NOVEL WEB Chapter 38
Chapter 38:
A month and a half later, when the money finally ran out, Jiang Jiandang instinctively called Song Lin.
Beep.
He froze as he heard the line disconnect abruptly. Regret washed over him like a cold wave. He had no wife now, no one to cook for him. Alone in a dark, empty house with the power cut off due to unpaid bills, he felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and regret.
How did his life come to this?
After exhausting all his funds, Jiang Jiandang’s thoughts turned to his house. It was small, but he could still sell it for over 400,000 yuan. He sold the house, took the money, and rented a smaller place to live. At first, it wasn’t so bad living alone. He ordered takeout, ate as he pleased, and didn’t work, relying entirely on the money from the house sale.
But as he continued to spend carelessly, he watched half of his money disappear, and panic set in.
Jiang Feng no longer acknowledged him, so who would take care of him in the future? The question gnawed at him, fueling his resentment.
He then thought bitterly that if it weren’t for He Mingxue and He Minglang, his life wouldn’t have turned out this way!
The more he dwelled on it, the angrier he became. He couldn’t stand the sight of the two siblings anymore. Once, he enjoyed spending money on them and caring for them. Now, he couldn’t help but think of how much he had wasted on them, and it made him furious.
With a surge of bitter determination, he finally signed the adoption papers he had been avoiding.
…
In this world, Jiang Feng lived into his 70s. He chose to become a translator and eventually rose to be one of the world’s leading experts in his field, often appearing on major news networks.
At first, Jiang Feng kept an eye on the lives of Jiang Jiandang, He Minglang, and He Mingxue. After adopting the siblings, Jiang Jiandang’s attitude changed. He lost the gentle temperament he once showed them, forcing them to do the dirtiest, most exhausting chores daily.
The siblings endured it all, remembering the help he had given them before and fearing to speak up. Their lives were filled with hardship and misery.
Later, He Minglang started making money through live streaming to afford a bone marrow transplant from his sister. But because he was adopted by Jiang Jiandang and bound by his sense of duty, he spent his days tirelessly caring for the old man, and his health quickly deteriorated. Before he even turned thirty, He Minglang passed away.
He Mingxue, deeply affected by the turmoil of her high school years, only managed to get into an ordinary second-tier university. After graduation, under Jiang Jiandang’s constant demands, she found herself trapped in a low-paying job, earning just enough to survive in their small town. Her life became a repetitive cycle of endless chores, stress, and struggle.
…
One day, He Mingxue dragged her weary body home, only to be greeted by a barrage of curses.
“You’re home late again! Are you trying to starve me? Why did I ever adopt you useless brats? If it weren’t for you two, do you think Xiao Feng’s mother would’ve divorced me? Just look at you, barely scraping by!” Jiang Jiandang spat angrily.
The room was dark, damp, and filled with the musty smell of mildew due to the constant rain. Empty bottles of alcohol littered the floor, and the only light came from the faint glow of the TV screen, which was playing the day’s news.
The news anchor’s voice filled the room: “Mr. Jiang Feng has returned to China. He has been successfully promoted to the Director of the Translation Department, making him the youngest director in the country. Stay tuned for the exclusive interview.”
Jiang Feng.
The moment his name was mentioned, Jiang Jiandang froze, staring at the screen as if in a trance. There, on TV, was his son—dressed in a suit, looking every bit the successful man the world admired.
Tears welled up in Jiang Jiandang’s eyes. He reached for his phone, opened WeChat, and clicked on Jiang Feng’s profile with the reverence of someone performing a sacred ritual.
“Heh,” He Mingxue sneered, watching him. “Dad, he’s had you blocked for seven or eight years now. You still check every day? It’s just a blank line. What’s there to see?”
On the screen, there was nothing but a blurred profile picture and a single horizontal line below it.
Jiang Jiandang had been blocked.
He had been blocked for nearly eight years.
Tears streamed down Jiang Jiandang’s face as he realized, perhaps for the first time, that he had truly lost his obedient son.
…
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