My Alleged Husband

Chapter 235: Chapter 215: Must Do It_1

Xia Jing, at this moment hearing her child call her ”mom,” felt overjoyed yet hesitant inside. What should she do? On one side was her biological son, and on the other, her resolve. Which choice would leave her with no regrets?

Old Master Zhang looked at Xia Jing, hoping she would say no. He did not wish for his daughter-in-law to truly be someone who had been incarcerated, someone who had committed murder. He desired that every generation of the Zhang Family be pure and untainted.

Zhang Zhentian also looked at Xia Jing, longing for her to say no. She was the wife he had shared a bed with for over a decade. No matter what, his heart still leaned toward Xia Jing. He did not want his wife to face irreparable consequences because of his own thoughtless provocation, as that would not be good for any of them.

Seeing the hopeful look in the eyes of her son, her father, and her husband, Xia Jing so wished she could just stop everything. But was it really still possible? Things had escalated to this point; she had already kidnapped the person. Even if the law had not charged her with murder, the kidnapping had already become a criminal case. Ran Zhihan had surely alerted the police by now. She could not let her parents come to any harm because of her impulsive actions at the time. Now, it seemed impossible to withdraw, with things spiraling out of control; they did not know what to do. As the future mother-in-law, was she really expected to beg her future daughter-in-law at this moment? No, she couldn’t do it. She was too proud. How could she beseech her own descendants for mercy?

”My dearest son, I’m sorry. Although you’ve now acknowledged me as your mother, I still want to apologize to you. I’ve wronged you over the years, it was I who abandoned you, causing you so much pain. It was my selfishness that made you endure so much hardship. I know you’ve resented me, but I don’t blame you because you still have a place for your mother in your heart. You just didn’t know how to interact with me, because I had left you. For all these years, you haven’t lived by my side, you don’t understand me, and I don’t understand you. But I still hope you can understand that I truly love you, for you are my beloved son, the only child I’ve ever had. Do you know? All these years while I was abroad, I missed you terribly. But I cared too much about saving face, about my pride; I wanted to wander the world a bit longer, which is why I never returned home to be with you. And it’s for these reasons that our relationship has become so estranged. Son, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to stop you from being with Zhihan, but I hope you can understand that it’s not because I look down upon the daughter of a commoner. It’s just that I feared she would be a hindrance on your career path. That’s why I did things to hurt her, hoping you would understand the depth of a mother’s worry. No matter what mistakes I’ve made, they all stem from my love for you. For you, I’m not afraid of dying, not afraid of going to jail, not afraid of losing everything. But I am afraid of compromising your happiness—that is the toughest part of being a mother...” Xia Jing, with tears streaming down her face, said to Zhang Yichen.

Zhang Yichen couldn’t accept it, he couldn’t accept that after finally making up his mind to acknowledge his mother, this was what he got in return. He pleaded earnestly, ”Mom, please stop this, I’ve already recognized you as my mother, and I’ve promised you. I won’t associate with him anymore, okay? All I want is for you to spend a few more years by my side. Is that really so much to ask for? You haven’t given me a single day of maternal love in over a decade, you weren’t by my side during the most crucial stage of my growth, I understand, and I’ve forgiven you. What more do you want from me? Do I, as your son, really need to kneel on the ground and beg you to come home with me? It’s not me who did wrong over these years; it’s you, isn’t it? I admit, I couldn’t forgive your mistakes before because your abandonment made me suffer indignities and worthless in the eyes of others. But now, for my sake, you are willing to pay any price, even unafraid of going to jail. I know you still love me, your son, deep down in your heart; this moves me deeply, which is why I decided to reconcile with you. However, why can’t you ever see the good in me, your son? I am human too, I feel heartache and pain. My parents abandoned me, and I know to cry in secret, yet in front of others, I can only force a smile. I can’t let them know that I have my days of weakness, because that would expose my vulnerability. When you hurt the girl I love, it hurts me too, but I can’t do or say anything. I can only come to you to vent my frustration and emotions. I was wrong in that; you are my parents, and I shouldn’t direct my feelings at you. But have you ever, in your actions, contemplated the feelings of me, your son? With all that you’ve done, can you honestly say any of it was done considering my perspective? When you abandoned me, you never considered that I might choose not to acknowledge you. When you hurt the girl I love, you never thought it would cause me unbearable pain. Time and again, you push me to a dead end, and time and again, I choose to forgive you. What more do you want from me?”

Xia Jing felt a wrenching pain in her heart when she heard her son say these words. It hurt, truly hurt, but what could she do? Surely she couldn’t just give up halfway? No, giving up halfway was not her style; even if this path she chose led to the end of her life, she must continue because only by sticking to her own beliefs could she prevent others from thinking they could squish her like a soft persimmon.

”Since in your heart, I, your mother, am so unbearable and cause you such heartache, then, the matter today must be done,” Xia Jing declared. ”For your bright future, for you to live a happy life, I must see this through today. I must make it so that you and she have no future, because she won’t be with the son of a murderer. How could she face her own parents after their upbringing? I understand this girl; she is very kind-hearted. I know she isn’t arrogant or greedy for wealth and honor, and I also know what you want to say—she hasn’t done anything wrong. Indeed, she hasn’t made a single mistake, but her biggest mistake is being born into a commoner’s family instead of a wealthy one. If it weren’t for that, she would definitely live happily with you, and I wouldn’t interfere in your relationship. But she’s just a commoner...”

”How many times must I tell you? Who says a commoner’s daughter doesn’t deserve a rich young master? Could it be that a commoner’s daughter can’t one day become wealthy through her own efforts? Mom, you can’t see things so absolutely. You shouldn’t decide the future so prematurely. How do you know that Zhihan won’t amount to anything? How do you know that she will drag me down instead of adding brilliance to my path in life? Do you know how much I love her? By hurting her parents, you are causing her so much heartbreak. You too are a parent; if someone hurt me, wouldn’t your heart ache? Think of it as accumulating some virtue for myself, your son, and let Zhihan’s parents go!”

Xia Jing turned her head away; she didn’t want to hear Zhang Yichen’s pleas...