A faint voice brought the couple back to their senses, and they quickly shook their heads.
He Junshu cried, "No, Xiao Jiu, Mom didn't know how to face you. I've been thinking about you every day all these years. Xiao Jiu, Mom is so sorry for you!"
He Junshu's face was filled with deep pain. No matter how much she said, it was an excuse. Her faked death had also caused a lot of harm to Xiao Jiu.
He, who was lively and cute since childhood, shouldn't have grown up to be so dull and cold.
Looking at his eyes and A Heng's eyes, one could tell that children who were raised with love had bright and shining eyes. Xiao Jiu's eyes, however, were dull and cold, showing little emotion when he looked at people.
She was truly a sinner!
"Wuwuwu..." He Junshu couldn't bear it and covered her face, sobbing. Her heart ached intensely. She had waited for this day for so long, so long that she thought she would never see it.
Li Zhenting held his wife in his arms, then glanced at the indifferent Mu Jiuchen, and helplessly lowered his eyes. It was their fault for what happened to Xiao Jiu.
If he had been more capable back then, they wouldn't have been separated as a family.
"Xiao Jiu, I know no matter how much I say, it can't make up for the harm I've caused you. Dad was incompetent; I couldn't take you with me back then." Li Zhenting could only say this. Anything more would be wrong.
Xiao Jiu was past the age where he needed care. He was already a father. Talking more would be useless.
Mu Jiuchen frowned, looking at the couple hugging each other. A sliver of discomfort grew in his heart, then gradually expanded until it permeated his entire being.
He thought he wouldn't feel pain. He was past the age where he needed parental comfort and care. But people are not made of grass and wood; hearts are made of flesh and blood. He still felt pain.
Their explanation was simple, yet it was the most helpless reality.
Lacking ability meant many things couldn't be done. He understood this.
But understanding was one thing; his pain was real.
Telling him in such a decisive way was also right; it made him completely give up any lingering thoughts of having a mother.
His mother was dead. He actually didn't realize it for a long time. It wasn't until one day, when a servant was packing his mother's belongings, that his grandfather took his hand and said, "Xiao Jiu, it's okay. You still have Grandpa."
Only then did he accept the fact that his mother had truly left him.
At that moment, his heart began to panic. A sense of jealous fear spread from the depths of his heart, followed by a heart-wrenching pain.
Every cell in his body was filled with a pain he had never experienced before. He felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, never to see a glimmer of light. He lived like that, lost, for a period of time.
Later, when he saw his father bring back a new stepmother, he became sober. He had to live well, because his father's lack of love for his mother had led to her death. He harbored a seed of hatred, which grew infinitely every day, supporting his growth.
So, that's how he had persevered.
Jiang Nuan, seeing Mu Jiuchen's expression change, reached out and held his hand, squeezing it slightly.
Mu Jiuchen slowly regained his senses, slowly looking at Jiang Nuan. He realized his face felt cool.
Mu Jiuchen reached up to wipe it, realizing they were tears.
His heart constricted sharply, and he suddenly understood. His heart, which he thought was as firm as a rock, was now incredibly soft.
Seeing him shed tears, Jiang Nuan stayed by his side quietly, not speaking.
She remembered hearing Mu Jiuchen's voice by her ear many times when she was in a coma.
His voice was filled with the pain of fearing he would lose her, and he even made a joke at the end, promising to go to the hotel with her, a promise she had broken.
When he had lost someone before, had he also been in such pain when facing her death?
Jiang Nuan belatedly realized how cruel she had been to Mu Jiuchen. No wonder he had been clinging to her these past two days, desperately searching for her the moment they were apart.
The world knew him as heartless, but that heartless exterior was merely a shell to protect himself.
Mu Jiuchen took a deep breath, looking at his parents not far away, his voice still as calm as water, "There's nothing to be sorry about. The reason I'm here is simple: seeing you live happily, I have no regrets."
"Li Yanheng is at my place. He overheard your conversation and went to Jinshi to find me. I didn't tell him the truth; you tell him yourselves. He won't come back if he can't find me."
The couple was stunned!
A Heng had always been strictly controlled by them. They thought he had gone out this time to develop himself or to have fun, never imagining he would go to find his elder brother.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Li Zhenting reacted, then pulled his wife to sit opposite Mu Jiuchen and Jiang Nuan.
Li Zhenting dared not assume the role of a father; he was unworthy.
Being cowardly, he hadn't even dared to see what his son looked like over the years.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Jiu, Dad isn't qualified to say anything. Now, I only hope you can live happily. I will tell your brother the truth."
Xiao Jiu was willing to let A Heng stay at his place, meaning Xiao Jiu accepted A Heng. This was fate, that their brothers met on their own.
Mu Jiuchen stopped speaking. This familial bond had been neglected for too long, and he didn't know what else to say.
He Junshu looked at them and asked, "Nuan Nuan, have you had dinner?"
Jiang Nuan nodded and said, "Madam, we've already eaten."
"Oh!" He Junshu was a little disappointed. She had wanted to cook a meal for her son herself.
Another moment of silence passed, and the few of them were speechless.
After a while, Mu Jiuchen slightly tilted his head, looking at his still beautiful mother. The pain in his heart had been suppressed. He said, "I don't want my grandfather to know about this. He's old and can't handle such stimulation."
Li Zhenting and He Junshu understood and nodded. They also felt ashamed to ask their son to acknowledge them. For them, it was enough that Xiao Jiu could sit down and talk with them peacefully.
"Grandma would have wanted to see you the most. Please take some time to go back and see Grandma one last time." When he looked for his mother, it was because he felt his grandmother was too lonely and pitiful. His daughter's death was an unbearable fact of her life.
She had spent her entire life raising her children, never thinking about enjoying herself, and now she was old.
"Okay!" He Junshu still couldn't believe it at this moment. The dream she had longed for for many years had finally come true.
He Junshu was so relieved that she heard her son's words again, "I will arrange for Grandma to meet you. It's not good for too many people to know about this."
He Junshu understood that she was already a dead person.
She only dared to glance at her mother, not daring to hope for anything more.
Mu Jiuchen then took Jiang Nuan's hand and stood up, saying, "We should go."