After a long pause, Lai Jingshan finally spoke slowly, "Maybe we should still tell him? Zishen is grown up, he’ll understand, it’ll be fine."
"No, Zishen will look down on me, think that I, as his mother, am a..."
"He’s your son, don’t overthink it. Besides, my brother has already... This matter will come out sooner or later! And, have you ever thought... why Zishen would secretly bring his uncle to Jin City? He must have discovered something. Since that’s the case, it’s better to tell him the truth proactively."
"But I’m afraid... if my second brother finds out, he might make a big fuss out of it, I’m worried it will affect Zishen, and then..."
"Don’t worry, I am here, would he dare?"
While Lai Jingshan was preoccupied with analyzing the situation, he was oblivious to the fact that a lonely, desolate figure had already appeared behind him, quietly listening.
It was his wife, Third Aunt Lai.
That afternoon, she received an anonymous envelope, which contained a dozen photos, all of them showcasing the moments when Madame Lai and Lai Jingshan met.
But before she could confront them, she stumbled upon the two secretly speaking on the phone.
It was a heart-wrenching pain.
Not until Lai Jingshan ended the call did he notice his wife staring blankly at him.
"Wife, you... have you finished your bath?"
"Why would you lie to me? So you really are having an affair, how could you do this to me? How could you... how could you justify this to my deceased big brother? Turns out Zishen is the child you two had behind my brother’s back... This will lead to retribution, lead to hell!"
"What are you talking about?"
A slap landed on Third Aunt Lai’s face with a resounding smack; her tears welled up and spilled out of her eyes at a visibly fast rate.
"Jingshan, you... you hit me, for that shameless vixen... you hit me?"
"Wife, it’s not what you think, don’t misunderstand, all that... that was something from a long time ago when my brother was still alive, it’s not what you imagine! How could Zishen possibly be my child? How old was I when he was born, have you even thought about that?"
Seeing his wife crying, Lai Jingshan felt quite uncomfortable, and his tone softened significantly.
But at this point, the heartbroken Third Aunt Lai was in no mood to calculate the age difference between her husband Lai Jingshan and her stepson Zishen.
She felt utterly wronged, convinced that her husband had betrayed their marriage, betrayed their family.
"I really am... so foolish! And to think I pitied Yuan Min, who became a widow at such a young age... Turns out the truly pitiable person is me!"
"Wife, the thing between your sister-in-law and me is actually..."
"Are you going to say it was a moment of passion, or because you pitied her, or because you think... I’m not good enough for you?"
"No, it’s not that, wife..."
Lai Jingshan knew his wife was angry, too upset to listen to anything, so he went to the balcony.
He slowly took out a lighter, furrowing his brow as he lit a cigarette, pondering over how to explain the past to his wife, completely vexed.
"See, guilty conscience!"
"So I’ve been kept in the dark all along, you married me just to deceive others."
As she finished speaking, Third Aunt Lai started feeling an intense headache and slowly collapsed, her face turning increasingly pale as she struggled to breathe.
A moment later, when Lai Jingshan returned to the study, he discovered his wife had fallen near the couch.
Panicked, he rushed to her side.
"Wife! Wife! What’s wrong?", Lai Jingshan called out loudly, trying to wake her.
But Third Aunt Lai seemed to hear nothing, motionless, with a very pale complexion, and her slender hands icy cold.
Lai Jingshan was terrified; he trembled as he dialed the emergency number for Boxin Hospital.
Then, the servants, hearing the commotion, came running.
Some fetched medicine, others poured water, and a few even instructed on how to administer CPR. Third Aunt Lai was usually very kind to everyone, so they were all anxious and worried for her.
"Wife, you must hold on, the ambulance will be here any minute, wife, please wake up."
Lai Jingshan called out repeatedly, but as time passed, Third Aunt Lai showed no sign of response, her eyes remained firmly closed.
"Should we give the young miss a call?" a servant suggested kindly.
"Right, right, right, we should."
"The young miss went to a classmate’s gathering, right? Who drove her? Was it Xiao Li?"
"I don’t know, quick, let’s find Xiao Li."
A few words of discussion roused Lai Jingshan from his stupor. He hastily grabbed his phone and dialed his daughter’s number.
But because he was too nervous, his fingers were trembling and his thoughts were in disarray, he mistakenly pressed his wife’s number several times in succession.
Eventually, it was a servant who managed to reach the driver Xiao Li and explain the situation.
Meanwhile, others continued to administer acupuncture and perform bloodletting.
For Lai Jingshan, this period was filled with pain and anxiety. The slap he had just given his wife made him feel deep self-reproach and guilt.
A few minutes later, the medical staff arrived.
They quickly gave Third Aunt Lai a series of emergency treatments and drug injections, then lifted her onto the ambulance and rushed her to Boxin Hospital.
Radiology department, CT room.
Thanks to the timely rescue, Third Aunt Lai had finally improved and started mumbling, but she still needed further examination to decide whether to have surgery or conservative treatment based on the location and amount of bleeding.
Lai Jingshan sat quietly in the waiting area, his eyes filled with helplessness and worry, unable to calm his restless anxiety.
His mind flooded with countless thoughts and regrets, he couldn’t help but recall the first time he met his wife. This update ıs available on noveⅼfire.net
"Jingshan, did Third Sister have a cerebral hemorrhage?"
Lai Jingshan looked up to see his sister-in-law Yuan Min and sighed softly, "Ah, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have... I hope nothing happens, or else I..."
"Don’t worry, there won’t be..."
Madam Lai’s words were cut off when a little girl in a princess dress ran over and threw herself onto Lai Jingshan, crying as though her heart was breaking.
She was Lai Jingshan’s daughter, Li Mingyue, currently studying at a prestigious school, just 10 years old.
"Mingyue, don’t cry, darling, stop crying."
"Daddy, where’s Mommy? Will I be like Tongtong soon, a child without a mother?"
"Mommy will be fine. She’ll be out in a moment, darling, stop crying."
"Daddy, can you stop calling that auntie? She’s a bad woman, she’s a vixen. Make her leave, please make her go away."
At hearing this, Madam Lai suddenly felt dizzy and weak, thankfully Nanny Wu was there to support her in time.
"Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, the child..." Lai Jingshan was at a loss for words. Right now, he was too distracted to deal with anything else, but his daughter’s words were indeed too hurtful.
"It’s okay, no worries."
The driver also looked on in surprise, silently glancing towards the examination room.
And the hospital director, who had trailed in behind, quickly made an excuse about finding a doctor and discreetly left the scene. This was the Leng Family’s private affair, and it concerned Madam Lai and Lai Jingshan, so he had to pretend he heard nothing.
Otherwise, his job might be on the line.
Boxin Hospital was Li Zishen’s private property, and to dismiss someone, no reason was needed.
"Daddy, she is the vixen, she’s a bad woman, I want Mommy. Daddy, you can’t have children with her, you are just Mingyue’s daddy."
"Mingyue, don’t talk nonsense!" Lai Jingshan clenched his fists, trying to suppress the rage inside him.
Scolded by her father, Li Mingyue cried even harder. She bit her lower lip and ran straight to Madam Lai, who was only a few meters away.
"Give me back my mommy, give her back!"
She clung to Madam Lai’s clothes, kicking and hitting, and Nanny Wu couldn’t pull her away no matter how hard she tried.
In the meantime, Second Aunt Lai, who was dressed in disguise, stood silently in a hidden spot, watching the drama she had orchestrated unfold with a look of satisfaction on her face.