? What you don’t realize is that children have their own pride, and in many ways, it’s even more precious than that of most adults. In his eyes, no one can trample on his dignity, and that includes us as parents. By doing this, we’re humiliating him. Do you really want to humiliate your own son? After all, he’s our flesh and blood. Isn’t our behavior just bringing shame upon ourselves?" said Ran Zhihan to Zhang Yichen.

Zhang Yichen knew that his wife was pleading on behalf of their son, but he couldn’t let the matter simply be swept under the rug. If a mistake had been made, then it was essential to learn to take responsibility. If one only acknowledged mistakes without ever taking responsibility, then what kind of hero or brave person was that? In that case, why bother living in this world at all?

"I know you’re saying this to me today to plead for our son, but I still need to make it clear to you, when one adult is disciplining their child, another adult absolutely must not step in to shield them. Of course, this will make the child feel that no matter what mistake they make, no matter what punishment they face, the other person who loves them most will surely step out to protect them. Actually, it’s not that I don’t love him; it’s that my love for him is different from yours. I can’t endlessly spoil him like you do without reserve. In the end, that would become overindulgence. Do you really want to see your son slowly stray onto the wrong path in life? I believe that is something no one wants to see. Who doesn’t wish to see their son succeed after growing up, to proudly live through the greater part of their life, to make a mark in the world? Why stain their record with a black mark? Does that really bring glory to one’s inner self? Even if it feels inconsequential to oneself, in the eyes of others, it degrades one’s character, and they will look down upon him."

Ran Zhihan knew that her husband said these things for a reason. Perhaps she had indeed gone too far. Why treat her child in that way? Sometimes, is what she considered love really love? Was it truly for his own good? Perhaps it wasn’t the case. Deep down, she was well aware that nobody goes through life without making mistakes. Yet, what’s truly frightening is someone continuing to err without the willingness to correct themselves, insisting on making mistake after mistake. As long as one recognizes and corrects their errors, their life wouldn’t be problematic. But continuous mistakes indicate that it’s not so simple and that the individual has never truly considered repentance, feeling that what they’re doing isn’t the worst mistake possible.

"Dear, I know that when you were teaching our child today, I shouldn’t have intervened. I also understand that you’re doing this for my sake, knowing I can’t stand to see my son bully me. As his mother, I know how much you love me, but after all, he’s also my biological son. How could I possibly want to see him veer off on the wrong path in life? I also wish for him to live a happy life, which isn’t easy for anyone. Life’s path is never smooth, and we all face storms and hurdles. Those ups and downs remain unforgettable in my heart, and I don’t wish for my son to suffer through the pain we’ve experienced—pain that’s so hard to endure, so hard to endure..."

"I know you’re acting with your child’s best interest in mind, but there’s a misconception you haven’t escaped. How can you guide the child if you yourself haven’t moved past it? Do you know what it is?"

Ran Zhihan looked at Zhang Yichen with a bewildered face. Did he genuinely not know what the misconception was that kept her from moving past it as an adult? The idea was utterly ludicrous.

"The misconception is that you think everything you do is for the child’s benefit, but you haven’t considered that what we’ve been through together are our most cherished memories. Although we’ve faced stormy and bumpy roads side by side, haven’t we still come through it all safely together? There are so many experiences that can’t be avoided. Our son’s experiences may be identical to ours, or maybe they won’t be, but either way, he must personally go through them to understand life’s flavors. We can’t selfishly deprive him of the chance to experience life. If we do that, do we even deserve to be his parents? Aren’t we then cutting off the path to his life’s journey?"

After listening to Zhang Yichen, Ran Zhihan felt that things were indeed that way. It’s no wonder she had a misconception, entrenched in her heart—believing that by telling her son everything, he would avoid the hardships in his path and sail smoothly through his childhood, sparing him any suffering. That was the greatest help she, as a mother, could offer. But she hadn’t considered that perhaps in doing so, she was actually harming him, robbing him of the opportunity to experience childhood life.

"I understand now; it turns out I’ve always been trapped in a misconception, and that’s what led my son to become what he is. You’re right, every person’s life journey is different. Who’s to say that my son will necessarily re-live the same experiences we did? How could he possibly knowingly repeat our mistakes? I just want to make it crystal clear to my son that he’s the person his mother loves most. Perhaps his future will shine brighter than ours. He’s no commoner’s child; born from a well-off family, he’s at least managed to shrug off the commoner’s label. That way, his life could be a bit happier, free from the sorrow and pain that I’ve suffered. For me, that’s the greatest comfort. One shouldn’t ask for too much; I understand this principle!"