Chapter 982: Really Meaningless

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“And you still have the audacity to raise your voice? Do you think this is something money alone can fix? Even if you emptied your entire fortune, would it be enough to repair the damage you’ve done to my reputation? Sorry, but I take my reputation very seriously. I can’t accept anything less than you kneeling and apologizing,” Gu Zi said.

Huang Fei had initially planned to smooth things over with a softer approach, hoping to dodge the confrontation entirely. But faced with Gu Zi’s unyielding attitude, she could no longer keep up the pretense. Her eyes locked fiercely onto Gu Zi’s, fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Hatred boiled within her like molten lava, threatening to erupt.

Just as the crowd leaned in, eager to see how the drama would unfold, a frail yet resolute voice broke the tension. “Auntie Gu, this is my fault. Please don’t make my mom kneel. I—I can kneel instead.”

All heads turned to the doorway, where a pale and fragile boy stood, one hand clutching the frame for support. His face was drained of color, but his eyes were red and brimming with guilt.

It was Xu Sheng, the unfortunate victim of the food poisoning incident. Unlike his mother, he exuded a sense of responsibility far beyond his years. But how could this possibly be his fault?

Xu Sheng, however, saw things differently. After regaining consciousness and learning the cause of his illness, he was overwhelmed with guilt. He blamed himself for not checking the expiration date on the bread before eating it, leading to the entire debacle. The thought of his mother worrying herself sick over him only compounded his guilt.

Hearing the crowd criticize his mother made him feel even worse. His father was constantly away on business trips, leaving his mother to raise him alone. She was strict, yes, but Xu Sheng knew it was because she loved him.

Now, because of his carelessness, his mother was being humiliated in public. He felt it was only right to take responsibility and apologize.

Xu Sheng thought simply: if his apology could put an end to the matter, then his mother wouldn’t have to face any more scorn. Despite his weak and aching body, he climbed out of bed, determined to set things right.

But Huang Fei, already mortified, felt her humiliation deepen. Her son—her only son—offering to kneel for Gu Zi? What an idiot! All his education, wasted!

Fuming, Huang Fei stormed toward him.

Xu Sheng, seeing his mother approach, tried to smile through his exhaustion. “Mom…” he started, but the word barely left his lips before Huang Fei’s palm struck him across the face. The slap sent him sprawling to the ground.

Gasps filled the room. Everyone froze, too stunned to move. Xu Sheng himself was too shocked to react. He stared up at his mother with wide, disbelieving eyes.

But Huang Fei’s face was dark with rage. “You’re my son! What does it make me look like if you kneel to her? Don’t you dare kneel! Look at yourself—too weak to even stand properly, and you still came out here to meddle? Are you trying to embarrass me even more? This whole mess is your fault, and yes, you should apologize—but who told you to kneel?!”

Gu Zi, rarely caught off guard, found herself genuinely stunned. She had always assumed Huang Fei doted on Xu Sheng, her only child and a source of pride with his stellar grades. But to see her strike him in his fragile state—was this something a mother could actually do?

Even more baffling was Xu Sheng’s reaction. Despite being a bright and capable child, he somehow couldn’t grasp that none of this was his fault. He carried all the blame himself. The situation was beyond unsettling.

Huang Fei was far more terrifying than Gu Zi had ever imagined, and Xu Sheng—trapped with such a mother—was downright pitiable.

Before Xu Sheng could utter another word, Gu Zi cut him off. “Xu Sheng, you did nothing wrong. I don’t need your apology—or your mother’s, for that matter. Not when she doesn’t even recognize her own mistakes. Her apology would mean absolutely nothing.”

Finished, Gu Zi turned away, unable to bear looking at Xu Sheng any longer. The stubborn determination in his eyes was too heartbreaking.

Ever since becoming a mother herself, Gu Zi’s heart had softened. She simply couldn’t stomach this scene any longer. Huang Fei had already embarrassed herself enough for one day.

With a sharp tug, Gu Zi took her own child’s hand and walked out of the hospital.

The crowd finally snapped out of their daze, their expressions shifting from shock to fury. “What kind of mother are you?” someone yelled. “How could you hit your own son when he’s already so weak? Shame on you!”

Others joined in, voicing their outrage. But Huang Fei ignored them all.

Face cold and unmoving, she roughly yanked Xu Sheng to his feet and dragged him back into the hospital room. The door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang, silencing the onlookers.

Inside, Huang Fei unleashed another tirade, venting her anger at her son without restraint.

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