Translator: TNTG Editor: alteringviews
Crash!
“I’ve raised you all this while, is this how you talk to me?!” Chen Guo Tao smashed his cup of tea on the floor and abruptly stood up. He then raised his hand attempting to slap Chen Xiao Yan.
“Husband, please don’t hit her! You can just talk it out.” A beautiful woman had hurriedly rushed in between Chen Guo Tao and Chen Xiao Yan thus interrupting the slap.
“Please control your temper, Husband. You can’t allow your blood pressure to spike.” The woman persuaded. She then turned towards Chen Xian Yan and reprimanded her. “Xiao Yan. How had I taught you to behave? Is this how you talk you your father? As a daughter, you should listen to your father. How can you rebuff him? Look at how mad your father is. What if you caused him to suffer a stroke?”
Looking at the father who had nearly slapped here, Chen Xiao Yan could only let out a bitter smile.
Chen Guo Tao finally dropped his hand as he angrily said, “Look at this disobedient daughter you had taught!”
This woman who had just appeared is Chen Guo Tao’s second wife, Lin Mei Zhu. Although she had given Chen Guo Tao a daughter and had been loyally devoted to him all these years, she still can’t hold the official title of Mrs. Chen because Chen Guo Tao never married her legally. To outsiders, her authority in the Chen family was just slightly above that of a servant.
Although she was already in her forties, she still looked stunning because she had meticulously maintained her look.
Lin Mei Zhu placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and quickly urged, “Quickly apologise to your father.”
“Dad…”
Chen Xiao Yan eyes redden as tears began flowing. “Be honest with yourself, had you fulfilled your obligation as a father these past twenty years? Now, you even want to force me to marry the Song family’s depraved son just to advance your business interest. Is this being fair to me?
“What? Marry the Song family’s son?” Lin Mei Zhu was startled before she tried to clarify, “Is it Song Shi Cheng? Isn’t he engaged to marry Little Xian?”
“Mom, the Song family will collapse soon. Dad felt that it’s not worth it to marry big sister to them. So, I will be the substitute.” Chen Xiao Yan was sobbing in despair, “I’m just a complementary gift to advance your business,”
“You can just leave this house if you’re no willing to get married! There’s no need for you to point finger. It’s still too early for a little girl like you to berate me!” Chen Guo Tao just angrily yelled without the slightest hint of remorse.
“Er, Husband. Maybe this news was just too abrupt for Xiao Yan to accept for the time being. Allow me to speak to her. So, don’t be mad.” After that, Lin Mei Zhu quickly brought her daughter upstairs fearing the issue might escalate further otherwise.
“She’s getting more impertinent as she grew older!” Chen Guo Tao grumbled as he sat back down on the sofa. He was looking pensive as he stared at the cup on the carpet.
*****
Back in her room, Chen Xiao Yan collapse on her bed and just continued sobbing after covering herself with a blanket.
Lin Mei Zhu waited until she had digested this sudden development before she started persuading her daughter. “Xiao Yan, there’s no need for you to be so upset. Why don’t you listen to what your mom has to say first? Although the Song family aren’t doing very well at the moment, a starved camel is still larger than a horse. You marrying into the Song family might not necessarily be a bad thing.”
“Mom, stop!” Chen Xiao Yan got up from her bed and questioned his mother, “Are you also in agreement with that man to marry off your daughter? Am I just a bargaining chip? Does it my opinion even matters?”
“Silly child why are still so naïve?” Lin Mei Zhu apathetically said. “In this day and age, you still want to pursue love? It is just some fleeting delusion and you can’t even fill your stomach with it. Ultimately, what’s most important when you marry someone is his capability to take care of you.”
“It’s because you are eyeing the Chen family’s wealth that you willingly let go of your own dignity and force yourself in here. Without any official status, you willingly became that man’s concubine simply to gain access to an unlimited credit card.” Chen Xiao Yan just spoke plainly out of anger.
Lin Mei Zhu eyes widened in anger when she heard her daughter, “Xiao Yan, how can you speak like that to your own mother?”
Chen Xiao Yan immediately repented and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“My child, you have never truly suffered hardship.” Lin Mei Zhu sighed. “You got it right. Your mom’s current status in the family is rather awkward. All these years, there are many people who have been besmirching me behind my back. But in return for all these, I have very little worries in life and I can even get pretty much anything I desire. Do you know, twenty years ago before I was pregnant with you, I live in a basement, had bread for meals and only drank tap water? If haven’t let go of my own dignity and lodge myself at the Chen’s family front door all those years ago, do you think you’ll be able to live such a care free live? You never had to suffer from hunger, had proper clothing and studied all the way until you graduate from a university?”
“But mom, we’re living a life without much of a dignity to speak of.” Chen Xiao Yan downheartedly answered. “All these year, there were just too many people who had looked down on us. The brother and sister pair had also been bullying us mother and daughter all this years. You told me to be sensible, patient and just endure it yet it only resulted in them pushing things even further! As for my career, I don’t have much of a passion at being a doctor but you said that it will be a big help to the family’s business. It will also help to improve our status in family. So, I studied really hard to complete both my undergraduate and postgraduate three years ahead of academic schedule. I even gave up the opportunity to study aboard and invitation from public hospital just work as a regular doctor in Qing Mao Hospital. I had sacrificed my youth working diligently day and night not even had a chance to fall in love even once yet. Honestly, I felt like my life was a total failure!”
“Compared to the brother and sister pair, they had only known how to enjoy life since childhood until now. It doesn’t matter if their academic result was poor since they have their father to pave out their future for them. They get to graduate abroad and were being given a few hospitals and company to manage after they returned. Not only did I get ordered around by them all the time, now I even had to replace Chen Yi Xian to marry Song Shi Cheng. It’s not like you not aware of how notorious that degenerate playboy is. Not only did he only know how to eat, drink, gamble and womanize, he even committed all sorts of outrages wherever he goes. A total bully! Mom, do you truly have the heart of letting your only daughter to fall into a hellhole forsaking her lifelong happiness?”
“Xiao Yan, I know this doesn’t do you justice but you should also have a wider view of things.” Lin Mei Zhu grasped her daughter hands before she continued, “This sort of arrangements are very common in our social circle. There are quite a number of married couples who got together because of family arrangement. If the couple truly can’t get along, they will each have their own life. The man will enjoy having fun and womanizing outside while the woman will exert all their effort to spend lavishly. In short, just don’t mistreat yourself.”
Lin Mei Zhu could only sigh when she saw her daughter shaking her head. It seems like her daughter are still not receptive to whatever she said. Thus, she could leave the room to allow her daughter to calm down. Before closing the door, she added one last sentence, “If you’re truly unwilling to marry, your mom is prepared to leave this family along with you.”
Having said that, Chen Xiao Yuan knew her mom was reluctant to abandon her current lavish lifestyle. If not, she wouldn’t endure the humiliations all these years.
Does this mean she truly have no means to avoid this bitter fate of hers?
When she thought of this, she couldn’t help closing her eyes and started crying again.