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

"Bringing him gifts and playing with him are just superficial things. You need to understand him from the heart. Think about it, when you spend time with your child, besides doing homework, do you ever have more than ten minutes of alone time together?"

Pei Zhan fell into deep thought, his brows furrowing even more.

When the father and son were together, after Pei Zhan finished supervising Pei Xun and helping him complete his assigned homework, he turned around and ran off to stick close to Jiang Hua.

The child speaks to him less than ten times a day.

What's the difference between this and a stranger?

As time went by, it took root in Pei Xun's heart and became deeply ingrained.

The father and son really stopped being close.

"I see."

"Every time I find out, if you don't care, I don't care either."

"No matter how much you leave Pei Xun, if he doesn't want it, then... you can just find someone else and have an heir."

The Jiang family must be left to Pei Xun.

...

Jiang Hua got up very early today. She was busy all morning, took a shower, lay in bed, and soon became sleepy.

I dreamt of that child's face again, and heard what he said on the phone.

When she woke up, it felt like a huge rock was pressing on her heart.

When I opened my eyes, it was just getting light outside.

It took me quite a while to fall asleep.

When she woke up again, it was already noon.

Pei Zhan went to the company.

Pei Xun also went to the school.

Jiang Hua was home alone.

The afternoon sun was shining warmly into the bedroom. Jiang Hua was tidying up the bookshelf when the maid, worried about her safety, stood by and said, "Madam, this is just a small matter. Why don't I do it?"

"It's okay, I can manage."

The cell phone rang suddenly, and the maid picked it up and handed it to Jiang Hua.

The screen showed that it was a call from Xu Ma.

A strange unease instantly welled up in her heart. She answered the phone, and before she could even speak, Xu Ma's anxious voice came through: "Miss, the master has suddenly fallen ill. Please come to Yulong Bay immediately!"

Jiang Hua's heart clenched suddenly, and the book in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Without a second thought, she hurriedly put on her shoes, went downstairs, and immediately had her bodyguard drive her to Royal Dragon Bay.

Along the way, she was extremely anxious and kept urging the vehicles on the road to hurry up. What usually seemed like a short journey now felt like it had no end.

Finally arriving at Yulong Bay, Jiang Hua ran all the way into the house and headed straight for her father's room.

Pushing open the door, I saw my father lying weakly on the bed, his face pale. Uncle Wang was beside him, holding water and feeding him medicine.

Jiang Hua felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart tightly, causing her so much pain that she almost suffocated.

She rushed to the bedside, tightly grasped Jiang Weiguo's hand, and said in a tearful voice, "Dad, what's wrong? Didn't I tell you to take good care of yourself?"

Why don't you go to the hospital?

Jiang Weiguo comforted her, "Huahua, don't worry, Dad just caught a cold. I'll take some medicine and rest. Look, Dad is perfectly fine."

"It's just a small matter, why did I call you over?"

"Where is Ah Xun?"

Jiang Hua said with a slightly choked voice, "A-Xun, go to school."

His voice was very weak and his breathing was somewhat unsteady, but he still tried his best to keep his spirits up and reassure Jiang Hua.

Jiang Hua could easily tell that her father was putting on a brave face. Her gaze fell on his hand with the IV tube inserted, then on the electrocardiogram monitor beside him. The fluctuating data on it made her heart grow heavier.

She knew this was no ordinary cold, but her father was still hiding his illness from her so as not to worry her.

Jiang Hua gently stroked her father's hand, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried hard not to let the tears fall, and choked out, "If Aunt Xu hadn't called me, would you have kept quiet about your illness?"

"Didn't I tell you? The weather's been so unpredictable lately, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Don't you know how to take your clothes off all the time? Can't you even take care of yourself?"

With her father like that, how could she feel at ease going abroad with Pei Zhan?

Jiang Weiguo coughed a few times, and Jiang Hua quickly got him a glass of water. "Dad, you're really fine. Don't worry about me all the time. It's enough that you and Pei Zhan are doing well."

Jiang Hua was slightly taken aback, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

She and Pei Zhan had indeed been through a lot. Although they were still divorced, ever since Pei Zhan came back, she had never cared whether she was Pei Zhan's wife or the matriarch of the Huo family.

In her heart, as long as Pei Zhan could be by her side, all those titles and honors were irrelevant.

Jiang Hua nodded and said softly, "Dad, don't worry, Pei Zhan and I will be fine. Don't think about anything right now."

Jiang Weiguo nodded slightly, his eyes full of relief: "Good, good... As long as you are all well, Dad is at ease."

"As long as you're okay."

“You and Pei Zhan are both getting on in years. Don’t argue in front of the children.”

“If Ah Xun hears this, he will be heartbroken.”

Jiang Hua: "Let's stop arguing."

Jiang Weiguo knew Jiang Hua's temper. During the time she lived with Pei Zhan in Yulong Bay, she often argued with him in front of him.

Now that you're married and have children, you should try to tone down your temper a bit.

The family doctor had visited once, but Jiang Hua was still worried, so she took her father to the hospital for a checkup.

The smell of disinfectant permeated every corner of the hospital.

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Jiang Hua held Jiang Weiguo's arm tightly as Wang Qi led them through the various departments with familiarity. Each procedure made Jiang Hua's heart clench even tighter.

After all the tests were completed, Jiang Hua and Jiang Weiguo sat in the doctor's office waiting for the results.

The doctor carefully reviewed the examination report: "Mr. Jiang's condition is a sequela of a heart attack. The previous heart attack caused some damage to his body. Although he is not in life-threatening danger at present, he needs to pay more attention to rest and avoid fatigue and emotional excitement."

Hearing the doctor's words, Jiang Hua's heart sank, and her eyes instantly reddened. She looked at Jiang Weiguo and said with heartache, "Dad, you've been hiding it from me, saying it was just a cold."

Jiang Weiguo smiled helplessly and patted Jiang Hua's hand: "Dad was just afraid you'd worry. It's alright, Huahua, Dad knows his own body."

Jiang Hua was most afraid of hearing this sentence from her. Every time she got sick, she would always use this sentence to brush her off and turn to the doctor to say, "Doctor, is there anything else he needs to pay special attention to in terms of diet and daily life?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "You should eat a light diet, avoiding greasy and high-salt foods. Maintain a regular lifestyle and ensure sufficient sleep. In addition, appropriate exercise can help with recovery, but strenuous exercise should be avoided."

As Jiang Hua listened, she silently made notes in her mind.

The doctor concluded by adding, "Most importantly, you must take your medication on time."

Jiang Hua: "Okay, doctor."

Jiang Hua felt reassured that her father was being taken care of by Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang supervised her father taking his medicine every day, so she was sure he would be alright.

She helped Jiang Weiguo out of the hospital. All the way, she held tightly to her father's arm.

However, at that moment, a commotion broke out in the hospital lobby.

"Quickly, hold her down! Quickly, hold her down! We absolutely cannot let her run around!"

In the passageway not far away, several doctors and nurses were trying their best to catch up with the patient.

Jiang Hua stopped in her tracks out of curiosity and turned around to see a middle-aged woman in a hospital gown with completely white hair laughing maniacally in the lobby.

Everyone avoided her like the plague, as if she were a fly, and would shun her and go out of their way to avoid her.

"Daughter, my daughter is back."

"Haha, my little girl is back. Little girl, Mommy made you sweet potato soup."

"Mom saved them all for you, she didn't want to give them to your sister and brother."

...

"School's out, why isn't she home yet?"

Have you seen my little girl?

Have you seen her?

...

The passerby who had been caught disgustedly shoved her away.

That familiar voice, that familiar name, reappeared in Jiang Hua's world. Holding her father's arm, she unconsciously tightened her grip.

An emotion, not of instinct, pierced her heart with an unprecedented, sharp pain, like being pricked with a needle.

It felt like a pain that wasn't hers to feel.

It's probably the emotions that arose from the original owner's heart within Jiang Hua's body.

The existence of Zhou's mother, Zhou Yan, and the Zhou family... seemed to be constantly telling Jiang Hua that it was because of her that an innocent young life was stolen.

The beating heart that lived within her body was Zhou Xu's life, which was exchanged for Jiang Hua's life.

This method is not honorable.

Jiang Weiguo: "Huahua?"

Wang Qi: "Young Miss?"

The Jiang family would probably never be able to face the Zhou family, so Jiang Hua ultimately chose to ignore them and escape, saying, "Let's go."

Even if the Jiang family is guilty, they have already paid off the Zhou family's debts long ago.

The Jiang family owes them nothing.

Just as they were about to leave, the figure behind them suddenly rushed in front of Jiang Hua. The figure had messy hair that covered the cloudy eyes. Through the messy hair, she met the eyes that she could never forget, eyes that were full of sadness, dark and cloudy.

The wrinkles on her face made her look eighty years older in an instant.

“Ah Xu…”

Have you seen Ah-Xu?

"She's out of school, but she hasn't gone home yet because of the rain."

"I've asked so many people, but I haven't seen her. Have you seen her?"

...

"Someone come quick! Pull this crazy woman away!"

"Security, where's the security!"

Jiang Hua's emotions surged again, as if she were being pricked by countless needles, her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Those eyes pierced her heart with a deep pain.

Du Hong was quickly taken away by security guards. Before the doctor could bring her a sedative, she suddenly broke free from the security guards' restraints.

One person rushed out and ran into the street.

Before anyone could react, a car sped past, oblivious to the thin, sickly body in the hospital gown. The driver stared wide-eyed at the person rushing out, but didn't have time to brake, and crashed into him.

No!

Jiang Hua witnessed it all. She stood there, stunned, watching the scene after she was hit and thrown into the air, leaving a pool of red blood on the ground.

Suddenly, chaos erupted.

Until, it seemed that Jiang Hua was also hallucinating. Beside the motionless, injured person, she seemed to see a slender figure that was ethereal and transparent, able to be passed through by the crowd.

Like Zhou Xu, or Zhou Xu who was thirteen or fourteen years old, her eyes were filled with sorrow as she looked at the person lying in a pool of blood.

Jiang Hua stared for a long time, her heart pounding so hard that she couldn't calm down.

Back at Royal Dragon Bay, she was still absent-minded.

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Qiulan looked at the person who had returned with great heartache. "Miss, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have told you about your husband's situation. That way, you wouldn't have rushed back and encountered such a thing."

"Your hand was perfectly fine, and now it's been scratched like this."

Jiang Hua hadn't even noticed the scratches on her forearms; there were some bruises and several cuts on her skin. Today she was wearing a thin chiffon long-sleeved top, and the cuffs were torn.

"Aunt Xu, it's alright, I'm fine. It's only right that you call to tell me that Dad is sick."

She looked down and saw that the wound was probably left by the security guards when they grabbed Du Hong and wouldn't leave, keeping their hands on Jiang Hua.

Five years...

When Jiang Hua saw her again, she finally recognized her. Back then, when her relationship with Pei Zhan was at its worst and they were at a critical stage, she was sitting in her car with the window open when suddenly a crazy woman rushed over and slashed her on the shoulder.

At that time, Jiang Hua wanted to find the murderer, but she was unable to.

Later... Pei Zhan was found.

Jiang Hua believed it.

They also thought she was the murderer.

Years later, Jiang Hua finally realized that the murderer Pei Zhan had found was merely a ploy to exonerate the Zhou family.

Pei Zhan wanted to appease her anger, but he didn't want to hurt the Zhou family.

So he used what he called a win-win solution, wavering between the two.

For Pei Zhan, falling in love with her must have been a struggle and a source of inner conflict.

How could someone fall in love with their own enemy?

So much time has passed, and many things, no matter how much hatred she harbored, have almost completely faded from her heart.

Especially after Jiang Hua had Ah Xun.

She seemed to understand why Zhou's mother had become like this.

He suffered a shock and went insane for over a decade!

After all, that was her most beloved child!

...

In the study, Wang Qi poured a glass of water and handed it to Jiang Weiguo. "Sir, you haven't taken your medicine in a long time. If you don't want Miss to worry, please take it."

Jiang Weiguo raised his hand, but seeing that it was still the same, Wang Qi hesitated and then sadly put it down.

"Where's Huahua? Is she feeling better?"

Wang Qi said, "I've already told Miss that she's alright. However, she'll have to suffer a bit and rest in bed for a while."

"It's good that she's alright. Find a good caregiver to look after her."

"Yes, sir."

downstairs.

Jiang Hua picked up her bag and suddenly turned to leave. Xu Qiulan called out, "Miss, aren't you staying for dinner tonight?"

"No, I'll bring Ah Xun with me in a couple of days."

Xu Qiulan hadn't seen the young lady for a long time, and she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as she had to leave soon. "Then, young lady, please be careful on your journey."

Before leaving, Jiang Hua couldn't help but say, "Aunt Xu, if Dad has this problem again, remember to call me again."

"Good lady."