Love Me Again Chapter 9A
Luo Cheng Hai had always felt guilty towards his only daughter, knowing he hadn’t been a good father. He also knew that in Luo An Hai’s heart, she actually hated this type of father due to his previous wife, the late Sally.
Luo Cheng Hai admits he really owes Sally too much. Their marriage was one of convenience and he never felt any love towards Sally. Not to mention he had already known Mai Fang before marriage. At the time, he and Mai Fang had dated for several years, while he had planned to marry her.
However the Luo family’s company had made a bad investment and were experiencing cash flow problems at the time, almost risking bankruptcy. His father had forced him to marry Hank’s daughter, while his mother cried, begging him…
He was fine with being poor, with not being a young master, but he couldn’t just watch as his aging parents lost everything. Helpless, he had no choice but to break up with Mai Fang, and follow his father’s arrangements to marry Sally.
He had wanted to treat Sally well, however, since he needed to save the Luo family’s business, he had spent the first few years of his marriage busy at work every day, leaving no time for his wife. While Sally’s personality was overly sensitive and p.r.o.ne to suspicion. Not knowing where she had heard that he was keeping another woman during their marriage, she started to nag him every day.
He was already tired and busy from managing the company’s affairs, while at home he faced Sally’s unreasonable accusations, causing him to feel even more drained.
Later, he encountered Mai Fang again, raising a child alone in the slums, earning money from was.h.i.+ng dishes at a small food stall. He couldn’t resist stepping forward to help her. After all, the two of them had past affections, while he was the one who betrayed her at the time.
He and Mai Fang gradually started to reconnect. Mai Fang’s warmth and consideration caused him to reminisce over their past love, while at home, he always faced his wife’s rants, so his heart started to lean towards Mai Fang.
Luo Cheng Hai admits that he’s selfish. Arguing with Sally for so many years wore down his affections for her, so he asked Sally for a divorce.
Of course she refused, and the two were trapped in a deadlock for years until her death, when he immediately married Mai Fang home.
While Luo An Hai, the daughter he had neglected, was raised by his wife. He didn’t know what his wife had told her, but from young, Luo An Hai was never close to him.
He was exhausted coming home since he would have to face another struggle, so he avoided coming home for too long and their father and daughter relations.h.i.+p became estranged, caught up in the disputes of the previous generation.
Luo An Hai had no idea, while Luo Cheng Hai never ventured to tell her. Luo Cheng Hai’s personality was stubborn and oppressive, and valued his pride. He never felt that he needed to explain anything to his daughter, while he didn’t want to bring up matters of the past before her.
While Luo An Hai also caused him a lot of distress. The two of them fought often, and even if he wanted the change the situation, he wouldn’t know how to proceed.
Contrary to Luo An Hai, his stepson Han Ting Hua was sensible and obedient, while his actions were steady and coherent. He had always liked this stepson and raised him like his own. He had even thought how good it would be if Luo An Hai, this troublesome daughter, were half as sensible as Han Ting Hua.
But Luo Cheng Hai couldn’t have imagined that his ever obedient and sensible stepson would do such a thing! As he sees the two of them actually doing….. Luo Cheng Hai faints.
He wakes up at the hospital.
“Uncle Luo, you’re awake. How do you feel?” Seeing Luo Cheng Hai wake, Han Ting Hua walks to his bedside.
Seeing Han Ting Hua, Luo Cheng Hai immediately recalls what he had seen before he pa.s.sed out and rapidly breathes as Han Ting Hua pats his chest, soothing him.
“Uncle Luo, you shouldn’t get too excited. It will cause your blood pressure to rise and it’s not good for you.” He knew the matter between him and Luo An Hai was too much of a shock for Luo Cheng Hai. While with Luo Cheng Hai’s stubborn and conservative personality, he wouldn’t easily accept it, not to mention he had seen that scene.
Thinking back to that moment, Han Ting Hua also feels guilty, Seeing Luo Cheng Hai and Mai Feng at the door, he and Luo An Hai were stunned. Luo An Hai had hastily jumped away from him, wrapped the fallen bedsheet around herself. Just as she was about to say something, Luo Cheng Hai fainted.
Terrified, they immediately rushed Luo Cheng Hai to the hospital.
“You, you, explain! When did you and An Hai start?” Luo Cheng Hai alternated between asking and gasping.
Han Ting Hua thinks, if it’s when he and Luo An Hai had confirmed their relations.h.i.+p, then “To be accurate, yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Luo Cheng Hai is stunned, “Good, since it hasn’t been long, I want you two to separate.”
“No! Sorry Uncle Luo, but I can’t.” Han Ting Hua firmly refuses. Seeing the tenacity in Luo Cheng Hai’s gaze, “Uncle Luo, I won’t separate from Luo An Hai. I want to be with her.”
“Nonsense!” Luo Cheng Hai roars. “The two of you are siblings.”
“We aren’t.” He had never seen Luo An Hai as his sister. “Luo An Hai and I don’t have any blood ties.”
“But you’re siblings in name! Do you know what sort of joke you’ve become? Your actions at last night’s banquet are already in the news, now everyone suspects the nature of your relations.h.i.+p!”
It was only after seeing the tabloids that Luo Cheng Hai and Mai Fang had come to Luo An Hai’s residence.
The picture in the magazine showed Luo An Hai and Han Ting Hua intimately embracing, sticking so closely they didn’t appear like siblings but lovers.
The same article had also vividly discussed Luo An Hai’s past romances one by one, claiming that all those men were just s.h.i.+elds used to cover up the fact that she and her younger brother were in love. Luo Cheng Hai couldn’t afford to lose so much of his reputation. Even if the two of them weren’t blood related, they’re still siblings in name. He absolutely won’t allow them to shame the Luo family!
Han Ting Hua had already expected what happened at the banquet last night would be exposed, and had mentally prepared himself for Luo Cheng Hai’s interrogation. No matter what Luo Cheng Hai says, he won’t give up Luo An Hai. “Uncle Luo, I don’t see my relations.h.i.+p with An Hai as a joke. Our love is real, I don’t care what others say.”
“You!” Luo Cheng Hai trembles in anger. “Little Hua, now even you’re acting like An Hai and rebelling against me?”
“Uncle Luo, I…”
“To think your reputation is more important than me.” Luo An Hai had stood on the other side of the door for a while, until she couldn’t resist bursting in. Mai Fang had anxiously stood beside her. She and Luo An Hai had both left to hear the doctor’s report, and hadn’t expected they would overhear Luo Cheng Hai and Han Ting Hua’s conversation when they returned. As Luo An Hai’s expression gradually darkens, Mai Fang feared the father-daughter pair would start to clash again.
“An Hai!” Han Ting Hua gently shakes his head, hinting for her not to act impulsively.
Seeing Han Ting Hua’s calm expression as he shakes, Luo An Hai tries to suppress her anger.
When her father fainted, she felt her heart plummet, fearing something had happened. Only after hearing the doctor explain that it was his high blood pressure and that he would recover after getting some rest, does the grip on her heart loosen.
Yet hearing what her father had said to Han Ting Hua at the other side of the door, discontent started rising in her heart. Almost opening her mouth to argue, she recalls that the doctor had warned her Luo Cheng Hai’s heart shouldn’t be placed under more stress.
Schooling her expressions, her voice turns ice cold “The doctor said your blood pressure is too high, and wants you to take care of your diet, and not to get too excited.”
But the words she had said as she entered the room, and her current att.i.tude infuriated Luo Cheng Hai. “For my blood pressure to rise, isn’t it all due to you! What are you playing at, causing trouble at the pub, breaking up with Hunter, and now you’ve involved little Hua! Are you trying to anger me to death?”
“Seeing you’re so good at yelling at the top of your lungs, you should be able to live long.” Luo An Hai couldn’t resist retorting.
“What rubbish are you saying! You—-” Luo Cheng Hai angrily gasps, scaring Mai Fang into rus.h.i.+ng forward, patting her husband’s back.
“Cheng Hai, you need to calm down, don’t be so angry.”
Luo An Hai purses her lips, remaining silent.
How could Han Ting Hua miss the remorse in her eyes, grasping her hand to gently squeeze it, before turning to Luo Cheng Hai. “Uncle Luo, you shouldn’t get angry. An Hai didn’t mean it.”
“The way I see it, of course it’s intentional! She just wants to anger this old man to death!” Luo Cheng Hai alternates between yelling and gasping.
“Uncle Luo…” Han Ting Hua had wanted to say something, yet Luo An Hai pulls him back, lifting her head as she stubbornly faces Luo Cheng Hai.
“In your heart, is everything I do wrong? No matter what I do, you’re never pleased and only scold me. Dad, do you hate me this much?”