Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Everyone Regretted It
The Gu Family residence.
Gu Lihuang was lying on the bed with his legs crossed, listening to the radio. He was surprised to see Ye Rong come back so soon. "Weren’t you going to help with dinner? How come you’re back?"
"Your sister is with your mom right now, bad-mouthing me and plotting how to torment me in the future. Was I supposed to just barge in and expose them?" Ye Rong gave a sarcastic laugh. "From now on, I’ll have to live at the mercy of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. I’m afraid there’s plenty of hardship in store for me. If I don’t show them some deference, I’ll probably end up being the next Zhang Minzhen."
"Uh..."
Gu Lihuang sat up, his face indignant, and started to get out of bed. "That must be Gu Jinhua’s bright idea. Just you wait, I’m going to go have a word with them."
"Go where? Just stay put. If you go stand up for me, it will only make your mom and your sister even more certain that I’m the one causing trouble behind the scenes."
Ye Rong took a deep breath. "How about I take our son back to the city? To be honest, I really don’t think much of the schools in this town. I don’t want to hold him back. On top of that, there’s your family situation. It’s not that I’m unwilling to endure hardship with you—a little hardship is nothing—but I cannot tolerate being mistreated. I’m afraid I won’t be able to stand it and will end up fighting with them. I don’t know a soul here. And what if you side with your own mother and sister? My family is so far away. Who could I possibly turn to? If I’m wronged, am I supposed to just swallow my grievances?"
Gu Lihuang grew anxious. "Don’t make me sound so useless! Would I really let you get wronged?"
"You yourself said your brother was seeing other women. And how did your sister-in-law end up being treated? How did your mom, your sister, and *you* treat her? To be honest, I mainly wanted to see for myself today. The result was certainly an eye-opener, and it’s made me genuinely afraid..." Ye Rong gave Gu Lihuang a mocking look, her tone flat as she sighed.
’So this was the kind of mother-in-law and sister-in-law she was dealing with. She truly regretted her past decision to leave her son here with his grandmother, all to save herself some trouble and avoid burdening her own parents. How could a woman of such character possibly raise a child well? What if she ended up ruining her perfectly good son? Thinking of her son’s various bad habits, she hadn’t paid them much mind at first, figuring he was just a kid... But she no longer thought that way. She couldn’t count on the man before her. If her son also proved unreliable, then perhaps she really should consider remarrying. While she was still young, maybe she could have another child and raise that one properly?’
Though these thoughts ran through her head, Ye Rong was smart enough not to let them show. She continued in that same flat, emotionless tone, "Don’t worry. As long as you don’t follow in your brother’s footsteps and father a bastard or two, I won’t divorce you so easily, if only for our son’s sake. But I really don’t want to stay here and be subjected to this abuse. You know I’m an only daughter. My parents have doted on me since I was a child. They didn’t raise me to be completely helpless, but they did raise me with a personality that can’t tolerate being wronged in the slightest."
"So, I’ve thought it over. It’s better if you stay here alone until this whole thing blows over, then you can go back. You know you’re in deep trouble this time. That girl’s family has connections, and they despise you. That’s why even my father couldn’t do anything. Otherwise, he would’ve just arranged a job for you somewhere else. Why else would we have to hide out in this town for a few years, waiting for them to cool off?"
"No! If you take our son and leave me here alone, what would that make this? Would this even be a family anymore?" The moment Gu Lihuang realized Ye Rong was planning to leave, he was terrified she would be gone for good. ’It’ll be at least two or three years,’ he thought. ’A husband and wife separated... who the hell knows what might happen? What if she can’t handle the loneliness? No, I absolutely cannot take that risk.’ He also knew that with his father-in-law’s influence, Ye Rong could remarry and easily find someone better than him.
His tone immediately softened. "Please, believe me. I promise I’ll protect you. I won’t let you be mistreated."
"I find that hard to believe. With your mother and sister being the way they are, can you really protect me? Besides, it doesn’t seem like you’re your mother’s favorite. Will she really listen to you? And earlier today, you seemed pretty pleased with yourself talking about how you all bullied your sister-in-law, didn’t you? If it weren’t for her older brother, her reputation would be in tatters, and she might not have even survived. I don’t have a powerful older brother like that to protect me. I can’t afford to provoke your family, so isn’t it better if I just stay away?"
Ye Rong thought back to the private conversations she’d had with her parents back in the city. ’My family and I were really too naive,’ she thought. ’We never truly understood the depths of human cruelty... We foolishly imagined that our tolerance toward Gu Lihuang would earn his family’s undying gratitude. We imagined they would give me a shred of respect, considering my family’s standing, or at the very least, they wouldn’t dare bully me so brazenly.’ But everything that had happened today, combined with what she had overheard with her own ears, had completely shattered her illusions. It made her realize the truth in old sayings like "you can’t satisfy an ungrateful wolf" and "distant water can’t put out a nearby fire."
A bitter smile touched her lips. ’What on earth was I thinking back then, defying my parents’ wishes to choose a man like this, to marry into a family like this? When my parents told me it’s best to marry someone of equal social standing, I dismissed their concerns. But in the end, it turned out just as they predicted. I would come to regret it.’
’And she really did regret it.’
"I mean what I say! Rongrong, just trust me one more time," Gu Lihuang said anxiously. He scrambled off the bed, not even bothering with shoes, and rushed to embrace Ye Rong. He knew with absolute certainty that he could not let her leave. Letting her go now might be a mistake he’d regret for the rest of his life.
"Just talk normally. Our son is growing up. Don’t call me that anymore. It’s not just awkward for me; it’s cringey for anyone else to hear."
’He hadn’t called her that since their son was born.’
A bitter feeling welled up in Ye Rong’s chest. She struggled for a moment, but when she couldn’t break free, she went still. Being held and called by that name no longer stirred any feelings in her. She knew that, when it came to this man, her heart was already dead.
"What’s so cringey about me calling my own wife that in our own room? I’m gonna keep calling you Rongrong. Rongrong..."
Gu Lihuang held Ye Rong, his words dripping with affection, but a flash of annoyance flickered in his eyes. ’So what if I was tempted and wanted to have a little fun with a younger woman? It’s not like I was ever going to abandon my family,’ he fumed internally. ’But who could’ve known that unassuming girl had such a powerful family behind her? If I’d known, I would have made my move sooner—hell, I should have gotten her pregnant. Then I could have switched to a new family-in-law and used them to climb the ladder for the rest of my life.’
’Too bad there’s no medicine for regret in this world.’
"We were discussing something serious."
Ye Rong sneered inwardly. She couldn’t be bothered to argue with him about it, lest he use it as an excuse to change the subject and drag things out endlessly.
’This woman has absolutely no sense of romance.’
A muscle in Gu Lihuang’s cheek twitched. He finally let go of Ye Rong and looked her straight in the eye. "You can’t just take our son back to the city and leave me here alone. I won’t allow it."
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