Chapter 1532: Chapter 1532: This Shocking News
Shen Chi held her shoulders firmly, refusing to let her move.
Xu Chaomu struggled, but after two futile attempts, she lifted her head and met his gaze.
"Why won’t you answer me?" Xu Chaomu demanded, her expression growing dark. "What are you up to?"
"What could I be up to?" Shen Chi’s tone softened. "Every time you lose your temper, you’re just like a little wild cat—next thing, you’ll be clawing at me, won’t you?"
As he spoke, Shen Chi deliberately glanced at her hands.
Her small hands were tightly clutching his pajamas, which had already been crumpled.
Xu Chaomu glared at him. "If you don’t want me scratching you, then stop bringing up things that make me upset in the future."
"Answer me directly, stop dodging!" Shen Chi said as he looked at her.
"If my mom killed your mom, would you hate her?" Xu Chaomu shot back.
Shen Chi was someone who understood people’s feelings, someone who grasped humanity—why would he need to ask her?
"I already know."
"Then since you know, stop asking. Why do you keep bringing this up? Shen Chi, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You clearly know how hard it was for me to move on!" Xu Chaomu snapped, truly furious now.
"Yes, I’m doing it on purpose!" Shen Chi didn’t deny it.
Xu Chaomu’s eyes burned with even greater anger. "Shen Chi, why are you deliberately bringing this up to me? Are you—"
"Listen to me."
Shen Chi interrupted her, afraid that if he let her continue, she would say something even more hurtful.
Xu Chaomu fell silent. No matter what, she wouldn’t lose her temper with Shen Chi.
Shen Chi sighed. "Your mom didn’t die in the fire."
Xu Chaomu froze, her mind exploding in shock!
Shen Chi... Shen Chi, what was he saying?
For all these years, everything she believed was that her mom had died in a gas explosion, perished in that fire.
"Explain yourself. Explain yourself properly!" Xu Chaomu tightened her grip on Shen Chi’s clothes.
"Calm down. I’ll explain everything to you. I’ll make it all clear."
"You investigated this?"
"I did."
"Then tell me, what happened with my mom... Why wasn’t it the fire? If it wasn’t the fire, then what was it? What else do I not know?" Xu Chaomu grew increasingly agitated.
Learning such shocking news early in the morning, how could she not be emotional?
"Your mom didn’t die back then." Shen Chi told her calmly.
"How is that possible? The fire was so severe. She couldn’t escape... How could this be... You’re lying to me. You’re trying to clear your mother’s name!"
"Xu Chaomu!" Shen Chi shouted coldly. "Do you trust me?"
"I..." Xu Chaomu didn’t respond.
Of course she trusted him. The person she trusted the most was him.
But...
Shen Chi continued, "If you trust me, keep listening. If not, then go downstairs."
Xu Chaomu said nothing, nor did she make a move.
Shen Chi released her, knowing that she believed him.
"That fire was staged by your mother. She didn’t die."
Shen Chi recounted everything Miao Xiu had told him yesterday. His tone was objective, recounting the events from beginning to end, as if merely telling a story.
As Xu Chaomu listened, her emotions surged, waves crashing within her.
Why was it like this? Could it be true that her mom hadn’t died? Why... why hadn’t her mom come to find her...
Shen Chi disclosed the details bit by bit, calm and composed.
When Shen Chi finished his recount, he looked into her eyes and said, "Don’t hold your thoughts inside. I’m here. You can tell me anything."
Xu Chaomu stood there in a daze for a long time, Shen Chi’s voice echoing in her head.
He said her mom hadn’t died. He said her mom had been living in Qing City all this time...
Seventeen years. Her mom had been able to endure not seeing her for seventeen years.
Why, why...
"Don’t hate her. She did this for you," Shen Chi said. "She thought she wouldn’t live long. If you followed her, it would be suffering. She planned everything for you in advance before she went."
"But a year with her would’ve been enough. A moment with her would’ve been enough... I missed her... Do you know how much I’ve missed her..." Xu Chaomu broke into tears.
She gripped Shen Chi’s arm tightly, refusing to let go.
"She and you thought differently. She saw things from another perspective. Your reluctance to leave her is love; her letting go of you is also love."
"No... Shen Chi, are you lying to me? How could she bear to do this..."
At that moment, Shen Chi took out the recorder from the drawer.
"Here are all the recordings your mother made while she was alive. If you want to hear them, you can. If you want to visit where she lived, I can take you." Shen Chi said.
This was all he could do for her.
Xu Chaomu’s emotions were running high—she hadn’t yet processed Shen Chi’s words. The truth had hit her abruptly, without warning.
Xu Chaomu sat there stunned, without reaching for the recorder.
Shen Chi could only continue, "Think about it. If your mother hadn’t done what she did, we wouldn’t have met, right?"
Xu Chaomu still didn’t speak, her eyelashes lowering.
Shen Chi pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.
Under his touch, Xu Chaomu’s heart slowly gathered itself again...
The truth had been revealed too suddenly—she hadn’t had time to prepare. Years of beliefs had been shattered. This was a truth she had never considered...
"Why didn’t she come see me? Didn’t she miss me at all? She’s a mom—how could she be so cruel..." Xu Chaomu leaned into Shen Chi’s chest, murmuring.
"She wasn’t cruel; she loved you too much. Since she made such a choice, she had to bear all the consequences of that choice. Do you understand?"
"No. Back then I was only ten years old. Did she ever think about what would happen if the Shen Family mistreated me? Did she think about how I might not live happily? Would she still feel at ease? A little girl doesn’t want wealth and grandeur. She only wants to be with her mom..."
All those years, how much she had missed her mom...
Shen Chi chuckled. He kissed her forehead and said softly, "It turns out she didn’t make the wrong choice. It was a gamble, and her way had the highest chance of winning. Besides, she left without regrets—she saw you marry me."
"What if I hadn’t met you? What if you hadn’t loved me like this?"
"If you hadn’t met me? Hmm... That’s impossible. I’m the Shen Family’s son—you couldn’t avoid meeting me." Shen Chi analyzed with certainty. "As for me not loving you, that might’ve been possible. But honestly, in that case, your life might’ve gone smoother."
"How would it have gone smoother?"
"If I didn’t love you, you’d have given up long ago. Didn’t you secretly date Lou Yanli in high school? If I didn’t love you, you’d have gone to college openly and likely be married by now. The dowry from the Shen Family wouldn’t have been lacking either."