“When I boarded the train to the capital city to attend college, I vowed that I would accomplish things and gain merit.” Song Tingshen paused, “If I didn’t find out later how much the insurance proceeds and the compensation from the accident was and how great-aunt sold the two properties that my father left me, I wouldn’t have the slightest bit of complaint towards her. I have to admit that my success is inseparable from my experiences over these years. And yet, I can’t get over this hurdle. She clearly hasn’t done anything to harm me, but I can’t…… make peace with her.”


  Ruan Xia understood this sort of feeling.

  It would be far-fetched to say that his great-aunt had abused him, but a normal elder wouldn’t have sent a preteen to work at a factory to earn tuition and living expenses.

  If Song Tingshen’s dad hadn’t left behind those two properties as well as a large amount of money from the insurance proceeds and the compensation from the accident, then from the perspective of an outsider, although his great-aunt’s approach was wrong, it wasn’t unforgivable. But those conditions were reality. She had sold his properties, took a large amount of his money, and still made him work to earn his tuition and living expenses. What was wrong with her?

  If this story was put on the internet and every reader spat once, it would be enough to drown his great-aunt in saliva.

  Song Tingshen finished drinking the can of beer. He truly had excellent self-control. He said he would only drink one can and only opened one can for himself.

  Even he didn’t know why he told Ruan Xia about his past. There wasn’t any point in telling her. As she had said, he was already successful now to the point that he could step on his great-aunt and her family’s faces, and they could smile in response.

  He had never said a word about this to anyone else. Even his good friend, Li Yuanhang, didn’t know about these experiences. He felt that this was in the past, and there was no need to mention it. Besides, his friends wouldn’t be able to relate even if he told them. Regarding that period of his past, other than himself, everyone else was an outsider. What was the point in complaining to outsiders? In the end, it was his experience and his own business.

  Song Tingshen didn’t say anything after that, and Ruan Xia didn’t know what to say. The two of them were relatively silent as they ate the skewers and seafood.

  When Song Tingshen stood up to go back to his room, Ruan Xia hesitantly called out to stop him. “With your current ability, you can definitely make that family miserable. Even if you really want to do something to them, it’s normal to feel that way.”


  If Song Tingshen wanted to retaliate against his relatives and make their lives miserable, it would be ridiculously easy for him.

  But, he seemed to have decided to leave them alone after taking the one hundred yuan?

  Wasn’t that letting them off too easily?

  Song Tingshen turned around and walked to the bed. As he slightly leaned over, touched Little Wang’s forehead, and tucked the blanket around him, his eyes were full of gentleness and softness. He straightened up and looked back at Ruan Xia. “I did have that thought in my twenties and that when I had the time, I would definitely deal with them. But something happened when I was 31 years old, I had a child……”


  “At that time, I asked myself if I could make them disappear from this world in a surefire way. I couldn’t. Since I can’t, then I don’t want any unforeseen deviations to appear in my life. Of course, the most important thing is that when I became a father, I could better understand the painstaking efforts of a parent. I think that my parents’ greatest wish before they died was that I could live a happy and safe life. They wouldn’t have wanted to see me become someone that would do something like that.”


  Is that so? Ruan Xia was somewhat absent-minded as she pondered. What about you? What was your last thought in the original novel before you died? You must have been thinking about Little Wang, right? You probably couldn’t bear to pass on and leave him without a father.

  Translator Rambling: This might be first time I read a story where ML doesn’t utterly destroy his enemies. I like that Song Tingshen is mature enough to see that he might have turned out differently if he didn’t have go through hardship and has mixed feelings towards his relatives and that the story is showing how he changed when he became a father and not just Ruan Xia’s development. At first, I felt that he chickened out by making up an excuse for why he gave her those roses, but now, I think its much more meaningful and exposing a vulnerable side to himself by sharing something very private about himself vs giving her a romantic item.

  Do you guys like the resolution of this story arc?

  Chapter 152 – The more she understood Song Tingshen, the more that she discovered he had plenty of outstanding points beyond his power and wealth (1)

  The main reason why they had come to Song Tingshen’s hometown was to rebuild the tombstones for his deceased parents. This would be the first time for Little Wang and her to offer incense to Song Tingshen’s parents.

  Early next morning, after the family of three had eaten breakfast at the hotel, they rented a car and hired a local driver. Song Tingshen had already contacted people to rebuild the tombstone before coming here, so Ruan Xia didn’t have to do anything except look after Little Wang.

  Ruan Xia discovered that Song Tingshen was quite good at bargaining.

  She had originally thought that as an overbearing CEO of his level, he wouldn’t waste time haggling over three to five hundred yuan. It seemed that an inherent way of thinking was detrimental.

  However, she could understand that Song Tingshen’s past hardship would influence his behavior even now. He had told her yesterday that he would go work at a factory every winter and summer break since middle school to earn tuition and living expenses. But how much money could a child earn? Since his great-aunt didn’t give him any money, he would have to stretch every cent as much as possible. Even now, he didn’t spend lavishly when it came to his personal life.

  Ruan Xia had classmates with similar backgrounds as Song Tingshen. However, it was easy for people like him to become stingy and overly frugal. They couldn’t be blamed. They were just influenced by their environment.

  Thinking about it carefully, Song Tingshen had always been very generous to her, Father Ruan, and Mother Ruan. No matter how much money was spent on them, he never batted an eye. He had purchased the home that Father Ruan and Mother Ruan lived in. He would also timely transfer a large sum of money to her every month. If she wanted to change cars, he wouldn’t have any issues. A man like him…… was truly very good.

  The more she understood Song Tingshen, the more that she discovered he had plenty of outstanding points beyond his power and wealth.

  After Song Tingshen finished negotiating the price with someone, he turned around and happened to see Ruan Xia’s unabashedly appreciative gaze.

  He walked over to her and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”


  Ruan Xia wasn’t stingy with her compliments to Song Tingshen. “I think you’re extremely wonderful, really.”


  He was better than all of the male leads she had read about!

  Most of those male leads came from good family backgrounds. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, so it was easy for them to be generous and recklessly throw away money for women without care. As for Song Tingshen, he had grown up in that kind of poor environment. It wasn’t easy that he was able to treat his wife and child as well as his wife’s family so generously.

  That being said, there weren’t many people willing to treat their spouses and spouses’ families so generously even if they were rich.

  Song Tingshen didn’t know why Ruan Xia would suddenly praise him. He coughed and hastily looked away. “Really? Thank you.”


  Once again, Ruan Xia was deeply moved by the original owner’s excellent vision.

  This man…… he was truly the best of the best, of course, this time, she was using it in the positive connotation.*

  Chapter 153 – The more she understood Song Tingshen, the more that she discovered he had plenty of outstanding points beyond his power and wealth (2)

  Rebuilding the tombstones wasn’t that something could be completed in a day or two. Song Tingshen’s parents had passed away a long time ago, so they weren’t buried in a large-scale cemetery. The place they were buried in was backed by the mountains, and the scenery was good. However, since no one was managing it, it was overgrown with weeds. Song Tingshen borrowed a hoe from someone and cut down the nearby weeds in a few strokes. It immediately looked much cleaner.

  The tombstones had been here for many years, and there weren’t any photos on them. Ruan Xia placed a plastic bag on the ground and had Little Wang kneel and bow to his grandparents.

  “Little Wang, greet your grandparents. They’re in heaven, and they’ll bless you with good health and protect you from harm.”


  Ruan Xia lit three incense sticks and offered them to Little Wang.

  Little Wang had known early on that his paternal grandparents were gone a long time ago. He solemnly kowtowed three times and said in a milky voice, “Grandpa, grandma, I’m Little Wang, your precious grandson.”


  He thought it over and added, “I hope that you guys are happy up there in heaven!”


  Little Wang took the three incense sticks and clumsy inserted them into the incense burner.

  He turned his head to look at Ruan Xia and curiously asked, “Are their ears that powerful? Why don’t we call them?”


  A child’s world was exceptionally simple.

  Ruan Xia thought over this question and answered, “There’s no signal in heaven, so we can’t call them on the phone. But that’s okay, they can hear everything you say to them.”


  Little Wang: “Wow, grandpa and grandma are so amazing.”


  “Yeah, since grandpa and grandma are amazing, that’s why your dad is also amazing!”


  Song Tingshen listened to the conversation between mother and son. He put the hoe aside. His gaze was profound as he looked at his parents’ tombstones.

  He had been very young when his parents died, but no matter how young he was, he knew then that there would be no one in the future that would love and care for him that much. He could treat all of his bad experience in those years as hard work that was rewarded in the form of his current success. Even if his great-aunt and her family didn’t treat him well, if he looked at it from another angle, those experiences had tempered and forged him into the person he was today.

  He felt that he had succeeded. He had saved all the stones that life had thrown at him to make a house that would shelter his wife and child from the wind and rain.

  He was now in his thirties, with his own family. His parents in heaven should be at ease.

  Song Tingshen looked at Ruan Xia. She was currently bowing to his parents’ tombstones. He couldn’t immediately hear what she was murmuring. When he carefully listened, he heard her mentioning Little Wang. She seemed to be praying to his parents and asking them to bless Little Wang with good health.

  His heart softened. Since he could be unperturbed over his great-aunt and her family’s actions, he really shouldn’t be harsh towards the woman that had given birth to his son. Let bygones be bygones. The present and future was more important than the past.

  Song Tingshen had originally been especially tolerant to people that weren’t outsiders. Ruan Xia was his child’s mother. After she had given birth to Little Wang, he had never been harsh to her.

  Chapter 154 – The more she understood Song Tingshen, the more that she discovered he had plenty of outstanding points beyond his power and wealth (3)

  It was already noon when they got down from the mountain.

  Sitting in the car, Ruan Xia excitedly proposed, “Let’s go have a big meal. My treat!”


  Ruan Xia felt happy just from thinking about the extra 100,000 yuan on the card. Although she had become a rich woman since transmigrating here, she still felt delighted over this windfall.

  “Let’s go eat at KFC and Pizza Hut, mom!”


  Before Ruan Xia had even said anything, Song Tingshen gently pinched his son’s ear. “That’s not a big meal. We have to take this opportunity today to take your mom for all she has.”


  “But I want to eat at Pizza Hut and KFC!”


  In the hearts of children, Pizza Hut was the best big meal. Stuff like French-style steaks, Michelin restaurants, and seafood feasts couldn’t be compared to Pizza Hut and KFC.

  Little Wang insisted on going to Pizza Hut.

  Showing regret, Ruan Xia said to Song Tingshen, “Sorry CEO Song, your son insists on going to Pizza Hut. I can’t change his mind. What a pity.”


  Song Tingshen responded without a change in his expression, “That’s okay. I’ll save my big meal for the evening.”


  He was determined to empty her wallet? Alright fine. He had given her 100,00 yuan.

  —


  Although this place wasn’t as prosperous as the capital city, it still had everything it should have. The family of three arrived at a shopping mall in the downtown area. There were many restaurants here. Fast food places like KFC and Pizza Hut could be seen everywhere.

  Ruan Xia didn’t want to eat Pizza Hut either, but it couldn’t be helped. Little Wang had fallen in love with it. The two adults deliberated over the two choices, Pizza Hut or KFC, and decided on Pizza Hut. After all, there were other staples that could be eaten at Pizza Hut in addition to pizza.

  It was lunchtime right now, and there were many people at Pizza Hut. Fortunately, there were still seating spots left.

  “I’ll take you guys shopping after we finish lunch.” Ruan Xia looked around the surroundings. “I can see there’s a lot of brand name stores at this mall. It’s already the beginning of fall. Little Wang definitely won’t be able to wear last fall’s clothing. We have to buy him more clothes. Oh right, we have to buy him a few pairs of shoes too……”


  She counted on her fingers the clothing that she wanted to buy for Little Wang. She even said that if they found suitable cotton clothing, they should buy that too in preparation. After all, the weather could change at any time. Little kids grew up and clothes from one year ago wouldn’t fit. She also especially enjoyed dressing up Little Wang in handsome little outfits.

  Song Tingshen was dazed. He rarely saw Ruan Xia like this. It could be said that he had never seen her like this before.

  She was becoming more and more like a real mother. She would worry that Little Wang didn’t have enough clothing and also worry that his clothes weren’t warm enough. In the past, those things wouldn’t concern her.

  She was clearly just talking about a mundane activity that any family would have, but when Song Tingshen heard these words, he felt a sense of warmth that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Although he had said he accepted the form of marriage between Ruan Xia and himself, he still longed for a genuinely warm family.

  “.…… socks, fall tops, fall pants, pajamas, etc have to be bought. Counting all these things up, there’s a lot to buy.” Ruan Xia looked at Song Tingshen. “You have to buy some clothes too. After all, you have to go out to socialize and network. You can’t always wear the same few outfits. But there doesn’t seem to me any men’s clothing stores here. If we don’t buy anything today, I’ll buy it for you when we go back to the capital city.”


  As for herself…… hehe. There was even more stuff she wanted to buy for herself ~.

  Scarves, dresses, heels, boots, scarves! She couldn’t forgo buying even one item! How many makeup sales counters did this mall have? Thinking of this, she wanted to buy everything and bring the mall back home!

  Thinking of how she would buy, buy, buy after they were done eating, Ruan Xia almost couldn’t sit still. Sure enough, there was nothing more thrilling than going on a shopping spree, especially when there was no shortage of money.

  Ruan Xia cupped her face and sighed, “It’s so nice to have money.”


  Song Tingshen laughed. “That doesn’t sound tacky at all.”


  “Of course.”


  Chapter 155 – If they had a daughter, she would probably look pretty and cute wearing these little skirts and shoes, right? (1)

  Little Wang and Song Tingshen had the same goldfish nature. When Ruan Xia proposed going shopping at the mall today, not only did they not remember Ruan Xia’s previous shopping spree, they happily agreed to her idea. They had obviously experienced going shopping once with Ruan Xia, but they had forgotten how miserable that experience was. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were giving it their all to keep her company.

  After all, Ruan Xia had said she wanted to buy clothes for them. Whether one was four years old or in their thirties, neither of them would refuse new clothes, especially when someone offered to shop for them.

  The clothes that Ruan Xia bought for Little Wang weren’t expensive, but the fabrics were very comfortable to touch. It was the type that was suitable for little kids to wear. Although Little Wan was a bit overweight, he was very cute. He looked good in whatever he wore. In addition, since they were shopping during National Day Golden Week, many non-high end brands were on sale. What did a sale mean? From Ruan Xia’s point of view, if you round it off, that was simply free money! How could she miss out on such a good thing?!

  And so, she bought Little Wang five jackets, six pants, and a few sets of clothes to wear at home without taking a break. No need to mention her purchase of little things like socks and shorts. She also bought several pairs of shoes.

  In the end, it was Little Wang that pulled on Ruan Xia’s hand and said, “Mom, it’s enough. If you buy too much, I won’t be able to wear them all.”


  It was true that she got plenty of spoils of war. Just as Ruan Xia was about to leave, she caught sight of a girl’s outfit. She sighed. It would be nice if Little Wang was a girl. It would be even better if the original owner had given birth to a set of twins, a son and a daughter.

  Little girl’s clothes were truly too cute. Whether it was looking at a little skirt or a pair of small shoes, people couldn’t tear themselves away from it.

  Song Tingshen had resigned himself to being a porter. He was carrying big and small bags and standing by the side with Little Wang to wait for Ruan Xia.

  Ruan Xia was holding a small and cute girl’s shoe and couldn’t tear her gaze away from it.

  Little Wang tugged Song Tingshen’s pants. He helplessly asked, “She wouldn’t want to buy that too, right? There’s no little girl in our family. What does mom want to do?”


  “I don’t know.” Song Tingshen was also very helpless.

  He had told others that he wasn’t thinking about having another child, but this sight was making him reconsider.

  He hadn’t wanted another child because his relationship with Ruan Xia wasn’t good in the past. Outsiders didn’t know, but he did. Little Wang was the only kid they would have.

  But now, Song Tingshen wasn’t sure what will happen in the future. It was true that he wanted to live a good life with Ruan Xia, and she had also become better. If the situation continued to develop in this direction, then who knows? Little Wang might have a little brother or sister in the future.

  Once this thought budded in his mind, it was hard to toss it out. Song Tingshen also started looking at the cute and beautiful little skirts……

  If he and Ruan Xia will have another child, he would want a daughter more than a son. Of course, if they had another son, he would like him too.

  If they had a daughter, she would probably look pretty and cute wearing these little skirts and shoes, right?

  Fortunately, Ruan Xia didn’t stay here for long. If she didn’t remember that Little Wang was a boy, she would have been tempted into buying a few small skirts.

  Chapter 156 – If they had a daughter, she would probably look pretty and cute wearing these little skirts and shoes, right? (2)

  There were too many things to buy. Song Tingshen almost couldn’t hold all of the big and small shopping bags. Even Little Wang was holding a few bags. Ruan Xia was like a little kid in a candy store. With the exception of a few highend brands, many brands were on sale. Ruan Xia wasn’t born in a prestigious family, so for her, as long as the clothes design looked good, she would want to buy them. Whether or not those clothes were brand name clothing ranked second to her.

  When Ruan Xia was trying on shoes, Song Tingshen and Little Wang were sitting on a nearby couch. While drinking the orange juice poured by a personal shopper, the adult and child looked as if they were ready to die.

  Actually, no, it wasn’t just them. Lots of people had come out today to shop during National Day Golden Week. Most of the boyfriends and husbands that had accompanied their girlfriends and wives shopping today had the same expressions as them.

  “Shopping with mom is more tiring than going to kindergarten!” Little Wang’s sigh was out-of-place for a little kid like himself. The amused personal shopper covered her mouth and smiled.

  Song Tingshen also had a deep understanding of this. Shopping with Ruan Xia was more exhausting than working overtime several nights in a row or discussing several contracts.

  However, they couldn’t urge her to finish faster. After all, Ruan Xia had cleverly purchased clothes for them first before shopping for herself. If they pushed her now, what would she say to them?

  She would definitely say that she had patiently shopped for them, so why couldn’t they reciprocate with the same patience for her?

  Thus, Little Wang and Song Tingshen chose to remain silent.

  This showed that no matter what age, when it was time to observe and go along with their loved one’s wishes, boys and men were very good at it.

  Little Wang and Song Tingshen sighed at the same time.

  The personal shopper had been paying attention to this father and son pair. After all, their face values were too high. She wanted to laugh just from watching their expressions and reactions. Other than bringing them orange juice and candy, she didn’t know how to alleviate the pressures of these two people.

  Could it be that Ruan Xia wasn’t aware that this father and son pair didn’t enjoy shopping with her? Of course she knew, but she didn’t have a better way. When she went shopping, she needed someone to consult with and help her carry her bags.

  Endure, they could only endure for her.

  —


  Ruan Xia continued shopping until 6PM. It was then that she finally felt sympathy for Song Tingshen and Little Wang. When she said, “Never mind, I bought everything that I should buy. We don’t have to continue shopping,” Little Wang jumped up and cheered. Song Tingshen was still reserved, but his expression looked a lot more relaxed following those words.

  Ruan Xia looked at them coldly. “Look at you guys, so tired just from shopping with me. It’s not like I made you guys walk a lot and you guys sit down as soon as we enter the store.”


  Little Wang’s survival instinct was very strong. He quickly hugged Ruan Xia’s waist. “Not at all! As long as mom is happy!”


  Song Tingshen was holding at least ten shopping bags. It was a spectacular and eye-catching sight. Little Wang was holding three shopping bags that contained his socks and shorts. They were all light things. Ruan Xia was also holding several shopping bags.

  Roughly calculating, although she definitely hadn’t used up the full 100,000 yuan today, she had spent more than half of it.

  The family of three decided to eat dinner at a restaurant in the mall. Right after coming out of an elevator, they heard a man’s voice. “Song Tingshen? Is it really you?”


  They met a man wearing casual clothing. He had a surprised expression.

  Chapter 157 – If they had a daughter, she would probably look pretty and cute wearing these little skirts and shoes, right? (3)

  Ruan Xia guessed that this was Song Tingshen’s past acquaintance. It wasn’t strange that they would meet someone he used to know here. He had grown up here and this city wasn’t big, so the chances of meeting acquaintances was especially high, especially during National Day Golden Week. Most people that hadn’t gone somewhere for vacation would come to the mall to stroll around since there would be a lot of holiday sales.

  Song Tingshen was obviously surprised too. “Lu Yongan? Long time no see.”


  Lu Yongan stepped forward. With a big smile, he patted Song Tingshen’s shoulder. He was truly amused to see that Song Tingshen was ladened with bags. “Why didn’t you say you were coming back? Is this your wife and son?”


  He looked at Ruan Xia. He was quite surprised. He knew that Song Tingshen had gotten married, but he was surprised by how beautiful his wife was. Her looks weren’t inferior to a celebrity’s. Song Tingshen was so blessed. He was the boss of a big company, had such a young and beautiful wife, and a cute son. In the eyes of outsiders, he was a winner in life.

  “En, this is my wife, Ruan Xia and my son, Little Wang.” Song Tingshen looked at Ruan Xia. “Xiaxia, this is my highschool friend, Lu Yongan. Little Wang, call uncle.”


  Ruan Xia discovered that he would now address her as “Xiaxia” in front of outsiders, but still called her “Ruan Xia” when it was just the two of them.

  “Hi,” Ruan Xia politely greeted.

  Little Wang wasn’t shy with strangers at all. He grinned. “Hi Uncle Lu.”


  “Good kid.” Lu Yongan patted Little Wang’s head, then he looked at Song Tingshen and asked, “When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”


  They had been high school classmates and were now in their mid-thirties. It had been almost 20 years since they graduated high school. For their classmates who had children early, their children were about to go middle school soon. Everyone had their own lives and their own families. Even if you were friends, you would have less contact after getting married, much less people that were only classmates. And so, only a few of Song Tingshen’s highschool classmates would occasionally pop up in his life. Most of the time, there was no contact between him and his former highschool classmates.

  Song Tingshen smiled as he answered, “I came back yesterday. This visit was mostly to build my parents’ new tombstones and bring my wife and son to pay respects. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”


  “That’s such a rushed trip. It’s been so many years since we last saw each other. Do you still remember Teacher Wang? His 60th birthday is coming up. Our classmates that remained here are planning a gathering to celebrate his birthday. As you know, he doesn’t have any children……” Lu Yongan paused. “You might not come back for the class reunion, but you really should come to Teacher Wang’s birthday celebration. You were his favorite student. I heard that he still often mentions you to his students. If you come, he’ll probably be very happy.”


  Song Tingshen hesitated for a moment. Teacher Wang had treated him very well. Over the past years, he never forgot to send his old teacher presents during the holidays. The main reason that he didn’t tell him that he had come back this time was because he didn’t want to trouble his old teacher. However, it would be inappropriate of him to not attend his birthday celebrations now that he knew about it.

  “When is it?”


  “Tomorrow afternoon. It was originally going to be yesterday or today, but a few classmates were coming back from other places and couldn’t get back in time for those days. If we wait until the 3rd, some people will have left, so we chose tomorrow.”


  Song Tingshen nodded. “I’ll go there tomorrow then.”


  Lu Yongan patted Little Wang’s head again. “Bring your wife and son too. If you come alone, we’ll bug you about it.”