Chapter 582 - I No Longer Have The Right, Is That It? (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Su Peizhen felt as though her heart ached with every pulse.

This ache was greater than when she had found out that she was not Li Qianxue’s daughter, and it made her feel even worse than when she had been exiled from the Li Family.

As she looked at Li Qianxue, the feeling of hurt stood out most among all the buried emotions in her gaze.

Li Qianxue noticed it, but she did not think that she was in the wrong.

In life, you had to give and take. She felt repentant towards Su Qingsang and had ended up choosing her, so she was not going to let Su Peizhen do anything to hurt her.

She was also not going to allow Su Peizhen to cause Su Qingsang any physical harm. While her words were coldhearted, they also made sense.

Su Peizhen could hate Su Chenghui, she could hate Xiang Caiping, and she could even hate her.

But Su Peizhen had no reason at all to hate Su Qingsang. She had lived over 20 years as the pampered daughter of the Li Family, which—to put bluntly—had been time Su Peizhen had robbed Su Qingsang of.

Su Qingsang had no obligation nor responsibility to bear the unreasonable hatred and anger that Su Peizhen felt towards her.

Su Peizhen felt as though her emotions were in great turmoil. As she looked at Li Qianxue, it took an extreme effort to not lose control of herself.

It was difficult…really difficult.

“So, what Aunt Li thinks is that I sent the video to you so that you would deal with Su Qingsang?”

Because she was so emotional, her voice trembled a little.

“Was that not the case?”

Li Qianxue gave her a cold smile. No matter how she worded it, Su Peizhen had been her daughter for many years. While she did not understand her daughter completely, she was still capable of understanding a good deal about her.

What Su Peizhen had intended to say through the video, she understood clearly.

When she had seen that video the first time after she had calmed down and thought about it a little, it was not a big leap for her to make that it was Su Peizhen who had sent it to her.

After all, Xiang Caiping was Su Peizhen’s real mother now, and the two of them were reported to have been living together for some now.

Thus, it would not have been odd for Su Peizhen to have had the opportunity to install cameras in her house. It would also not be odd for her to record the interactions between Su Qingsang and Xiang Caiping.

However, the fact that she had sent this video to Li Qianxue was a very purposeful move.

Having been in a mother-daughter relationship with Su Peizhen for many years, Li Qianxue did not even need to guess to know that her goal had been to drive a wedge between Li Qianxue and Su Qingsang’s mother-daughter relationship.

“You thought that I would be angry when I saw the video, didn’t you? That I would be unhappy?”

She had been angry indeed, and she was very unhappy.

After she had processed her unhappy thoughts and calmed down, however, she found herself feeling scared and fearful. She felt worried about what she could lose.

But in front of Su Peizhen, Li Qianxue would never let even a wisp of these emotions show.

“You thought that I would hastily find Su Qingsang and get mad at her after I saw the video?

“You thought that because of my tendency to nitpick and criticize, I would act rashly in such a situation?

“Was it not your goal to drive a wedge between our mother-daughter relationship after both of us have put in so much effort to get to know each other? Did you think that I would let you do as you wish?”

It really should not have to be mentioned that after having been Li Qianxue’s daughter for over 20 years, she understood her very well. She had formed her own very clear picture of Qianxue’s personality.

If not for Li Qianxue’s high self-control and inner ambition, she would not have been able to exude such poise in this situation.

Su Peizhen smirked. “You won’t do as I wish. So what? You’ll intentionally find me, warn me, and tell me not to hurt your precious daughter instead?”

“Yes.”

Li Qianxue nodded; her voice resolute as she said, “You thought that I wouldn’t know about the dirty tricks you’ve been playing behind my back? That I wouldn’t know what you planned on doing?

“Peizhen, just as much as you understand me, I understand you too. Losing everything the Li Family has provided you with and losing your identity as the eldest daughter of the Su Family must have been exceptionally unbearable for you.

“And now, the one who will receive everything that you used to have and become who you were is none other than Su Qingsang, the person you looked down on the most. How would you have felt? Do you think I won’t understand?”

Faced with Li Qianxue’s intense expression, Su Peizhen could only nod her head.

“And so, you thought that I would be unable to take it, you thought that I would go and take everything away from Su Qingsang?

“Wasn’t that the case?” Li Qianxue continued without holding back. “If you did not feel that way, why would you have sent that video to me? If you did not feel that way, why would you have put in all this effort to get close to Huo Yifan?”

“Don’t tell me that you were unaware of the relationship between Huo Yifan and Huo Jinyao. You knew all about it. You knew and you were convinced it would be a good way to get your revenge. Wasn’t that why you tried to get close to Huo Yifan— so that you could marry into the Huo Family?”

Su Peizhen had once thought that after having gone through so much, her heart would be unfeeling.

It was only now that she realized that her heart was not yet completely dead, and it was certainly not yet completely unfeeling.

She still held on to the sentiments of belonging to the Su family. She was still unable to part with certain things when it came to the Li Family.

When Li Qianxue faced Su Peizhen with such fierce antagonism, she felt only one thing.

Her heart being ripped to shreds.

“Aunt Li, in your heart, did you think that after losing my identity as the eldest daughter of the Su Family, and after losing the backing from the Li Family that—as a person—I would no longer be entitled to a happy life?”

This conversation was happening in Su Peizhen’s office, so she was not worried about being seen by others.

She stood up with a bang, glaring at Li Qianxue with a hostile expression.

“Go ahead and say it! When was it, after I lost the support from the Li family name, that I no longer have the right to be rich and wealthy again? That I am no longer eligible for happiness? Is that what you are saying?”

“That is not what I meant.”

Peizhen was, in the end, the daughter she had raised for many years, so Li Qianxue was hesitant to go overboard with her words. “Ultimately, you yourself will know the reason why you decided to get together with Huo Yifan.”

“I should know for myself?”

Su Peizhen laughed wryly, her eyes full of mockery.

“Mom.” After months, Su Peizhen suddenly uttered this word.

Li Qianxue’s body trembled, her eyelids slightly drooping, as she avoided looking Su Peizhen in the eyes.

“Mom!” Su Peizhen called again as she glared at Li Qianxue’s pale face.

“I’ve called you ‘Mom’ for over 20 years, but now I cannot even be compared to a finger’s worth of Su Qingsang in your heart now? Is that it?

“When you heard that I was together with Huo Yifan, were you unable to sit still any longer? Were you that afraid that I would go and get revenge on your precious daughter, was that it?”

Li Quanxue forced herself to not be swayed by Su Peizhen’s words. After all, she was older by quite a few years and had more experience dealing with conflict like this. She composed herself quickly.

“So, what you’re trying to say is, you and Huo Yifan are together because you felt something for him?”

“Why can’t that be the case?” Su Peizhen stared accusingly at Li Qianxue. “In your heart, does the daughter you raised not deserve to be wanted? Does she not deserve to be loved, to feel her own emotions, and pursue her own future?

“Even if I decided to get together with Huo Yifan with the slightest intention to compete against Su Qingsang, so what? Does that mean what I’m doing is a sin? Does that mean that it’s unforgivable?

“Su Qingsang can marry into the Huo Family but I can’t? Is that what you are trying to tell me?”

“That’s not what I meant! If you really want to be together with Huo Yifan, then of course I have nothing to say about it. I only wanted to let you know my stance on this matter.”

“So, your stance is to doubt all the reasons behind everything I do? Your stance is to see me, the daughter you’ve raised for over 20 years, in the worst possible light?”

“If not?” Li Qianxue raised her eyebrows at Su Peizhen, her gaze calm. “How else would you explain your motive behind sending me that video?”

“Motive? It was just because I wanted you to see Su Qingsang’s true self clearly, that’s all!”

Su Peizhen stood up and folded her arms across her chest, gazing down haughtily at Li Qianxue.

“What do you think she was trying to do? She acknowledged you as her mother and said that she is your daughter, but she also trailed alongside me, acting as though she is as close as a daughter to my own mother. She’s trying to get the best of both worlds, currying favor with the both of you. Why shouldn’t I try to expose her behavior?”

Li Qianxue thought about the scene where Su Qingsang and Xiang Caiping looked as close as mother and daughter, the small yet sweet smiles Qingsang gave Xiang Caiping when they made rice dumplings together.

Her heart felt an undeniable burst of discomfort. But looking up at Su Peizhen like this, she felt even more uncomfortable.

Smiling coldly, she stood up as well, so that she was eye-to-eye with Su Peizhen.

“Are you sure that all you wanted to do was expose her? Was it not the case that you wanted me to hold a grudge against her, and then distance myself from her?

“Su Peizhen, you think too much.”

“Are you saying that you wouldn’t?” Su Peizhen was certain that she understood Li Qianxue very well. She simply couldn’t believe that after watching that video, Li Qianxue would truly remain indifferent.

“I wouldn’t.” Li Qianxue straightened, her rigid and unbending spine acting as proof of her resolution. “Peizhen, you don’t seem to understand that Qingsang is different from you.

“When she went to see Xiang Caiping, I did feel a little unhappy. But after calming down, I felt moved instead.

“You cannot be unaware of the fact that before Su Qingsang and I came to know each other, she had treated Xiang Caiping like her own mother. Xiang Caiping has even clashed with you on Su Qingsang’s behalf about Japan, am I wrong?

“Xiang Caiping invested a lot of heartfelt sincerity in her relationship with Qingsang. If Qing Sang were to turn a blind eye to this kind of sincerity and treat her as a complete stranger now that she found her birth mother, wouldn’t I worry that one day she would also treat me as a complete stranger in the place of someone else?

“You didn’t realize that after watching the video you sent, I only loved Qingsang even more. After she acknowledged our relationship of being birth mother and daughter, she did not forget Xiang Caiping. This only shows that familial relationships matter a lot to her. I only feel pride for having such a daughter and I have no intention whatsoever to distance myself from her, much less hate her for it. I believe, Peizhen, that you will never understand such loyalty.”

Su Peizhen’s face had gone pale as she stared, her features turning somewhat sullen.

“You truly believe that?”

Li Qianxue nodded her head, and continued on, “Yes. I really do believe that. And to you, my ex-daughter, I wanted to give you a warning. No matter how righteous you try to make yourself sound, you cannot conceal the darkness in your heart.

“Peizhen, let me say the same thing one more time. In the future, I do not want to have to be involved in who you get together with, what kind of life you want to live, or what kind of family you want to get involved with. There is only one exception to this and that is where Qingsang and Yuxin are concerned. They are where I draw the line. I hope that you will understand that.”

“They are where you draw the line? What about me then? What about me?!”

Su Peizhen slammed her hand on the table forcefully. She rarely lost control of her emotions, must less let them burst out on her face like that. The scene that was occurring was one that was hard to come by.

“Must it really be like this between us? Mom? I’ve always called you ‘Mom’. In my heart, you’re still my mother, do you know that?”