Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Let's talk about it when we get home."

"Let's get a divorce."

Zhou Zhizhong and He Ranjie spoke at the same time.

The sword of Damocles hanging over their heads finally fell, and Zhou Zhizhong was far more terrified than he had imagined.

For a long time, Zhou Zhizhong liked Hua An Sui.

He liked her major, her open-minded parents, and the calmness she cultivated in a harmonious family.

These were things Zhou Zhizhong lacked.

It wasn't so much that he liked Hua An Sui herself, but rather the feeling she gave him.

Born into a wealthy family, he had a father with an extremely controlling nature, dictating every step of his life.

Zhou Zhizhong despised this life and his father.

He completely broke ties with his father when the latter forced Hua An Sui away and threatened her family to make him marry He Ranjie.

At that moment, he lost all hope in both the world and his father.

After their marriage, he engaged in all sorts of reckless behavior, allowing himself to deteriorate bit by bit.

In the fourth year, a woman claimed she was carrying his child, causing a huge scandal. That day, Zhou Zhizhong still went home.

He thought He Ranjie would be hiding in some corner, ready to stab him at any moment, and he was prepared to spend months in the hospital.

But she didn't. She simply asked if the child was his.

He Ranjie didn't know how sorrowful her gaze was when she looked at him.

Zhou Zhizhong couldn't bear to meet her eyes, couldn't stay in the house, and couldn't think about her waiting for him in the house.

He wished He Ranjie would strike harder because pain was the only way he could alleviate his guilt.

He was someone destined to rot.

He wanted his father to watch him self-destruct, turning all the expectations into disappointment.

But He Ranjie always looked at him with those eyes, clinging to the last shred of connection to the world, refusing to let go.

In the end, he swallowed the answer he originally intended to give and told her that the child wasn't his.

He Ranjie believed him, and after that night, Zhou Zhizhong no longer stayed out late.

They lived a peaceful and harmonious life for a while.

But He Ranjie wasn't very happy; she always seemed unwell and lacked energy.

A once-vibrant red rose was gradually fading during their four-year marriage.

So when the kidnappers asked him to choose between He Ranjie and Hua An Sui, he chose Hua An Sui.

The SWAT team had already infiltrated the dilapidated factory, and Zhou Zhizhong just needed to stall a little longer.

Looking at the box where He Ranjie was held, he recalled Hua An Sui's words from a few days ago, urging him to let go of his resentment towards his father and also to let He Ranjie move on.

She had endured four years of unhappiness with him.

Zhou Zhizhong listened to Hua An Sui's advice and decided to make He Ranjie completely lose faith in him.

When the kidnappers mocked his good fortune and cruelty, Zhou Zhizhong seized the opportunity and knocked one of them out with a punch.

The SWAT team rushed in and pinned the kidnappers down.

Zhou Zhizhong ran to open He Ranjie's box, finding her lying inside unconscious.

At that moment, Zhou Zhizhong felt a strange sense of peace.

She hadn't heard his words, it seemed fate was determined to keep them together.

So be it.

Zhou Zhizhong carried He Ranjie out, accepting the situation calmly, accepting that she would always be part of his life and his marriage.

He Ranjie was wearing black pants, and when Zhou Zhizhong carried her out, he felt wetness on his hands.

Lifting his hand, he saw blood.

That day, Zhou Zhizhong waited outside the operating room corridor, receiving one bad news after another.

He Ranjie was pregnant, but she lost the baby and might never be able to have children again.

While he was contemplating ending the marriage, his wife had lost a child in that box...

A few years later, his father fell ill and passed away, finally admitting his mistakes on his deathbed.

Zhou Zhizhong, who followed his father's expectations and became the second Mr. Zhou, showed no emotion.

He had spent the first twenty-eight years of his life waiting for his father's apology, only to realize that a simple "I'm sorry" meant nothing.

Sorry couldn't bring him back to age twenty-eight.

That year, he killed his only child and, in spirit, killed the girl he loved.

After so many years of living in fear, this day has finally come.

Zhou Zhizhong couldn't control his trembling and looked at He Ranjie with pleading eyes, "Let's go home first, we can talk about it there."

He Ranjie shook her head, "I'm tired. Let the lawyers handle the divorce."

Zhou Zhizhong's lips moved slightly, but something sharp pierced his throat, preventing him from uttering a single sound. He could only watch as He Ranjie left.

In the end, he became like his father, abandoned by everyone.

-

Zhou Zitan followed closely behind He Ranjie, his eyes also hiding a similar panic to Zhou Zhizhong's.

Passing Shen Tingzhou, the latter handed him a tube of ointment.

Shen Tingzhou pointed at his injured hand and said, "Apply it three times a day, and try to avoid water as much as possible."

He Ranjie looked over and said gently, "I'll go back with Little Tan today, Dr. Shen, could you drive us?"

Shen Tingzhou was slightly taken aback but still nodded, "Sure."

After hearing that He Ranjie would be staying with him tonight, Zhou Zitan's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Zhou Zitan had a three-bedroom apartment in the city center, with only the master bedroom habitable, while the others were converted into a gaming room.

The decoration style was very much Zhou Zitan's.

Afraid that He Ranjie might dislike it, Zhou Zitan quickly ushered her into the master bedroom.

Having safely delivered them home, Shen Tingzhou was about to leave, but Zhou Zitan stopped him.

Shen Tingzhou looked over.

Zhou Zitan awkwardly said, "Dr. Shen, could you sit down for a moment?"

Shen Tingzhou sat down on the oddly shaped sofa.

After a long while, Zhou Zitan finally spoke, "He never let me call him anything."

Shen Tingzhou: Who?

Zhou Zitan didn't care whether Shen Tingzhou understood, pouring out his thoughts in a chaotic manner.

"We hardly ever talked. I was scared of him, but he didn't care about me. However, he gave me money, always through his assistant, a fixed amount every month. He probably forgot about it long ago. He didn't really care about me; he might not even know how old I am this year."

"I've long suspected if I'm really his son."

Hearing the last sentence, Shen Tingzhou finally realized Zhou Zitan was talking about Zhou Zhizhong.

Zhou Zitan seemed to have an anxiety attack, constantly biting his nails.

He looked at Shen Tingzhou, his voice trembling, "Dr. Shen, could you help me look at something?"

Without waiting for Shen Tingzhou's answer, Zhou Zitan got up to fetch it.

It was an old file folder, the edges of the paper yellowed, with clear words written on it—Identification Center.

Zhou Zitan bit his hand, his eyes filled with fear, "I don't dare to look at it, I never did. Could you check for me if I'm his son?"

Shen Tingzhou hesitated before taking it.

Unclasping the string on the file folder, he took out the documents inside and quickly glanced through them.

After finishing, Shen Tingzhou turned to Zhou Zitan, who was huddled on the sofa, looking like a child who had done something wrong, anxiously awaiting punishment from a parent.

Shen Tingzhou pursed his lips and then said, "It says here that your emotional kinship value with Ms. He Ranjie is one hundred percent, indicating a mother-son relationship."

Zhou Zitan's eyes widened, tears welling up, threatening to spill over.

He had no family.

Before the age of six, he endured his mother's inexplicable resentment and abuse. After turning six, she abandoned him at the Zhou family, with no news since.

At the Zhou family, Zhou Zhizhong never cared for him.

The only one who truly cared for him was He Ranjie, who brought him back.

But they had no blood relation, and he was still her husband's illegitimate child.

Years ago, Zhou Zitan secretly conducted a paternity test, but he never dared to look at the results. Afraid that confirming he was Zhou Zhizhong's illegitimate child would prove Zhou Zhizhong's betrayal of He Ranjie.

And afraid that if he wasn't Zhou Zhizhong's child, he would be expelled from the Zhou family.

That once arrogant and vicious dog finally broke down, "Dr. Shen, nobody wants me."

His mother abandoned him, his nominal father could abandon him at any time, and He Yanting disliked him for Jiang Ji's sake.

He Ranjie was about to divorce Zhou Zhizhong, and Zhou Zitan was terrified that she too would leave him.

No one in this world wanted him.

Shen Tingzhou stood up and waved him over, "Come here."

Zhou Zitan sobbed, looking at Shen Tingzhou without moving.

Shen Tingzhou went forward, pulled Zhou Zitan up, and led him toward the master bedroom.

Zhou Zitan obediently followed Shen Tingzhou, but when asked to knock on the door, he shrank back, as if fearing something.

Shen Tingzhou had to raise his hand and knock on the door himself.

A voice came from inside, "Come in."

Shen Tingzhou turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

In the master bedroom, only a few small wall lamps were lit, casting a gentle light on He Ranjie, giving her usually warm and beautiful face an added touch of sanctity.

He Ranjie immediately saw Zhou Zitan hiding behind Shen Tingzhou, his eyes red and a timid look on his face.

He Ranjie had made three important mistakes in her life.

The first was marrying Zhou Zhizhong even though she knew he didn't want to.

The second was refusing to let go during the fourth year of their marriage when Hua An Sui returned.

At that time, her relationship with Zhou Zhizhong had started to improve. He clearly denied that the child was not his and then handled the matter decisively, no longer courting those scandals.

It was around this time that she became pregnant.

He Ranjie was very happy about the pregnancy, but it wasn't long before Hua An Sui returned to the country.

At that point, both sets of parents had begun to lose faith in their marriage, and there was no longer any major obstacle between Zhou Zhizhong and Hua An Sui.

He Ranjie felt very uneasy; she knew that Zhou Zhizhong liked Hua An Sui.

So she set herself a deadline: if Zhou Zhizhong proposed divorce within three months of the pregnancy, she would agree. But once those three months passed, she would reveal everything, regardless of what Zhou Zhizhong thought, ensuring that he would stay for the sake of the child.

It was almost three months, just a little bit more.

Afterward, He Ranjie often thought that perhaps it was because of her selfishness that she received such punishment.

From then on, she began to strictly discipline herself, showing tolerance to others, atoning for her past actions.

Zhou Zitan appeared during that period, when He Ranjie's temper had been most refined.

That actress still gave birth to the child, and eventually, the child ended up in the Zhou family.

He Ranjie remembered it was raining that day. She watched from the window as the thin child huddled in a corner, waiting for his mother to come back for him.

He Ranjie watched him for a long time before holding an umbrella over his head and taking him home.

Now the child had grown up, once again displaying that pitiful look from back then.

He Ranjie, as she always did, held the umbrella over him, "Little Tan."

Upon hearing He Ranjie's call, Zhou Zitan immediately rushed over and buried his head in her chest.

"Mom." Zhou Zitan trembled as he hugged He Ranjie, choking back tears, "I will always love you and always want to be your son. Please don't abandon me."

He Ranjie gently stroked his head, "How could I abandon you?"

A mother without a child, a child without a mother; from the moment they met, they filled each other's voids.

How could He Ranjie possibly abandon her own child?

Shen Tingzhou looked at the warmth illuminated by the wall lamps and silently closed the door again.

At that moment, He Ranjie looked over, silently saying, "Thank you, Dr. Shen."

Shen Tingzhou nodded slightly and then closed the door.