Chapter 159: Simply Rejected
Wang Gege’s chest slowly began to calm, and her gaze lowered, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Look at this husband." Xie Rong gently raised her chin, making her meet his gaze.
"At that moment when this husband rejected you... this husband discovered that the woman my father was in a relationship with was your mother. But that was not all."
Wang Gege’s brows furrowed slightly.
"This husband had already discovered that they were planning to get married."
Her eyes widened, "What?"
"They had already discussed it with the elders on our side. It was only a matter of time before the relationship became public."
His voice became quieter, "But their relationship was not accepted by our family. There were arguments, pressure, and disagreements about almost everything. The entire situation was already becoming a mess."
Wang Gege met his eyes. "Because of my mother’s history?"
Xie Rong fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
Her fingers tightened against the bedsheet.
"Everyone knew what people said about your mother," he continued carefully. "She had been married more than once, and every time she became involved with another wealthy man, people assumed she was only after their money."
"She is..." Wang Gege sneered under her breath, mockingly recalling everything about the woman she was supposed to call her mother.
She had never been particularly close to that woman, but even she knew the reputation that followed her mother wherever she went.
Men came and went.
Husbands changed one after another.
And every time, there were whispers about money, wealth, and what she had managed to obtain from the man before moving on to the next.
"So when your mother became involved with my father, my family naturally opposed it." Xie Rong’s voice remained low, "They were afraid that my father was simply another wealthy man she had chosen."
Wang Gege’s lips curled faintly. "Sounds about right."
"Gege..." Xie Rong frowned slightly.
"Don’t defend her." Her expression hardened. "This wife..." She stopped herself and sighed. "I don’t even know why I am talking about her."
Xie Rong watched her quietly before continuing, "The problem was that once our parents’ relationship became known, people would inevitably look at us as well."
Wang Gege’s expression slowly changed.
"Why? They would look at me and see her. Excuse me?" She bitterly chuckled. "She abandoned me... years ago... when I was still a child. The man she decided to marry didn’t want me tagging along, so she left me behind."
Her voice became quieter. "She chose him over me. Why does my life has anything to do with her?"
Xie Rong’s expression changed. He had known about her mother’s reputation, but he had never known the truth behind their relationship.
"I didn’t know..." His voice became quieter.
"Of course you didn’t." Wang Gege gave a bitter smile, "Nobody ever asked."
She lowered her gaze, her fingers slowly tightening against the bedsheet. "Everyone only saw who my mother was. Nobody cared enough to ask who I was."
Xie Rong’s chest tightened. "That was why this husband was afraid."
Wang Gege looked at him. "Afraid of what?"
"That they would use her reputation against you." His voice became heavier.
"This husband knew how cruel those people could be. Once they discovered that you were her daughter, they would not care whether you had anything to do with her choices. They would simply assume you were the same."
Wang Gege stared at him. "And you believed them?"
"No." His answer came immediately. "I never believed you were like her."
"Then why did you reject me?"
Xie Rong fell silent.
Wang Gege’s eyes reddened again. "If you knew I wasn’t like her, why didn’t you simply tell me what was happening?"
He lowered his gaze. "Because I thought I could deal with everything first."
She let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "And instead, you dealt with it by destroying me in front of everyone."
Xie Rong’s fingers slowly curled.
"No... listen, Furen." His voice became urgent. "After the confession, this husband rushed to my father. This husband convinced him again and again that I would approve of his relationship, but begged him not to marry her yet."
Wang Gege stared at him.
"I wanted to settle everything first," he continued, his breathing becoming heavier. "I thought if my father did not marry your mother, then there would be no reason for anyone to associate you with her. Then, once everything was settled, we could..." He swallowed, "we could get married."
Wang Gege suddenly laughed, but the sound was filled with pain rather than amusement.
"Married?" Her eyes reddened. "By remaining silent while I was being bullied by everyone?"
"I did not remain silent!" Xie Rong’s voice rose, desperation creeping into it. "I protected you!"
Wang Gege stared at him.
"You should believe me. I did protect you, but I did it where you could not see it." His breathing became uneven as years of words he had never been able to tell her finally poured out.
"I silenced them. I removed the people who spread those rumours. Anyone who insulted you or deliberately humiliated you, this husband dealt with them."
He clenched his fists.
"I made sure those rumours never reached the people who mattered. I even..." He paused, his voice becoming hoarse. "I even used my own connections to make sure the people who kept harassing you would stop."
Wang Gege’s lips trembled.
"The damage has already been done." She looked at him, tears still clinging to her lashes. "Can you fix a broken glass?"
Xie Rong fell silent.
Wang Gege gave a bitter smile. "Even if you gather every piece and put it back together, it will never be the same glass again."
Her fingers slowly tightened against the bedsheet, "You stopped them from hurting me again, but you couldn’t erase what they had already done."
Her voice cracked, "You couldn’t make me forget every word they said. You couldn’t make me forget standing there in front of everyone while you rejected me."
She lowered her gaze, "And you couldn’t make me stop wondering why the person I thought cared about me could humiliate me so easily."
"This husband did not humiliate you. This husband simply rejected you..."
Wang Gege’s eyes reddened.
"Simply rejected me?" Her lips trembled as the memory resurfaced, "Then perhaps I should remind you what you said."
Xie Rong’s expression slowly stiffened.
Wang Gege looked straight into his eyes, her voice trembling as she repeated the words she had carried with her for years.
"You said, ’Wang Gege, don’t misunderstand our relationship. I have never had those kinds of feelings for you.’"
Xie Rong’s fingers slowly tightened.
"You said it in front of everyone." Her eyes reddened.
"And then you told me, ’Whatever you thought happened between us before, you should forget about it. I don’t want you to bring this up again.’"
Xie Rong lowered his gaze. He remembered... Every word.
At that time, he had deliberately made his voice cold. He had deliberately made the rejection sound final because he thought that if he left no room for hope, she would eventually move on and stay away from the mess surrounding their families, even if only for a short time.
But he later realized that it had been a huge mistake. That was why he was now here, trying to amend everything.
"You called it a simple rejection." A bitter smile appeared on Wang Gege’s lips. "Do you know what it sounded like to me?"
Xie Rong remained silent.
"It sounded like that foolish Wang Gege had simply imagined that Ethan Xu was in love with her."