Why, after opening herself up, must she face so many questions? Allowing herself to think, endless doubts and emotional entanglements followed.
Yet a life as calm as dead water, while safe, was terrifyingly lonely. So she had stepped down from her ivory tower, unable to turn back, afraid of the heart-gnawing loneliness and helplessness. She could only move forward, step by tiny step.
Did Tang Hua still want her? Would he show her love beyond mere familial affection?
Tell me what you want, Mom,” Tang Xuexian whispered beside her, as if he wanted to pluck the stars from the sky to make his mother smile, eagerly wanting to wipe away the worry from her face. ”Xuexian, Mom must do this herself,” she lovingly kissed her son. How generous heaven was, even her son took pride in her dragon-slaying heroism. As she patted her son, her eyes inadvertently swept towards the door, seeing a strange woman standing there, startling her momentarily. Tang Xuexian immediately noticed and turned to see Jiang Zhilan standing by the door, not knowing how long she had been there. How rude! But his good upbringing still made him slide off the bed to greet her: “Aunt Jiang, hello. Are you looking for my dad? He and Uncle Shi are in the conference room downstairs.” ”Xuexian, long time no see. There’s no one outside, so I came in to take a look. Madam Tang, hello.” For some reason, the little boy’s gaze made her feel afraid. She remembered the last time they met, he was a well-behaved and quiet child. Why did the same face now make her feel wary? ”Hello.” Who was she? Why did she know about her? Xiao Susu responded softly. Seeing a stranger, her relaxed mood was replaced by nervousness. ”Mom, she’s Aunt Jiang, Dad’s friend,” Tang Xuexian explained to his mother. So she was the Miss Jiang that her husband had decided to marry. Indeed… she was beautiful and seemed to have personality, completely different from her own uselessness. A sense of inferiority quietly crept up. She had no doubt that Tang Ji wanted to marry her and was eager to divorce his useless wife… Speaking of this, had she actually divorced Tang Hua? The great beauty circulating in the company was actually Tang Hua’s wife! Jiang Zhilan’s uneasy heart became even more turbulent. If they reconciled, no other woman would stand a chance. Was it true? Were they preparing to get back together? Her uncertain heart made her blurt out without much thought: ”Madam Tang, I thought you were going to break up with him. Are you going to Taipei this time to handle the divorce proceedings?” The sharp and attacking tone made Xiao Susu’s heart tremble secretly. No one had ever spoken to her so maliciously, leaving her at a loss and powerless. But the Miss Jiang seemed to be waiting for an answer, so she softly began: “No… we… we…” ”Aunt Jiang, are you here for the meeting?” Two flames of anger lit up Tang Xuexian’s eyes. How dare she bully his mom?! ”Yes, Xuexian, I was just curious. Aren’t you curious? Divorced couples don’t live together.” Jiang Zhilan tried to soothe the seven-year-old with a loving smile, but her words were an attack directed solely at Xiao Susu. ”Of course, divorced couples don’t live together. Couples living together obviously aren’t divorced,” he walked up to Jiang Zhilan, tilting his little face: “Aunt Jiang seems unhappy. Why?” ”Aunt isn’t unhappy, just believes that an incompetent wife only brings pain to others, I think—” ”What do you think? Think about whether others should divorce? And then order people to do what you want? I don’t know if employees at Dad’s company have to do so many things. I don’t want to be the heir if I’m going to be managed by employees. If my future wife is also ordered by employees to divorce me, what would I do?” His clear eyes, not hiding the anger mixed with severity, looked up and pressured Jiang Zhilan’s eyes, momentarily like a giant, oppressing the opponent and almost suffocating her. ”You—” Jiang Zhilan was scared, covering her chest, staring at Tang Xuexian in disbelief. ”I suggest you go downstairs to the meeting, or I’ll really think ordering people to divorce is part of your job.” He no longer had a smiling face, directly pointing to the door for her to leave. ”Xue… Xuexian…” She couldn’t believe a child could have such a sharp presence. Even though Tang Hua had mentioned his “gifted education” approach to raising his son, Jiang Zhilan still couldn’t believe a seven-year-old could… ”Get out,” he called again, showing impatience. Jiang Zhilan retreated several steps, involuntarily moving towards the door, until she bumped into a body and was immediately steadied. Only then did she see Tang Hua standing behind her. ”Tang… Sir…” ”Everyone’s waiting for you. Go down to the meeting,” Tang Hua coldly and formally dismissed her. His calm and waveless expression made her panic. Not daring to act rashly, Jiang Zhilan hurried downstairs, now understanding… Even if Tang Ji divorced Xiao Susu, she, Jiang Zhilan, would not be among Tang Hua’s marriage candidates. Or perhaps, never was. ”What did she do?” After Jiang Zhilan left, Tang Hua lowered his head to ask his son. ”She scared Mom,” he said with a solemn little face, waiting for his father’s reprimand; he was impolite, but didn’t think he was wrong. Tang Hua squatted down, softly laughing: ”Revealing your cards too quickly makes it hard to achieve the effect of intimidating the enemy. There are many ways to repel an opponent, not necessarily through harsh words. The less angry you are, the calmer your heart. Only with a calm heart can you easily subdue your opponent. When you achieve victory, the grievances you suffered will naturally be replaced by triumph. Understand?” He lovingly stroked his son’s head, his eyes full of admiration. ”Understood, Dad,” Tang Xuexian’s eyes sparkled, revealing a big smile. ”What… are you talking about?” Xiao Susu walked over, confused. She could see her son had just defended her, otherwise Miss Jiang’s face wouldn’t have looked so gray. But she didn’t quite understand the conversation between Tang Hua and Xuexian. ”Nothing,” the father and son simultaneously smiled at her and reached out to embrace her. Tang Hua said to his son: ”Go downstairs. Uncle Shi will arrange for you to sit in on the meeting.” ”What about you, Dad?” Xuexian looked up and asked. ”I’ll come down soon.” After sending his son away, Tang Hua deeply embraced her and smiled: ”Susu, our son is going to be extraordinary.” Xiao Susu was somewhat dazed:
Was what you just taught him about business principles or methods of arguing?” She remembered reading commercial studies before, but these words were unfamiliar. Had times progressed so quickly that what was previously taught was no longer applicable?
“The principles are the same. I was just telling him that instead of shouting and cursing, it’s better to use a more elegant approach that appears less rude.”
Elegant arguing? She couldn’t comprehend it. But she knew her own inadequacy: “I’m useless. I even need someone to protect me when someone is harsh with me. I should be the one learning arguing techniques.”
“No need. With me and our son here, you never have to worry about anyone being harsh with you.” He deeply kissed her, with the pride of a father and love for her, kissing the woman who was both his wife and the mother of his child.
11 When everyone envies happiness Becoming a way of ordinary life like sunlight, air, and water We gradually forget to be grateful Forget that which is not a matter of course And forget to continue nurturing it The moment of sudden awakening is often when a beautiful life has already become distant But I hope we are still in time In time to reclaim love and rebuild happiness Carefully and gratefully Pouring deep feelings into each other’s hearts, turning moments into eternity 22
Chapter 10
