Chapter 107 — She Said She Hates Me

On impulse, he rushed downstairs. For his sanity, he needed to confirm that it was really her and not just a horrible mixup.

He noticed the taxi from his peripheral vision, but he spent a few moments looking around before scanning it. That was when he saw her.

She had really changed a bit. To describe her current appearance in one word, she looked haggard. Her eyes looked sunken, with dark circles and even a few wrinkles.

But it was her smile as the car drove away that chilled him.

It was really her.

Too exhausted mentally to be productive, he decided to call it a day and headed home, texting Pei Yueran on the way so that she would know he had left. Just seeing their previous messages lightened up his mood a lot.

Once the haze cleared, he began to think. What was she up to? He was not surprised that she could locate his office since it wasn't exactly hidden information, but still he was a bit surprised.

After the divorce, he was very heartbroken. Since she made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him and Li Yuchen, he did not look for her either.

He didn't even know she had returned to the country. When did she return, and what had she been up to? Most importantly, what did she plan to do by coming back into their lives?

He was really having a headache just thinking about these things.

In the midst of his deliberation, someone knocked and let themselves in almost immediately.

"Hi Dad, you're back so early. How was your day with my Goddess?" Li Yuchen asked cheerfully, walking towards his dad. He came to ask about his school and if his dad had applied, but he stopped short when he saw the look on Li Chuanmo's face.

"What's wrong Dad?" He asked, taking a seat.

Li Chuanmo heaved a sigh and straightened his shirt collar. "I saw her."

Li Yuchen didn't get it at first. "Her? Who? Who did you see that ma—"

He stopped short as it dawned on him. Who else could make his father worry badly and look like he had seen a ghost? His expression morphed into one of indifference.

"So she's in this city? Where did you see her? No, don't answer that. I don't care."

Li Chuanmo told him all the same. "She came to my office."

The indifferent expression quickly gave way to anger as he stood up in a rush. "She dared? Where did she get the audacity to deliberately show her face in front of us? Let's report her to the police!"

Li Chuanmo paused and studied his son. He had always been baffled at the hatred he could see in Li Yuchen's eyes for his mother.

Why? Although she abandoned him, didn't children usually crave for their mother's love and affection? Why was Li Yuchen always so angry at the slightest mention of Xie Weiwan?

"Sit down Xiao Chen."

"Tell me something." He continued after Li Yuchen complied. "Why exactly are you so hostile to her? I know she hurt us both, and maybe she hurt you more, but these things happen. It doesn't change the fact that she's your mother."

"She's not my mother!" Li Yuchen said with anger, but it was diminished by the look in his eyes. He was staring at his father like a wounded puppy. Through the reflection of the study lights, what Li Chuanmo could see in his orbs was not anger, but hurt.

Li Yuchen felt his throat tighten as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "She said she hates me. She said I was nothing to her, that I added nothing to her life but endless inconvenience. So I hate her too!"

Li Chuanmo was just hearing this for the first time. "What? Impossible! How could she have said that?"

"I heard her Dad. I heard her loud and clear. Since she doesn't like me, I don't like her either." Li Yuchen was crying freely by now, tears blurring his vision. He had buried this memory deep down all these years, but it was still very clear and vivid in intensity.

Li Chuanmo's heart broke to see his son in anguish. Then, the kind of anger he had never felt before began to build. He walked over to console him, cleaning his tears with a handkerchief. "When did this happen?"

After Li Yuchen's tears subsided, he began. "That year, after both of you argued and she moved out. You went for a business trip, so I took the opportunity to go and beg her to not leave us.

That day, I wore my best clothes Dad. She always said she liked that suit because it made me look like a rich heir. I went to her office to talk to her.

But when I got there, she was talking to someone. It was a man, and they were both laughing. He asked her how she felt now that she was free, and she said she felt on top of the world.

She said if she had known, she would have left a long time ago instead of wasting her youth and beauty on us. According to her, if not for your wealth, she wouldn't have stayed that long.

"Her partner asked, "What about your son, won't you miss him?" She said—" Li Yuchen paused, gathering his emotions.

"Sh-she said, "That one? forget him, he's not important. He was just a tool to make me look good and get his father to lavish me with more gifts. But he wasn't a worthwhile investment. I almost lost my shape and confidence because of him."

He whispered brokenly, "How could she say that Dad, how? Wasn't I obedient enough, wasn't I cute enough? I studied hard even then so that she could be proud of me, but she said I was just a tool. She said I was nothing to her."

Li Chuanmo couldn't think straight for a moment, for the amount of rage that threatened to consume him. Unaware, Li Yuchen continued, relieving the events of that day.

"Do you know dad, that I looked up the meaning of 'worthwhile investment' on the internet? It means something good enough, important enough, to be worth spending time, effort, or money on."

"So to that woman, I'm not worth her time, effort or money. I could not believe my ears. I opened the door to look at her, just to be sure it was actually my mo-mother talking.

"She was sitting on that man's leg, and she didn't even look regretful for what she said. She just yelled at me for not knocking and asked me to go home."

"I cried, asking her if what she meant everything she said. Her reply was "yes". She said she only approached you because she knew who you were, but she was now tired of pretending."

As if mocking himself, he muttered, "Why do I even have such a good memory? I thought I had forgotten everything, but it turned out I was just lying to myself."