222: 221 Abide by traffic rules, everyone is responsible (4000 words!)_2 222: 221 Abide by traffic rules, everyone is responsible (4000 words!)_2 Meng Meiling said indifferently, “Jinhai Industrial was founded with the money from my family, and even the land used to construct the company’s headquarters belongs to us.
I admit, Jinhai’s development to its current scale is your achievement, but without the support of my family, even with your boundless abilities, you would only be an ordinary person struggling to survive.
All I want now is an official heir status for my daughter.
Is that too much to ask for?”
Shi Zhenhua remained silent, staring at a dining table that the average person could hardly dream of, and smiled.
“MeiLing, sometimes I wonder, what would have become of me today, Shi Zhenhua, if back then I sought benefits from your parents like you did today with that young man, and then made a clear separation from you?”
Meng Meiling did not speak.
“Hand me the pen.”
Shi Zhenhua seemed to say.
“Since you’re so well-prepared, I’m sure you brought a pen?”
Meng Meiling, without a word, took a Montblanc fountain pen out of her bag.
A simple pen, its price requires several thousand dollars, in US dollars.
She placed it on the table, sliding it over.
Shi Zhenhua picked it up, opened the agreement, and on the last page, with bold strokes, calmly signed his name.
Then he closed the agreement, and handed it back to Meng Meiling, pen included.
“Don’t leave tonight, stay and rest.
Do it for Qian Qian.”
————
Shi Qianxi stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the lavish scenery in a daze.
She had not lived here since birth, as far back as she could remember, it seems they’d moved many times.
Moving into this estate seemed to coincide with the year she started college.
Every time they moved to a new home, it was always bigger and more luxurious than the last.
It was as if for that reason, her life became emptier and lonelier.
She remembered, when she was young, her parents were not like this; at least in her vague memories, she could still hear their laughter and joyous voices.
But why did it seem, the better their life became, the quieter and lonelier her family turned?
“Knock, knock, knock…”
The sound of knocking arose.
Shi Qianxi came back to reality.
“Come in.”
Meng Meiling entered the room.
“Mom.”
“Your mom will sleep with you tonight, do you mind?”
Shi Qianxi was taken aback, then quickly shook her head.
Meng Meiling came over to her side, silent for a while, then softly said, “You don’t need to think too much about your dad and me.
No matter what, our relationship with you will always remain unchanged.”
“But we’re no longer a family.”
Shi Qianxi whispered dejectedly.
She was very aware that from the moment her mother brought up divorce, the final result was already set in stone, beyond her ability to change.
“Has anything changed?”
Meng Meiling, seeing her daughter’s crestfallen mood, finally cracked a faint smile.
“He’s still your father, and I am still your mother.”
“Mom, did you ever truly love Dad?”
Shi Qianxi couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course.”
Meng Meiling replied without hesitation, “If I didn’t love him, why would I have defied so much pressure to marry him against all odds?
I know, the gap between your dad and me is indeed very wide; our origin alone determines that we see the world from entirely different perspectives.
We both tried our best.”
Meng Meiling looked out the window.
“But many things in this world can’t be achieved through effort alone.
This outcome, I was prepared for it the moment I decided to marry him.”
“If you knew you might not walk through life together, why did you choose so resolutely to marry him in the first place?”
Shi Qianxi challenged, unable to understand.
Meng Meiling’s expression was calm and unemotional, as she gazed at the landscape outside the window.
“Qian Qian, not every couple is meant to grow old together.
In your surroundings, you must have seen many.
I’ve said it before, this ending is also a result, it’s just perhaps not as we wished.”
This woman, who once defiantly went against the will of her entire family and later overturned her own initial choice, spoke in a transcendent and unhurried tone: “Whether it’s to grow old together or drift apart, there’s not much difference – it’s just about how long that person has stayed in your life.”
Shi Qianxi struggled to adjust to her mother’s serenity at this moment.
“Mom, aren’t you sad at all?”
Meng Meiling was silent for a while, then turned her gaze back from the window to her daughter.
“The greatest regret in this world isn’t loss, it’s not cherishing what we have when we have it, and then being caught off guard when it’s time to part.
When I was with your dad, I truly wanted to be with him.
When together, we were sincere; so when parting, we can naturally do so with peace of mind.
Your dad thinks the same.”
Meng Meiling gave a slight smile.
“Love comes willingly, and after it’s over, there’s no regret.
That’s an ideal ending.
Besides, aren’t you the best gift from the encounter between me and your dad, arranged by fate?”
“Mom, are you just putting on a brave face?
It must be because after Dad became successful, he neglected and drifted away from you, so you chose to leave him, right?”
Meng Meiling fell silent, merely stroking her daughter’s black hair.
“Go take a bath.”
Shi Qianxi bit her lip and didn’t press further.
Suddenly she put on a smile and coquettishly said, “Mom, let’s bathe together.”
“You’re an adult now, still asking your mom to bathe with you.
Don’t you feel embarrassed?”
“You’re my mom, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Shi Qianxi, full of anticipation, said, “Then how about this, Mom, can you wash my hair?
It’s been such a long time since you did that for me.”