Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

"Your father is a primary school teacher in town. He is extremely concerned about his reputation and how others perceive him. He would never lay a hand on your mother because the bruises on her body cannot be hidden. If outsiders see them, it will ruin his image as a gentle and refined teacher, and the neighbors will gossip about him."

"So all his malice and meanness are kept behind closed doors and hidden at home. Outside, he is a respected good teacher and a praised good husband; at home, he humiliates and belittles your mother with the most hurtful words day after day, leaving all the grievances and pain of the marriage to her to bear alone in silence."

Lu Chuan froze, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Shen Jingshu continued to recount the long-hidden bitterness: "Just when your mother was about to give up and almost couldn't endure this suffocating marriage, fate played a cruel joke on her. After years of trying to conceive without success, she unexpectedly found out she was pregnant, and with a boy."

"That was her only hope in her agonizing marriage, the only light in her dark days. You became her sole source of emotional support to keep her going. Your arrival briefly eased your father's attitude and eased the tense atmosphere at home. But this tenderness was only for a fleeting moment."

"You were born a high-needs child, extremely difficult to care for in your early years. You couldn't speak, only cried to express your needs, causing endless trouble day and night. From the moment you were born, the burden of caring for you fell entirely on your mother's shoulders."

"During the postpartum period when you should have been resting, your grandmother only visited you two or three times and then never showed up again. No one took care of you during your postpartum period, and no one offered any help. But your father stood by coldly throughout the whole process. Not only did he not sympathize with his wife who was weak after childbirth, but he also took it for granted that your mother had to take care of the baby day and night during her postpartum period, while also cooking, washing clothes, doing housework, and taking care of all the household chores."

"Women are already severely depleted of qi and blood after childbirth, and their bodies are weak, so they need rest and nourishment the most. But what about your mother? She takes care of the child day and night, and even a good night's sleep is a luxury. She has never had a proper meal. Every time she picks up her chopsticks, you cry and fuss. She can only eat a few mouthfuls of cold rice and then immediately put down her chopsticks to comfort you. She suffers from malnutrition and is physically and mentally exhausted all year round."

Shen Jingshu's voice suddenly deepened, revealing the most chilling scene:

"On the most embarrassing day, your mother was chopping vegetables and cooking in the kitchen when she heard you crying your heart out in the bedroom. She felt sorry for the child and immediately called out to your father, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, to get up and take a look at you. But your father ignored her and didn't move an inch. He was only concerned with his own leisure and enjoyment and was completely oblivious to the crying child and his busy wife."

"With no other choice, your mother had to put down the kitchen knife in her hand and, dragging her weak postpartum body, which had been exhausted from days of overwork, hurried to the bedroom. Long-term fatigue, lack of nutrition, and tireless work day and night completely overwhelmed her. Just as she crossed the living room, her vision went black, all her strength gave way, and she collapsed onto the cold floor."

When your father saw her open her eyes and wake up, his first words were cold and harsh, without a trace of concern, only impatience and accusation: "What are you doing lying on the ground blocking the way? Get up and cook, I'm hungry."

That one short sentence completely shattered the last vestige of warmth in Aunt Su's heart.

The safe haven she had longed for all her life ultimately became a cage that imprisoned her for life. Her family of origin drained her dry, and her husband after marriage tormented her; she was never treated kindly by anyone in her entire life.

It's not that she hadn't thought about getting rid of him. She had considered divorce and leaving countless times, but your father had her biggest weakness—you. He repeatedly threatened that if she dared to mention divorce, he would completely cut off her chance to see her son, leaving her separated from her family for the rest of her life and dying alone.

There is no mother in the world who doesn't love her child. For you, she swallowed all her grievances and suppressed all her resentment, enduring and suffering day after day in this cold home, single-handedly maintaining the warmth and life of the entire household.

Her only solace was watching you grow from an infant into a child, go to school, and gradually build your own life.

After enduring so much hardship until you finished your college entrance exam and successfully entered university, she thought she had finally made it through. She mustered all her courage and filed for divorce again, wanting to live for herself this time.

But she never expected that the one stopping her wouldn't be her husband of half her life, but her own son whom she had raised with all her might—that is, you, Lu Chuan.

By then, you had already developed a biased perception under your father's long-standing "good person filter." From a young age, you had witnessed your father's occasional tenderness and indulgence, and your mother's years of silent sacrifice, and had long taken her sacrifices for granted. You had never truly respected her or understood her hardships; you only thought of her as an ignorant housewife, narrow-minded and pretentious.

You've completely forgotten that it was she who tirelessly supervised your studies, did your laundry, cooked for you, and meticulously cared for your daily life, giving you the opportunity to study peacefully and achieve academic success. Your father simply shirked his responsibilities and acted as a kind and gentle person, leaving all the strict discipline and hard work to your mother alone.

Faced with your mother's request for a divorce, instead of feeling sorry for her lifelong grievances, you publicly accused her of being immature and unreasonable. You pleaded and used moral blackmail, every word of which was for your own future and reputation: you said you had just been admitted to university, and your parents' divorce would make you the subject of gossip; you said you would soon be working and getting married, and if the woman's family knew that your parents were divorced, it would affect your marriage and ruin your life.

For your future and your reputation, the soft-hearted Aunt Su compromised once again.

She suppressed all thoughts of breaking free and continued to stay in this cold home, working tirelessly day after day, silently dedicating herself to ensuring the dignity and well-being of you, father and son.

Later, you graduated from university, found a job, got married, and had children, starting your own little family. After your wife finished her maternity leave, she threw herself into her work, leaving your two-year-old twins at home without anyone to care for them.

Over fifty years old and riddled with ailments, she should have been enjoying her retirement, but instead she had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking care of the children again. Day after day, she revolved around her two grandchildren, doing laundry, cooking, putting them to sleep, feeding them, picking them up and taking care of them, and handling all the big and small chores at home. She became your whole family's free nanny and hardworking old lady.

But your father continues to do as he pleases. When he's in a good mood, he'll play with his grandson for a bit, enjoying the simple pleasures of family life; when he's in a bad mood, he'll simply abandon him. The exhaustion of taking care of the child, the trivial troubles, and the hardship of staying up late are never his concern.

For two whole years, the two children grew from helpless infants to lively and energetic toddlers. All the hardship, heartache, and sacrifices behind the scenes were silently borne by Aunt Su alone. No one understood, no one was grateful, and in the end, all she got in return was the family's taken-for-granted exploitation and endless harshness.