- Let's rewind back to before our sweet coupe's cannoodling time~ -
Susu hung up on her end and all Shen Wen could hear was a beep before her phone screen turned black.
"What did she say?" Tian Yuo asked immediately after seeing her phone leave the side of her ears.
"She wanted to meet me and ask me some questions. I told her that I wasn't too sure of my schedule for the next few days and she told me to let her know whenever I'm free. I wonder what she wants to ask me." Shen Wen couldn't think of anything that Susu would want to know from her.
Tian Yuo looked a bit disappointed and said, "Oh... then it probably has nothing to do with me. I wonder how she is doing, though. I really regret my decision back then and there isn't anything that I could do for her at this time."
"Not quite. We don't know what questions she is going to ask just yet. What if it is a finance type of favor? She did mention that it was something she can't ask over the phone. If it is a finance type of question, then I can always pull you into it since you are in charge of Tian Corps right now."
It sounded reasonable, but Tian Yuo doubted that thought because he knew that in terms of wealth, the Chen family is one of the wealthiest families in the business field. Since Chen Mu is wealthier, it is a given that his family's power and status is also above the Tian family.
Shen Wen knew what her son was thinking and sighed, "Unfortunately, we do not have a time machine to go back to a year ago or so. No, perhaps if we had a machine to travel back to when you were young and you changed yourself for her. It is our family's misfortune to not have such as wonderful girl as our in-law."
Her words squeezed his heart terribly. He felt like his heart was squished like a pile of slime, "I learned from my mistakes and broke it off with Karen. I forgot to tell you that I saw Susu, Chen Mu, and their friends at the Huang Corps' annual design event."
"You mean the one that Karen sent an invitation for our family to attend? Why would you go to that event to support her? Didn't you say you had a business meeting?" Shen Wen frowned at the thought of him lying to her.
"I only showed up because the Mr. Huang Zhi Hei is the host and we have an upcoming project with his company. I didn't interact with Karen, but I'm sure she saw me when she got exposed by a famous professor in the field for plagiarizing Susu's design." He clarified the main reason why he attended the event, and Shen Wen squinted her eyes at him to make sure he wasn't lying.
When she heard that Karen plagiarized Susu's design, Tian Yuo described the whole scenario to her. "See? I told you that girl was no good business! You missed the diamond for a particle of dust like her! Everything she's been spouting out of her mouth since childhood was lies, lies and only more lies! You, silly boy didn't believe in your mother's words."
She sounded proud that something could finally prove her point to him. He lowered his head and leaned on the edge of the table as they continued their conversation. "How many things has she told me were actual lies? We were like 6 or 7 years old, so I naturally thought that a kid wouldn't lie about getting abused by their step siblings. I never thought that it would be the other way around."
"Silly child. Whenever you told me the things that Karen told you, I've always reminded you to be careful with who you hang out with. Even though you two were children, Karen's mother was not any good person. I'm not trying to say that she is like her mother, but I can definitely guarantee you that Susu isn't the type of person to bully another."
Shen Wen was tired of repeating the same words over and over again. She talked to him about all the times when Susu was suffering in the Yin family and how her father was a weak man against the mother and daughter. She spoke about the times when Susu was clearly enduring, but didn't dare shed a drip of tear in front of her to get her sympathy.
While she was talking about Susu, Shen Wen also mentioned the smallest details that Susu had noticed about their family and adjusted every meal for their convenience. From the tiniest bits of her actions, it was obvious that Susu loved him and his family to treat them so well.
After hearing his mother's words and having a long talk with her, he dragged his heavy body upstairs. He held onto the cold knob to his room and thought of the year that Susu was married to him by status. He remembered his ridiculous ground rules and how he purposely made things difficult for her, yet all she did was go along with it.
How many times did he sleep in his bed ever since they married each other? How many times has she told him that she didn't do anything and that she had finally lost hope in him? And how many times have he neglected her pleas and explanations to the point where she grew tired of even speaking to him?
He took a deep breath and entered his room where her portable bed was still by his bed. He didn't move it from where she had left it. Instead, he started sleeping on it to get a feeling of how hard and cold she must have felt back then.
The image of her covered in cold sweat looking gravely pale was deeply imprinted on his mind. Even then, she didn't once ask him to let her sleep on his bed where it is obviously more comfortable than her portable one. He wasn't home for most days, so she could have slept on his bed or messed around with his room to vent out her anger.
Perhaps if she had done even one thing to express her anger, he wouldn't have been as guilty right now. He twists and turned on the portable bed where each move of his had to be limited because it was smaller than a single sized bed. After some great difficulty, he fell asleep.
The next morning, Shen Wen informed him that she will be meeting with Susu at Memories Cafe during lunch time. She told him to get there before their scheduled meeting time and take the seat behind a certain table. Even though she had no idea what Susu may ask, she wanted her son to have a chance to make up for what he had done to her. It was another selfish thought of hers, but she wished for them to at least be friends in the future.