"Your dad will definitely have another huge fight with your grandpa when he goes back this time."
Su Xiajing leaned over the railing, idly teasing her daughter with a finger, and deliberately said, "He was angry before because your grandpa listened to some charlatan and deliberately transferred your aunt out of headquarters. He'll definitely be furious this time."
"After he makes a scene, your grandpa probably won't dare hurt you again."
"So don't be scared, Tang Tang. Mommy and Daddy will protect you."
Worried by her naivety, Tang Tang sighed.
Oh, my beautiful mommy, you really don't know a thing about fate.
If fate were that easy to change, we wouldn't have died young in lifetime after lifetime.
If you really can't bear to leave that scumbag dad of mine and don't want a divorce, then pick up your career again once you recover. Go back to work.
Having something to do and taking your mind off him would still be better than being so lovesick that he's all you care about.
"..."
Su Xiajing's hand trembled.
Lifetime after lifetime... No wonder the scenes that flashed through my mind were slightly different. It's already happened so many times.
Is that why my daughter is so certain she'll still be thrown away, and I'll still be hurt?
But she doesn't seem to know I'm already looking for a lawyer to prepare for a divorce, or that I'm planning a comeback.
"Before you were born, your dad and I agreed that wherever he went on business, he would take us along. Our family of three would always be together."
Su Xiajing deliberately pretended not to know her worries and kept prompting her. "Once you're a little bigger, Tang Tang, Mommy and Daddy will take you around the world. How does that sound?"
Tang Tang was genuinely angry with her now:
...In two years at most, that scumbag will get tired of dealing with your illness and start distancing himself from you. Then he'll get together with Su Chuchu.
And a while after that, you'll die.
You don't have much time left to live, and you're still thinking about traveling the world with that scumbag?
Wake up.
What you should be thinking about right now is how to stay alive!
Stop obsessing over something as trivial as romance!
Su Xiajing was speechless.
So he betrayed me simply because he got tired of caring for me, felt pressured, and had enough?
Just two years. In such a short time, he forgot his promises.
The human heart really is the most changeable thing in the world.
Lasting love and forever only exist in fairy tales.
This divorce has to happen.
Su Xiajing had no intention of letting anyone else know about something as fantastical as being the only person who could read her daughter's mind, so she gave her no answer. After a little idle chatter, she began soothing her to sleep.
After that outpouring, Tang Tang's mouth was dry. Seeing Su Xiajing acting as though nothing had happened left her seething but helpless.
Am I stupid?
Why am I getting anxious and angry?
She can't hear me no matter how much I say, so why waste my energy upsetting myself?
Comforting herself, Tang Tang shut her mouth and decided to drift off to dreamland.
Once the voice in her head fell silent, Su Xiajing knew her daughter had fallen asleep.
She carefully bent down, kissed her daughter's cheek, and pulled the blanket over her. "Good night, sweetheart."
A little later, Sister Wang brought in her dinner.
Su Xiajing drank a bowl of soup and ate a little of the main dish. Just as she was about to lie down and rest, Tang Beichen returned.
He gently pushed the door open and came in. "Is Tang Tang asleep again?"
The sight of Tang Beichen was like seeing the man who would betray her in a few years. Even one more glance at him made Su Xiajing feel betrayed.
Su Xiajing pulled up the blanket and turned her back on him.
Tang Beichen was speechless.
"Honey, I was wrong."
Tang Beichen went around to the other side of the bed and carefully crouched down, resting against the mattress with an aggrieved look. "It was my carelessness that frightened you and Tangtang. But I've already spoken to Dad. He won't dare hurt our Tangtang again."
"I've asked my secretary to arrange for several bodyguards. They'll protect you and Tang Tang around the clock."
"I promise I'll never give Dad another chance to hurt our Tang Tang."
She had to admit that identifying the problem and putting measures in place so quickly showed real decisiveness. He had done very well.
If only she hadn't dreamed of those terrible things happening to her and Tang Tang...
Su Xiajing looked at him bleakly. "You think your dad won't give up easily either, don't you? Is that why you hired bodyguards for Tang Tang and me?"
Tang Beichen opened his mouth, then struggled to say, "I'm sorry."
"But don't worry. I won't let what you're afraid of happen. I'll protect Tang Tang even if it costs me my life."
Even if it costs him his life...
What beautiful, moving words.
Would he say the same thing when I fell seriously ill after losing Tang Tang?
Then, one day, when he got tired and didn't want to shoulder the burden anymore, would he blame me for dragging him down?
"That won't be necessary."
Su Xiajing closed her eyes. "Ultimately, your dad is doing this for you and the Tang family, so I won't trouble you. I'll protect Tangtang myself."
"Leave."
Tang Beichen stared at her, dumbfounded. "H-honey, where do you want me to go?"
She was throwing him out?
No way. Surely she didn't mean what he thought she meant?
Su Xiajing looked at him silently.
"I'm not leaving!"
Tang Beichen shamelessly lay down on the bed. "Honey, you just gave birth to Tangtang for me. I have to take responsibility for you. It's my duty to stay close and look after you and Tangtang."
"I've already requested parental leave from the company. I'm not going anywhere for the next two weeks. I'll stay by your side and fulfill my responsibilities as a husband and father."
"..."
Su Xiajing had never seen this shameless side of Tang Beichen before and was stunned for a moment.
She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Get out."
This time, she had only told him to get out, not to leave.
Tang Beichen automatically tuned out anything that worked against him. Catching the pillow, he coaxed her gently. "All right, all right. I'll listen to you, honey. I'll get out right now."
He obediently hopped off the bed and carefully put the pillow back.
"I'll sleep in the guest room next door. If you need anything, call me or message me on WeChat. I promise I'll come whenever you need me."
"Honey, remember to call me if anything comes up!"
He backed toward the door, pointing at his phone as he reminded her.
Su Xiajing was speechless.
His wife's attitude had changed far too much.
He'd done everything he should, yet her attitude hadn't changed at all. It just didn't make sense.
"Who came to the house while I was away?"
Tang Beichen stopped Sister Wang to ask.
"Only Miss Su's manager."
Tang Beichen immediately called Zhang Zhang.
"Xia Jing's suddenly acting really strange. Do you know why?"
Zhang Zhang was speechless.
This is so annoying.
Can you two please keep an outsider like me out of your marital problems?
Before you continue