CHAPTER 856: CHAPTER 858: FAMILY TROUBLES

Of course, it cannot be denied that extroverts might do better in certain industries. In fact, Xiao Yifei feels a bit fortunate that he chose the medical profession—it’s a field where you don’t need to be overly talkative, but your professional knowledge must be solid. Naturally, he doesn’t have to say much at work.

Xiao Yifei suddenly thought of Sun Xingyao—who is quite the opposite of him. Sun’s talents lied more in the realm of being a lawyer or a journalist, as a doctor, his gift was wasted. He could even turn white into black and make people believe him.

In this regard, Xiao Yifei is somewhat envious of Sun Xingyao. Although Xiao talks quite a bit now, it’s mostly out of necessity, as entering society requires expression.

While everyone was still lying in bed, the doorbell rang. Xiao Yifei didn’t get up to answer it. Naturally, the other two people were thinking the same thing—waiting for someone else to get the door. After over a minute of this, no one got up, and the doorbell didn’t ring again.

At this moment, Tang Rong’s phone rang.

"Rongrong, are you at home? I rang the bell for ages, and no one came to open the door!" As soon as she answered, Tang’s mother exclaimed loudly. Tang Rong felt like she could already hear her mother’s voice through the walls, prompting her to quickly get out of bed.

"Mom, I’m home, I’ll go open the door for you right now." Hastily putting on some clothes, Tang Rong rushed to open the door, afraid that her mother would get upset if she didn’t hurry.

Opening the door, her mother walked in with a large bag of things, saying, "I thought you weren’t home and almost left. These are specialty products I brought back from Yunnan, hurry and eat them before they go bad."

"By the way, Mom, how was your trip to Yunnan? You seem to be in good spirits—is it really that nice to travel? If you like, I can arrange more trips for you, even abroad if you want. You’re lonely at home, and Dad isn’t around much."

We’ve mentioned Tang Rong’s family before. Although her parents have not divorced, it’s pretty much like they have. As an outsider, one might think their approach is quite wise, since although the love is gone, they haven’t turned the situation into a scandal like some failed marriages do.

Almost another decade has passed, and her parents’ relationship has somewhat eased. After their peaceful agreement years ago, Tang Rong’s father rarely returned home, usually only twice a week, and he slept in the study when he did.

Initially, Tang Rong’s mother struggled with this arrangement and was perpetually in a foul mood, but gradually she moved past this hardship and started a new life. Her career quickly rewarded her efforts, she got promoted, and she began taking an interest in fashion.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Because the couple didn’t see each other often, and Tang’s mother had changed significantly, Tang Rong’s father found himself admiring his wife’s beauty once again. He started reflecting on earlier times, pondering an unresolved question.

How had their love, once so strong, faded to nothing? When he first married Tang Rong’s mother, he thought he’d love her for a lifetime. He truly believed it then, but the eventual lack of love was equally real.

Emotions are so intangible, they can’t be seen, touched, or exchanged for anything, including money. Besides love, friendship is probably the same.

Perhaps two people were just out having fun together, saying how much they enjoyed the day, but the next day they might fall out over something trivial. Sometimes the cause is as insignificant as a joke or a glance.

Life isn’t a TV drama with grand, dramatic events for us to experience. What we see on TV is often exaggerated with dramatic effect, like a girlfriend stealing a boyfriend storyline.

In reality, what truly causes friendships or romances to end are a series of small incidents. These small matters accumulate and become significant, leading to a breakup where the issue seems like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

There’s a saying: a person’s enthusiasm only lasts so long, once it’s used up, it’s gone, and so the relationship ends.

That’s what happened with Tang Rong’s parents. Marriage turned into mundane, everyday life, filled with trivial issues, and naturally, the passion diminished.

By the time people reach Tang Rong’s parents’ age, most couples have lost the initial love. Sometimes it transforms into kinship, enabling the family to continue harmoniously.

However, when love is gone and hasn’t matured into kinship, that’s when a family may break apart.

In this sense, Tang Rong’s parents are fortunate. Even after some rough patches, life managed to return to normalcy.

Nowadays, Tang Rong’s father still doesn’t come home often, but he is good to Tang Rong’s mother, occasionally sending gifts during holidays.

But the real issue now lies with Tang Rong’s mother. Back then, when Tang Rong’s father didn’t stay at home, she was the one who was heartbroken. After a long time, perhaps she finally gave up on him, allowing her healing to begin.

As it stands now, Tang Rong’s father still loves her mother, but after what she went through, Tang Rong’s mother feels nothing for him. Yet, she doesn’t want a divorce.

She believes that after living half her life, she might as well make do. Even if she divorces, she won’t find someone better than the man she has now; all men are the same.

Currently, Tang Rong’s father is unable to come home because if he does, Tang Rong’s mother won’t treat him kindly. Typically, after dinner, they go off to do their own things. Tang Rong’s mother is merely fulfilling her duties as a wife now.

Tang Rong’s relationship with her father isn’t great either; they don’t communicate much, but he has called her a few times to talk about her mother ignoring him.

There’s little Tang Rong can say about this. He was obviously in the wrong at first, and now, although he regrets it and wants a fresh start, the scars from what happened remain, affecting Tang Rong as well.

So, she can only comfort her father: "Mom is probably just used to being on her own these years. Now that you suddenly want to reintegrate into our lives, it will take time for all of us to adjust, especially for Mom."

"Do you think your mother has no feelings for me anymore?" Tang Rong’s father cautiously asked her.

"She still has feelings, but they aren’t as intense as before. Dad, what you did could be forgiven, but the scars remain, so we can’t pretend nothing happened."