flstandardbreds Chapter 941 Mu Xiaoji, are you crazy?
Chapter 941 Mu Xiaoji, are you crazy?
As Jiang Chengyu stepped out of the villa gate, the evening breeze made his clothes flutter, but it couldn't dispel the suffocation in his heart. He leaned against the car door, his fingertips pressing hard against his brow. Jiang Shuo's words, "Why did you give birth to me?" felt like icy needles, repeatedly piercing his most vulnerable spot.
How could he not know the child's grievances? Ever since Mu Xiaoji returned from Los Angeles covered in injuries, he felt as if all his courage had been ripped away. Those agonizing hours outside the operating room, watching Mu Xiaoji's chest wrapped in thick bandages and her weak breathing, he realized for the first time that his own existence seemed to have always been the root of Mu Xiaoji's misfortunes.
The secret of surrogacy weighed heavily on his heart. Jiang Shuo's birth was proof of his and Mu Xiaoji's relationship, but it also became a shackle binding them. He was afraid—afraid that this shameful past would be exposed, afraid that Mu Xiaoji would suffer gossip because of him, and even more afraid that he couldn't give these two people he cherished a stable future. So he chose to run away; the farther he ran, the "safer" they seemed to be.
But he forgot that in a child's world, love is never about "letting go," but about "being there for them."
In the villa's living room, Jiang Shuo's sobs gradually subsided, leaving only muffled whimpers. Looking at his grandson's red-rimmed eyes, Song Shijie's anger slowly subsided, leaving only helplessness. He sighed heavily, squatted down, and gently placed his rough hand on Jiang Shuo's shoulder: "Sweetie, Grandpa shouldn't have yelled at you just now..."
Jiang Shuo turned his head away, tears still clinging to his eyelashes, his voice thick with a nasal tone: "Grandpa, will he never want me again?"
Song Shijie's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was momentarily at a loss for words. Looking at the fear in Jiang Shuo's eyes, and recalling Jiang Chengyu's resolute departure just moments before, his heart felt heavy. These two children, one escaped in a sorry state, the other was utterly wounded; ultimately, they were both trapped by love.
Shen Rou helped the old lady lie back on the sofa and carefully removed the silver needles from her head. The old lady kept her eyes closed, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, murmuring, "It's all fate...it's all fate..."
Mu Xiaoji slowly descended the stairs, his prosthetic leg making a soft "tap-tap" sound on the floor, which was particularly clear in the quiet living room. He walked to Jiang Shuo's side, bent down, and gently patted Jiang Shuo's head.
Jiang Shuo looked up and saw the gauze on Mu Xiaoji's forehead. He paused, then choked up and said, "Little Father..."
Mu Xiaoji's eyes instantly reddened. He squatted down to look Jiang Shuo in the eye, his voice gentle but trembling almost imperceptibly: "Jiang Shuo, you did nothing wrong, we were the ones who were wrong."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent crowd in the living room before finally settling on the doorway. It was as if he were speaking to Jiang Shuo, or perhaps to himself: "Your father didn't abandon you. He was just too afraid... afraid that he couldn't give us what we wanted, afraid of dragging us down... He's just a fool, a fool who can only shoulder everything himself."
Jiang Shuo seemed to understand, but he saw a deep sadness in Mu Xiaoji's eyes. He reached out and gently hugged Mu Xiaoji's neck, resting his little head on his shoulder: "Daddy, I don't blame him anymore... I just miss him..."
Mu Xiaoji felt a sharp pang in his heart. He hugged Jiang Shuo tightly, resting his chin on the top of the child's head, and tears silently streamed down his face, soaking Jiang Shuo's hair.
Yes, he missed him too. He missed Jiang Chengyu, who would stay by his bedside all night when he was sick; he missed Jiang Chengyu, who would clumsily cook for him, even if he burned the food, he would still smile happily; he missed Jiang Chengyu, who would say "I'm here" when he was in despair.
But now, he has lost Jiang Chengyu.
Dou Jinde stood to the side, watching the scene unfold before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He took out his phone, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Jiang Chengyu's number.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and Jiang Chengyu's hoarse voice came from the other end: "Hello."
“Cheng Yu,” Dou Jinde lowered his voice, “Where are you? Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Shuo are very worried about you.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Jiang Chengyu's tired voice came through: "Tell them to take care of themselves, don't worry about me."
"Jiang Chengyu!" Dou Jinde couldn't help but raise his voice, "Can you stop being so selfish? Running away won't solve anything! Mu Xiaoji took all the blame upon himself, and Jiang Shuo cried and asked you if you didn't want him anymore. How could you be so heartless?"
“Heartless?” Jiang Chengyu laughed self-deprecatingly, his voice filled with bitterness. “If I’m not heartless, they will only be dragged into a deeper quagmire. Dou Jinde, you don’t understand… some things can’t be solved by simply facing them.”
"I don't understand!" Dou Jinde roared. "All I know is that love isn't about running away, it's about facing things together! You think you're doing this for their own good, but do you know that your leaving is the cruelest thing you can do to them!"
The breathing on the other end of the phone suddenly became heavier. After a long while, Jiang Chengyu's voice came through again, with a hint of relief: "...How is he?"
Dou Jinde knew he was asking about Mu Xiaoji. He glanced at Mu Xiaoji, who was comforting Jiang Shuo not far away, and said softly, "It's not good. He hasn't said a word since you left, and the look in his eyes is even more painful than when he was sick."
A long silence fell over the phone, broken only by Jiang Chengyu's heavy breathing.
Mu Xiaoji seemed to sense something, looked up at Dou Jinde, and asked in his eyes.
Dou Jinde said into the phone, "Cheng Yu, come back. Some rifts can't be healed by running away. No matter how difficult it is, we should face it together."
After saying that, he hung up the phone, looked at Mu Xiaoji, and nodded slightly.
Mu Xiaoji's heart skipped a beat. He stood up and involuntarily walked towards the door.
Jiang Shuo tugged at his sleeve and asked softly, "Little Daddy, are we going to find him?"
Mu Xiaoji turned around, looked at Jiang Shuo's expectant eyes, and then at the concerned gazes of everyone in the living room. A faint smile slowly appeared on her lips, filled with relief and anticipation: "Yes, let's go find him."
As night deepened, the lights of the Jinjiangwan Villa remained on, illuminating a group of people bound by love. The breeze outside was still slightly cool, yet seemed to carry a hint of warmth.
Some cracks may be truly irreparable, but as long as you are willing to turn back and get closer, there will always be a ray of light that can shine into that coldness, allowing the wound to slowly scab over and love to grow anew.
At that moment, at the intersection not far from the villa, a black sedan stood quietly. Jiang Chengyu sat in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles white. On the passenger seat lay a small doll, a gift he had personally bought for Jiang Shuo's birthday last year.
He gazed in the direction of the villa, his eyes swirling with complex emotions. The thought of escaping lingered, but Dou Jinde's words, Jiang Shuo's sobs, and Mu Xiaoji's sorrow were like threads tightly binding his heart.
Finally, he took a deep breath and started the car. The headlights came on, piercing the night, and he slowly drove towards the villa.