She was so righteous that it made Hu Jiasheng a little curious. "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Gao stepped closer to him, her tone full of earnest advice.
"I don't know if you know about Tang Nannan's past, but I think I need to tell you."
"Her parents violated very serious laws, which will affect their descendants for three generations. Moreover, Tang Nannan has a mentally ill brother who will be a burden her entire life."
"Except for a bit of beauty, there's nothing about her that's worthy of you. Open your eyes, Asheng. This city is so big, and there are excellent girls everywhere. Even if you disregard background, you should at least find someone..."
Hu Jiasheng's rebellious streak was successfully ignited by her. He interrupted Mrs. Gao and sneered.
"Originally, I wasn't planning to do anything with Tang Nannan. But now, since she's so pitiful and so unwelcome by mothers like you, and it seems no one else will want her, I might as well take her in."
"Now, to answer your question, Tang Nannan and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, and we will be getting married soon. You're welcome to attend our wedding, madam."
"You!"
Mrs. Gao was almost infuriated to death.
"Asheng, I know you're just saying that in anger. You two haven't known each other long, and you don't have feelings for her yet. Don't do something you'll regret just to spite me."
"Who says we don't have feelings? Even Grandfather approves of us. Why should I regret it?"
Hu Jiasheng said with a straight face.
"Tang Nannan has no faults except for being less cunning than you. She's more than enough for me."
Mrs. Gao was very anxious. "Asheng, I know Zhan Beijue and Jiang Nanfang are trying their best to encourage you two to be together, which has caused you to have a biased view of Tang Nannan. She's very ordinary, but now you think she's outstanding."
"But think about it from another angle, is your relationship really at that stage? Does Zhan Beijue really need to bless you? Could this be a subtle way for him to try and lower your standards?"
Hu Jiasheng was utterly speechless.
What kind of logic was this?
"As far as I know, if I'm not mistaken, Jiang Nanfang's background is no better than Tang Nannan's. What qualifications does Zhan Beijue have to lower my standards in this matter?"
Mrs. Gao: "Jiang Nanfang's background is indeed not good, but they had an engagement since childhood, and Jiang Nanfang's family has no criminal record. That's incomparable!"
"So, according to your logic, Tang Nannan deserves to be reviled just because of her parents, and no man is worthy of her, right?"
"There are many men with poor conditions in this world, and many people who have no right to look down on Tang Nannan. It's important to be well-matched. She should be with people like them so that there won't be conflicts in the future!"
After hearing her, Hu Jiasheng stared out the window speechlessly for two seconds, suddenly feeling fortunate that he didn't have a mother growing up.
"I don't know what your father saw in you to be willing to abandon a distinguished lady for you. But at least in my eyes, his decision was extremely absurd."
"Your own background isn't good either. If it weren't for your looks, would my father have fallen for you? You're allowed to walk this path, but Tang Nannan isn't? You're truly amusing."
"Tang Nannan said she's known you for a long time and that you watched her grow up. For someone with such a relationship to be so malicious, I even have reason to suspect that your involvement in her parents' misfortune cannot be ruled out."
Mrs. Gao was once again choked by him, and her heart trembled.
Although he had no solid proof, being suspected by her own son was truly painful.
"I know you're infatuated with her now, and you won't listen to anything I say. Just like your father was with me back then... Fine, let's not talk about your affairs, let's talk about something else."
Hu Jiasheng impatiently interrupted her.
"Is there anything else to say? I have nothing to say to you. It's time, please move aside."
"No." Mrs. Gao spread her arms and blocked him.
"We have too few opportunities to interact openly. Today, I must say everything in one go."
"Asheng, I'm your only mother. You're the only one in this world you can speak your true feelings to. Tell me honestly, have the Zhan family wronged you in any way? Do you hate them? Just nod, and I can make them disappear without a trace!"
Hu Jiasheng now thought she was a psychologically twisted lunatic.
"You think too highly of yourself. Do you think Zhan Beijue's head is filled with mush? Make him disappear without a trace? Go back and burn a few more incense sticks to bless yourself."
After saying that, he roughly pushed her shoulder, making her stumble and nearly fall onto the hospital bed. He then strode out of the ward.
Tang Nannan was waiting in the corridor not far away, her posture upright, looking well-behaved.
Hu Jiasheng walked over, grabbed her hand, and without a word, quickly pulled her towards the elevator as if escaping.
His strides were so large that Tang Nannan had to jog to keep up with him.
"Mr. Hu, what's wrong? What happened? Can you slow down a bit? I can't keep up."
Hu Jiasheng finally stopped and looked back at her.
Because of her hurried steps, Tang Nannan couldn't brake in time and bumped directly into his chest.
Her forehead hit his hard chin, causing a sharp pain.
She instinctively reached up to touch her forehead, and Hu Jiasheng covered it for her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Does it hurt a lot?"
Since he apologized, how could she bear to say it hurt?
Tang Nannan looked up and met his gaze, shaking her head.
"It's fine. Is your chin okay?"
"No, it's fine."
Although Hu Jiasheng had always known Tang Nannan was a beauty, very pretty, with delicate skin, this was the first time he had observed her at such close range.
Her eyebrows were dark and curved, clearly defined. The fluorescent light hit them, casting a gentle glow, far better than meticulously drawn ones.
Her eyes were like a lake forgotten in a hidden paradise, so blue, so clear, so large, and so bright.
His reflection in them appeared brilliant.
Her nose was high and small, her lips were also small, with a slightly pouting upper lip and a beautiful curve.
Combined with her fair, flawless, and unblemished skin, she was truly perfect and beautiful.
Such a person had traveled from Sucheng to Nancheng behind his back.
She had said so many things, both openly and implicitly, about wanting to be with him. Why had he rejected her?
Thinking about what Mrs. Gao had just said, and considering that if Tang Nannan were to date someone else, even an ordinary person, their mothers would still look down on her background and her sick brother, how hopeless her life must be.
He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her.
Hu Jiasheng blew on her reddened forehead and gently rubbed it. Then, his hand moved to her chin, lifting her face.
"Can I ask you a question?"