Fu Xiaotang only sobbed, her mind blank, as if all she could do was cry, letting out all the buried hatred, grievances, and bitterness in tears. Mrs. Song, perhaps understanding the situation, realized that the girl she adored and wanted as her daughter was actually her unseen daughter-in-law. What a mysterious, yet fated connection. Her eyes reddened as she tugged at Song Li’s sleeve, whispering, “Go inside, let’s talk.” Then to the others, “Come in, all of you.” They sat on the sofa. Mrs. Song held Fu Xiaotang’s hand, looking at her with mixed emotions, tears in her eyes, “Child, I had no idea you were Song Li’s wife. I’m sorry for not visiting sooner. But we haven’t missed our fate, this is the bond between us.” Fu Xiaotang sat still, moved by Mrs. Song’s words, tears flowing again. Mrs. Song continued, “Xiaotang, I know Li wronged you, but he knows he’s wrong now. You don’t know how much he’s suffered during the time you were gone. I’ve never seen my son so heartbroken over someone. Can you… forgive him?” Fu Xiaotang slowly wiped her tears, forcing a smile at Mrs. Song, “Okay, Auntie, I forgive him.” Turning to Song Li, she repeated clearly, “Song Li, I forgive you.” Mrs. Song nodded happily, while Song Li, barely believing his ears, murmured in joy and surprise, “Xiaofu.” Fu Xiaotang’s usually serene face suddenly tightened, as if a layer of frost had unexpectedly descended upon it. She looked at Song Li, whose dark eyes had just been shimmering with tears, but now they seemed to be covered with a layer of ice. “Don’t call me Xiaofu, Tang Xiaofu died long ago. She died when you said you would treat our child the same way you treat my father!” Song Li felt his heart sink straight into an abyss, plummeting into endless depths.
Turning her face towards Song Li’s mother, Fu Xiaotang said, “Auntie, I’m sorry, I can forgive Song Li, but it doesn’t mean I can accept him again. I am living well now, and I just want to forget everything from the past. If possible, I hope he won’t disturb my life anymore.” She paused, then gently placed her hand over Song Li’s mother’s hand, speaking softly, “Auntie, I am very sorry and regretful. But some things, once missed, are missed. Please consider that we never met.” With that, she prepared to leave.
Song Li suddenly grabbed her hand, looking up at Fu Xiaotang with eyes burning with regret, embarrassment, melancholy, and anger. “Do you really have to do this? In front of my mother, what do you want me to do to gain your forgiveness?” Fu Xiaotang shook off his hand as if bitten, “Let’s not talk about in front of your mother, what have you actually done to me? Do you want me to spell it out?” She let out a long, weary sigh, “Let’s end it, Song Li, we can never go back.”
Song Li didn’t speak, but stubbornly grabbed Fu Xiaotang’s hand again, holding on tight as if clutching a last hope. Fu Xiaotang didn’t struggle, she nodded and pointed at Liu Yi with her free hand, “Well, tell me, what are you going to do about her?” Song Li flinched slightly, looking at Liu Yi without speaking. Fu Xiaotang’s lips curled in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “Song Li, you’re not still thinking about having both of us as before, are you?”
Liu Yi could no longer bear it; after enduring half a day of provocation, she wished she had a knife to chop down this hateful woman. From childhood to now, no one had dared to speak harshly to her unless she allowed it. Now, this insolent girl dared to step on her head. Ignoring her usual grace, Liu Yi leaped up in fury, ready to slap Fu Xiaotang. However, her hand was caught mid-air by someone. She turned in surprise to see Cheng Yu, his face dark with anger, gripping her wrist tightly and growling, “Yi Yi, you have no right to touch her.” Fu Xiaotang wanted to burst into laughter, “Sister, he was the one who hit and scolded me for you back then, and now he’s protecting me against you. Isn’t it true what they say about the tides turning?”
Looking at Cheng Yu, Fu Xiaotang said, “Cheng Yu, thank you for standing up for me like this. Our friendship wasn’t in vain. Actually, thinking about it, we were together first, right? Isn’t that so, Song Li?” Her words struck Song Li and Cheng Yu like a heavy blow. Song Li staggered, instinctively letting go of Fu Xiaotang’s hand.
Fu Xiaotang’s face showed a mix of forced strength and sharpness as she looked at Song Li’s mother. The pretense faded, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, almost crying, “Auntie, I’m sorry you had to see this mess, isn’t it? I feel so ashamed, so unbearable… But that’s not the worst of it…” She lowered her head, struggling to control her trembling, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, and to ignore the deepest, most painful hatred in her heart. After a long pause, she suddenly looked up, her voice hoarse, trembling, and disjointed, “Auntie, did you know, you once had a grandson… Song Li said he would bring me to see you, and I was so excited, counting the days, even on the day of my miscarriage I dreamt of you teaching me to make baby clothes. I woke up with a smile, only to find myself alone in the hospital… That day… was also my birthday. I couldn’t… he didn’t want him… I couldn’t.”
Tears streaming down her face, Fu Xiaotang looked at Song Li, enunciating each word, “I can never be a mother again, because of what happened to me when I was young, the doctors said I can never be a mother again… Song Li, do you know why I desperately wanted the baby even when I knew you were plotting against me? Because I thought he was ours, a continuation of our bloodline, from then on, I would truly be yours, completely. A part of us would be fused together, forever. But when you said those words to me, do you want me to repeat them?”
Fu Xiaotang had completely calmed down, having laid bare the most painful part of her life. “So, Song Li, don’t waste your efforts anymore. I will never return to you.” Song Li was utterly stunned, and even Song Li’s mother and Cheng Yu stood motionless. Song Li felt waves of sharp pain like silk cocoons wrapping around him, suffocating him. But worse than this pain was the deep despair, realizing only now the abyss he had personally pushed Tang Xiaofu into. He was reaping what he had sown; he was in pain, but thinking of how Tang Xiaofu must have felt a hundred times worse than he did now, he wished he could kill himself.
Volume Two: Dancing Girl, Chapter Seventy: The Feast Has No Good Feast (Part One)
Fu Xiaotang recounted her life, past and present, her childhood, her adventures, Aunt Min, her time at “Heaven on Earth,” Fan Jinxuan, her marriage, her relationships with Song Li and Cheng Yu, her love and subsequent hatred, her pregnancy, miscarriage, and divorce, narrating each event with meticulous detail to Fang Junjie. It was as if she was deliberately reopening wounds that had just begun to heal, not caring about the blood and the bone-deep pain, forcing herself to squeeze out the pus to heal completely. Fang Junjie, over the years, had mastered the art of hiding his emotions, often using a smile, but smiles vary. If you asked the big shot at “Heaven on Earth,” Situ Nan, what was the most unsettling about Master Junjie, Situ Nan would definitely say, “Of course, it’s his smile.” Of course, Fang Junjie was mostly seen laughing, but if he laughed at times when he shouldn’t, the person he was facing often ended up in a sorry state. Fang Junjie couldn’t even remember the last time he had cried; it seemed almost abnormal to imagine Young Master Junjie shedding tears. Naturally, he wouldn’t cry over matters of love, but during Pu Xiaotang’s recount, there were moments when he couldn’t control his anger.
Fang Junjie sighed deeply, pulled Pu Xiaotang into his embrace, and whispered in her ear, “Why couldn’t I have met you sooner?” Pu Xiaotang looked up at him and asked, “Do you know why I’m telling you all this?”
