My Alleged Husband

Sometimes, certain decisions can’t be easily made by everyone; they are determined after careful consideration of which path is best suited for oneself, to make the most beneficial decision.

Xia Jing heard her child call her "Mom" at that moment, and her heart was filled with joy, yet she hesitated. What should she do? On one side is her biological son; on the other, her decision. Which choice would she make that wouldn’t leave her with regret?

Old Master Zhang looked at Xia Jing, hoping that she would say "no." He didn’t want his daughter-in-law to be someone who had been in prison for murder. He wished for everyone in the Zhang Family to remain untainted.

Zhang Zhentian also looked at Xia Jing, yearning for her to say "no." This was his wife of over a decade, and despite everything, his heart leaned toward Xia Jing’s side. He didn’t want his wife to be beset by the irreversible results of his inadvertent provocation. Such a situation would entail no favorable outcome for anyone involved.

Xia Jing faced her son, her father, her husband with eyes full of expectation. How much she wished she could cease her actions right now. But is there truly still time for that? The situation had escalated to such a point—the person had already been kidnapped. Even if the law didn’t charge her with murder, the act of kidnapping constituted a criminal case; Ran Zhihan had surely reported it. She would never let anything harm her parents. All of this transpired because of Xia Jing’s momentary impulsiveness. Now the situation seems almost out of control, beyond reclaim. They didn’t know what to do at this point. Should she, the future mother-in-law, plead with her future daughter-in-law? No, she couldn’t do that—she wasn’t the kind of person to lower herself in front of her descendants.

"My dearest son, I’m sorry; though you’ve now recognized me as your mother, I still want to say I’m sorry to you. Over these years, it’s been me who wronged you, my abandoning you has caused you such great harm. It was my selfishness that subjected you to grievances. I know that you’ve always resented me, but I don’t blame you because you still acknowledge my presence as your mother. You just don’t know how to interact with me because I abandoned you. For so many years, you’ve never lived by my side, I don’t understand you, and you don’t understand me as a mother. Yet, I hope you can realize that I truly love you because you are my precious son, my only biological son in this lifetime. Do you know? All these years abroad, I’ve always longed for you, but I cared about my pride, couldn’t put aside my ego, and wanted to roam around a few more years, which is why I never came home to accompany you. It was precisely because of this that led to the distance in our relationship now. Son, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have stopped you from being with Zhihan, but I hope you can understand that I’m not belittling a civilian’s daughter; I just feel she can’t bring you happiness. I’m afraid she’ll hold you back in your career and your future path. That’s why I did those things to hurt her—I hope you grasp my intentions, irrespective of how grave my mistakes might have been, all were born out of love for you. For you, I’m not afraid of dying, nor imprisonment, nor losing everything; my only fear is that you won’t be happy. That’s the hardest part for a mother..." Xia Jing said tearfully to Zhang Yichen.

Zhang Yichen couldn’t accept it; he couldn’t accept, after finally deciding to recognize his mother, ending up with such a result. He desperately implored, "Mom, please stop. I’ve already acknowledged you; I’ve agreed not to communicate with her anymore, alright? I just hope you can spend more years by my side—is that so difficult? You haven’t given me a day of maternal love in these crucial years of my growth. I understand, I’ve forgiven you; what more do you want from me? Should I have to kneel on the ground and beg you to come home with me? Over these years, it’s not me who’ve done wrong, it’s you. I admit, I couldn’t forgive your mistakes before because your abandonment made others belittle me. But now, you’re willing to do anything for me, even fearlessly face prison—I know you truly love me, and I’m deeply touched by this. That’s why I decided to recognize you, but why can’t you ever see me, your son’s merits? I’m a person, too; I have times of heartache and pain. When my parents abandoned me, I knew how to secretly weep, but I could only feign happiness in front of others. I couldn’t let anyone know I had my vulnerable moments because that would provide them a weakness to exploit. When you hurt my beloved girl, I also felt pain, but there’s nothing I can do, nothing I can say. I could only vent my dissatisfaction and emotions to you. That’s where I wronged you—you’re my parents, I shouldn’t vent my feelings to you. But when doing things, have you considered my feelings, your son’s? Did you think I wouldn’t choose not to acknowledge you when returning? When you hurt my beloved girl, did you consider how much pain it caused me? Time after time, you pushed me to the edge; time after time, I chose to forgive you. What more do you want?"

Upon hearing her son say such things, Xia Jing felt deeply troubled, very troubled, but what could she do? Must she truly abandon the task halfway? No, abandoning halfway wasn’t her style—even if the chosen path would become the end of her life, she must continue walking it because only by persisting with one’s beliefs one wouldn’t be seen as weak.

"Since you perceive me as such a deplorable mother, causing you such heartache, then this is a task I must fulfill today. For your future bright path, for you to live happily ever after, I must ensure this task’s success today. I will make certain that there’s no possibility between you and her because she wouldn’t want to be with the son of a murderer. How could she repay her parents for their upbringing if she did? I understand that girl very well; she’s genuinely kind-hearted. I know she isn’t arrogant or greedy for wealth. You’re right, she did nothing wrong, not a single mistake, but her biggest mistake was being born into the wrong family—a civilian’s daughter. If she weren’t, she would surely live alongside you, very happily, without interference in your relationship. But she’s merely a civilian..."

"How many more times do I need to tell you? Who says a civilian’s daughter doesn’t match a wealthy descent? Can’t civilian daughters someday rely on their own abilities to become rich? Mom, things mustn’t be seen in absolute terms; you can’t prematurely decide on future matters either. How do you know Zhihan won’t be promising? How do you know she won’t enhance my journey, becoming a source of radiance rather than a hindrance? You know how much I love her. Your harming her parents brings untold sadness to her. As a parent, wouldn’t it pain you if someone harmed me? Just for me as your son, do good and let go of Zhihan’s parents!"

Xia Jing turned her head away. She didn’t want to hear Zhang Yichen’s pleas...

When my parents chose to abandon me, they chose what benefited them most. Without me, they could live freely.