To My Dear Mr. Huo

Liu Tongjia would never be able to forget the image of her daughter lying in a pool of blood. She had been only four years old.

Those terrible injuries on the grimy face of her beautiful and cute princess – she was completely disfigured.

The horrific sight… How could that have been her daughter? Were it not for the DNA report the police provided her later, she could have denied that it was her child.

She had felt so wretched, she wished she had died alongside Huo Wushuang.

On top of the loss of Huo Wushuang, Huo Jinkai, her precious eldest boy had died as well.

Huo Jinkai had died holding Huo Wushuang tightly in his arms, like a martyr in war.

His body bore wounds from knives and guns both. Despite Huo Jinkai’s efforts, he had not succeeded in saving his sister’s life.

He had only been 14 years old. He had excelled academically and had just been accepted into the top high school in Rong City on the strength of his stellar examination grades.

Although young, he had been exceptionally mature. No matter which family he was born in, he would have been a treasure and the hope of that family’s future.

What now? He was gone, after suffering an extremely painful and torturous death at that.

Liu Tongjia had not been able to contain herself further, crying out in a shrill voice, as she lost control.

When she was told the two dead children were hers, she nearly passed out from the shock.

However, she clung on to consciousness, as she knew there was one more son she had to account for. Where was he?

“What about Jinyao? What about Jinyao?”

Liu Tongjia looked wildly around for Huo Jinyao and mentally prepared herself for the worst.

Jinyao couldn’t have died as well…

She did not dare to think it; she did not want to entertain that possibility at all. Her eyes darted about – she needed to find her remaining son. There was a chance he could still be alive.

Even though the odds were slim, so long as there was a chance, Liu Tongjia would not give up.

Liu Tongjia was overcome by the discovery that Huo Jinyao was still alive. She peered into the warehouse, and when she saw Huo Jinyao’s severely weakened form, she nearly wept tears of relief and joy.

Her joy was short-lived. The wicked, cruel kidnappers had given their statements. When Liu Tongjia saw them, she could hardly believe what she had read.

“Do you know why his brother and sister died, but Huo Jinyao managed to survive?”

Liu Tongjia had been in a daze, lost in memories of the past. She gathered her composure and glanced at Su Qingsang, a guarded expression on her face.

Su Qingfang had never imagined that such a thing could happen to anyone, let alone the likes of the Huo family. She shook her head, reluctant to hear what Liu Tongjia would say.

“It was because he told the kidnappers that he was the most important and doted upon child within the Huo family. He said that he was the one whom the Huo elders loved the most. He used his own two fists to beat up his brother, to convince the kidnappers to leave him alone.

“Can you believe that a child of only 12 years old could be so treacherous?”

As Liu Tongjia spoke, she found herself sinking deeper into despair, “He hit his brother and even his younger sister. He managed to convince the kidnappers of his words. After that, the kidnappers believing the other two hostages to be without value killed them.”

Su Qingsang’s eyes widened dramatically, “How could that be possible?”

She could not believe it. She refused to.

“Impossible? I wish it were impossible as well. I wish it was nothing but a horrible nightmare. If only I could wake up, and have my sons and daughter back, to once again have three beautiful and alive children. However, this is my reality…”

She straightened and met Su Qingsang’s eyes, “Why do you think I despise him?

“To ensure his survival, he was willing to sacrifice the lives of his brother and sister. To protect his own life, he watched his brother and sister die, and even laid his hands on them.”

Liu Tongjia’s voice had grown hoarse with emotion. She clutched at her chest. The pain had not faded in the intervening decades.

“They were his family. They were his own elder brother, and younger sister. He watched them die without a shred of remorse.”

Liu Tongjia shut her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks. “At that point, I wished truly that I had never borne such a child.”

“That’s…” Su Qingsang was at a loss for a reply to such a revelation. She had never heard that something like that had happened. Nonetheless, it did not seem like Liu Tongjia was lying.

“Have you ever considered that there might be some misunderstanding?”

She did not want to believe that Huo Jinyao could be such a person. Furthermore, according to Liu Tongjia, he had only been 12. That was far too young to be capable of such scheming actions.

To her, Huo Jinyao did not seem like someone who was that callous, or who only cared for himself.

“Such sympathy you have for him.”

Liu Tongjia wiped the tears from her eyes, and blew her nose, “I wish it were a misunderstanding. I wish the only child I have left is good and upright – but I know it wasn’t a misunderstanding.”

When Huo Jinyao was found, he had been unconscious. Although the kidnappers had kept him alive as their sole hostage, they had not been overly kind to him either.

She had lost her appetite at the time, staying all day by Huo Jinyao’s bedside, waiting for him to recover.

After seeing the kidnappers’ statements, she wanted to hear Huo Jinyao tell her what had happened. However long it took, she would wait.

Then, Huo Jinyao had spoken in his sleep, saying he was the true young master of the Huo family, that his two siblings had been illegitimate, and that they would never receive any part of the inheritance even if they lived.

After hearing her son utter those words, it felt as if the sky was crashing down on her.

It was clear that, in order to survive, Huo Jinyao had managed to lie skillfully, despite being only 12 years old.

She had not known that her son had such a cruel side to him.

“From that day onwards, my remaining son was dead to me as well. In my heart, he died with his brother and sister in the kidnapping.”

Liu Tongjia’s voice was faint but it was filled with emotions that she tried hard to control.

Su Qingsang was at a loss for words. She did not wish to believe Liu Tongjia, but she also knew that Liu Tongjia was not lying to her.

“Well, does Grandfather know about this?”

Something like this… if Huo Jinyao had really done such a thing, why would his grandfather just let it go?

Liu Tongjia choked out a laugh as she thought about Old Master Huo’s favoritism and her husband’s helpless compromise.

“Old Master Huo has always been biased towards Huo Jinyao and would always indulge him. He told me that Jinyao was young and simply immature, and just needed to be taught better.”

How could he not have been conscious of the gravity of his action? Even if he had been immature at the age of 12, he had sent his brother and sister to die!

Liu Tongjia felt a sharp ache in her chest. It was too awful and too painful to bear.

All these years later, many knew that in reality, she had lost two of her children, not all three. However in her heart, after finding out what Huo Jinyao had done, in truth she knew she had lost all three children together.

Especially Huo Jinyao.

She could not condone his cold-bloodedness and lack of emotion.

It was not a matter of maturity. She knew all along that she had doted the most upon her young daughter. However, towards her two sons, she had been extremely fair.

Huo Mingguang had been busy with work and she had taken on the role of caring for the children, which she had done to the best of her ability.

How had Huo Jinyao repaid her?

To save his own skin, he had been willing to cause the death of his brother and sister. How could he…How could he…

Liu Tongjia dug her nails into her palm as she thought of her hatred for Huo Jinyao.

She hated him for causing the death of her other two children, but she also hated herself for giving birth to so callous a person.

For so many years afterward, she had believed that he would come in repentance, to beg for forgiveness.

He had not. Huo Jinyao had moved on with life, moving on to have a career like any normal person.

Not only was he living a life of normalcy, but he was also living a life of comfort.

After so many years, it was as though he had moved on completely.

It was only her who could not bear to forget her two dead children.

Other than her, who else was there remember that there had been three children once living in this house, in the past?

That man had been evil at such a young age. How could she even begin to cope with that?

She rather let the Tianyu empire land in the laps of Huo Yifan or Huo Yiyang, instead of falling into the hands of such a wicked man. He had gotten what he wanted, in the end.

Su Qingsang did not know how to respond to the story. She had stormed over in a rage to lecture her, but witnessing Liu Tongjia’s broken spirit had taken the wind from her sails.

If what Liu Tongjia was saying was true, she would never have a proper mother-son relationship with Huo Jinyao without suffering from guilt.

However, there was another point to be considered. “He… Jinyao… he was very young at that time. It was not wrong for him to have been afraid to die, Madam Huo. No matter what happened, it is still important to treasure loved ones who are still alive.”

Liu Tongjia turned her gaze back at Su Qingfang bristling visibly through her tears. “Yes, everyone has asked me to let it go. How can I, though? If I do that, who will remember the other children?”

Right after the kidnapping had happened, Old Master Huo had banned everyone from discussing the matter further. No one in the Huo family had ever mentioned it again from then on.

Huo Jinyao had automatically become the young master and the potential head of the house of the Huo family.

However, only Liu Tongjia knew that he had seized that life for himself by sacrificing his brother and sister.

How could she forgive such a thing? Even though he was her son, she would never have imagined him capable of doing such a cold-hearted thing.

Su Qingsang’s mouth trembled and she swallowed the words she wished to utter with a heavy heart.

“I will not forgive him.” As Liu Tongjia spoke, she returned to her seat and sat down.

Her face was pale and she looked like she was in great pain. “Everyone wishes for me to forget. Have you ever considered that doing so would be a form of betrayal?

“I’m not willing to do so. I cannot forget my eldest son, nor can I forget my daughter. Even if others forget them, I have to remember them. I will hold their memory in my heart and never forget.”

As she finished her sentence, she shut her eyes. As she opened them again, she spoke in a blithe tone of voice, “You may leave. I refuse to visit him. I do not want to see him.”

Su Qingsang eyed Liu Tongjia. “Madam Huo…”

“Su Qingsang, you need not speak further. I no longer have a relationship with Huo Jinyao. He never listened to me anyway, and he never saw me as his mother.”

Su Qingsang studied Liu Tongjia but could not find the right words to say. She left the Huo family residence quietly, feeling much worse than she had when she’d first arrived.