No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

When Bao'er saw this scene, it was as if she saw the shadow of herself and her brother in them. When her mother sent her to her brother's side, weren't they just like that?

Shen Bulu said to Bao'er, "It's getting late, you should take the child to rest first."

“I am able to have the surname Shen because my great-grandmother fought for it for me back then. You have never acknowledged me, and now that even my great-grandmother is gone, there is no one in this family to support me anymore, and no one likes me. If you… also remarry another woman and have a child, like my mother did.”

"Could you please let me go back to my mother?"

Shen Yebai turned around, facing the ever-burning lamp on the altar, his tone flat and devoid of any emotion, "Whatever."

"Brother!" Bao'er cried out anxiously.

"Get out, all of you." He emphasized as he uttered those three words.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanli seemed to have lost all hope. He lowered his gloomy gaze and turned to leave without a trace of lingering affection.

Bao'er's heart clenched as she looked at that lonely figure.

Qianqian chased after him, crying.

To Shen Yanli, her presence was like a little sun, illuminating his gloomy world.

He understood some things from a young age. He knew what an illegitimate child was, and he also knew what it meant to be nameless, without status, and unable to see the light of day.

He is, and always has been.

His mother is gone, and this place is no longer his home.

...

Xu Xiangjun felt a vague unease in her chest. Yue Chuheng had taken her to meet his parents. Although it was a bit rushed, she knew she would have to meet them eventually. They were in a large, single-level apartment in a high-end residential area.

My in-laws cooked a whole table of food themselves. This family consists of highly educated educators, and their family traditions are not traditional. Both of them are very open-minded.

Yue Chuheng had given prior notice regarding Xu Xiangjun's matter, and he hadn't mentioned any sensitive issues.

However, they were very satisfied with Xu Xiangjun's appearance and demeanor.

It wasn't until my mother-in-law asked that I realized, "I don't know what your parents do, but they were able to give birth to such a fair-skinned and beautiful child like you. Unlike my youngest son, no matter how good I am to him, he's still as hard as a lump of coal."

"Yes, sister-in-law. Do you have any beauty secrets? Why don't you share some? I want to be as fair-skinned as you. I'm so envious." The speaker was the younger son's wife, Chu Heng's sister-in-law.

Xu Xiangjun's hands were clenched tightly under the table, her head bowed. She lowered her head further and murmured, "I..."

He took her hand and interrupted her conversation, "It's getting late, I'll take her back first."

"Leaving so soon? Aren't you going to stay a little longer?"

"Yes, brother. It's still early, let your sister-in-law sit for a while longer."

Xu Xiangjun knew that he was helping her out of a predicament. She looked at him and gave a slight smile, "I'm fine."

After many years, the family background that had not been asked was asked again, as if a bloody truth had been revealed. The gentle voice slowly opened: "My father used to be a businessman. After his business failed, he owed a lot of debt. To avoid the debt, they went to the countryside."

“My father became despondent and started drinking and gambling. My mother was also driven to her death by my father. I… didn’t go to school much. I dropped out of school after junior high and worked to pay off debts.”

"I'm sorry... I... I'm not as good as you all think. Chu Heng is very outstanding, but... our marriage was indeed a bit rushed, I..."

"Sorry…"

Xu Xiangjun sounded flustered and somewhat confused.

Aside from apologizing and saying sorry, I don't know what else to say.

When Xu Xiangjun met his family, she did feel inferior, thinking that she was not good enough for such good people.

She also felt lucky to have met someone who treated her so well.

He was a good person, but she didn't want to deceive him or hide the truth from his family.

Because it's true.

At the corner of her eye, a close look reveals an old scar left from years ago, a result of her father's beatings. Had she not dodged the ashtray that was thrown at her, she might have lost an eye long ago.

She used to be able to cover it up with makeup, but now... she's not young anymore, and there are slight wrinkles around her eyes that even makeup can't completely hide.

There was a brief silence after the conversation.

“I…have another child. That child isn’t with me, that child…was also born out of wedlock.”

Upon hearing what she said, the Yue family elders' expressions darkened slightly.

Unmarried childbirth…

He's just an illegitimate child!

All these years, she hasn't gotten married; she's just a mistress being kept by someone.

His complexion did look rather unpleasant.

For a moment, the situation became somewhat unbalanced.

"Mom and Dad... let's talk in the study."

"wait for me here."

Yue Chuheng led the two elders to the study. His sister-in-law, who was still sitting there, immediately laughed to cover up her embarrassment and stood up, saying, "I'll go wash the dishes."

My God, my brother has gone mad! He married a mistress who even has someone else's illegitimate child.

My God, this woman is so shameless.

She has the nerve to ask her older brother to take over her business.

What is your brother thinking?

The once harmonious atmosphere has now turned into one where only Xu Xiangjun remains, sitting in her original spot, the study door tightly closed and no sound can be heard.

The clock hanging on the wall ticked twice.

Those two minutes felt like an eternity to Xu Xiangjun.

My sister-in-law took the three children to take a bath, and the television, which was turned off, went silent, leaving her alone.

After a moment, she slowly stood up, picked up her bag in the entryway, and left.

As expected, even if he accepted her, how could his parents accept someone like her, so tainted?

Xu Xiangjun pressed the elevator button, and when the elevator doors opened, she took the elevator downstairs alone.

It was all her own choice; she has no one to blame but herself.

He was the only one who didn't care about her past.

Given his qualifications, he could easily find someone more suitable.

Xu Xiangjun herself has forgotten how she was persuaded to go and get a marriage certificate with him.

Fifteen minutes later, when Yue Chuheng came out of the study, he found the empty hall eerily quiet. The man, who was usually so even-tempered, suddenly had a grim expression and exuded a cold aura. Seeing the people busy in the kitchen, he asked, "A-Yue, where is she?"

"I don't know. She was gone when I came out of the room. She must have left."

Yue Chuheng quickly chased after him, driving along the street he had come from.

She has no sense of direction and can't find her way around at all.

Yue Chuheng was also afraid that she would get lost.

The clock had just struck its last chime at 9:30.

There were no harsh accusations, but a silence even more suffocating than any accusation.

Xu Xiangjun knew that this hurdle might not be so easy to overcome.

It's not hard to imagine how lonely and resolute she must have felt when she left.

The image kept flashing through Yue Chuheng's mind, like a needle piercing his heart.

After my father-in-law and mother-in-law came out of the study, they hurriedly comforted my parents for a few words, grabbed their coats, and rushed out.

Night had fallen, and the streetlights lit up one after another, casting hazy halos of light.

Yue Chuheng drove along the street, his eyes eagerly searching among the passersby.

He dialed Xu Xiangjun's number, but all he heard was the cold message, "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

He ran past the square she frequented, including the café, where the window seats were empty;

He walked through the park at the street corner, where only couples were cuddling on the benches.

Time passed by, and the number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreased until only empty roads and dim lights remained.

An unprecedented panic gripped him: Was she really going to leave like this?

Will he never come back? He took out his phone and dialed that familiar number again, but there was still no answer.

Disappointment overwhelmed him like a tide, and he turned around dejectedly, walking back aimlessly.

My steps were as heavy as if they were made of lead, each step weighing heavily on my heart.

When he arrived at the apartment building where they lived, he hesitated for a moment, but still went upstairs.

Perhaps, she has returned?

She said she had nowhere to go.

This thought, like a faint flame, sustained him as he pushed open the door to his home.

The light in the entryway was off, and the living room lights were also off. Yue Chuheng's heart sank.

But just as he was about to turn on the light, he caught a glimpse of a faint light coming from the bedroom out of the corner of his eye.

He walked over quietly and pushed open the slightly ajar bedroom door. Moonlight streamed in through the window, outlining a familiar figure.

Xu Xiangjun was standing by the bed with her back to him, holding a neatly folded quilt in her hand.

At that moment, all of Yue Chuheng's worries, fears, and disappointments were instantly replaced by immense joy and the relief of regaining what he had lost.

He didn't even have time to think before he strode over and hugged her tightly from behind.

He held her tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very bones, his voice hoarse with emotion: "I thought you had left."

He could clearly feel the person in his arms stiffen.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her familiar fragrance, and his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back into place.

The despair he felt when he couldn't find her on the street just now transformed into the strength to hold her tightly. "Don't go, okay?"

The bedroom was silent except for the sound of their overlapping breaths, which sounded particularly clear in the hazy moonlight.

In the eyes of all the teachers and students, Yue Chuheng was like a flower on a high mountain. He was gentle to everyone, but everyone knew that there was a cold indifference in his gentleness. No one could ever get into his heart.

But even he has his moments of losing control.

"I...I won't leave."

The gentle voice gave him a sense of security.

"I'm sorry, I was going to message you, but my phone is dead. I don't know where else to go besides here."

"My uncle and aunt..."

Yue Chuheng: "It's okay. I've told them everything. They'll accept it someday."

Xu Xiangjun smiled slightly and gently pushed him away. "I've prepared clothes for you. Go take a shower. It's getting late."

You have class tomorrow.

"I'll tidy up the room."

The stitches on her wrist wouldn't be removed for a few more days; it hadn't healed yet. Yue Chuheng didn't let her do the tidying up; he made her sit down and cooked her some noodles, though Xu Xiangjun didn't eat much at the Yue family home.

Yue Chuheng had already done what she was supposed to do. While Xu Xiangjun was downstairs throwing out the trash after finishing her noodles, he also prepared a bath for her.

...

The following day, on the day of Madam Shen's burial, all the prominent and powerful figures in the capital, including the major aristocratic families, attended.

It happened to be the weekend, and Pei Zhan did not show up. Only Jiang Hua led the child to the cold tombstone, where Jiang Hua had A Xun bow in respect.

Shen Yanli stood to the side. Pei Xun had never been beaten before. That beating made him suffer for several days and taught him a lesson. When he saw Shen Yanli again, Pei Xun was a little afraid and hid from him.

He had actually thought that it would be great if Uncle Shen were his father.

She glanced at Uncle Chen again; he had long since given up on that idea.

Jiang Hua also noticed that the child was unusually quiet today. She smiled and patted his head to comfort him.

Shen Yanli stood obediently beside Shen Yebai, keeping a distance of two steps, expressionless, without uttering a word.

After the funeral ended in the morning and everyone had left...

Shen Yanli then got into the car and returned to the Shen family's old house.

Hongmei: "Sir, the old lady's belongings have all been disposed of and burned."

"Father, I'm going back to my room to do my homework." Whether he acknowledged him or not, he was still his father, but he would never expect anything from him again.

He went upstairs and saw the open room next door; it was his mother's room.

He walked in as if possessed, only to find that everything in the room had been emptied, even his mother's few clothes in the closet, the dressing table, the table, the quilt... all were gone.

Clean and without leaving a trace.

It's as if my mother never left any trace of living here.

My great-grandmother passed away, and so did my mother.

This home…

He was the only one left.

Mom, I won't let you worry.

Be happy.

Ah Yan will be alright too.

After they came down the mountain, he saw his mother; she was sitting in the car with his uncle, and he recognized her.

He knew his mother would come.

...

A biting wind swept through the mountains of the western suburbs. Xu Xiangjun, holding a bouquet of flowers, went up the mountain alone to pay her respects to Old Madam Shen. She slowly squatted down and reached out to touch the cold, black-and-white photograph.

My eyes stung, and my heart felt heavy, as if a huge stone was pressing down on it. "Thank you for taking care of me like family all these years and for giving me the dignity I deserve in my final moments."

Compared to her ambition to rise in rank, her greatest ambition was to marry Shen Yebai.

“I tricked him once, but he will never trust me again. Grandma, I really love him.”

"But no matter what I say or do, he will never believe me. If I stay in the Shen family, he will only feel disgust towards me, and I don't want his hatred for me to be transferred to Ayan. Grandma... I don't know what else to do but leave."

"Having lived in the Shen family for so many years, I have long regarded you as family."

"Thank you for loving Ayan so much."

"Without you, I wouldn't have stayed in the Shen family for so many years."

"I will live a good life and completely let go of him to start anew."

After a few brief words, Xu Xiangjun left the western suburban cemetery and walked down the mountain.

After a busy day, night fell.

Shen Yebai sat alone at the dining table eating dinner. The man didn't ask any questions about the person who hadn't come downstairs.

Everything in the house related to Xu Xiangjun had been cleared away. Surprisingly, the only things that were removed were a few simple sets of clothes.

Not believing she could really bear to leave, Shen Yebai became suspicious and investigated all her assets.