Chapter 329: Family (3)
Although they divorced, the Tong Family still wielded power within the company, so Mrs. Tong held a senior position there and owned shares, often participating in the Xia Family’s activities.
Because of their two children, she even got involved in the Xia Family’s clan affairs.
Furthermore, the elders in the Xia Family had always recognized Mrs. Tong. They believed a couple’s quarrels were common and divorce was merely a rash decision. The children were still there. Their mother would sometimes be invited back by the old Xia patriarch for dinner, or to take the kids out over the weekend.
In fact, during the days when Wen Qunxiao wasn’t in China, there was a period when Mrs. Tong even assumed the role of the family matriarch.
Of course, all of this was against Xia Youbiao’s wishes. But his reluctance was in vain at that time, as his father was in charge of the household.
The family didn’t acknowledge Wen Qunxiao and his marriage, despite its legitimacy. Mrs. Tong, though divorced, always felt that with the children there and the Xia Family’s support, Xia Youbiao would eventually come around.
Who would have expected Wen Qunxiao to come along halfway through, enchanting Xia Youbiao, who insisted on marrying her despite his parents’ opposition?
Wen Qunxiao’s personality seemed gentle, yet it hid a stubborn streak. Back then, great families still had a hard time accepting actors, often labeling them as “performers.” Especially before she met Xia Youbiao, she had dated a scumbag. After that man cheated and they broke up, he spread rumors about her, besmirching her name.
Additionally, during that time, something very unpleasant happened that almost completely ruined her reputation.
The public opinion was murderous. She had no other way to clear her name and could only watch as her reputation worsened. Like Xia Siyu, she didn’t care much about public opinion, as long as her husband believed her.
But she was too naive.
Even if Xia Youbiao loved and trusted her, the Xia Family did not believe her or acknowledge her. Her willful personality also led her to discover that Mrs. Tong and her twins were coming between her and Xia Youbiao.
Some things, the less they are explained, the further apart the relationship becomes. Even though Xia Youbiao trusted her, he couldn’t abandon his parents and the entire Xia Family for her. In a fit of anger, Wen Qunxiao took their daughter and moved far away to Italy, leaving the industry and thus severing all ties with China.
It was only when Xia Siyu was in high school and her health was deteriorating, coupled with another incident, that she was brought back to the country by Xia Youbiao.
Even after returning, she refused to live in the Xia Family mansion and set up her own household.
Xia Siyu treated everyone else in the Xia Family as strangers. Their virtues or faults were irrelevant to her.
She felt both love and resentment towards Xia Youbiao. On the one hand, she knew her father loved her and her mother deeply. But on the other hand, he was too gentle and weak to protect his own wife and daughter.
As for Mrs. Tong, sorry, but she was naturally on the opposite side.
Influenced by Western thoughts, she simply couldn’t understand Mrs. Tong’s persistent and malicious intentions. On one hand, she never yielded or relented in her marriage, leading to a divorce through her overpowering nature. Yet, after divorce, she still regarded Xia Youbiao and the Xia Family as her possessions, looking down on her mother and her with no reservation.
This contempt was absorbed by Xia Sicai. While she couldn’t match her mother’s domineering presence, Xia Siyu could feel it in the way she looked at her, as if it was filled with disdain.
Disdain towards her was one thing, but the moment it involved her mother, sorry, she was going to fight!