Chapter 438: It’s Better Not to Have Painful Love
Mother Li’s heartstrings were tugged at by the blood and her pupils quivered. “Ah Li!” Mother Li’s voice was filled with soul-stirring power.
Dong Yu was dumbstruck by Li Li’s move. Her eyes darted between Li Li and Su Beibei.
Instantly, she wanted to go home even more.
Li Li didn’t look up at his mother. He lowered his head and said, “Mother, I beg of you, don’t say anymore.” Li Li took out the gla.s.s in his hand with his bare hands. Blood instantly spurted out, but he didn’t have the face to look up, afraid to see Su Beibei’s sad expression.
At this moment, Su Beibei, who had been sitting quietly beside him, suddenly stood up and pretended to leave.
Li Li hurriedly pulled her back with a b.l.o.o.d.y hand. He looked up, the uneasiness and panic in his eyes clear. “Beibei, where are you going?” Li Li thought that Su Beibei was leaving, and his voice became tense.
Su Beibei looked at him with a complicated expression. Seeing Li Li’s panic, her heart softened. She said, “I’ll go get the medical kit.” Staring at Li Li’s bleeding palm, Su Beibei reminded him, “You’re injured.”
Li Li stared at her for a while. After confirming that she really wouldn’t leave, he slowly let go. “Oh, okay.”
Su Beibei said to the kitchen, “Auntie, bring Neil back to his room.”
Ever since he met his grandmother, Li Ao had been very quiet. Now that his father suddenly lost his temper, Neil was so scared that his face turned pale.
The auntie walked over and held Neil’s hand. She wanted to pull him up, but when she did, she realized that he was trembling.
The auntie’s heart ached for this child. She said softly and gently to Neil, “Neil, can you go back to your room with me? If you’re not full, I’ll feed you and bring you drumsticks and steak.”
Li Ao grabbed the auntie’s hand tightly and slowly stood up. He followed the auntie back to her room. When he walked past Li Li, Li Ao suddenly grabbed Li Li’s hand. “Father...”
Hearing Li Ao call her shy father, Li Li looked away from Su Beibei. He looked down at his son and asked, “What’s the matter, Neil?”
Li Ao licked his lips uneasily and begged softly, “Father, don’t... don’t hit Mother.”
Li Li was slightly stunned.
He looked at his son in shock and asked in confusion, “Neil, why do you think I hit my mother?”
Li Ao was a child. He said whatever he thought. He said, “Grandma doesn’t like Mother. Grandma always bullies Mother. You... you can’t hit Mother. If you hit Mother, I...”
Li Ao’s expression turned fierce. He raised his right hand and made a cutting motion. “I’ll take a knife and cut you to death!”
Li Li was silent for a moment before gently patting Li Ao’s head with his bleeding hand. He told Li Ao, “Neil, Father will never hit Mother. Father will protect Mother well. No one can bully Mother.”
Li Ao glanced at Grandma. It meant that Grandma always bullied my mother. You should protect her!
Mother Li saw the hatred in her grandson’s eyes and felt very uncomfortable. She pretended to lower her head to drink water and didn’t dare to look Li Ao in the eye.
Li Li’s heart sank at the sight.
His previous generation was at odds with his next generation.
As a son and a father, he was such a failure!
Li Li knew what his son was thinking. He was worried that Grandma would bully his mother. Li Li told Li Ao, “Don’t worry, Father swears that Grandma can’t bully Mother either.”
Li Ao was relieved to receive a satisfactory answer. He looked at Li Li’s bleeding palm and asked worriedly, “Does it hurt?”
Li Li didn’t feel any pain at first, but seeing his son’s caring gaze, he instantly changed his words. “It hurts.”
Li Ao said, “Then I’ll blow it for you.”
Li Li was worried that the blood would drip on Li Ao. He shook his head and said, “Mother will bandage Father’s wound. Father will not be in pain soon. Be good and go back to your room with Auntie. Eat obediently. You can come out after dinner.”
“Oh!”
Only then did Li Ao obediently follow the auntie into the room.
Su Beibei walked over with the medical kit. She picked up the cotton ball and wiped the blood off Li Li’s palm, but new blood quickly emerged.
Su Beibei sprinkled the hemostatic medicine on Li Li’s wound. She stared at it and said, “You scared Neil just now.”
Li Li was also enraged by his mother’s words just now. He lost his mind and lost his temper in public. “I will have a good chat with him later.”
“Mmm.”
After saying that, Li Li looked up at the embarra.s.sed Dong Yu and said gently, “Auntie, I’m sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of you.”
Dong Yu felt so awkward that she wanted to find a hole to hide in.
“Auntie, eat quickly or it will get cold.”
“...Okay.” Dong Yu casually picked up the dish closest to her. She just wanted to bid farewell quickly and didn’t know the exact taste of that dish.
Mother Li had no appet.i.te and didn’t even touch her chopsticks. She just stared at Su Beibei and Li Li.
Li Li’s wound was not deep. It was just a superficial wound. Su Beibei wrapped the wound with a bandage and tied a beautiful bow. “It should be fine.”
Li Li acknowledged and pulled Su Beibei’s hand. “Sit.”
Su Beibei didn’t sit down.
She placed her hands on the medicine box and looked across the dining table at Mother Li.
Mother Li saw that Su Beibei was suddenly staring at her. She had originally felt slightly guilty because Li Li had injured her hand, but now she felt like a fighting rooster. She suddenly looked up and glared at Su Beibei. “Why are you looking at me?”
Faced with Mother Li’s aggressiveness, Su Beibei appeared very calm. She didn’t make a fuss, and when she spoke, her tone was very calm. “Mother, do you really think Li Deyao is not guilty?”
Li Deyao was Li Li’s father. This name had already become a taboo in the Li Family.
Hearing this name, not to mention Mother Li, even Li Li was slightly dazed.
Mother Li’s lips quivered and her eyes flashed guiltily. Then, she looked determined and said firmly, “He didn’t kill your parents. The person who killed your parents was that Mu!”
The corners of Su Beibei’s lips curled up into a mocking smile. “Actually, you know very well that Li Deyao is guilty. Even if my parents weren’t drugged by Mu Mian and were hit hard by Li Deyao, they would still drown because they couldn’t open the car door.”
“From beginning to end, Li Deyao has been guilty. From the moment he crashed into my parents’ car, he was a murderer.” Su Beibei looked at Mother Li’s increasingly pale face and said the truth even more sharply, “You just can’t accept that the husband you once loved deeply was a coward who jumped off a building to avoid punishment!”
Mrs. Li smashed her chopsticks angrily. “Shut up!” Mrs. Li wanted to stand up and rush up. She felt a sharp pain in her left calf before remembering that she was still a patient.
Mother Li staggered and supported herself against the table. She glared at Su Beibei with reddened eyes and shouted at the top of her lungs, “What crime has my man committed! At most, he just got drunk and hit the car! Your parents were unlucky. They were drugged and locked in the car waiting to be killed! My man was just unlucky. If he had hit two sober people that night, how could he have become a murderer!”
“Your parents are delirious. Anyone who hits them will die! Even if no one hits them, their car will lose control sooner or later!”
“To put it bluntly, they deserved to die that night!”
Hearing Mother Li’s words, Su Beibei could no longer suppress the raging anger in her heart. She suddenly picked up the bowl of soup in front of her and threw it at Mother Li. “Shut up!”
No one expected Su Beibei’s sudden outburst, not even Li Li.
Li Li was stunned and forgot to react.
That bowl of soup landed on Mrs. Li’s body and the soup splashed all over her. Luckily, the hot soup had been out of the pot for more than 10 minutes and was not very hot. It did not scald Mrs. Li badly.
Mother Li hurriedly pulled open her clothes to cool down. As she warmed up, she said to Li Li, “Li Li, your woman wants to kill me. Did you see that?! She’s trying to burn me to death!”
Li Li snapped out of his trance and grabbed Su Beibei’s hand. He shook it. “Beibei, sit down.” Then, he told Mother Li, “Mother, your words are too harsh.”
“What did I say wrong!” Mother Li still didn’t know what she had done wrong. She said, “Her parents were the unlucky ones!”
Su Beibei glared at Mother Li with bloodshot eyes. She roared angrily, “Old thing, I’ve tolerated you for a long time on account of Li Li and Li Ao! Do you really think I’m a little dough that you can knead and mold?”
“For the past three years, you have been insulting me every time you meet someone! Why shouldn’t I be calculative with you? It’s just that I can’t bear to make your son even more upset when he’s caught in the middle! But it’s fine if you insult me, but you even insult my parents!”
“What do you mean they are unlucky!”
“What do you mean they deserve to die!”
Su Beibei stared at the red skin on Mother Li’s chest and asked, “Do you deserve to die tonight because you were scalded by this soup?”
Dong Yu sat on the dining chair like a quail. She didn’t even dare to pick up her chopsticks or look around.
Mother Li’s chest burned with pain. After being humiliated by Su Beibei like this, she instantly lost all face. She picked up the largest bowl containing abalone soup on the table and threw it at Su Beibei. As she threw it, she scolded, “I’ll beat you to death, you vixen!”
Li Li’s actions were before his consciousness. He suddenly stood up, pulled Su Beibei into his arms, and used his entire back to protect her.
Bang!
That bowl hit the back of Li Li’s head with the soup. The soup slid down Li Li’s shirt, wetting his entire back and burning his skin red!
“Hmph!” Li Li grunted in pain.
Dong Yu hurriedly stood up and reprimanded Mother Li. “Sister-in-law, what are you doing!”
Mother Li was shocked to see that the bowl finally hit Li Li. “Ah Li...” Mother Li limped over to Li Li and was about to reach out to check on his injuries when Li Li flung her arm away!
Li Li was enraged. “Don’t touch me!”
The adult man’s furious push was not light. Mother Li staggered and fell to the ground, her head hitting the ground with a thud!
“Ah Li! You forgot that your mother just underwent surgery!” Dong Yu’s exclamation completely pulled the enraged Li Li back to the real world.
Li Li hurriedly released Su Beibei and looked down at Mother Li’s condition. She saw that Mother Li had already fainted and was lying motionless on the ground.
“Mother!”
Li Li’s face turned pale. He hurriedly hugged his mother, got up, and ran to the hospital.
Dong Yu also chased after him and even forgot to take her bag.
Su Beibei stood alone by the dining table and stared at the mess. She silently bent down to pick up the big soup bowl on the floor.
She squatted on the ground, hugged the soup bowl, and suddenly broke down into tears. “Boohoo...” The last time Su Beibei broke down and cried like this was the day her parents pa.s.sed away.
The auntie was in the room. She heard Su Beibei’s cries and hurriedly covered Li Ao’s ears. Li Ao’s face scrunched up. He took the auntie’s hands away and looked up at her. “I want to go out.”
The auntie hesitated before finally opening the door and letting Li Ao out. Li Ao walked over to Su Beibei’s side in the soup. He opened his short arms and tried his best to hug his mother tightly.
“Mother, stop crying.”
“I’ve stopped crying.”
As he said that to stop his mother from crying, Li Ao couldn’t help but cry.
Su Beibei threw away the bowl of soup and hugged her son tightly. At this moment, she was completely disheartened and despaired of this marriage.
What was I still doing persisting?
This knot couldn’t be untied no matter what.
–
Li Li sped all the way and sent his mother to Liberation Hospital in the shortest time possible.
The director who was the chief surgeon for his mother the last time was also present today. When he saw Li Li running over in a sorry state with an unconscious old man in his arms, he guessed what was going on and his face instantly darkened.
“What happened?! Didn’t I tell you guys to take good care of the old man? Why did he faint?”
Li Li’s breathing was erratic. He said helplessly and fearfully, “My mother fell and hit her head. Doctor, please, please save her!” At this moment, the fear of worrying about his mother’s death overcame all his previous conflicts.
When the doctor heard that the old woman had fallen, he didn’t dare to delay and hurriedly said, “Send him for a checkup!”
After sending Mother Li into the examination room, Li Li turned to wait outside, but the doctor stopped him. “You should do a checkup too.”
Li Li instinctively said, “No need, I’m fine...”
The doctor pointed at his head and shirt. “The blood has already dyed the shirt red, yet you still say you’re fine.” Previously, when Mother Li threw that soup bowl, she had thrown it with the determination to smash Su Beibei to death. Who knew that the bowl would ultimately land on Li Li’s head?
Li Li’s head was not impenetrable. That big soup bowl had injured his head. However, he had been worried about his mother’s injury along the way and didn’t even realize that he was bleeding.
He knew that something was flowing on his head, but he thought it was soup.
Li Li touched his head and indeed felt blood all over his face. He was stunned and worried that Su Beibei would be worried if she saw his blood. He nodded and said, “I’ll check too.”
Li Li’s checkup was done very quickly. There was no major problem, but there was a long wound on his head and he needed two to three st.i.tches.
Li Li left to st.i.tch up the wound. When he came out, he saw that the nurse had sent his mother to the ward. The hospital bed was tense and Mother Li was not a.s.signed a bed. The doctor added a bed for Mother Li in the corridor.
Li Li looked at his unconscious mother and asked the doctor, “Doctor, my mother...”
The doctor said, “Your mother’s condition is more troublesome. She has a cerebral hemorrhage that causes her cerebral stem to be suppressed. If you want to save her life, you can only perform surgery to remove the hematoma as soon as possible. But...”
Family members were most afraid of hearing the doctor’s’ but ‘.
Li Li’s expression turned grave. He asked worriedly, “But what?”
“This is the second time the patient has undergone a craniotomy. It’s very likely that there will be side effects after the surgery, like being paralyzed and delirious...”
Li Li’s eyes widened.
“Mr. Li, consider whether you want to undergo surgery.”
Li Li grabbed the doctor’s hand and asked uncertainly, “What will happen if she doesn’t undergo surgery?”
“When the patient wakes up, she might look like a healthy person, but if the cerebral hematoma is not removed, she might lose her life again at any time.”
The doctor had already made himself very clear.
If he wanted to keep Mother Li’s life, he would have to undergo surgery. However, the risks after the surgery were high and Mother Li might suffer from neurological arrhythmia or side effects.
But without surgery, the patient could die from cerebral hemorrhage at any time.
Li Li’s mind was in a mess. He rubbed his face and sighed. “Thank you, doctor. I have to consider it.”
After the doctor left, Dong Yu also arrived.
She took a taxi and ran into the hospital. Dong Yu leaned against the bed panting. She asked Li Li, “Ah Li, what’s your mother’s condition now? What did the doctor say?”
Li Li didn’t want to say more. He shook his head and said, “Auntie, please help me take care of my mother. I... I need to rest for a while.”
Dong Yu saw that Li Li’s face was pale and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Li Li’s steps were very slow. He walked to the fire escape where he had lunch with Su Beibei the last time and casually found a staircase to sit down.
Li Li’s clothes were dyed red by the soup and blood. His palm was still wrapped in a white bandage. He sat there in a sorry state like a stray dog. Meanwhile, he was clearly the vice-president of Zeus Corporation, a man with a wife, a son, and a mother.
At this moment, Li Li felt despair and helplessness.
What should I do?
Li Li couldn’t help but tear up.
After crying, Li Li took out his cell phone and called Su Beibei.
The first time, Su Beibei didn’t answer.
The second time, the call was answered. It was the auntie who answered the call. The auntie hid in the toilet and said to Li Li, “Mr. Li, Madam cried previously and is so tired that she fell asleep.”
Hearing this, Li Li felt even worse. He asked again, “Where’s Neil?”
“Neil hugged Madam and slept together.”
“Got it.”
Li Li was about to hang up when the auntie asked concernedly, “Mr. Li, is Old Madam alright?”
Li Li shook his head. “It’s nothing serious. When Madam is awake, remember to tell her not to worry.”
“Okay.”
Li Li hung up, stood up, went to the toilet to wash his face, and called his a.s.sistant to send a set of clean clothes over.
After the call, Li Li went to the director’s office and told him his decision. “I agree to the surgery.”
“Alright then.”
Li Li signed the consent form and escorted Mother Li into the operating theater with Dong Yu. Then, he sat on the stool and stared blankly.
The person delivering Li Li’s clothes arrived, but it was not his a.s.sistant. It was Bei Zhan.
Bei Zhan saw Li Li sitting in a chair in a daze. He walked over and stuffed the bag containing his clothes into Li Li’s arms. “It’s time to return to your soul.”
Only when Li Li heard Bei Zhan’s voice did he look up at him.
“Oh my G.o.d.” Bei Zhan was stunned by Li Li’s red eyes. He reached out and touched Li Li’s face. He asked, “What happened? Why did our Ah Li become Sister Lin?”
Li Li pushed him. “Don’t laugh at me.”
Bei Zhan pulled Li Li up and said, “Go to the ward to take a shower and change clothes. Look at you. If someone takes a photo of you on Weibo, Zeus Corporation’s face is going to be dirtied.”
Li Li didn’t resist. He obediently took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
He walked out of the ward after taking a shower and was stopped by Bei Zhan. Bei Zhan said, “Your mother’s surgery won’t end anytime soon. Let’s have a chat.”
“Mmm.”
Worried that an accident would happen during the surgery, the two of them didn’t walk far. They stood on the long corridor between the operating theater and the hospital building. The long corridor was blocked by a 1.2-meter tall wall. The two of them stood at the side of the corridor and looked at the garden downstairs and the basketball court in the distance.
Bei Zhan saw a young man throw a basketball into the basket. It was a handsome three-pointer. He asked, “What happened tonight?”
Bei Zhan and the rest already knew about that lousy incident at Li Li’s house. Li Li was no longer afraid of losing face. Anyway, he had lost all his face. Li Li truthfully told Bei Zhan what happened tonight.
Bei Zhan frowned deeply.
“Ah Li, what are you going to do? It won’t be good if this goes on.” Bei Zhan, a bystander, felt mentally and physically exhausted. How could he talk about the three parties involved?
Li Li remained silent.
No matter how big of a problem he encountered at work, he could find a way to solve it, but Li Li had no way of solving this.
Bei Zhan stared at the bandage on Li Li’s head. He didn’t want to splash cold water on Li Li, but he had to. He said, “You either let go of your mother or Beibei. Ah Li, these two are like fish and bear paws. You can’t have both.”
Li Li froze.
He clenched his fists. After a long while, he said hoa.r.s.ely, “One is my biological mother. She gave up her happiness for me and sacrificed her entire life for me. The other is my wife. She swallowed her anger for me, had children with me, and truly loved me. Bei Zhan, which side do you want me to let go of? Who do you want me to abandon?”
He choked and roared, “I can’t lack either of these two people!”
Bei Zhan remained silent.
If this were to happen to him, he wouldn’t be able to make a choice either. “Why did this happen to you? I thought this would only happen in television dramas?” Bei Zhan’s mother and Han Qingshen got along very well. He had never had the chance to experience such a feeling in his life.
He hoped that he would never experience it in his life.
It was too torturous.
The surgery lasted until 11pm at night. The doctor worked overtime at the last minute and was very tired after the surgery. He told Li Li about Mother Li’s surgery situation and went back to the lounge to fall asleep.
At 12am, Mother Li was sent back to the ward.
In just a month, she had undergone two consecutive craniotomies. No matter how strong Mother Li was, she would not be able to take it.
At this moment, she was lying on that narrow single bed. Her skinny body was hidden under her hospital gown like a skeleton.
Li Li held his mother’s hand and looked at her wrinkled and tired hand. He recalled when he was young, his mother sold fish and killed fish outside the market to support him in his studies and life. He felt extremely sad.
He placed his mother’s hand beside his cheek. His mother’s fingers were cold like a corpse. Li Li asked softly, “You used to love me so much. Why are you forcing me now? Mother, are you only willing to die if you force me to?”
Mother Li couldn’t hear his question or feel his sadness. Even if she could feel it, she probably couldn’t understand it and refused to back down.
Mother Li woke up the day after the surgery. She was very weak and Li Li couldn’t tell if her mother had any side effects.
On the first day after the surgery, it was Dong Yu who accompanied her in the hospital. That night, Dong Yu went back to rest and Li Li accompanied her. Li Li worked the entire day and was really sleepy in the latter half of the night. He laid on the bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, he woke up to find a thermos container on the bedside table. There was a note under the container. It was Su Beibei’s handwriting.
[You must eat well and take good care of yourself.]
Li Li finished his meal and called Su Beibei.
Su Beibei answered the call.
Li Li asked her, “Beibei, where are you?”
Su Beibei said, “I’m at the entrance of the High People’s Court with Song Song.”
Only then did Li Li remember that today was the first day of Gu Qinchuan and the rest’s trial. “When did you come to the hospital? I fell asleep last night and didn’t know.”
“I saw you sleeping at 6am and didn’t wake you up.” Su Beibei sat in the car, holding a contract in her hand and studying it.
Not hearing Li Li’s words, Su Beibei temporarily placed the contract on the pa.s.senger seat. She asked Li Li, “What’s your mother’s condition now?”
Li Li told Su Beibei what the doctor said truthfully. After hearing it, Su Beibei’s heart sank. She asked Li Li, “If she really... really has serious side effects, what should we do?”
Li Li said, “Just provide for her.”
Su Beibei knew that Li Li was not as relaxed as he appeared. She chatted with him for a while before hanging up.
At this moment, Song Ci stood outside the driver’s seat and knocked on the window.
Su Beibei lowered the window and asked her, “Have you had breakfast?”
Song Ci nodded. “Yes.”
The court session was at 9am and there was still more than 10 minutes to go, but at this moment, the court was already packed with people. There were the families of the Gu, Li, and Ying families, as well as the media who had rushed over after hearing the news, as well as many jurors.
Song Ci came with Han w.a.n.gw.a.n.g. As the main lawyer in charge of Liu Qing’s case, Han w.a.n.gw.a.n.g also had to attend today to partic.i.p.ate in Gu Qinchuan’s trial.
Han w.a.n.gw.a.n.g had already entered the court building. Song Ci wanted to stay outside to take a breather, so she accompanied Su Beibei. Song Ci had already heard about what happened last night. She asked Su Beibei, “Did Auntie Li hurt you?”
Su Beibei shook her head. “No, she wanted to kill me, but Li Li blocked me.”
Song Ci saw that Su Beibei’s expression was calm, but her heart was filled with uneasiness.
She thought of what Yan Qingxiu had said the day before yesterday and looked at Su Beibei with sadness in her eyes. Su Beibei saw her sad expression and asked her, “What’s the matter? You don’t look happy.”
Song Ci said, “My heart aches for you.”
Su Beibei was stunned for a moment before falling silent.
Song Ci saw a doc.u.ment on Su Beibei’s pa.s.senger seat. She glanced at it curiously and saw the bold words “Divorce Agreement” at the top of the doc.u.ment. Her expression changed.
“Beibei!”
Su Beibei was looking down at her cell phone. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled at Song Ci. She asked, “What’s the matter with you? Why are you so shocked?”
Song Ci pointed at the doc.u.ment and asked carefully, “Beibei, are you really planning to divorce Li Li?”
Su Beibei’s smile disappeared.
She turned to look at the divorce agreement. After a long while, she acknowledged softly. “Mmm.”
Song Ci was like a child who had done something wrong and didn’t know what to say.
After leaving Su Beibei’s house the day before, Yan Qingxiu said to Song Ci, “Ms. Su will be getting a divorce soon.”
Yan Qingxiu’s words had been circling in Song Ci’s mind for the past two days. So last night, when she heard Han Zhan say that Auntie Li had been pushed to the ground by Li Li and fainted, wanting to undergo another craniotomy, Song Ci’s intuition told her that things were going south.
Now that she saw that divorce agreement, Song Ci knew that things were indeed going south.
Su Beibei was never one to drag things out. The divorce agreement appearing in her car meant that she had really decided to give up on this marriage.
Song Ci couldn’t bear to see Su Beibei and Li Li leave just like that. She couldn’t help asking, “You still love him. Can you bear to get a divorce?”
When Su Beibei heard this, she blinked gently and two drops of tears fell.
She didn’t wipe her tears. She said, “I really can’t bear to part with him, but I can’t bear to spend the rest of my life in this sludge. My original intention of getting married was to be happy and have a happy family. Now, I’m no longer happy.”
Su Beibei looked up at Song Ci. Her eyes were red from laughter, but her words were firm, as if she had seen through the mortal world. “Song Song, to maintain a marriage, love alone is not enough. Between Li Li and me, there is only love, but this love makes me suffer.”