CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 218: REFUSAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE

Chuchu took a deep breath and pulled Jiang Kechu’s hand.

Jiang Kechu nodded at her, giving her a supportive expression.

No matter how well she had prepared beforehand, at this crucial moment, Chuchu felt somewhat weighed down.

She had thought that Old Sir Zhong, being such a prominent and powerful figure, would live in a place that, if not sumptuously luxurious and glittering with gold, should at least be solemn and grand, deep and opulent. Who would have thought from the outside it looked so simple and rundown.

It looked a bit pitiable.

Seeing Chuchu’s grave expression, Li Shan thought she was also moved, and couldn’t help but say with a smile: "After this, you and Old Sir Zhong will be officially grandfather and granddaughter, you could come back to accompany him often. If you could move in here, that would be even better.

Since Old Sir Zhong heard about your story, he has been in better spirits, not as desolate as before."

Chuchu kept silent, listening to Li Shan’s words, feeling even less at ease in her heart.

The two followed Li Shan into the courtyard.

First, there was a large dark teal screen wall, with a huge carving of a qilin on it.

Turning past the screen wall, they came to a spacious quadrangle courtyard.

Inside, things were not as run-down, and Chuchu breathed a sigh of relief.

They saw Old Sir Zhong standing in the courtyard in front of the main house, looking at Chuchu excitedly.

So alike,

truly alike.

Since Chuchu entered the courtyard, Old Sir Zhong had been observing her intently, not taking his eyes off her; she indeed resembled Zhenzhu.

How had he not realized this earlier?

Old Sir Zhong couldn’t help but feel regret.

Actually, in the few encounters before, Old Sir Zhong hadn’t been in any mood to carefully observe a young girl.

"Girl, you’ve come," Old Sir Zhong finally said.

Chuchu looked at him with complex eyes.

Seeing that Chuchu didn’t happily call Old Sir Zhong ’Grandfather’ or ’Grandpa’ as he had imagined, Li Shan was somewhat astonished and interjected to remind her: "Miss Wan, Old Sir Zhong is your grandfather, aren’t you happy?"

Chuchu lowered her head, took out the jade pendant from her bag, lifted it up, and calmly asked:

"Is this jade pendant yours?"

The verdant, transparent tiger-head jade pendant shone brilliantly in the twilight.

It was the jade pendant he had left for Zhenzhu.

It was also the only thing his mother had left for him.

Old Sir Zhong nodded.

According to Chuchu’s original plan, she would have fiercely smashed the jade pendant in front of its original owner, but facing Old Sir Zhong, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She looked left and right, walked over to a stone table in the courtyard, and placed the jade pendant on the stone table.

Old Sir Zhong and Li Shan watched her with some confusion.

Chuchu said firmly: "I won’t acknowledge you as my grandfather. My grandmother kindly saved you, yet you did such a thing to her, destroyed her life, caused her to leave this world early, and made my mother suffer misfortunes as well."

Old Sir Zhong staggered, his complexion turning ashen, and Li Shan quickly steadied him.

Li Shan wanted to speak up to stop Chuchu, but Old Sir Zhong gestured with his hand to let her be.

Chuchu suppressed the words "ingrate" and continued:

"I don’t agree with what you’ve done, so I won’t recognize you as my grandfather. Blood ties don’t represent everything."

You don’t owe me anything, so there’s no need to acknowledge me. The people you really owe are my grandmother and my mother.

Decades ago, when my grandmother and mother were driven out of the Bai Family, even when they were desperate, they didn’t come to find you; after my grandmother passed away, during the tough times when my mother struggled to support me, she never thought of finding you; now that they are no longer here, I have even less reason to acknowledge you.

Do you think by acknowledging me now and being good to me, you can make up for the wrongs you’ve done, for your debts to my grandmother and my mother?

Where in the world is there such a cheap deal!

I came here today to return this item to you, to fulfill the last wish of my grandmother and mother, to declare their stance.

And to tell you, I, Wan Chuchu, have nothing to do with you."

Finally, Li Shan couldn’t hold back and shouted, "Miss Wan, that’s enough!"

Wan Chuchu took a deep breath, gave them a cold look, straightened her back, and turned to walk outside.

Jiang Kechu bowed towards Old Sir Zhong’s direction, and then went after Wan Chuchu to leave the place.

Once outside, Jiang Kechu realized Wan Chuchu wasn’t waiting by the car, but was hurriedly walking forward alone.

He quickly followed, only to find Wan Chuchu trembling all over, tears streaming down her face.

"Chuchu." He pulled Wan Chuchu into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Jiang... Jiang Kechu..." Wan Chuchu gasped for air between sobs, "Do you know how hard my mother’s life was? All alone, without the support of her natal family, without the care of a husband, and I... I was such a brat, always angering her.

She..."

Her previous life was so pitiful...

Jiang Kechu comforted her with sorrow, "I know, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’ve done very well."

Seeing how heartbroken and collapsed Wan Chuchu was, Jiang Kechu felt extremely distressed, thinking of the top-secret document Wan Shiguo had sacrificed, he felt even more protective of the young girl in his arms.

In an instant, he made a decision, to cherish and protect Wan Chuchu in this lifetime, never to let her suffer any injustices; if she wanted the stars or the moon, he would try his best to pluck them for her.

In the courtyard, Old Sir Zhong was deeply shaken, visibly aged in an instant.

The vitality he had before had vanished without a trace.

Li Shan was extremely anxious and angry, seething at the words Wan Chuchu had said. Did she know what the old man had gone through all these years?

The old man remained unmarried all these years because he was atoning!

"Old Sir, don’t listen to Miss Wan’s nonsense."

Li Shan wanted to comfort him, but unfortunately, he was not good with words, not knowing what to say, at this moment, he wished Xiao Hui was here.

Yan Hui was good at talking and comforting people.

Suddenly, Old Sir Zhong, who looked as if he had lost his loved ones, pushed Li Shan away, straightened up again, and his eyes shot out a sharp gleam.

"Decades ago, I did make a mistake, but I don’t regret it. The only thing I regret is not insisting to the end, and not inquiring about them afterwards.

There can be only one regret; blood ties cannot be severed.

Wan Chuchu is my granddaughter, that fact cannot be changed, the girl thinks with her few words she can make me give up, what a wild fantasy, with her simple-mindedness, how can I rest assured."

Thinking of Wan Chuchu’s performance just now, he walked up to the stone table and picked up the jade pendant that had been lost for decades.

"That girl’s intolerable nature of injustice, she does resemble me in that, but too bad her heart is not ruthless enough."

Li Shan carefully observed Old Sir Zhong’s every action, making sure he wasn’t provoked by Wan Chuchu.

"Call Yan Hui, tell him to come back."

Upon hearing this, Li Shan immediately agreed, knowing Xiao Hui would be delighted.

Old Sir Zhong looked around the old house and said, "This house is quite old, it needs to be tidied up properly. Tomorrow you find someone to clean it up, in the meantime, we’ll stay at Chuchu’s place."

Li Shan’s eyes widened in surprise, "Ah?" he exclaimed, saying, "But Miss Wan’s apartment, I heard it’s only a one-room apartment."