“Does Xingxing want to tell Grandpa?” Sheng Zexi asked, gently patting his head.
Xingxing nodded.
“If you want to tell him, then go ahead.”
Sheng Zexi wasn’t surprised by Xingxing’s wish.
Over the past two months, the old man must have been very attentive to Xingxing.
Although his own relationship with his father was strained, Sheng Zexi had never let the grudges of his generation carry over to the next.
Besides, having one more person who cared for his children was never a bad thing.
Soon enough, Sheng Xinhao learned that his son Sheng Zexi had come to the capital and was planning to take Xingxing and Yueyue back home the next day.
“That brat! He didn’t even think to bring Xingxing, Yueyue, and his wife back to the old home. He’s leaving as soon as he arrives!”
“Why tell me? Does he expect me to see them off?”
“I’m not going!”
Sheng Xinhao grumbled angrily, his complaints pouring out.
…
Early the next morning, Grandpa Sang couldn’t get time off work, so Grandma Sang, accompanied by a guard, came to see Sheng Zexi and his family off.
Outside the train station, the crowd bustled with noise and activity.
Xingxing and Yueyue looked around eagerly, as if searching for someone, but the person they hoped to see was nowhere in sight.
Sheng Zexi frowned.
He knew Xingxing and Yueyue were waiting for the old man.
It seemed he had overestimated his father’s magnanimity.
He had thought that, at the very least, the old man would come for Xingxing and Yueyue’s sake. But it turned out…
After saying goodbye to Grandma Sang, the family prepared to board the train.
Just then, a voice called out urgently from behind them.
“Xingxing! Yueyue!”
The two children immediately turned and saw Sheng Xinhao stepping out of a car.
“Grandpa!” The little ones rushed over, with Sheng Zexi quickly following to keep them safe.
Seeing their grandfather, Xingxing and Yueyue’s previously downcast expressions brightened instantly, their eyes shining with joy.
Sheng Xinhao had his guard bring over several gifts from the car, handing them to the children.
“These are presents from Grandpa.”
“And these… are for your mother,” he added, glancing subtly at Sheng Zexi.
Relieved to see no reaction from his son, he let out a quiet sigh.
After spending some affectionate moments with Xingxing and Yueyue and bidding them farewell, Sheng Xinhai turned to Sheng Zexi.
“Can we talk alone?”
Sheng Zexi frowned at the old man. The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but when his gaze landed on his father’s graying temples, he held back.
“Fine. Let’s talk.”
Sheng Zexi got into Sheng Xinhao’s car. The two sat in the back seat, alone, with the guard remaining outside.
The closed door shut out the noise of the outside world.
The car was silent.
Neither spoke. Being in such close quarters with Sheng Xinhao, alone, was something that hadn’t happened in years, and it made Sheng Zexi deeply uncomfortable.
Just as he was about to lose his patience, the man beside him finally spoke.
“Ah Xi, I’m sorry.”
Sheng Zexi stiffened. His fists clenched instinctively, his lips pressed tightly together as he stared straight ahead without a word.
“All these years, I was blinded by Fang Wanrong. I was a fool. I shouldn’t have doubted you, and I shouldn’t have been so domineering, always trying to force you into things.”
“I also failed your mother. I prided myself on being devoted to her, yet less than a year after her passing, I married someone else.”
“I believed lies and turned a deaf ear to the truth. You have every right to resent me.”
“In the past, I convinced myself that everything I did was for your own good. But then, that day, I heard Xingxing say: ‘Not every for your own good is really good.’ That’s when I realized how terribly wrong I’ve been all these years.”
“So, Ah Xi, your resentment is justified.”
“Dad… let you down.”
Sheng Zexi’s eyes remained fixed straight ahead, but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint redness around his eyelids.
His clenched fists tightened even further.
Sheng Zexi had never expected to hear an apology from his father in this lifetime.
There was a time when he thought he never would.
Because his father was such a proud, domineering man.
Even if he realized his mistakes one day, he would stubbornly refuse to admit them.
Yet now, unexpectedly, he had heard it.
Sheng Zexi had believed that after all these years, he no longer yearned for his father’s love.
But now he realized…
That no matter how strong a child’s heart may seem, they can never truly outgrow the need for their parents’ approval.
Disgusted with himself for this realization, Sheng Zexi let out a soft scoff.
“Do you think every apology deserves forgiveness?”
“Do you think saying sorry erases all the harm done?”
“That everything can just go back to how it was?”
Sheng Xinhao looked at his son, who still refused to meet his gaze, staring rigidly ahead.
Only now did he fully grasp just how deeply he had hurt this child over the years.
Unable to hold back any longer, tears streamed down the face of this once-unyielding man.
“You’re right. Not every apology deserves forgiveness.”
“I can apologize, and you can choose not to forgive.”
“In the past, I arrogantly believed my experience and judgment could chart the best path for my child.”
“But the truth is, times change, and so do people. What I thought I knew no longer applies.”
“Ah Xi, the truth is… you’ve always been remarkable.”
“Aside from being a little stubborn, you’ve excelled in every way.”
“Becoming a regimental-level officer at such a young age, marrying such an outstanding woman, raising two brilliant children…”
Sheng Zexi snorted lightly. “Of course my choices were good.”
He never imagined that today, not only would he receive an apology from his father, but also his praise.
He had assumed that in this stubborn old man’s eyes, his abilities, his decisions—everything about him—would never earn acknowledgment or approval.
“From now on, I won’t interfere in your affairs.”
“You can return to the Sheng family if you wish, or not. It’s up to you.”
“But in the end, it will always be yours.”
“It will always be your home.”
……
After Sheng Zexi entered the car, Gu Jianing fed Xingxing and Yueyue some egg cakes.
By the time they finished, Sheng Zexi had stepped out of the car alone.
Though he appeared no different than usual, Gu Jianing could sense the turmoil beneath his calm exterior.
She walked over and took his hand.
“Are you okay?”
Meeting the concern in her eyes, Sheng Zexi shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“That’s good.”
Sheng Xinhao did not step out of the car again. After Sheng Zexi boarded the train with his family, the vehicle finally drove away from the station.
“Take me to Madam’s cemetery,” Sheng Xinhao said quietly from the back seat.
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