Volume One, Chapter Four: Mother Has Abandoned Us

Si Tang had clearly heard the content of Gu Yubai's phone call. Her heart was filled with worry; after all, the boy was her own flesh and blood. Yet, it had been four years since she last saw Gu Zhouzhou, and she had no idea how much he would detest her.

Before she could say a word, Gu Yubai grabbed her wrist. His grip was so strong that she had no room to resist. After walking a few steps, Si Tang regained her composure, shook off his hand, and frowned. "I can walk on my own."

Behind them, Su Yujin’s face was still burning with pain. To think she had just been brushed aside like that! Half-formed words were stuck in her throat, leaving her so furious she nearly fainted.

The two reached the entrance of the film set, where a low-key yet luxurious Rolls-Royce Phantom waited. They climbed in, sitting at opposite ends of the back seat, leaving enough space in between to fit two more people. Gu Yubai’s face remained dark, and Si Tang felt a bitter knot in her stomach.

After a long silence, Si Tang couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling with accusation: "Is this how you take care of a child?"

Gu Yubai’s knuckles turned white. His voice dropped low. "Si Tang, you are his mother as well."

That resonant sentence made Si Tang’s heart tighten, and a wave of intense bitterness surged within her. She clenched her hands into fists at her sides and lowered her voice by an octave. "I tried to take Zhouzhou with me, but he said he wanted Su Yujin. Gu Yubai, you were there too."

This reminded her of the days following her divorce from Gu Yubai. Gu Zhouzhou had sent her a video of himself lying on the ground, clutching Gu Yubai’s trouser leg, begging him not to leave. "Ugly mother, if you keep pestering Dad, I'm going to post this video online! Hahaha!"

The child had been so young then; how could he have typed such things so fluently? Si Tang knew exactly who the mastermind behind it was. Yet, she was deeply disappointed in Gu Zhouzhou; after all, the video had been recorded by her own son. Si Tang thought bitterly that they were indeed father and son, both flowing with the same cold, unfeeling blood. She had watched that video more than ten times, like rubbing salt into her own wounds, reliving that foolish past and punishing herself through countless sleepless nights. Even now that she had returned to the country, she had no intention of forgiving them.

In her distraction, they arrived at the school. Gu Zhouzhou was already seven and in the first grade at the most prestigious private elementary school in the capital.

They headed straight to the infirmary. Gu Zhouzhou was still asleep. His features had matured, making him look even more handsome. His skin was very fair, and his face was so thin and sharp that he almost looked like a girl. Si Tang pursed her lips, her eyes stinging. As she blinked, she saw Gu Yubai squat down and lift Gu Zhouzhou onto his back.

"Have a doctor wait at the villa," he instructed his assistant.

The assistant quickly complied, casting a curious glance at Si Tang as he left, clearly stunned. *Isn't this... the former Madam?*

At the school gate, Si Tang stood by the car, not intending to follow. The more she did, the more she would err; she was afraid of her own heart softening. "Zhouzhou is too thin. Take good care of him," she said.

Gu Yubai placed the child gently in the back seat before straightening up and taking off his suit jacket. Si Tang’s gaze lingered on Gu Zhouzhou, a flash of heartache crossing her eyes before it vanished. As the car door closed, Gu Yubai seemed to be suppressing something. He pulled a menthol cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and leaned against the rear of the car. Through the haze of smoke, his narrow eyes locked onto Si Tang.

"Perhaps we should talk," he said after a second, his voice low and authoritative.

Si Tang stood straight, facing him as the wind caught her hair. Then she heard him say, "You can always be Gu Zhouzhou’s mother."

Si Tang’s lips moved; she had clearly misunderstood his intent. "Gu Yubai, do you want me to go back to the way things were? The divorce agreement is clear—I don’t provide after-sales service."

During those five years of struggle in that marriage, she had abandoned her entire career and had her self-respect trampled into the dirt. She didn't want to say those words again in front of her child.

Gu Yubai’s expression shifted, a storm brewing in his eyes. The memory of that divorce agreement stirred an irrepressible anger within him. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her closer. Her wrist throbbed with pain, and at the moment of contact, she shivered, but she looked straight into his eyes.

"I don't have the habit of eating grass I've already turned away from," Si Tang said, offering a smile that could only be described as heartless. "So, I don't want you, and I don't want the child."

She forcefully shook off his hand, hailed a passing car, and left without once looking back.

Gu Yubai watched her determined silhouette. It felt as if a black hole had been gouged into his heart, with something vital draining away, followed by an unmistakable, throbbing palpitation.

When Gu Yubai got into the car, the engine hummed to life. Gu Zhouzhou’s eyelids fluttered, and he opened his eyes. "Was that Mom?" he asked, looking at Gu Yubai with clear, innocent eyes.

Gu Yubai’s throat moved. "Yes, she’s back."

"Then why didn't she want to see me?" Gu Zhouzhou hadn't heard their conversation outside. He looked down at his toes, feeling dejected. A seven-year-old was old enough to grasp the logic of certain things. He pouted, his thin shoulders slumping. He only had memories from the age of three, and he only remembered that he had hated Si Tang back then. But from kindergarten until now, other children had mothers at parent-teacher meetings, and he did not. He stubbornly believed that it was Si Tang who had abandoned them first.

*At least I still have Aunt Su,* he thought, quietly comforting himself. *Yes, I still have Su Yujin.*

Si Tang was unaware of his inner journey. She had sent her people to the film set, and the online scandal soon blew over like smoke; within a week, the matter concerning Su Yujin had faded from the public eye. However, Su Yujin’s reputation remained as poor as ever, and any post she made online was met with a tidal wave of attacks.

Gu Yubai had considered this when he proposed extending the contract. Si Tang had evaluated the risks and agreed to the extension only on the condition that the artist followed their arrangements.

After work, Si Tang received a call from Song Lingzhi, demanding she come home for a meal. "Si Tang, look at how wild you’ve become out there. You unfilial daughter, you don’t care about me, and now you’re abandoning your father too?"

Four years had passed, but Song Lingzhi hadn't changed a bit, and her tone remained as abrasive as ever. Si Tang sat expressionless on the other end of the line. Back then, they had sold their daughter for glory; now that they realized Gu Yubai was no longer a reliable meal ticket, they wanted to reel her back in? It wouldn't be that easy.

Si Hongzhou was already past fifty, half a foot in the grave, yet he remained blinded by greed. As for Song Lingzhi, she wasn't Si Tang’s biological mother. She had a son with Si Hongzhou who had just reached adulthood, and he was currently squandering money at an international school—a hopeless, good-for-nothing parasite.