Chapter 326: 312 I Really Hate You That Much (2420 characters)
Military District Hospital.
"Sis-in-law, is Nini feeling better?"
"Much better. She took her medicine and has already fallen asleep. This time, thanks to Jinghuai, she’s alright. But Jinghuai is hurt far worse than her. You should go take care of him." You Huixixi spoke guiltily.
When Nini and Captain Jiang were rescued from the mountain, Nini was held tightly in Captain Jiang’s arms, but Captain Jiang’s lung had been punctured. He would need a long time to recover and kept coughing repeatedly. Such a tremendous favor—there’s no way to repay it.
Tian Sangsang held a food box as she stood outside the hospital room, hearing suppressed coughing from inside.
She pushed the door open. Meng Shuyan was beside the bed, while Jiang Jinghuai sat on the hospital bed, his face deathly pale. His thin lips were bloodless, and from his unbuttoned shirt, layers of white bandages could be seen beneath.
The doctor said his left lung had been injured.
"I made some porridge for you and Yanyan. Please eat." Her demeanor seemed like that of a considerate wife, her serene face adorned with a composed smile, revealing nothing of her inner turmoil.
"Where’s Little Milk Tea?" Jiang Jinghuai asked hoarsely, his throat moving with difficulty.
Meng Shuyan’s dark, ink-like eyes immediately filled with tears.
Tian Sangsang didn’t answer right away. She carefully served the porridge to him, her beautiful eyes calm and untroubled: "It’s been cremated. I buried the ashes in the flower pot in the living room at home. It saved Yanyan’s life. We must always remember it."
Jiang Jinghuai let out a soft "Mm," taking the porridge from her while looking into her eyes.
She calmly met his gaze, but there was something that had changed forever.
The kidnapping incident had reached its end, and the outcome seemed hopeful. That vicious woman, Shui Lian, was shot dead on the spot, receiving the punishment evildoers deserve. Chen Biao, a wanted criminal, was also captured.
Nini remained unharmed, and Meng Shuyan’s body suffered no damage. The only thing causing grief was that Little Milk Tea’s lively presence at home was gone forever.
Because of this, Meng Shuyan became gloomy for a while, but life must go on.
Jiang Jinghuai stayed in the hospital for seven days before returning home to recover. During the initial days, he coughed every night. To avoid disturbing his wife and child’s sleep, he would get up in the middle of the night and sit in the living room.
But tonight, when he woke up, only his son was in the room.
"Sangbao." She stood in the study by the window, facing the night breeze. He walked over and held her waist. "What’s wrong?" They hadn’t said much to each other for the past few days. An empty hollowness lingered in his heart, and it felt like their relationship had reverted to the way it had been before. They lacked physical contact, and their souls seemed to grow even more distant.
Half-closing her brilliant eyes, Tian Sangsang curled her lips sarcastically.
"Can you just say something?"
She turned to look straight at him. "Tell me, why did you save Nini?" The study wasn’t lit, but the moonlight was bright.
After a moment of silence, he spoke heavily, "I’m sorry."
"Don’t say ’I’m sorry.’ I want an answer."
"I’m responsible for Nini’s situation. It was my fault that Shui Lian ended up at the Military District."
"Fine, let me rephrase." Not getting the answer she wanted, Tian Sangsang sneered, "If Nini had been taken by Chen Biao instead of Shui Lian, why would you save Nini in that scenario?"
"In that situation, I could only save her."
"What about Yanyan then?"
"I’m sorry." He apologized again, his tone filled with remorse. "I didn’t know she had a gun."
"..."
"Yanyan is fine now. Let’s not overthink it, alright?" Her silence made him anxious.
"How can I not overthink this!" Tian Sangsang exploded in anger, almost on the verge of madness. "Have you even considered that at the moment you saved Nini, you had already abandoned your own son? Without Little Milk Tea, Yanyan would already be dead now! It’s not that I hate Nini or anything; on the contrary, I like her very much. I just cannot forget the action you took in that moment. You abandoned Yanyan!"
"What were your words back then? You told me to trust you. But how can I trust you?" Her eyes were scalding red, "Trust my son’s life to you? At that moment, I regretted it so much, regretting I ever chose to be with you—such a mistake!"
Over the past few days, every time she thought about it, she felt suffocated. In Jiang Jinghuai’s heart, there would always be things more important than her and their son. She wasn’t a saint; she couldn’t let go. On the contrary, she was selfish.
Jiang Jinghuai’s arms around her stiffened, unmoving, afraid she’d run away. His handsome gaze dipped slightly, his lips pressed tightly together, as he spoke hoarsely, "It won’t happen next time."
"Next time?" She curled her lips mockingly, removing his hand and taking a step backward, her expression cold as she looked at him. "My instinct tells me that even if there’s a next time, you’ll still fail to protect your family."
"Useless as you are, all you’ll do is drive your family away from you!" Each word was sharp, unflinching.
His stern face briefly betrayed a look of panic, and deep in his eyes appeared a hint of crimson. Suddenly, he pulled her tightly into his arms, his embrace filled with madness and desperation.
"You can’t leave me." He pressed her against his chest. "Sangbao, I’m sorry."
Tian Sangsang remained motionless, her eyes icy cold. She pushed him away forcefully. "I think I need to reconsider our relationship. From now on, you are not allowed to touch me. Every time you touch me, my hair stands on end—I feel sick."
"Of course, I know this isn’t entirely your fault. I share some responsibility as well, for being so weak that I couldn’t even protect my own son. I don’t hate you. I just... hate you so much."
"Cough...cough cough!" Jiang Jinghuai’s face turned white abruptly; he clenched his fist tightly over his mouth, coughing heavily.
In the dark living room, a small figure quietly returned to his room, climbed into bed, pulled up the quilt, and stared at the ceiling with teary eyes glimmering.
Tian Sangsang continued taking Meng Shuyan to Guan Kunling’s place. On the way, she noticed Meng Shuyan standing motionless, far behind her.
"Yanyan?"
"Mom." The little boy looked up, his eyes wet with tears.
Tian Sangsang was startled. "What’s wrong? Why are you crying?" She crouched down to wipe his tears.
"Do you hate Dad, Mom?" He bit his lip, sniffling. "Dad...he’s so pitiful. He coughs all the time. Mom, please don’t hate him anymore..."
"Tell Mom the truth." Tian Sangsang didn’t answer his question but asked, "That day, when your dad left you behind to save Nini, were you scared?"
He nodded. "I was scared. But Dad didn’t mean to hurt me."
Wiping his tears with his little hand, he continued, "Dad isn’t a god. He’s not perfect. I forgave him a long time ago."
"He’s truly pitiful... Mom, will you forgive him, please?"
It was precisely because he didn’t mean to hurt anyone that it hurt so badly, Tian Sangsang thought. She would rather he didn’t care about his son. And if Jiang Jinghuai was pitiful, wasn’t Little Milk Tea pitiful too? "Mom doesn’t hate him, sweetie. Mom and Dad are fine."
"Mom, you’re lying to me." Meng Shuyan cried harder, pitifully watching her, looking like a little kitten. He had overheard what she said last night.
"Aye...my son, my boy." Tian Sangsang held him in her arms, gently stroking his back, her voice soft and soothing. "Alright, Mom won’t hate him anymore. I promise. Stop crying, okay?" She realized she’d need to be more careful in the future, ensuring her son wouldn’t sense her distaste. Otherwise, it would only break his heart.
But her son was too young to understand adult feelings. She couldn’t help it. She was revolted at the thought. Thinking of how he had abandoned their son to save Nini, how the bullet could have struck their son. And even further back, when Shui Lian had suggested exchanging their son, how quickly he had agreed to it. No hesitation, no anguish—so calm and composed. Heaven... Was that even truly his son? Perhaps because he wasn’t raised by him from birth, it was easier to discard him? Easier to disregard him? So trivial that he didn’t even inform their family!