My Alleged Husband

Chapter 546 - 525 Discrepancy Between Words and Heart_1

Old Master Zhang stayed in the hospital room, and not a single day went by that he felt happy. He was waiting for someone he longed to see, but as the days passed one by one, that person never turned back. He knew that he might never get the chance to see his son again in this lifetime.

Although he verbally expressed no desire for his son to come back because of this issue and stay by his side, what father doesn’t hold that hope in his heart? He too yearned for such a thing, but why did it have to be so difficult? Why did this have to happen to him? All he wanted was the company of family. All these years, his son had never been by his side. At a time when his life hung by a thread, his son wouldn’t even show his face. How much must his son hate him, his own father?

As Old Master Zhang’s thoughts grew more distressing, he felt unprecedented discomfort. Pride had always been his bedrock, and yet he had never felt like this before. He didn’t ask for much, just the things he longed for that seemed forever out of reach. He had always wanted to live a perfect life, but that life seemed too difficult to obtain. He failed to gain his son’s forgiveness, and his wife had left too soon, leaving him utterly alone.

Just when his son had finally settled down and started a family, granting him the grandson he had wished for, his son cruelly abandoned them to wander alone in the world. The blow was even harder for him to bear. Never had he imagined that his son would leave so decisively, not even looking back once. Was he such a failure as a father that his own flesh and blood held him in such low regard, making his efforts as a father seem utterly useless?

As he thought about it, tears slid down from the corners of his eyes. He cried, feeling chilled to the bone by his son’s actions for the first time. No matter what Zhentian had done in the past, he had always been able to overlook it with ease and forgiveness. But this time his heart was truly wounded. Even as he lay in the hospital, facing death, his son still refused to return to his side. Was he really so worthless in his son’s eyes?

Zhang Yichen and Ran Zhihan brought the food they had prepared to the hospital. When they saw their grandfather with tears in his eyes sitting on the bed, they knew what he was thinking and understood the pain in his heart. But they couldn’t say anything, and they didn’t know what choice to make. Perhaps, in their grandfather’s eyes, all he was doing was trying to hold onto his last bit of dignity. He didn’t want his final scrap of respect to be trampled on by his own son. For a father, to be humiliated by one’s own flesh and blood over and over again was unbearable.

"Grandpa, we’ve brought you some delicious food. You need to take good care of your health. Eat well every day because the day when you can leave the hospital healthy and strong will also be the day we give you a surprise. You must wait for that surprise in good health. It’s the surprise you’ve been dreaming of, the one we’ve been owing you.

Grandpa, it’s such a burden to maintain such a large family. There’s so much responsibility in this household, and you need to help me shoulder it. You can’t keep lazing away in the hospital. Otherwise, I’ll look down on you, Grandpa. Even though you’ve always loved me, I hope you can help me out and not let me be so busy all alone. Being so busy by myself is really scary when there is no familiar face around me. You know? My biggest wish in life is to always have my grandpa by my side!"

Old Master Zhang smiled. He knew that his grandson was just saying these things to cheer him up. He understood that he was quite important in his grandson’s heart. If one day he truly departed this life, his grandson would have to bear all the pain alone, and how excruciating that would be. He resolved to live a few more years; he couldn’t let such a thing happen to his grandson. At least, not until his grandson could fully accept the reality of his impending departure from this world. Only then could he pass away in peace.

"You sweet talker, Grandpa knows what kind of person you are. Over the years, you’ve suffered so much and endured numerous ordeals, and Grandpa knows that more than anyone. He watched you grow up. He understands just how hard each step of your journey has been. If Grandpa hadn’t been so strict with you since childhood, if you hadn’t been through so much hardship, how could you have come to understand so many things that others fail to grasp? You’ve lived a harder life and bore more pain than anyone else. Yet, you never complain. You know it’s better to turn that pain into strength and keep moving forward. That’s how you prove to those who abandoned you just how wrong they were. That’s why you’ve endured what others cannot. You’ve grown, but along the way, you’ve experienced things others never will, and Grandpa has witnessed it.

Every time you came home covered in scars, you thought Grandpa was indifferent to your suffering, but his heart truly ached for you. You mustn’t think that Grandpa is unfeeling when he sees you wounded. He just wants to teach you that when you are hurt, you have to rely on yourself to heal because others will eventually leave you. So, you must rely on yourself to grow strong so that you will never be looked down upon again, and those who abandoned you will never once rejoice over their decision..."