Chapter 485 Sweet Poison

Chapter 485: Honeyed Poison

Su An walked toward Huang Ximei's house. The Liu family's door was closed, while a few gossiping neighbors outside craned their necks and strained their ears, eager to catch any gossip from inside, occasionally whispering to each other in hushed tones.

"Auntie Ge? What's going on?" Su An called out to one of the women.

The woman turned around, and upon seeing Su An, her face lit up as if she had just spotted a fellow gossip.

"Pssst—Xiao Su, come here quick!"

"Come, come, let me tell you—Mr. Tang went inside, and there were crying sounds. I heard it clearly, Juanzi was sobbing and Ximei was scolding."

"Ah, what kind of man is this Mr. Tang? He wasn’t even around when the child was born. What a heartless man, I tell you. Seems like Juanzi is just unlucky, stuck with a man who doesn’t care for his wife."

Another woman nodded in agreement. "Exactly! He seemed decent before, but you really can’t judge a book by its cover. I heard he’s from G City—so far away! And his family didn’t even show up after the baby was born. Honestly, Juanzi was a bit too careless, especially as a divorced woman."

"Yeah, look at Huang Ximei—she used to brag so much about her future son-in-law, all proud and everything. Now she’s got egg on her face."

Auntie Ge then turned to Su An, seeking her approval. "Right, Xiao Su?"

Su An’s mouth tightened. "Auntie, we don’t even know the full story yet. Besides, every family has its own troubles. If everyone just minds their own business and stops poking into others’ affairs, the neighbors on Fuqing Street would get along much better, don’t you think?"

"After all, distant relatives aren’t as helpful as close neighbors. Who knows when any of us might need a helping hand from the folks next door? Doesn’t that make sense?"

Auntie Ge and the others caught her drift and chuckled awkwardly. "Heh, Xiao Su really is educated—always knows just what to say."

"Well, I should go cook now."

"I’ve got things to do too—my laundry’s still waiting. I’d better get going."

The small crowd gathered outside the Liu family’s door dispersed.

Just as Su An was about to knock—

*Creak—*

The door swung open, and Tang Wenhao stepped out.

When he saw Su An, his gaze shifted, but he forced a smile and greeted her.

"Mr. Su, here to see Juanzi?"

Hearing Huang Ximei and Liu Guojuan’s muffled sobs inside, Su An moved past him. "What’s going on?"

Tang Wenhao instinctively replied, "Juanzi is close to you—maybe you can talk some sense into her. I’ll be going now."

Baffled, Su An didn’t have time to process his words before heading inside.

"Auntie Huang, Sister Juanzi, what happened?"

She had her suspicions but wasn’t sure, so she played dumb. "Didn’t Mr. Tang come back? Why are you crying like this?"

Liu Guojuan could no longer hold back her emotions. Clutching Su An’s sleeve, she wailed, "Wah—An An, he tricked me! Tang Wenhao is a liar! I'm so full of regrets—I should’ve listened to you and Sister A Xia!

"Ugh—you both tried to warn me back then, but I was too stupid to take it seriously!"

"Wah—how could he do this to me? How could he treat me like this? I'm so unlucky!"

Gasping between sobs, Liu Guojuan cried, "An An, he went and married someone else! I was here giving birth to his child, and he just went back to G City and married another woman! Wah—he’s nothing but a fraud!"

"Everything he said before was just sweet lies to deceive me. I was so foolish, so gullible, with no defenses."

"The neighbors were right—I was easy, I had no self-respect. No marriage license, no wedding, and I went ahead and had his child. I brought this upon myself, no wonder people look down on me."

Seeing Liu Guojuan completely broken down, Su An quickly patted her back to comfort her. "Alright, alright, hush now. You're still in confinement—you must take care of yourself, or you could develop lifelong complications."

"There's no changing the past. We need to calm down first and figure out how to handle the immediate difficulties. That’s what matters most right now."

Little by little, Liu Guojuan calmed down under Su An’s soothing words.

She recounted roughly what Tang Wenhao had just told her.

"He said he was divorced before and didn’t think it was something to be proud of, so he kept it to himself. When we were together, he was indeed single. But a few days ago, his ex-wife got into trouble. He said he owed her too much, and somehow, he wound up remarrying her."

Tears streamed down Liu Guojuan’s face as she spoke. "Now he says he can’t marry me anymore, but he’s willing to take responsibility. He wants to take Xiao Bao to raise her himself. To reassure me, he promised he’d treat her well, and his ex-wife agreed not to have any more children—she’d treat Xiao Bao as her own."

"But An An, I’m so bitter. I regret it so much. I thought I’d finally found someone to rely on, only to end up like this."

"Not only have I dragged my family into this mess, but now I might even lose my own child."

"Why am I so weak? Even now, part of me still wants to make it work with him. In my whole life, no one has ever treated me gently or cherished me."

"The neighbors weren’t wrong—I’m worthless. Even now, I still remember the good in him. Nobody gets me, no one gets how I feel."

Liu Guojuan broke down completely. "An An, do you know? If I had really succeeded in hanging myself that day, the only time I ever knew what it was to be cherished and cared for was that one year with Tang Wenhao. Do you understand? Do you get what I mean?"

It was only when she was with Tang Wenhao that she learned what it felt like to be cared for.

Once, she glanced at bananas on the street, and he went and bought them for her. It was the first time someone paid such close attention to her, making her feel she deserved love too.

That year was filled with so much sweetness and warmth—things she had never experienced in her entire life.

Su An sighed and patted her hand. "I understand. I know what you mean."

Liu Guojuan had grown up starved of love, just surviving under Liu Shuanglu’s thumb as a child. When she grew up, she was pawned off on some good-for-nothing.

Huang Ximei had been struggling to survive herself back then and couldn’t protect her.

Life in her husband’s family was even worse than at home. After giving birth to Hui Hui, she was driven out. Her father not only refused to stand up for her but even extorted money from her in-laws, ready to throw her and Hui Hui out.

She had received so little love and care in her life, never once truly cherished, that when someone showed her the slightest kindness, she latched onto it like a lifeline, willing to give everything.

Only to find out...

Huang Ximei looked deeply troubled. Of course she knew what was going through her daughter’s mind. "Juan Zi, let it go. He’s married someone else now. If you still hold onto hope of being with him, how are you any different from Cui Yuanfeng?"

"You hate Cui Yuanfeng the most, don’t you? You must draw a line—a man who already has a wife is off-limits. Lowering yourself only brings you down and wrongs others."