Chapter 177: with translation of chapter title

In Shi Jin's memory, he and his sister had eaten the most chestnut pumpkin cake as they grew up.

Mom especially liked making it for them to eat; most of the time the frequency could be as high as daily, and each time she would ask how it tasted.

Even if they replied that it was better than the desserts outside, Mom would still ask the same question next time.

Shi Jin stared at the pumpkin cake his mother had gotten up early to make, having tried three times before barely being satisfied; vaguely, he seemed to understand a little why his mother was so obsessed with its taste.

Time passed minute by minute.

The private room door was pushed open from outside, and a handsome, tall and slender man stepped in.

Shi Qing almost instantly stood up, her eyes fixed on the man, her gaze flickering, a mix of emotions surging within her all at once.

Excitement, anticipation, surprise, and a timidness akin to homesickness—she called out to him after a long absence: '…Fu Yichuan.'

However, the person whose name was called showed only one expression—indifference.

Fu Yichuan didn't even glance at Shi Qing, lowered his eyelids, and uttered two words in a flat tone: 'Get out.'

He was speaking to Shi Jin.

Shi Qing went along with Fu Yichuan's words: 'Little Jin, you go out first.'

After a moment's hesitation, Shi Jin complied, rose to his feet, and as he brushed past Fu Yichuan, his peripheral vision lingered on the man for a brief glance at this unfamiliar father.

This time, Madame Xia did not come.

Only Shi Qing and Fu Yichuan remained in the private room.

A heavy silence spread.

Shi Qing reached out, opened the box containing the dessert, and naturally said: 'Your favorite pumpkin cake—I've made it pretty tasty now; would you like to try some—'

'I remember I said before, never let you appear before me again.'

Fu Yichuan ignored the pumpkin cake and coldly cut off Shi Qing's words.

Shi Qing let her eyes droop in disappointment and explained: 'I know you don't want to see me, and I don't want to bother you either, but Yaoyao has gotten into trouble—I really have no choice…'

'So what?' Fu Yichuan remained unmoved: 'What does it have to do with me? Whether you live or die, what does it have to do with me?'

Shi Qing choked up, helpless and at a loss: 'Yaoyao is also your daughter, and Xiao Jin is your son—you just saw him a moment ago, Fu Yichuan—I raised them well; you are their father.'

'Hah.'

Fu Yichuan gave a mocking laugh, completely ignoring Shi Qing's attempt to play the victim.

'Don't act all pitiful; that line might fool my mother, but it doesn't work on me. I know exactly what kind of person you are, Shi Qing. I came only to tell you this is the last time you'll test my bottom line.'

Having said that.

Fu Yichuan turned and left without hesitation.

He pulled open the private room door.

He and the boy standing in the hallway outside locked eyes.

Madame Xia was right.

Shi Jin and his father Fu Yichuan really do look alike, especially in the brows and eyes—both belong to the gentle, handsome type.

Upon seeing Shi Jin, a flicker of disgust instinctively rose in Fu Yichuan's eyes, as if looking at him another second would sully his gaze.

Afterward, the man withdrew his gaze as if dealing with a stranger, without pause, and walked away.

Shi Jin couldn't articulate what he felt at that moment.

Was it embarrassment? Awkwardness? Or shame?

The only thing Shi Jin knew for sure—it wasn't surprising.

Because he had seen that kind of look since he was very young.

Shi Jin remembers.

It was the fourth birthday of him and his sister; Mother dressed them up especially finely, took them on a plane, and brought them to a city they had never set foot in before.

Mother pointed to a tall building and said Father worked inside.

Since Shi Jin could remember, Mother had told them they had a father, showed them his photos, and said Father was a very good person who also loved them dearly, but was too busy with work to come see them.

Thus, Shi Jin grew up full of anticipation for 'father.'

The mother and two children waited downstairs for a full two hours; finally a group of people emerged, and following Mother's instruction, Shi Jin ran forward, enthusiastically hugging the leading man's leg and looking up to call him.

'Dad!'

At first the man looked startled, thinking he was a lost child from someone else's family; he crouched down, patiently asked for his name, intending to help him find his family—until he noticed the mother, Shi Qing, behind him.

Shi Jin saw his father's face suddenly darken.

Then.

His gaze toward him instantly turned to disgust and aversion, lacking any expected delight, only seeing him as if looking at some unforgivable blemish.

Shi Jin stood there dazed.

He firmly remembered that look, and as he grew older, recalling it repeatedly, he realized his father did not love his mother.

He and his sister were very unlikely to be the fruit of their parents' love.

They were children not expected by their father to be born into this world.

…

On the sixth day after being taken away by the police, Shi Yao was released.

She returned home.

Shi Jin knocked on his sister's door holding a cup of prepared warming ginger tea, naturally assuming she would feel unwell these days, but to his surprise, her mental state appeared actually quite alright.

'Brother, Pei Muyin came to see me.'

Shi Jin froze; he knew Pei Muyin was the victim, and also acknowledged his sister was not innocent.

'What did she want from you.'

Shi Yao cupped the steaming ginger tea, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim: 'She said a lot to me, all comforting words; I think she… is very good.'

Shi Jin did not deny his sister's conclusion.

"Before she left, she said she didn't forgive me, but also had no intention of retaliating against me." Shi Yao lowered her eyes, self-reflecting: "I did something wrong, I definitely need to pay the corresponding price."

Shi Jin suddenly asked: "Wait, Yao Yao, what did you say?"

"I said I did something wrong..."

"Not that sentence, the previous one."

Then Shi Yao dazedly repeated that sentence: "Pei Muyin said she doesn't forgive me and also has no intention of retaliating against me." After saying it, Shi Yao saw her brother's face visibly change.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"... Nothing." In a moment, Shi Jin's expression returned to normal, as if his sister's worry was unnecessary; then he got up: "Yao Yao, rest well."

"Mm-hmm."

Watching his sister lie down, cover the blanket, close her eyes, Shi Jin took the empty cup from the bedside table and left the bedroom.

He came to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Mother Shi Qing was boiling soup.

Shi Jin held the cup, standing in place for a long time, he asked with a questioning tone: "Why did you tell me my sister would go to jail?"

Hearing that, Shi Qing turned around, puzzled: "Huh?"

Shi Jin knew Pei Muyin's family background was formidable; from his mother he learned his sister would go to jail, so he thought the Pei family had "intervened," but Pei Muyin proactively came to see his sister, indicating it wasn't that.

"My sister is not yet an adult; there is a fundamental difference between juvenile detention and imprisonment." Shi Jin looked at his mother doubtfully: "So, why did you conclude my sister would go to jail?"

If it weren't imprisonment, there would be no "Xiao Jin, only you can save my sister," and there would be no need for Mother to take him to see Ms. Xia for help.

Shi Qing said: "I just want my sister to come home early, Xiao Jin; do you want to see her suffer inside?"

Shi Jin twitched his lips: "Really? Is it really just because of that?"

The son's gaze was inscrutable, inexplicably making Shi Qing feel at a loss; she frowned slightly displeased: "Xiao Jin, what attitude are you using to speak to Mother?"

Shi Jin said nothing more, silently washing the cup at the sink.

"Xiao Jin, Mother is boiling chicken soup; drink two more bowls later."

Shi Qing walked over to Shi Jin as if nothing had happened, stroked his head, her expression pained.

"That day Grandma also said you've lost weight; in a few days, Mother will transfer your school registration back to Jing Shi, so you won't have to study so far away in An Shi, okay?"

Shi Jin stopped moving, voice low: "Don't touch me."

"..." Shi Qing's arm stiffened, eyes widened, doubting she'd misheard: "Xiao Jin, what did you say?"

Shi Jin hung the washed cup back in place, turned around, faced Mother, and repeated word by word: "I said, don't touch me anymore."

"Xiao Jin, what are you throwing a tantrum about?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum." Shi Jin lowered his eyes and directly pointed out: "You want me to transfer back to Jing Shi, nothing more than wanting me to return to that so-called Fu family."

"That was originally your home; returning is natural."

"Natural?" Shi Jin said: "Although I was outside at the time, one can guess that your conversation with that person in the private room wouldn't be pleasant, so how could my sister and I returning to the Fu family go smoothly?"

"..." Shi Qing was speechless for two seconds: "Your dad just wasn't used to having two more kids all at once; after all, we haven't lived together, given time he'll get used to it; otherwise, he wouldn't have had people make arrangements to let your sister come out early, and besides, Grandma is still here."

"Not used to it temporarily, but after over ten years still not used to it?"

Shi Jin felt further talk with Mother was useless: "No need to transfer my school registration; I'll return to An Shi tomorrow."

"No, Shi Jin, are you not understanding what Mother says?" The son's repeated rebuttals made Mother habitually start scolding: "What exactly are you dissatisfied with? All the hard work Mother has done is for you!"

Again the line "It's all for you," I've heard it countless times since childhood.

Former Shi Jin also thought that way, firmly convinced, but now he is no longer the former him.

The male student took a deep breath, as if enduring to the limit, could endure no more.

"I was provoked, got into a fight; clearly the fault wasn't mine, classmates and teachers all stood with me, yet you, my Mother, don't care about my self-respect, harshly demand I apologize, even drop out, just to use this as an excuse to ask Grandma Pei to let me transfer to the International School—is this for me?"

"Because I refuse to bow my head and admit fault to you, you cut off my rent, cut off my living expenses, leaving me underfed and underclothed, forcing me to rely on part-time tutoring to barely make ends meet—is this for me?"

"You blocked my contact methods, and also didn't allow my sister to contact me, pulling her to isolate me, subjecting me to cold violence—is this for me?"

Shi Jin gritted his teeth, each word filled with resentful accusation, his eye sockets red and hot; these emotions had piled up in his heart for far too long, but fearing to disturb his sister's sleep, he could only suppress them tightly, not daring to raise his voice, and asked hoarsely:

"Mother, is this ultimately for me, or to satisfy your desire for control?"

"Slap—"

A slap fiercely struck Shi Jin, his face instantly showing a red mark.

Unknown whether it was the son striking at her thoughts or his defiance angering her to the extreme, Mother Shi Qing's chest heaved, she pointed at Shi Jin.

"I shouldn't have let you go to An Shi in the first place; look, in less than a year you've learned bad habits outside, daring to use this tone to question Mother!"

Shi Jin tilted his head, closed his eyes, ignored the burning pain on his face, self-mockingly said: "Looks like I don't need to wait until tomorrow; I can return to An Shi now."

Saying that, he headed straight for the door.

"Shi Jin, stop right there!" Mother Shi Qing immediately chased out from the kitchen: "You, you if you dare step out this door today, never come back; you are no longer my son!"

Shi Jin's steps halted, he turned around.

Shi Qing thought her words had taken effect on her son.

The next second.

She heard her son's calm voice sound: "Mother, An Shi hasn't just recently become far away; it has always been far."

"You say you don't understand why I still wear my uniform during winter break; it's because I have no extra money to buy a coat, and you don't care why I lack money."

"You say you went to great lengths to save my sister, yet you seemingly never reflected on what the true cause of my sister's mistake this time is."

"You also say you want me and my sister to be recognized by the Fu family, yet you never considered that the person, our biological father, fundamentally does not acknowledge us; you let us be met once, twice with his resentment and disgust."

"Before, you demanded that I and my sister not only have good grades, but also win first place in competitions, and must be selected in cadre elections."

"I initially thought you wanted us to become more excellent; then I gradually realized it was your vanity at work, hoping to bring us out so people would see glory on your face."

"Only at the end did I truly understand, understand—you actually don't love us."

Perhaps there is some love too, but unfortunately, love always carries an purpose.

Shi Qing listened blankly, wondering why her once obedient son had become a different person; an inexplicable panic welled up in her heart, she opened her mouth, trying to scold something, but couldn't utter a word, only managing to say pallidly:

"Shi Jin, I carried you for ten months, gave birth to you, and raised you."

"Yeah, I know." Shi Jin nodded: "I'm really grateful to you for bringing me into this world; so, for the rest of my life, I wish you health and happiness."

Shi Jin opened the gate.

"Brother."

Behind her came Shi Yao's flustered voice; the sound of Mom and Brother arguing woke her, she hurriedly ran out, blankly staring at the scene.

"Yao Yao, remember to rest, eat your three meals on time, and call Brother if anything comes up."

Having said that, Shi Jin left.

This time, he went forth completely unburdened to begin pursuing the life he wanted.