“You’re truly heartless. What immense hardship could you possibly be hiding from all of us?”
Zhan Bei Jue stroked her hair.
“There isn’t any immense hardship, it’s just that things happened so suddenly, and I only found out myself. I hadn’t figured out how to explain it to you all.”
“You only recently found out you have a twin sister?”
“It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But that’s the truth.”
Jiang Nan Fang believed him. “Given what your mother is capable of, it’s not entirely absurd.”
Mentioning Madam Zhan, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't help but make a snide remark. Zhan Bei Jue raised an eyebrow.
“Your issues with my mother were so long ago, you’re not going to hold a grudge forever, are you?”
“Of course not. The dead should be respected. Even if I wanted to argue with her, I couldn’t.”
Zhan Bei Jue’s eyes darkened. He stopped himself from saying more.
Seeing him flustered, Jiang Nan Fang felt a pang of guilt.
When there’s discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the son caught in the middle suffers the most.
Even for Zhan Bei Jue, it was no exception.
Speaking ill of his mother in front of him, after all, she was the one who gave birth to him, must have been difficult for him.
“I’m just joking. It’s been so long, I’ve long since let it go.”
“And I’ve reflected on myself; I also did things wrong in our conflicts.”
“Look at Chen Jiao Jiao and Zhou Jin Bei, they manage to keep their mothers-in-law extremely happy. Why can’t I?”
“Ultimately, I’m clumsy with words and don’t know how to behave, so it’s my own fault.”
Zhan Bei Jue was overjoyed to hear her say this.
However, it was still a bit short of what he had hoped for.
“You still haven’t answered my question, how did you know about Melody’s existence?”
Jiang Nan Fang said proudly, “Not only do I know about Melody’s existence, but I also know that Madam Gao has an unusual relationship with Hu Jia Sheng, and Director Gao has an unusual relationship with Ke Jing Yu.”
“Your project’s failure this time, I suspect Director Gao was the one stirring up trouble. He didn’t hesitate to target you just to please his wife.”
“Being a woman is truly an art. I need to learn from Madam Gao from now on, on how to make a husband dote on me.”
Jiang Nan Fang was indeed Jiang Nan Fang; her ability to see the hidden meaning in trifles had always been present.
She had so quickly grasped the over-familiar relationship between Director Gao and Ke Jing Yu.
“You’re right, Madam Gao and Hu Jia Sheng’s relationship is indeed unusual.”
“I never imagined she would end up like this after breaking up with my father. I’ve always suspected that Madam Gao orchestrated the incident in Switzerland, but I could never find any evidence.”
“This woman has that kind of protection, making her difficult to deal with. Although you are a smart person, I still have to warn you, stay away from her, and keep your distance from me too.”
“Otherwise, with a psyche twisted for over 20 years, who knows what twisted tricks she might come up with.”
Jiang Nan Fang paid no mind to his warning.
“Only those who have a lot to lose would be so cautious of her. Someone like me, who has nothing, why should I fear her?”
“On the contrary, she has more than me, so she should be the one fearing me.”
“What if I expose her secrets…”
Zhan Bei Jue said, “I’ve already had people investigate. Hu Jia Sheng’s social circle is very simple, and there’s no indication of any past contact with her. For her, Hu Jia Sheng is at most a romantic entanglement from her youthful indiscretions. It’s been over thirty years; it won’t destabilize her.”
“Then…”
“To bring her down, we can only target her husband. Without her husband as a protective shield, she’s nothing.”
Since Zhan Bei Jue had such a clear plan for these matters, why did he lose control time and again?
Zhan Bei Jue explained, “Everyone has weaknesses. In front of Director Gao, my weakness is you.”
“I’m not sure if there’s a bigger conspiracy behind them scheming to transfer me to Nancheng. I don’t want you and the children to get involved, so…”
It was as Jiang Nan Fang had guessed.
They had been perfectly fine before. Aside from unavoidable hardships, she couldn’t think of any reason why they needed to divorce.
“So, it was all for my own good. Should I be thanking you for divorcing me?”
Zhan Bei Jue held her. “Don’t say that, Nan Fang. You know how guilty I feel. I’m not just sorry to you, but also to the children. This is a mistake I can never rectify.”
She wasn’t afraid of Zhan Bei Jue being frivolous, but she was afraid of him being serious.
Every time he spoke earnestly, pouring out his heart, Jiang Nan Fang would be deeply moved, unable to bear it.
In front of the person she loved, she truly didn’t want him to suffer any grievances.
“Since these weren’t your intentions, and we’ve cleared the air, there’s no need to say all that. I haven’t said I don’t forgive you.”
Zhan Bei Jue’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“You forgive me so easily? Are you sure? Why are you so wonderful?”
“I’m always wonderful!”
Jiang Nan Fang kissed him, then gritted her teeth.
“But on the other hand, you’re too useless. When you encounter problems, you just hide and don’t even dare to tell me the truth. Do you look down on me so much, thinking I can’t face it together with you?”
“I just didn’t want you and the children to suffer with me…”
“I’m willing! As long as I know you have me in your heart, and you’re always resolutely heading towards me, I’m willing to endure any hardship!”
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Then I promise you, from now on, no matter what happens, I won’t push you away and try to solve it alone.”
Jiang Nan Fang’s nose stung. She pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze.
“You mean it. I don’t think I’ve ever made you swear an oath or promise me anything before. Swear to me today.”
“I swear that everything I’ve said is true, and I’ll never make this mistake again. If I ever find out you’re lying, even if I die, I will never forgive you!”
Zhan Bei Jue raised his left hand, preparing to swear.
But upon thinking of his mother, he hesitated.
“I’m sorry, I can’t make this oath.”
“What?!”
“Actually, there’s one more thing I haven’t confessed. The source of all the lies I’ve told stems from this.”
Jiang Nan Fang, who had been touched, heard this and was so angry she wanted to slap him to death.
“Do you ever tell the truth? What you just said sounded so convincing, and now it’s all nothing?”
“No. If my mother hadn’t done something so detrimental to you in the hospital back then, I wouldn’t be so guilty.”
Zhan Bei Jue sighed pitifully, then took his phone and opened a doctor’s contact list for her.
It showed conversations about his mother’s treatment every few days.
“When Ke Teng fell from upstairs and was declared a vegetative state, I knew that once you woke up, you would hate her and never speak to me again, so I…”
“I told the first lie, and then I used many lies to cover it up. I truly regret it.”