After the divorce, my ex-husband and son lined up to pursue me.

Chapter 40 It's either her or me
"Daddy...I want Daddy..."

"Mommy, where's Daddy? I feel so bad... I want Daddy..."

Chaochao hadn't seen her father for several days, and since she was also sick, she cried and wanted to find Ruan Muhuai.

At that moment, Jiang Xia didn't know how to make up an excuse to coax her son. She held up the IV stand while holding Chaochao's hand to prevent him from moving around and rolling over, which would require another injection.

Many people cast sympathetic, annoyed, and other complex glances at her.

There's nothing I can do...

It was at this moment that Jiang Xia realized that raising a child alone is really... too difficult.

But whether Ruan Muhuai did it on purpose or not, he suddenly appeared at this moment, like a timely rain or a charcoal gift in the snow. He even hugged his son and then, without arguing with her or blaming her, took her and her son to the VIP private room upstairs.

With him, it's like having superior privileges in everything; everything becomes not only easier but also twice as efficient.

Most importantly, Chaochao really misses him too.

My child can't be separated from his father, what should I do?

Jiang Xia looked at Chaochao, who was asleep in Ruan Muhuai's arms, and sent a message on her phone.

The reply came quickly: "Why did you have a child so early? I told you not to have children so early, but you didn't listen. You chose this path yourself. For the sake of the child, keep going."

Jiang Xia gripped her phone tightly, her suppressed emotions a bloody mess.

That dispute was destined to end with Jiang Xia's sacrifice, forbearance, and concession, which ultimately brought about the success of everything.

For nearly a year since then, Jiang Xia has not had a serious argument with Ruan Muhuai. She felt as if her heart had died, thinking that for the sake of her child, her son could not be without a father, so she would endure it.

Out of sight, out of mind; try to be more open-minded about everything.

She didn't hold Xin Rou accountable, but she never expected that her momentary negligence would cause her son to drift away from her.

"Mom, you're so silly!"

"You don't know anything! Do you know advanced mathematics? Do you know calculus? Do you know the structure of the human brain? You know nothing, you're no match for Aunt Xinrou!"

Ruan Yuanchao first revealed these things to her half a year ago.

On one occasion, Jiang Xia noticed that his desk was covered with completed homework, all messed up and he didn't seem to care. So she told Chaochao to tidy it up himself.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Yuanchao pointed to a problem on the paper that was beyond the scope of the curriculum and said, "Can you do it? Aunt Xinrou can!"

"..."

At that moment, Jiang Xia was caught between laughter and tears.

Let alone this junior high school math problem, she can solve any competition or university-level science problem with ease.

But Ruan Yuanchao didn't give her a chance.

Even the solution she was about to write down was snatched away by Ruan Yuanchao, torn to shreds in a few quick movements, and thrown into the wastebasket. "If you don't understand, you don't understand! What are you pretending for?"

"I don't like a mother like you!"

That day, Ruan Yuanchao pushed her out of the children's room, which made Jiang Xia realize for the first time that there was a problem with her son's education. At such a young age, he had already begun to criticize and dislike her.

"How could this happen? Did I do something wrong? My son, whom I raised, how come... he's complaining about me? Is there any problem I can't solve?" Jiang Xia vented her frustration in a voice message.

The other party replied with a voice message, a soft yet somewhat cold female voice: "You're a housewife, aren't you? How come you start doubting yourself as soon as you encounter a problem?"

"But how long has it been since you went into your study and sat down to read a book after you got married and gave up your job?"

“Every morning you get up and are busy taking care of your son and serving your husband, cooking and cleaning the house at the same time. You live in such a big villa, and you only have one housekeeper. You're practically a nanny. You're always running around the stove. It's inevitable that people's impression of you... will it still be the same as before?”

These words, while not exactly a wake-up call, at least instantly brought Jiang Xia to his senses.

For her marriage, for her husband and son, she not only gave up her job and career, but she also gave up... herself.

In her daily life, dealing with mundane matters like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, she devoted herself and sacrificed without complaint, like a mother or nanny, hoping to move her husband and son. But in the end... tragically, she only moved herself.

"This can't go on... I need to cut my losses." Jiang Xia replied via voice message.

Then, she did take action, but Ruan Muhuai disagreed with hiring one or two more nannies. This resulted in a pile of housework being left unattended if Jiang Xia didn't help Aunt Chen.

Ruan Yuanchao also believed Xin Rou's words and stopped tidying up his room. Various toys were scattered on the floor, and he threw away the completed problems and books he had finished reading, making a mess everywhere.

"Aunt Xinrou said that promising children don't need to do these meaningless chores!"

"My dad is rich, he can hire someone to serve me for the rest of my life, right? Aren't you also someone my dad hired with his money?"

Ruan Yuanchao's words stung Jiang Xia's heart and enraged her.

But the son has started to disobey, and further discipline only fuels his rebellious tendencies.

"Can you please stop nagging all the time? You're constantly muttering to yourself, aren't you annoyed?"

"Look at any mother, who looks like you? You're a haggard old woman! You're an old witch too!"

"Ah! Are you going to hit me? If you dare hit me, I'll jump off the building!"

Jiang Xia merely raised his hand, showing no intention of bringing it down, but Ruan Yuanchao reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, as if Jiang Xia were some dangerous element, and in his fright, he scrambled onto the windowsill.

Jiang Xia was furious and, unusually, didn't try to appease him. Instead, she took a picture with her phone and sent it to Ruan Muhuai.

"Fire Xin Rou immediately! You've seen what she's done to Chaochao! She even dares to threaten me with suicide! Ruan Muhuai, I'll only say this once: it's either her or me, you decide for yourself!"

Jiangxia gave Ruan Muhuai an ultimatum.

But instead of Ruan Muhuai returning that night to reconcile them, or him scolding and disciplining his son, Uncle De brought several mental health experts to Qiushuiyuan that very afternoon!

It's not about treating Ruan Yuanchao's illness, it's about taking Jiangxia for a checkup!
"Young Madam, you must have been taking care of the child these past few years..."

Before Uncle De could continue, Jiang Xia interrupted him with a mocking laugh, "Maybe what? Maybe I'm mentally unstable?"

The big joke of slipping the world!

Uncle De chuckled awkwardly, "How could that be? It's just a checkup. Young Master was worried that you might have been in a bad mood for a long time and had some depressive tendencies. Isn't this just him showing concern for you?"

"What kind of concern is this?!" Jiang Xia's temples throbbed with anger. "I've been in a bad mood for a long time? How dare he say something like that? If I'm in a bad mood, who's it because of?"

(End of this chapter)