Tang Chen's face was distorted as he bellowed, "I thought Hyat was seeing Tang Xi from the shadow, thus, I neglected her on purpose. I wanted Hyat to come out and confront me, so that I could get a chance to explain myself to her. Dad, I truly loved Hyat. Nonetheless, she never understood me! Hyat Bint Ali shouldn't have left me, and her daughter! At least, she could have waited for me to return home that night, and ask for an explanation. It was still okay if not for me, but that heartless woman didn't even return for her daughter!"
Tang Min was furious, and disgusted with Tang Chen. He shouted, "So, you will keep seeking retribution against Tang Xi, for something she wasn't at fault?"
Tang Chen breathed out, running a hand across his face. "No dad, I wasted the prime years of my life in my blind anger. All I want now is peace, and my closed ones. Let me move in, and call back Xixi from her apartment as well. Let's live together here from now on." He sincerely proposed.
"Xixi will be getting married to Lu Yunsheng, and it's decided. You have another family, isn't living with them enough!" Tang Min aggressively spat and did not forget to glare at Tang Chen.
Tang Chen was very upset and his face was as dark as a storm. "Did you pressurise her into this marriage?"
"I just sent her to the blind date, rest was her decision." Tang Min replied coldly.
Tang Chen took a deep breath to calm himself down, before saying, "I will sponsor my daughter's wedding."
Since Tang Xi herself agreed for this marriage, he couldn't do anything in this matter. Not that he wished it, but if worse was to happen, she still had her father to lean back on.
The look on Tang Min's face was frighteningly cold as he looked at his son, and said, "You have two other daughters, you can sponsor as much as you want in their wedding. However, I have only one granddaughter, and her wedding is my responsibility. I haven't gone bankrupt to take money from outsiders for Xixi's wedding."
"Having two other daughters doesn't mean Tang Xi isn't my daughter anymore." Tang Chen's voice was very stern and it was obvious that he was furious.
"Xixi will never agree to you holding her wedding ceremony. You redirected your frustration, sadness on someone that had nothing to do with it. You never discharged any of your responsibilities as a father before, why such a sudden change now? Isn't it normal for us to think that you are trying to suck up to Tang Xi, because she is about to join the Lu Family?"
Tang Chen's heart sank when those words fell. He cracked a dry smile at Tang Min's words. Was his father really doubting why he wanted to reconcile with them?
It was true, that Tang Chen never performed any of his duties towards Tang Xi. He felt even more conscious now that his father pointed it out.
"I have been bearing the consequence of my one mistake for sixteen long years, isn't it enough? I lost three close people of mine, how did I feel? Have you ever thought for a minute, what I went through when Hyat left me? No! Did you ever try to reconcile my daughter with me? No! Ever asked me what actually happened that year? No! You just simply passed your judgement, and broke ties with me! Why is it so easy for you to break a relationship?! Why was it so easy for Hyat to abandon me? Perhaps, she never loved me in the first place, otherwise she couldn't leave me so easily. If I was in her place, I would fight with her day and night, but never leave her!" Tang Chen laughed dryly, noticing the despair in his own voice.
Tang Min felt his son's aggression at its full force. No one noticed the subtle change in expression in his eyes when Tang Chen hurled these questions at him.
Tang Min was familiar with his son's personality, he had a natural knack for persevering. Once Tang Chen fell down from a very high branch of a tree and fractured a few bones, however, there wasn't a lone year in his eyes. There was not a squeak from him even when he had suffered from a severe frozen shoulder for three long years.
So, it was a rare sight for Tang Chen to complain so much in a short time. Clearly, he couldn't take it anymore. It only went to highlight how much grief and hurt he had suffered under the hands of fate. The past few years must have been incredibly harsh to him.
"Why am I the only culprit here, when in reality you guys caused me suffocating pain for sixteen long years? Answer me, dad.."
Housekeeper Zhang had a soft expression on her face, as she thought about the hard times that Tang Chen experienced.
The last question almost caused tears to well up in Tang Min's eyes as well. "I missed you too son," He muttered under his breath. Because Tang Chen was so far, he didn't hear him.
"Dad, I regret raining hell on my own daughter, I have been chiding myself at the memory of my foolish past ever since you snatched Xixi from me." Tang Chen could feel heat building up at the tip of his nose, tears followed, blurring his vision again. "Give me a chance, I will try to protect our union at all costs, and won't trade it for anything."
Tang Min felt himself yielding to the assurance in Tang Chen's eyes and his anxiety mounted.
However, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he glared savagely at Tang Chen. "Go now, I will talk to Xixi to see whether you can attend her wedding ceremony or not."
Would he wrong Tang Xi, if he forgave Tang Chen?