Chapter 217: Old Times
Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
"Rong… Rong," Huo Zhenghai struggled to say those two words with complex expressions.
"You don't seem to be so well over the past few years. I always see news about your health on T.V."
Huo Zhenghai smiled bitterly. "Yes, I'm really old and useless now."
Yang Meirong smiled. "What do you mean? If you're useless, you wouldn't have been able to give Shen Jiani two kids, a boy and a girl. Plus, all these years, your first and second wives seem to have gotten along quite nicely; you're pretty successful as a man, only not so great as a father. Come, take a look, Mian is 24 years old now."
Yang Meirong reached out her hand and pulled Huo Mian in closer.
Huo Zhenghai raised his head and looked at Huo Mian with odd complexity.
Huo Mian's appearance was strange in that she didn't look like Huo Zhenghai at all, nor did she look like Yang Meirong.
You could even say that she turned out much better than both of them.
She didn't rely on money to fix her face surgically or with makeup as Huo Yanyan does.
Her natural elegance was enough to beat anyone, even if she didn't wear any makeup.
Back in the days, Huo Zhenghai fooled around with plenty of women. His scandalous behaviors in the past had forced a lot of women to fight for his attention, and the paparazzi had once even exposed that he was paying for six mistresses at the same time. Many of those women had even gotten abortions for him, while others ended up in mental health institutions.
Of all those fights between the women, plotting against one another, barely any of them survived unharmed in the end.
However, Yang Meirong could be considered either the luckiest or unluckiest out of all of Huo Zhenghai's lovers.
She was lucky enough to have given birth to Huo Mian and to have been able to raise her safely. However, it was unlucky that Huo Mian wasn't allowed to step inside the Huo family for all these years.
From an outsider's perspective, Yang Meirong's dream of marrying into riches was in shambles, and that she had given up more than she gained.
However, several years later, she was blessed with a sweet daughter, which was quite a joyous thing.
"Mian, come, this is Uncle Huo. He's ten or so years older than your dad, Jing," Huo Mian was surprised to hear Yang Meirong introduce them like so.
Calling her real father 'uncle', and calling her deceased uncle 'dad'? Her mom was clearly out for revenge.
Even though she knew it was slightly inappropriate, she still obediently said, "Uncle Huo."
"Rong, what do you mean by this?" Huo Zhenghai felt depressed at the sound of 'Uncle'.
"Nothing, we're just here to say hi." A bright smile remained on Yang Meirong's face.
"I know that you still hate me." Huo Zhenghai sighed.
"Why would I? I should thank you instead, now that I think about it. I should thank you for being so cold back then; you've taught me how to give up on someone. Humans really shouldn't talk of feelings, because it's not worth a thing in front of profits. Even though I haven't been living a wealthy life over the years, I'm quite happy. I've got a son and a daughter, and a bunch of kind neighbors, but you're in really bad shape. How does that saying go again? Karma will come, it's only a matter of time." Huo Zhenghai grew more depressed when he heard Yang Meirong's words.
"I know that you hate me, and you should, but I want to make things up for you now. I know that I've done wrong onto you and Mian. Rong, I'm truly sorry… I've put you in pain over all these years." Huo Zhenghai felt rattled up, as his eyes grew red.
"Don't say that, Mr. Huo. I've been very well over the years, there's no need to make things up to us. I raised my daughter myself, so that has nothing to do with you, and there is no point in bringing up sentiments from the past. But, there is one thing… that I must tell you, and it's something that I will never forget. When Jing De got into that car accident and needed a hundred thousand yuan for an urgent surgery, I begged you in the heavy rain. I kneeled down and even knocked my head onto the ground, but you were so indifferent, and refused to save his life… I often think, a hundred thousand means nothing to you and the Huo family, but if you lent it to me back then, Jing De might've not died, so… you already owe De his life, Huo Zhenghai. You wicked-hearted cruel thing, your life will end terribly. I only wish that you could die sooner, only then would I be comforted," Yang Meirong enunciated every word harshly, and then she finally broke down crying.
"Mom… please, no more." Huo Mian hugged her mother, knowing that she couldn't become agitated, given her mother's weak physical state.