Chapter 83: The Finale

This pregnancy was much more difficult for Lin Qiao than her previous one. From the very beginning, she had suffered from severe morning sickness, barely able to eat anything. Within days, she had lost a significant amount of weight, which left Shen Qingzhou extremely anxious. This was precisely the time when the experienced help of Xie Jiayi was most needed, yet she had been absent for quite some time. Shen Qingzhou grew impatient and frustrated.

He dialed Xie Jiayi’s number and, without waiting for her to speak, immediately scolded, “Where have you been lately? Don’t you know Qiao is pregnant again? She’s been feeling terrible these past few days and still has to take care of the child. You told me not to hire any outside help, yet you haven’t shown up yourself. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Before she disappeared, Xie Jiayi had told Shen Qingzhou not to hire any housekeepers, saying she didn’t trust outsiders and that they might not do as good a job as family. As a dutiful son, Shen Qingzhou had listened, but if his mother disappeared after giving such instructions, the situation became completely different.

Compared to Shen Qingzhou’s frustration, Xie Jiayi’s tone was calm and gentle. “I just found out this morning. Qiao sent me a message saying you might call me.”

“What do you mean?” Shen Qingzhou asked, frowning.

Xie Jiayi continued, “I’ve been away these past few days, and although I didn’t tell you why, Qiao knew. I was afraid she might feel abandoned and get upset thinking her mother-in-law didn’t care.” Her voice softened, sounding slightly distant. “I asked her not to tell you why I was away. She simply followed my request and didn’t mention me in front of you.”

Shen Qingzhou asked coldly, “Then explain clearly what’s going on.”

Xie Jiayi, sensing his seriousness, joked lightly, “What? My son, the world-famous Feng Shui master, can’t even figure out why his own mother is missing?”

Shen Qingzhou replied expressionlessly, “You can choose to tell me or not.”

Xie Jiayi sighed and finally confessed, “I’m with your grandmother.”

“What?” Shen Qingzhou couldn’t help but exclaim, and then felt a strange sense of emptiness.

So much time had passed that he had nearly forgotten what his father’s parents looked like. Since he and his mother had moved to the United States, he hadn’t seen his grandparents again. Ever since he could remember, Xie Jiayi had never hidden the truth from him. He had always known that his father had insisted on the divorce, simply because he felt they were no longer compatible and didn’t want to stay together.

He had always viewed his father as a negative example, vowing never to become a man like him. Yet now, he had just learned that his mother, who had never intended to reconnect with his grandparents, was actually staying at his grandmother’s house. He couldn’t help but feel shocked.

“What are you doing there?” Shen Qingzhou asked indifferently, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his pen until the tip tore through the contract paper beneath it.

“Your grandmother was about to pass away, and there were some things she felt she needed to tell me before she left. That’s why I came back,” Xie Jiayi said, taking a deep breath. “She’s gone now. These past few days I’ve been helping your grandfather arrange her funeral, so I couldn’t come home.”

“Where are you?” He asked casually, but the grip on his pen tightened even more, piercing halfway through the stack of contract papers.

“In Pingjiang City. Your grandfather and grandmother’s family have lived here for generations, and they refused to leave even in old age. After your father and I got married, we moved out, but not long after, he divorced me. A few months later, he passed away,” Xie Jiayi’s voice wavered slightly, as if hiding a painful secret.

Shen Qingzhou sensed something unusual and pressed firmly, “Tell me what they told you—what made you feel so upset.”

Feeling the shift in her son’s tone, Xie Jiayi hesitated. She was wondering whether she should reveal the truth to her son, who had hated his father for decades. She wasn’t sure if he could handle it.

Her silence only made Shen Qingzhou more restless. He dropped the pen, stood up, walked to the window, and gazed outside as he asked, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll find out another way. I can always ask my grandfather—or even cast a divination for myself.”

Xie Jiayi took a long breath and finally spoke, “I’ll tell you. It’s not that I can’t say it. I’m just worried about you.”

“Worried about me? Why?”

“Because I’m afraid it will hurt you when you find out.”

“You don’t need to worry. I don’t think I’ll ever feel pain over anything related to certain people.”

Xie Jiayi understood exactly who he meant. Guilt filled her as she sighed again, speaking gently, “Qingzhou, your father didn’t divorce me because he stopped loving us or wanted to abandon us. He had a terminal illness and knew he didn’t have long to live. He feared that we would suffer too much when he was gone, so he pretended to be the villain and pushed us away, leaving all his assets to us. Your grandparents, his own parents, weren’t short on money, but he was still their son. His life ended too soon, leaving them to mourn a child before they did. In the end, all they received were his farewell letter and an empty house…”

Xie Jiayi finally broke down in tears, her voice cracking over the phone. It was a rare moment that contradicted her usual composed demeanor. She was no longer the strong, elegant lady; all the worldly glamour seemed far away. Standing before Shen Yinming’s tombstone in Pingjiang, looking at the young man’s gentle smile—so similar to her son’s—etched on the stone, she was overwhelmed by memories of their days of meeting, falling in love, marrying, and raising a child. Suddenly, she realized she had spent all these years blinded by the pain and resentment of being abandoned, never noticing the pale face and red-rimmed eyes of the man standing behind them as they left his home.

That farewell had felt like a permanent goodbye, but she had never expected it to truly be the last.

“Qingzhou, I…” Xie Jiayi choked up, “I’m sorry to your father. I’ve been cursing him while spending his inheritance. I feel like such a terrible person. I’m sorry to your father…”

Standing by the window, Shen Qingzhou stared blankly outside. His hand holding the phone seemed to lose all strength, nearly dropping it. Luckily, Lin Qiao, who had been quietly standing at the study door, caught it just in time, snapping him out of his daze.

He looked at Lin Qiao with red-rimmed eyes, quickly murmured a few comforting words to his mother, and hung up. He shoved the phone into his pocket and asked, “Did you just come back from Wang Jin’s house? How is Wang Jiaqi?”

Lin Qiao replied softly, “Jiaqi went on a blind date. The match seems good. They’re planning to get to know each other.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded, “She’s not getting any younger. If someone is willing to be with her and the conditions are decent, she shouldn’t be too picky.”

Lin Qiao said, “That’s exactly what I told her, and she listened.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly and turned to leave, but Lin Qiao hesitated, then followed him back to the bedroom.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his head. After a moment of silence, he looked up at her and said, “I’m a bit tired. Take care of the child for a while. I’ll rest for a few minutes.”

Lin Qiao sat silently beside him, watching him for a while before saying, “Qingzhou, maybe we should go find your mother with Xiaoxuan.”

He frowned slightly, pretending not to know, “For what?”

Lin Qiao didn’t hide her intention, “To visit your father’s grave.”

“Father” here couldn’t possibly refer to Fang Mingjun, his stepfather, but rather Shen Yinming, his real father—the man he had always refused to mention, yet who remained the ideal figure in everyone’s hearts.

Shen Qingzhou’s face turned pale, “Why should we visit him? He selfishly decided everything for others without ever considering what they truly needed.”

“But he did it for you and your mother. He didn’t want you two to suffer after he was gone. Hatred is easier to bear than the pain of losing someone you love. Although both are forms of loss, at least hatred gives you the illusion that he finally got what he deserved, which is less painful than the other kind of grief,” Lin Qiao explained, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes brimming with tears.

“You already knew, and you and my mother kept it from me,” Shen Qingzhou said, clearly displeased.

Lin Qiao’s voice trembled, “I didn’t have a choice. We were afraid you wouldn’t be able to accept it. You’ve hated your father for so long. Suddenly telling you the truth would’ve been too cruel.”

Shen Qingzhou sighed, “I’m a man, a father. Do you really think I’m that fragile?”

Lin Qiao looked at him with red eyes, her expression answering clearly: Yes.

He rubbed his temples, thinking for a moment before saying, “If people can justify their selfishness with any excuse, then I could go kill someone right now.”

Lin Qiao frowned disapprovingly. Seeing her expression, Shen Qingzhou gave up hiding his feelings and sighed, “Fine, we’ll go. Pingjiang is an island city like Zhoushan. Just remember to pack the clothes.”

Hearing this, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but smile, her heart warming, “Okay, I’ll get everything ready right away!”

Time passed quickly, and soon the couple and their child arrived in Pingjiang. This island city, with a climate and environment similar to Zhoushan, had not yet been overly developed. Many areas still preserved their natural beauty, making it a perfect travel destination—though it remained largely unknown.

After arriving, Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou called Xie Jiayi. Surprised at first, she quickly calmed down and told them to settle into a hotel and rest before visiting the cemetery. They would pay respects not only to Shen Yinming but also to Shen Qingzhou’s grandmother.

Shen Qingzhou’s grandfather was very old. Having lost his wife, he had accepted it calmly. His health, however, no longer allowed him to visit the cemetery to mourn his wife and son. He had lived a long life, and though he had once resented his son’s death, he no longer had the strength or will to hold onto hatred.

The weather was decent the day they visited the graves. The two adults and the child all wore hats. As they entered the cemetery, they saw Xie Jiayi waiting at the entrance.

Xie Jiayi looked at her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter with quiet understanding. She stepped forward, took Shen Qingzhou’s hand, and nodded at Lin Qiao. Though no words were spoken, their eyes conveyed everything.

As they walked toward Shen Yinming’s grave, Shen Qingzhou felt each step heavier than the last. The closer he got to his father’s grave, the tighter his brows furrowed. He felt a weight pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He followed his mother to his father’s tombstone, and suddenly, something inside him eased.

It was as if a breeze had passed through his heart, lifting the heavy stone that had been pressing on him. He exhaled deeply, his furrowed brows relaxing, his expression turning calm and gentle.

“Dad,” he murmured, no longer hiding the sudden longing that had been buried for so long—the longing for a father’s love. “Dad…” he called twice, but the man would never answer. Yet, just looking at the smiling photo on the tombstone, Shen Qingzhou felt that his father had always been there, watching over them, ensuring their comfortable, worry-free life.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. There were three words he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to speak aloud. Men often struggle to express emotions, whether love or family ties. He could only silently say those three words in his heart—three words he had been too young to say before and now too late to say aloud.

Dad, I love you.

Xie Jiayi closely watched her son’s expression, worried he might be overwhelmed by the truth. But reality reassured her—her son had truly grown up.

She tightened her grip on Shen Qingzhou’s hand and looked at the tombstone again, hearing him say, “I’ve brought your wife, your daughter-in-law, your granddaughter, and your unborn grandson to visit you. You can rest in peace now. We’re all doing well… because of you.”

Xie Jiayi looked at him in surprise, and Lin Qiao, eyes red, also turned to him in astonishment. Both were stunned by his words and curious how he knew Lin Qiao’s unborn child was a boy.

But their curiosity quickly gave way to acceptance. After all, he had accurately predicted the gender of their first child.

Lin Qiao listened to Shen Qingzhou’s words, letting them sink deep into her heart. After a moment of silence, she softly repeated his words, “Dad, we’re all doing well… because of you.”

Her voice was filled with emotion, enough to bring tears.

Xie Jiayi fought back her tears and solemnly echoed the same phrase.

“Yinming, we’re all doing well… because of you.”

Four simple words—because of you—spoke volumes of the past decades of hardship. Life is the fairest teacher, teaching us all about reality. It makes us worldly, skeptical, and distant from true emotions.

But life also teaches us that no matter how the world changes, no matter how feelings fade, somewhere in this world, there will always be someone who loves us, watching over us. We are never truly alone.

=The end=