Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

"Tampering with the brakes...that's illegal, you know that?"

"I'm not a three-year-old. Do I need you to teach me such a small thing?"

"Then why..."

"I just want that woman dead. Only when she's dead can I marry Ho Liang-han. The problem is that there's only one Mrs. Ho. If I don't get rid of her, I'll always be hiding in the shadows and never be able to reunite with my own son."

"But doing that is too risky..."

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. I've already done more than enough for that mother and child by enduring until today. Now I'm just taking back what rightfully belongs to me."

"Ah Shan, you weren't like this before, back when you were in the band..."

"That was twenty years ago. Don't you find it ridiculous to bring it up now? Song Bo, listen carefully. I'm no longer the indecisive and timid Xiao Shan I used to be. You can refuse me today, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don't regret it..."

……

Xiao Shan then said a lot more.

From being aggressive at the beginning to being tearful later, it was like a split personality.

He Lianghan's face turned pale and then red, his fingers clenched so tightly they seemed to be digging into his palms.

After the recording finished playing, He Ziyu switched to the next audio file.

"Do you remember that business dinner our family attended before?"

"Actually, I saw Xiao Shan that day."

"He instigated He Ningqiu to suppress me behind my back, and even insulted my mother by calling her a mistress. I still remember his hysterical behavior vividly."

He Ziyu said, then pressed the play button.

It was his and Xiao Shan's voices inside.

"He Ningqiu is willing to believe you because you are his biological mother, but if you use this identity to intensify the hatred in his heart and sow discord between us, then I can only say that He Ningqiu is really unfortunate to have a mother like you."

"You...you shut up!"

"Mom, let go!"

"Get away!"

"You little brat, who gave you the nerve to talk to me like that? Believe me, I'll strangle you right now!"

In the recording, Xiao Shan's voice was almost manic; even without seeing the image, one could imagine the hideous look on her face.

The more He Lianghan listened, the colder his heart became.

"I imported this recording using my phone," He Ziyu said. "At the time, Xiao Shan pulled He Ningqiu into the corridor to talk, and I followed her out of curiosity. When I heard what she said, my first reaction was to record it as evidence."

"You may think I'm cunning and calculating, but I really can't pretend to be blind to a woman who's trying to ruin my family."

Business dinner...

That was a long time ago.

He Lianghan frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Since you noticed her like this a long time ago, why did you only tell me now?"

"Because at that time, I naively wanted to give her one last chance." He Ziyu smiled helplessly, "I told her to leave Yuecheng, to go wherever she wanted, as long as she didn't come back to ruin our family..."

"But now, she's come back, and with this purpose in mind."

"So today, I've decided to be honest with you and tell you everything that's been kept secret all this time. I believe that with your character, you should be able to give me a satisfactory answer, right?"

He Lianghan hesitated, his expression somewhat complicated.

After a long pause, he cautiously asked, "About this, your mother...?"

"Don't worry, she doesn't know anything." He Ziyu looked at He Lianghan with sincere eyes. "I asked you out alone today because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. After all, my mother is innocent and shouldn't have to suffer this unexpected disaster."

Upon hearing this, He Lianghan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

The imagined tantrums, the questioning, the crying...

None at all.

His son, He Ziyu, after learning about this absurd and melodramatic inside story, sat quietly opposite him and calmly talked to him.

This feeling was even more unbearable for him than if He Ziyu had beaten or scolded him.

"I'm sorry, Ayu..." He Lianghan lowered his head, not daring to look He Ziyu in the eye. "This is a mistake Dad made more than ten years ago, a debt that should have been repaid by me alone..."

From the beginning until now, he has never thought about truly breaking up this family.

No matter how much Xiao Shan clung to him, he remained steadfast in only paying a portion of the alimony, never giving her any hope.

Simply because he cared about Zhou Ying.

Although he often complains about her and says she doesn't know how to raise their son, they have been married for so many years, it's impossible for them to have no feelings for each other.

"You're usually so busy with work, how could you possibly have time to dig into these things? It was just a small favor for me," He Ziyu said, pouring some sake into He Lianghan's nearly empty glass. "But how to handle this matter from now on is up to you."

The private room was very quiet.

It was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

A moment later, He Lianghan picked up the sake and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, in a serious tone, she said, "She has such terrible thoughts and has already put them into action, so she's probably not mentally sound. I'll find a place and send someone to take her under control."

In any case, the safety of He Ziyu and Zhou Ying must be ensured.

If we let that mad dog-like woman wander around outside any longer, who knows what kind of heinous things she might do.

"Why not send her to that high-end nursing home?" He Ziyu raised his eyebrows. "The environment there is quite nice. There are people who deliver meals regularly and clean the rooms. If someone finds out her identity, you, as the person involved, won't look too bad."

"The sanatorium..." He Lianghan paused, "You mean the one in the west of the city?"

"Um."

That sanatorium was where he ended his life in his previous life.

He was disfigured and had a broken leg, and spent a long period of time isolated from the world inside.

If that's the case, he'll make Xiao Shan taste the same way.

To imprison her precious remaining years in that small plot of land, where she wouldn't die but would live a life devoid of flavor.

"Alright, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow," He Lianghan said decisively.

He Ziyu was fairly satisfied with the result.

Although Xiao Shan wanted to kill him, he was unwilling to have his hands stained with blood like Xiao Shan.

The reason is simple.

He thought it was dirty.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"I've found out why He Ningqiu has been in a bad mood lately, and it's because of Xiao Shan."

"Xiao Shan incurred a large gambling debt in City B some time ago. She probably contacted He Ningqiu during that time, putting him under considerable pressure. If possible, you should try to take her to see a psychologist. This can't go on like this."

He Lianghan was a little incredulous, "Xiao Shan treated you like this, and your mother, how could you still...?"

"Let's keep things separate," He Ziyu said. "He Ningqiu is still young. Without Xiao Shan's guidance, he might turn over a new leaf. But that's a matter for later. The main reason I asked you to take him to see a doctor is to prevent him from doing anything rash and causing unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing this, He Lianghan quickly replied, "Okay, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to whatever you say."

Now that things have come to this, all he wants is for the problem to be resolved quickly so that life can return to normal.

As for anything else, I have no time to think about it.

With Xiao Shan's matter resolved, He Ziyu was in a good mood. Just as he was about to clink glasses with He Lianghan to welcome the new life that was about to begin, he suddenly saw He Lianghan lower his head with slightly red eyes.

Immediately afterwards, his shoulders shrugged slightly.

"dad?"

He Lianghan remained silent, feeling more and more sorry for his wife and children, and for his family.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head and met He Ziyu's gaze.

"Ayu, there's something that's been bothering your father. I don't ask for your forgiveness, but I still want to tell you."

"Please speak."

He Lianghan rubbed his sore eyes and said:

"Dad admits that he had ulterior motives in bringing Ningqiu over before."

"Back then, I resented your mother for failing to raise you properly, turning you into an uneducated and spoiled brat. I felt from the bottom of my heart that you were not up to the responsibility of being the heir."

"Later, you asked me if I wanted Ning Qiu to replace you. I didn't admit it, but my heart ached like it was being pricked by needles."

"You are your father's son, and it's impossible for your father not to love you... But the He family is a large and powerful family, and the empire I built with my own hands must have someone to inherit it. So I thought of Ning Qiu and insisted on bringing him over despite your mother's objections."

"I once thought the worst-case scenario was to let Ning Qiu take over the company and hand over a portion of the shares that would be essential for our livelihood to you. That way, no matter how much you squandered, the group wouldn't collapse, and you and your future children would have someone to rely on."

"But ultimately, I still neglected your feelings..."

"After you entered high school, you studied hard and were very motivated. I am truly happy for you, but at the same time, I can't help but scold myself in my heart again and again."

"If I had spent more time with you back then, maybe none of those things would have happened..."

"But now, it's too late to say anything."

He Ziyu: "It's not too late now."

He Lianghan was slightly taken aback, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

"Although our relationship has been quite strained over the past decade or so, and we could only communicate through pocket money, now we can sit at the same table and eat and chat together, can't we?"

"I've made too many mistakes in the past, so it's understandable that you're disappointed in me. So Dad, apart from the matter of Xiao Shan, I've never actually blamed you."

He Ziyu completely believed the heartfelt words He Lianghan spoke.

Because in his previous life, He Lianghan did the same thing, giving him a portion of the shares so he could squander them at will.

He believed that his father's love for him was real.

Whether in the past or present.

"I only hope that in the future, our family will always be of one mind."

"I hope my mother can live a long and healthy life with a full head of white hair, and that she will not have to worry about trivial matters in her old age."

"I want very little, yet I want a lot."

"But I always believe that what you keep in mind will eventually come back to you."

"When we are persistent in pursuing something, fate will one day overcome all difficulties and bring it to us."