"Later, he was like a completely different person... no, to be precise, he revealed his true nature.
Every time I urged him to find a proper job and pull himself together, he would hit and curse me, calling me materialistic and looking down on him. How ridiculous, if I were truly materialistic, would I have married him? Wouldn't I have stayed by his side when he had nothing?
Yet, he's the one who called me materialistic, while he himself had tried multiple times to get close to rich heiresses. But he hadn't managed his physique over the years, developing a beer belly and his looks had gone downhill. He had been humiliated by those rich heiresses several times," Su Xi paused, then continued,
"Later, not only did he refuse to work, but all the money I earned from my jobs was snatched by him to buy alcohol or gamble. He was better when he was out, but once he returned, he would start beating me.
The injuries on my body grew more severe. The most serious time, he directly pushed me down the stairs, breaking my lower leg.
But after staying in the hospital for a week, he forcibly discharged me. Because there was no money left at home, he wanted me to work with my injuries to earn money so he could continue gambling..."
Ni Nina gasped, looking at Su Xi with deep sympathy. She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you ever think of divorcing him?"
"I did, but he wouldn't agree. He threatened me with Ming Han, saying that if I divorced him, I would have to give up Ming Han's custody. Then, he would inflict all the beatings I endured onto Ming Han, beating Ming Han to death.
In that era, domestic violence was completely ignored. At most, it would be mediation. If parents beat their children to death, they would only receive a few reprimands, and no one would pursue the matter. To protect Ming Han, I had to continue to endure. But later, Ou Xu's greed grew larger and larger. The money I brought back was no longer enough to satisfy him, he...
Forced me into prostitution. I refused, so he beat me like a madman, and even choked me, causing me to lose consciousness from suffocation.
When I woke up, I realized a fact: if this continued, he would truly beat me to death! So, I ran away."
Su Xi seemed to have come back to life, letting out a long sigh, as if waking from a nightmare.
After listening, Ye Zhi instinctively looked at Cen Ya. She was very curious, if Cen Ya and Ou Ming Han were in the same situation, what choice would she make?
Cen Ya was both angry and indignant. She angrily questioned, "How could you do this?!"
Everyone was startled, and they all looked at Cen Ya in confusion.
"If you left, wouldn't that mean Ming Han would have to face such a demon father alone, enduring torment by himself? You are his mother, how could you not protect your child?" Cen Ya said indignantly, "You leaving like this is too irresponsible!"
After speaking, Cen Ya turned to Ou Ming Han and said tenderly, "Ming Han, you suffered so much in the past..."
Ye Zhi: ...
This love-struck fool is completely beyond hope!
Everyone looked at Cen Ya in shock, how could she say such a thing?
Even Ni Na, who had always doted on Cen Ya, now seemed to see her daughter for the first time, saying disbelievingly, "Xiao Ya, how can you say such things? She was almost beaten to death! Her leaving at a time like this was to escape for her life!
Even if she didn't escape, and was beaten to death, wouldn't Ou Ming Han still be tormented? It's true that she is Ou Ming Han's mother, but besides being a mother, she is also a living person!"
Ye Zhi looked at Ni Na with some surprise. She truly hadn't expected Ni Na to say something so sensible.
It seemed that although Ni Na was a bit muddled and easily swayed, compared to Cen Ya, Ni Na was completely sound in crucial matters.
"Mom, I, I just feel too sorry for Ming Han," Cen Ya defended herself in a flustered manner, "Even if she wanted to escape, she should have taken Ming Han with her, not abandoned him!"
"Ming Han, do you remember what you said when I woke up?" Su Xi calmly looked at Ou Ming Han.
Ou Ming Han pursed his lips tightly, remaining silent.
"You said at the time..." Su Xi recalled, imitating his disgusted tone, "Mom, why did you anger Dad again? Dad asked you to sell yourself, why didn't you just comply! As long as you lie on the bed, you'll get money. Isn't that better than you working hard every day and still not earning enough? Then I'll have new clothes and shoes, and won't be mocked by other classmates anymore!"
Everyone looked at Ou Ming Han in unison. Ou Ming Han should have still been a child when this happened. But for a child to say such heart-piercing words to his own mother could only be attributed to being inherently wicked.
"At that, at that time, Ming Han was just a child, his words were innocent, he didn't mean it at all... he must have been forced, his father forced him to say that..." Cen Ya was still frantically making excuses for Ou Ming Han, and finally, she angrily accused, "Even if he really said it, you can't abandon him just because of a single sentence!"
"I never thought of abandoning him," Su Xi sighed softly, "Even though he said things that hurt me, I just felt that Ou Xu had corrupted him.
My original plan was to earn money elsewhere, and once I had a place to settle, I would take Ming Han to my side, teach him properly, and strive to bring him back.
And that's exactly what I did. When I found stable work and housing in another province, I secretly returned to Kyoto, intending to pick up Ming Han.
However, after I returned, I learned that Ou Xu refused to accept the fact that I had run away. He felt it made him lose face, so he told Ming Han and others that the Ye family wouldn't let us go, and that I was forced to jump off a building by the Ye family.
Ou Xu lost his income and started driving a taxi. But even driving a taxi was sporadic; as soon as he had income, he would drink and gamble.
When I returned, Ou Xu happened to be out. So, I picked up Ming Han, preparing to take him with me. However, Ming Han agreed to go with me, but on the way, he cried and fussed, constantly asking for this and that.
I thought it was because he hadn't seen me for a long time, so he lacked security. But I didn't expect that he was secretly reporting my whereabouts to Ou Xu. He took the opportunity while I was buying something to call Ou Xu and tell him I was back, and even gave him our location."
Everyone looked at Ou Ming Han again, their eyes filled with contempt.
He clearly had the chance to leave with Su Xi, but not only did he not go, he also cut off Su Xi's lifeline.
"Then what happened later?" Ye Zhi asked.
"Later, Ou Xu, who received the news, rushed over in his car. I also discovered Ming Han's true intentions. I was very angry and scared at the time. I didn't want to face that demon again, so I left Ming Han and departed alone..."