Upon hearing his words, Xia Qiao paused slightly, but eventually nodded, signaling him to speak.
Jiang Zirui chuckled lightly; after all, this setup was intended for them to open their hearts and chat.
So he didn’t hold back at all, treating Xia Qiao as a confidant elder sister, and began to tell his story.
His story.
It’s actually very simple, summed up in one word—
Miserable.
"Everyone says I’m an illegitimate child... but actually, I’m not. My dad and my sister’s mom secretly got a divorce the day after they got married, then he married my mom..."
Regarding the matters of the previous generation, Jiang Zirui sighed.
The circumstances surrounding Jiang Tong’s birth were a taboo topic for the Jiang Family.
Jiang Zirui wasn’t sure if Jiang Tong had told Xia Qiao about it.
But to avoid unnecessary disputes, he decided not to discuss the topic, choosing to sidestep it.
"Actually, my mom and I were doing quite well, but one day my grandfather accidentally discovered my existence..." His voice was very soft and light.
Because that was the beginning of his nightmare.
Hearing this, Xia Qiao looked at him with some curiosity, "And then?"
"And then? My dad handed me over to that devil and never tried to save me." Jiang Zirui’s voice was very calm, devoid of any emotion.
But only Xia Qiao understood now that he must have gone through many unknown hardships, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so repressed now.
"Do you hate your dad?" she asked again.
Jiang Zirui smiled, "Not anymore. Back then my grandfather gave him a choice. If he chose me, my mom would die. If he chose my mom, I’d die."
Perhaps Jiang Haishi believed that even a tiger wouldn’t eat its cubs, since there was still some blood relation.
So Old Master Jiang wouldn’t harm him.
But he seemed to have underestimated Old Master Jiang’s ruthlessness...
In that old man’s eyes, bloodline was everything...
So he was tortured like a dog.
Speaking of which, his dad actually had a rough time too.
Originally, he yearned for things like antiques and calligraphy. As he grew up, he aspired to be an archaeologist.
But as a direct descendant of the Jiang Family, he was expected to inherit the Jiang Family’s business and join the military.
Under his grandfather’s dual oppression, his dad chose to give up those things and enlist.
If he didn’t do it.
Song Shimiao would have been in danger.
Yes, his grandfather used to love capturing his mom to threaten his dad.
Jiang Tong was born during this time.
Jiang Zirui sighed again, staring blankly at the empty wine glass in front of him.
He said lightly, "I don’t know if my sister ever told you about her running away from home back then."
"Hmm? Running away from home? Was it in her senior year? She stayed at my house then."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zirui tilted his head, fell silent.
Speaking of that year, a lot of things happened.
Including Old Master Jiang’s death, and his dad using thunderous methods to subdue the restless people in the family.
But there were always those who couldn’t bear to see them do well.
So they came to instigate him, who was quite naive then.
With the added torment from Old Master Jiang, it was inevitable for there to be knots in his heart.
That’s why he spoke to Jiang Tong that way.
Fortunately, his mom was there, preventing those people’s schemes from succeeding.
But he was directly the culprit for Jiang Tong’s running away from home.
Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly turned red, and he filled up his wine glass again.