Shen Anbai pursed his lips, then quickly looked over again and said, "Why are you crying?"
His tone was somewhat stiff.
Mother Shen sobbed and clutched her chest, "My heart is breaking."
Shen Anbai felt annoyed for a moment. He took a deep breath and said, "Don't act like I've bullied you, okay?"
"Just ask you, am I really your child?"
Shen Anbai asked, enunciating each word carefully, looking intently at his Mother Shen.
Mother Shen was stunned for a moment.
When their eyes met, Shen Anbai realized that it had been a long time since he had really looked at the person in front of him.
He used to dislike her for not being pretty or elegant enough, and for haggling over every penny when buying groceries, even arguing over five cents. But today he realized that she had aged a lot more than he remembered.
She had many fine wrinkles around her eyes, lots of gray hair, and looked short and pitiful standing next to others.
Mother Shen was taken aback by this question. She paused for two seconds, then asked, "Why do you feel that you weren't born to me?"
"Because you've never been good to me since I was little!" Shen Anbai said, bottling up her grievances. "When other children were young, they could learn to paint, practice calligraphy, and learn many, many talents, but what about me? I wanted a piano, but none of you were willing to buy it for me."
Shen Anbai's chest heaved as he tried to calm himself down. "Other people's parents can help their children build connections and find ways to support them, right? What about me? I've always told myself to study hard because I have no one to rely on."
"After graduating and entering the entertainment industry, so many people looked down on me, and so many people caused me trouble. I swallowed all these grievances and pain alone."
"You and my dad know nothing. Not only do you know nothing, but you also ask me for money every day."
Hearing this, Mother Shen couldn't hold back anymore, "Your father is sick and needs surgery. I really don't have that much money, so I only asked for two thousand."
"Isn't two thousand money?"
Mother Shen was speechless. After a while, she explained, "A piano costs tens of thousands of yuan. It's really too expensive for your father and me. Our family simply can't afford it."
"Alright," Shen Anbai interrupted his Mother Shen, his voice trembling with emotion, "Stop explaining. I don't want to hear your grievances anymore."
[No, Shen Anbai, can't you show some respect for your mother?]
[This is outrageous, so outrageous! Why isn't this kind of unethical artist banned yet?]
If I dared to talk to my mom like that, she would have slapped me across the face long ago.
[Although, I feel I can understand Shen Anbai's feelings a little. This world is inherently unfair. Some people are born into luxury villas, while others live in dilapidated rural houses. Some are born into a world where others can only dream of reaching the ceiling.]
[That's not entirely true. Take Shen Anbai's family, for example. Even though Jiang Nan's family is wealthy now, at least they raised him until now.]
[Fate predetermined your future from the moment you were born; beyond that, you have the power to change it. Resenting others is the most useless thing to do.]
When I was little, I loved a type of candy called lipstick candy. But it was too expensive, and every time I went to the supermarket, I would pick it up, only to be urged to put it down by my mother. Now that I'm grown up and can earn my own money, I can buy lots and lots of lipstick candy. But after buying it, I realized that lipstick candy is just a kind of candy, sweet, but not as good as I imagined. It's just that my obsession was too deep, and no one could satisfy my desire. I love my mother very much, and my mother loves me very much too, but my family situation has destined me to have many, many regrets.
[Hugs to the person upstairs. Actually, I also really wanted lipstick candy when I was little, but my mom wouldn't buy it for me.]
People who had unhappy childhoods often heal themselves as adults.
[My body is starting to crumble. In all my years, I've never eaten KFC, never been to Starbucks, never ridden a high-speed train or airplane, never left my province, never seen the capital. I've been a frog in a well for half my life, and I still will be for the rest.]
[I couldn't hold back anymore. Studying can change your destiny, but I was born in the most populous province, where the number of students taking the college entrance exam each year is twenty times that of other provinces. I get up at five and go to bed at midnight, working incredibly hard, but I can only get into a second-tier university. I was born mediocre, and I'm still mediocre. Studying can't change me.]
[Let's not go off-topic, everyone. Shen Anbai is clearly ambitious but unlucky; he can never see the good in his parents and is always blaming others.]
[Yes, the wealth gap is a problem that can never be solved. But Shen Anbai is truly a classic example of an ingrate.]
[ Shen Anbai, I didn't stop being a fan when you were being attacked online, and I didn't stop being a fan when you went on a dating show with that greasy guy, because I really like your looks, your acting, and how good you are when you dance. But today I'm not a fan anymore. I can't accept my idol being someone who disrespects parents.]
The live stream chat was flooded with comments, and the buzz was building rapidly. Even Lin Cheng, who was live streaming, quietly turned on her tablet.
-
Shen Anbai looked at his Mother Shen, his eyes filled with disappointment, and said, "You're always making excuses, always explaining yourself. I don't want to listen to you anymore."
"All I want to ask you right now is, am I really your child?"
Mother Shen raised her hand again to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and answered in a choked voice, "Of course."
Three words, spoken softly, but with absolute certainty.
After those words were spoken, both Jiang Nan and Shen Anbai were stunned.
Jiang Nan doubted her ears.
He had initially suspected that Mother Shen had switched the two children back.
But Mother Shen's expression right now doesn't seem like she's lying.
Jiang Nan, having taken several acting classes, carefully observed Mother Shen's expression.
Her mouth was still half-open, she was breathing heavily, and her eyes were red as she stared unblinkingly at Shen Anbai.
Shen Anbai was struck dumb, his first reaction was that his Mother Shen was lying.
"You're talking nonsense, that's impossible!"
Mother Shen said calmly, "A test will tell us the answer."
Shen Anbai was on the verge of collapse; he almost lost his balance. He remembered the ledger and felt as if he had found a pillar of support.
"Then tell me, why did Jiang Nan call you 'Mom' in that ledger?"
Mother Shen was stumped by the question.
She paused, then turned to look at Jiang Nan.
This woman had a hard life; her face was weathered, but her eyes were gentle.
Jiang Nan suddenly fell silent.
Her brown eyes held a hint of inexplicable sadness.
I'll tell you the answer.
A male voice suddenly rang out from the entrance of the hall.
The man was wearing a white shirt, a silver-gray tie, and a suit jacket draped over his arm; he walked with a confident stride.