My Alleged Husband

”Child, you know you’re standing up for me, but after all, they are your biological parents. No matter what, you can’t let them get hurt. Instead, you should be protecting them. That is the duty of a child. Think about it—if your father and mother knew you were causing them such pain, how heartbroken they would be. All they ever wish for is their son by their side, a desire every parent holds dear. There isn’t a parent in the world who wouldn’t want their child beside them! I really hope you don’t think that anything should come between you and your parents, no matter what they’ve done. They did it all for your sake. Why must you hate them? Their pain must be profound. Even though he has treated me this way, my heart still holds a place for my son. I might not say it, but my heart feels it. You’ve seen it, every time he returns home, I harshly turn them away, and yet they think of coming back time and again, and I relentlessly send them away again. How could your heart not ache with this repetition? Your own flesh and blood, to return home with dignity just once is so difficult, yet I always think of driving him out. Do you think their conscience is clear? But many things in life are simply fated and cannot be changed. They must accept the consequences of their own mistakes. No one will repeatedly take responsibility for the many wrongs they’ve done. You too must understand the errors they’ve made. Courageously face them. No one is so kind as to repeatedly bear the consequences for them!”

”Grandpa, sometimes I really want to ask why. Why do they keep hurting me like this? Why am I so insignificant in my own parents’ eyes? Why is this family so dispensable to them? Why do they repeatedly wound you and the people I love the most? What is all this for?” Zhang Yichen truly didn’t understand why. His father hurt him so deeply, and yet his grandpa still shielded him. Although Grandpa never said it, his heart ached deeply. Each time his father wounded him, he bore it alone, never confiding in others. He always left happiness for others while keeping the hardships for himself. His heart’s greatness is indescribable. He too had once felt the anguish of being turned away by his grandpa because of his parents’ return, had been tormented and in turmoil. But now no more, for he had completely lost hope in his parents. They had done so many wrongs; why should he forgive them again and again? Just because they are his parents, they can do no wrong? This is an unchangeable fact of life. But can he really keep letting them hurt him and his loved ones, time after time?”

”In fact, Grandpa has also pondered what could have made them treat us like this. But I’ve gradually come to understand that maybe it’s in pursuit of so-called freedom they hurt our family. We’ve been stopping them from chasing the life they wanted, which might be why they’ve grown to resent us, making it seem like we owe them something. But often, they don’t realize everything we do is for their good. People’s hearts are like that—despite it being for their benefit, they always feel that everyone is out to harm them, never feeling gratitude toward anyone. But when we think about it, are their actions truly faultless? They abandoned us for their freedom, then for the so-called wife, building their happiness on our suffering. I could pretend it was fine as long as they were happy, claiming not to care about it all. But I’ve slowly realized that it’s impossible. What father wouldn’t care about having their child by their side? The wrongs they’ve committed are too numerous. We can’t keep helping, nor do we have the obligation to keep forgiving them. They must learn to endure and grow from their experiences. In fact, your father isn’t as mature as you are. That’s because he never faced hardships as a child, while you have built your success with your own hands. You remember your childhood trials, don’t you? How hard and tiring it was, barely sleeping, but you kept pushing through your training. Because you understood that if you made a choice, you had to bear the consequences. You know how difficult every step you took was and what giving up halfway would mean for your future and for those who cared most about you. You know all this because you’ve lived through it!”

”That’s true. It’s precisely because I relied on my own efforts that I’ve come this far. The training back then was excruciating—who else can truly feel the inner cries and the silent screams, the despair of crying to an unresponsive heaven and earth, the isolation without a single person willing to stand by you? Do you know? I had only myself to depend on, with no one to lend a helping hand. If I were powerless, I would simply wait to die. So, I desperately climbed upwards, to escape my fate. I refused to be at the mercy of the heavens; I’d rather die! But still, I don’t understand why. I’ve endured so much and reached this point today, so why, when I’ve finally achieved something, do my parents choose to come back to my side? Is it really just for the money?”