Chapter 528 - Chu Xiang’s Thoughts
“Say ‘bye-bye’ to Grandpa.” Xia Ruoxin rubbed the top of her daughter’s head as she spoke and prepared to bring Rainy home after this. Rainy obediently followed her mother home and, of course, didn’t forget to wave goodbye to her grandfather.
Chu Jiang placed his card back into his pocket, only remembering then that Xia Ruoxin had refused even half of the Chu family’s assets. How could she want anything from him? He clearly understood that actually; she really didn’t want to have any more relations to the Chu family.
If Rainy wasn’t their one and only child and if she hadn’t pitied them, then maybe, Xia Ruoxin would never even have been willing to speak a word to the Chu family.
The moment he went back home, Song Wan hastily stood up.
“Where’s Rainy?”
“She went home.”
Chu Jiang sat on the sofa. Upon seeing Chu Xiang who was currently playing with a doll, Chu Jiang didn’t say a word. However, his facial expression totally darkened.
Song Wan felt a little disappointed. She was still hoping that Chu Jiang would manage to bring Rainy back home. However, that was not the case. When would they finally be able to see their granddaughter every day?
“Xiang Xiang, come over here.”
Chu Jiang suddenly shouted Chu Xiang’s name.
Chu Xiang paused for a moment before hiding herself beside Song Wan.
Song Wan knew what Chu Jiang was about to do. Chu Xiang, this child—she did indeed like her. However, thinking back on how she scratched Rainy today, she felt a sense of unhappiness in her heart. If in the future Rainy came back to the Chu family, what was going to happen if she and Chu Xiang didn’t get along?
“Go to Grandpa.” Song Wan stood up, practicing the idea of ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Chu Xiang warily approached Chu Jiang and stood in front of him, not even daring to lift her head.
Chu Jiang coldly sized up the child in front of him. This small act… in the eyes of somebody who had lived a large half of their life, frankly speaking, whether she was five or thirty-five-years-old, wasn’t going to help her escape his wrath.
“I don’t care what ideas you have in your head. You just need to remember your place. Rainy is our Chu family’s child while you are just our Chu family’s adoptive child. Don’t act out of place, and what’s yours will be yours. We also won’t mistreat you. However, the moment you carry out any of those ideas in your head, I will send you back to the foster home right away.”
Chu Xiang was always a fearful child. Until the moment Chu Jiang finished speaking, her eyes wear red, and she appeared extremely pitiful. However, the one who put her in such a sorry state didn’t represent the Chu family.
The Chu family had gone through several states of turmoil, but it was the same for the Li family. Amidst the raging storm, they had withered and fallen into disrepair.
What Mrs. Li was most afraid of were those indecent pictures. A day without those pictures in hand meant a day of unease for her.
This was her umpteenth time visiting the nursery. Of course, she didn’t visit the nursery this time just to see these children; it was to meet the Chu Enterprise’s Mr. and Mrs. Chu. Initially, she visited the Chu family practically every day just to beg Chu Lui to forgive their Li family this one time, on the terms that he and Li Manni used to be married for four years. However, every time she visited the house she was given the cold shoulder. After receiving the cold shoulder for so long, she was already very sick of it.
That’s why she specially made her way to the nursery. She wanted to beg them on behalf of the Li family. She didn’t even dare to wish for the Li family and the Chu family to stay as in-laws anymore. She simply hoped that they would stop making things hard for their family and give them a chance to live — give her son a chance to live. She also wanted to get back the back-up film for those pictures. After all, those things… unless they were in her hands, she would never be able to sleep in peace.
If it was only her, then it wouldn’t matter so much. After all, she was already so old. Even if they disgraced her, how disgraced could she even be? Their Li family originally already had no such honor to be stripped of. The only problem was that her Manxuan was still young.
Actually, what she didn’t know was that Chu Lui had practically no time to care about their Li family’s Li Manni and Li Manxuan. As for those photos back-up film—the moment those things were sent out, he had already destroyed them. Of course, he had never thought of ruthlessly exterminating the Li family. He had already accomplished his goal and took back what belonged to him from the Li family. Without the Li Enterprise backing the Li family
—with the Li family’s situation now, they were never going to be able to make a comeback.
It was just that the thing he had lost, he was never going to be able to retrieve it for the rest of his life.
As for the Mrs. Li now, she no longer wore her designer clothes and gold accessories. She had long lost her extravagant-spending habits. If it was before, she would walk with her nose in the air, a strong sense of self-entitlement radiating from around her. The Li family managed to squeeze into high society but now that they had returned to nothing, there was nobody to blame but themselves. They were simply suffering the consequences of their own actions.
She walked into the nursery. Inside was a building that looked just as before, there were still as many children and as many teachers. It was only Mrs. Li who was not as she was before. She used to stand above others.
Yet, today she had to shrink her head and cover her face. Wherever she went, she encountered contemptuous looks and received sarcastic remarks. It was not only her daughter who had fallen from heaven to hell. Actually, it was the same even for her.
Without Chu Lui as their son-in-law, the Li family actually amounted to nothing. Not to mention, the Li family of today had declined so much in wealth and position that they were no more than any ordinary family.
“In-laws…” She could see Mr. and Mrs. Chu of the Chu Enterprise from afar. They were quietly sitting at a side, observing the children who were playing. She didn’t understand what there was to look at. These children were so noisy and misbehaved.
“In-laws, how coincidental. I didn’t think that you would be here, too,” she said as she tried to cotton up to the Chus. At the same time, she glanced over at the group of children. Upon seeing Rainy who sat quietly at a side, she felt another bout of hate well up in her. Why was it that child again?
“In-laws.” After a long time, seeing how the owners of the Chu Enterprise were totally ignoring her, she felt a little embarrassed. She could only raise her voice and try again, causing her entire face to flush a bright shade of red.
Since when did she have any dignity? That was gone a long time ago.
“Mrs. Li, shouldn’t you be changing the way you address us?” Song Wan replied a little impatiently. Could she stop making so much noise around her ears? She’s making her unable to focus on watching her adorable little granddaughter.
Chu Jiang’s expression became extremely grim. He closed both of his eyes, controlling the urge to throw this woman out. She was so annoying. They already said this a long time ago, they were not in-laws anymore. His son had already divorced her vile daughter. What more did she want?
That kind of daughter-in-law, their Chu family could not afford to keep her.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Mrs. Chu, Mr. Chu.” Mrs. Li went speechless from Song Wan’s comment. She had no choice but to change the way she addressed them, too afraid to express the anger that she felt inside her.
Rainy walked with her tiny steps towards them. She lifted her head to look at this grandpa. Every day, this grandpa would come to accompany her, and many children envied her because of this. He treated her really well, too; she was already kind of used to looking for this grandpa from time to time. As for this granny, she seemed to like her very much and that Xiao Jiejie no longer came to bully her. However, she somehow felt that Xiao Jiejie was very pitiful. Actually, she still felt that this granny was Xiao Jiejie’s. If not, she didn’t mind only having a grandfather.