My Alleged Husband

Chapter 544 - 523: To Tell or Not to Tell?_1

"Grandfather, with such a serious matter as your illness, shouldn’t we tell my father about it? He is, after all, part of this family, and his last name will always be Zhang—it’s something that he can never change for the rest of his life. I understand that you have your pride and your considerations to take into account, and the decisions you make are not for others to alter at will. But I hope you will seriously consider whether it wouldn’t it be better to tell him and have him return to your side?"

"I know you find it hard to accept what my father has done, but I believe in your heart you still hope for him to come back to you. After all, you are his biological father, and no matter how grave his mistakes, a father always wishes to have his son by his side. That is what every father yearns for, so there’s no need for you to stubbornly tell me that you don’t wish for my dad to return. Saying such things to me is pointless. You know better than anyone how much you long for my father to come back to see you, to talk with you, or even to stay with you forever and never leave!"

"Grandfather, I know that deep down everyone has such pride, and it cannot be trampled upon by anyone, not even by their own kin. Sometimes, it is precisely because it’s their own blood relations who are trampling on their dignity that makes it all the more painful than if it were strangers doing so. I realize that your heart has always been suffering this torment, yet I hope you understand that sometimes it’s necessary to bow your head, not to lose something you care about just because of a moment’s stubbornness!"

Old Master Zhang knew his grandson’s words made sense, yet he did not wish to be the one who had to bow his head.

What kind of father must repeatedly beg his son to return and be met with indifference each time? Such a situation is unbearably hard to come to terms with internally. He could not bear it. All he wanted was for his son to come back of his own volition, not because of some other obligation forcing him to return home and stay by his side, as that would be an insult to him.

"Child, you know that every decision you make is for your grandfather’s sake. You also know how unbearable the pain is for me to live without your father. To tell you the truth, this matter has been a constant heartache for me for many years, a lifelong sorrow that I’ve never gotten over. I’ve always hoped he would return to me on his own, but time and again my hopes have been dashed. In his heart, there’s no recognition of how desperately his own father—me—longs for his return. That’s why I’ve decided, no matter how serious my illness, I will never tell her. Even if I were to die suddenly one day, I would never let him know what illness I had or how I passed away. I want her to live with a lifetime of guilt for the life she chose, thinking that he could still live happily ever after. Do you really think he can?"

"Perhaps you think grandfather’s decision is somewhat cruel, but have you thought about it? My own son has abandoned me time and again, and yet I, as his father, have repeatedly had to humiliate myself to plead with him to return. Yet, every time, he pitilessly refuses. Isn’t that a fatal blow to anyone? If he has never once considered my feelings, why should I consider his? After all, everyone has feelings. His heart has already turned cold and callous; he has no place for me, his father, in it, and so I, too, can utterly give up and no longer wish for her to return, because for her that would be hurtful, and for me, it would be torture. I don’t want someone whose thoughts are clearly not with me to stay by my side, else my heart would ache!"

"Child, if you truly wish for your grandfather’s well-being, then no matter what, please do not tell him. Let him live the life he wants alone out there. I haven’t given her much in this life, not even paternal love, which she doesn’t want from me, so there’s nothing more I can offer. Only through this way can I compensate for the debt I owe her. If he wants to live a happy life of her choosing out there, then let her be! Don’t ever tell them about my illness—it’s a pain my heart can’t bear."

"Grandfather, let’s not talk about this anymore. You just focus on recovering from your illness. When you’re discharged and fully recovered, that will be the time for the big surprise to come, a surprise you’ve always wanted..."

Zhang Yichen finished speaking and left. He had to go home and prepare some good food for his grandfather and then take it to the hospital. Now that his grandfather’s health was failing, he couldn’t let his nutrition lag behind; his condition would only worsen. As he walked, he kept grappling within himself as to whether or not to tell his biological father about his grandfather’s hospitalization. If he told, how would his grandfather’s heart cope with that pain? Yet if he didn’t, how could he ever face his grandfather, who so deeply longed for his father to return—that very grandfather who stubbornly refused to let Yichen tell? It truly put him in a difficult position.

Without realizing it, he had arrived at the front door of his home. When he saw his wife standing there, his heart suddenly felt relieved.

"Yichen, what’s wrong?

You seem out of sorts today. I know that grandfather’s illness is a heavy blow to everyone, but you need to be strong. The last thing he wants is for you, of all people, to lose heart after hearing about his condition. He wouldn’t want to see his grandson downhearted..."

"Zhihan, regarding grandfather’s illness, should we tell Dad or not? Although I really want to let Dad know, grandfather forbids me to do so. You think that by telling him, I’m indirectly pleading for my own father to return, something he can’t endure as it would be humiliating."

"I have no right to refute grandfather’s decision. If he has made such a choice, there must be his reasons. For now, let’s just listen to him and trust that everything will work out in the end."