Hearing her mother’s cold words, Chiang Qing felt a mix of emotions and couldn’t help but retort, "Mom, don’t you and Dad have a good relationship? After you married Dad, you had me and Xiao Tian without ever fighting before. Now, just because you’ve had a little spat with Dad, how has it become such a big deal? Just ask yourself, all these years you’ve been married to Dad, have you ever regretted it?"
Listen to how she speaks—it’s as if she’s still siding with that poor boy!
Lu Shufen was so angry that her body trembled, and, pointing at her, she was unable to utter a single word.
Who said she hadn’t regretted it? She thought she had married for love, but seeing other people’s glances made her feel particularly unusual, as if they were implying she was a thief who stole someone else’s husband.
During that time, she was especially miserable, barely daring to meet anyone, let alone look them in the eye. It took her a long time before she gradually put it behind her.
If she had married a man with a clear conscience, she would not have had to endure those looks and moral condemnation.
It was precisely because of this that the appearance of Jiang Dafang now infuriated her. His presence meant she had to relive those days when she couldn’t hold her head up high.
Because of his presence, she was reminded that she was a thief who stole someone else’s husband.
Because of his presence, the façade of morality ensnared her like a giant spider web, tightening until she could barely breathe.
This was the reason for her anger—not because of any so-called specialty; Jiang Dafang was like a bone spur lodged in her flesh, painfully and irritatingly stuck.
She had endured such difficult times herself, yet was her daughter going to follow the same path?
Was she going to follow in her footsteps and become a thief who stole someone else’s husband?
"Do you realize what you’re saying? Huh? Have you gone mad?" Lu Shufen truly wanted to slap her daughter awake.
But looking at her daughter’s beautiful face, she couldn’t bear to do it. This was the flesh that had fallen from her body!
"Mom..."
Lu Shufen closed her eyes, then reopened them and said with a cold laugh, "Fine, I had no shame and fell in love with a married man, so if you want to do the same, I have nothing to say. I deserve it. If you and that boy truly love each other, your father and I will fulfill your wish for once! But what’s the result?"
Chiang Qing first felt joy, then a chill in her heart.
"I’m not even going to say that Qi Taiguo is a married man. Even if he were, it wouldn’t matter, as long as both of you are willing. But what’s the situation with you? He doesn’t even look your way, does he? He doesn’t like you at all, does he? Are you the one cheapening yourself, passionately chasing after him?"
Lu Shufen’s every word struck Chiang Qing like a sword, turning her complexion pale.
"If he doesn’t like you, what’s the use of your persistent pursuit? Even if you have him, can you have his heart? How will you be happy with a man whose heart isn’t with you?" Lu Shufen continued regardless of her daughter’s expression, "Even if you have him, a loveless man is just a walking corpse. Can you live with that for a lifetime? Qingqing, even though your father and I genuinely loved each other and have been through so much, I just don’t want you to suffer and make the same mistakes I did!"
Chiang Qing’s lips trembled, and it took her a while to find her heartbeat. She took a deep breath and said, "I will make him fall in love with me. I refuse to believe I can’t compare to his current peasant wife. As long as he is by my side, he will eventually recognize my worth!"