The exploitation and oppression by Zhou Rong and Rong Yuhe that he witnessed in this life were beyond description, and in the previous life, with the truth of his identity undisclosed, their exploitation would only have been more unscrupulous. She didn’t know how he endured those days and nights of torment all by himself.

He was once dragged into hell by the devil, experiencing the harshest punishment of the human world. Yet, in the end, he still offered a sliver of warmth to a stranger, which to her was like receiving a lifeline in a snowstorm, becoming the strength she relied on during her difficult life thereafter.

He really grew up well and became a fine adult.

Now, it’s my turn to protect you, if the roles were reversed.

Rong Xianning fell asleep peacefully. Shen You’an quietly watched for a while, adjusted the room’s light and temperature to be comfortable, and carefully exited the room.

As soon as she closed the door and turned around, she encountered Chen Feng coming up the stairs with two cups of hot milk.

"Aning is asleep; I’ll drink the milk."

Shen You’an took a cup: "Thank you, Feng Gu." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Chen Feng remarked emotionally, "It’s a blessing that Miss Shen is here. Otherwise, who knows when the truth would come to light? Thinking about the seventeen years missed makes me feel heartache for the mister and madam, and of course, even more so for the young master. Such a good child, wasted by those scum for so many years. Seventeen years, how many seventeen years are there in a lifetime...?"

As Chen Feng spoke passionately, tears fell from her eyes.

Shen You’an sighed, "There’s a long life ahead. You’ll see how thin Aning is. Please do make more good food to nourish him."

Chen Feng patted her chest in assurance, "Absolutely, I guarantee the young master will gain twenty pounds in a month."

"Miss Shen, please come to the Gu family often. You are the young master’s best friend. Only with you here, can he be at ease."

"I’m afraid if I come too often, I might annoy you, Feng Gu."

"How could that be!" Chen Feng widened her eyes.

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Tomorrow, I want to eat sweet and sour ribs."

Chen Feng immediately responded cheerfully, "I’ll go to the morning market early tomorrow to buy the freshest ribs. By the way, Miss Shen, what does our young master like to eat?"

Shen You’an smilingly counted on her fingers, "Sweet and sour ribs, honey-glazed roast pork, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, honey glutinous lotus root..."

Chen Feng was pleased to learn the young master’s preferences, but soon she frowned, "Why is everything sweet?"

How bitter must the young master’s heart be, to love sweet dishes so much?

On the other side, Madam Gu called the couple into the room and got straight to the point, "After moving Aning’s household registration, you should immediately take him back to the Qingxi ancestral home. Gather the heads of the other four families, open the ancestral hall, add Aning to the family genealogy, and let Aning pay respects to the ancestors."

Gu Chengzhao’s thoughts aligned perfectly with his mother’s.

"And Bichen...?"

Madam Gu pondered, "If he truly committed a crime, remove his name from the family genealogy. We’ve raised him for seventeen years; we’ve fulfilled our duties. You two are smart people; I trust you won’t make foolish decisions. You must understand that leniency towards him is cruelty to Aning. It was our negligence as adults that led to Aning’s tragic experiences. We can’t let him down again, and as his biological parents, you need to keep things clear."

"Mom, I understand all the reasons. That child is the one I carried for ten months and birthed with great difficulty. How could I not love and care for him? No one is more pained and devastated by the truth than I am."

Na Amo had severe dark circles under her eyes, and her expression revealed endless exhaustion and fatigue.

Since learning the truth, she hadn’t slept a single night. To prevent affecting her work during the day, she relied on sleeping pills to force herself to sleep.

Madam Gu’s eyes showed compassion, "I am a mother too; I understand how you feel."

Gu Chengzhao gently pulled his wife into his arms, "Amo, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Let’s face this together."

"You still had expectations for that child, how could I tell you? If An’an hadn’t told me about his involvement in harming Yu Ruohuan and Yao Huia, I wouldn’t have exposed his identity at mom’s birthday banquet, leaving him no way out. We’ve carefully raised this child for so many years, but we still couldn’t change his inherently malicious and selfish nature. It’s in his genes; we can’t change it, so let’s leave it to the law."

When talking about Gu Bichen, Na Amo’s eyes showed no trace of maternal warmth.

Gu Chengzhao sighed and held his wife tightly, providing her with strength.

Madam Gu sighed, "Bichen’s side still needs family involvement. Even though his parents made mistakes, no matter what, the child is considered innocent. We can’t take out our anger on the child. Consult a lawyer if needed, visit if you should. Even if we can’t be relatives anymore, we can’t just watch the child fall. We should help if we can, to put an end to these seventeen years of familial affection."

But that’s all we can do.

——

Rong Xianning had a dream. In the dream, he returned to his grandmother’s house in his childhood, which was his only happy memory in his childhood.

Then a great fire took everything away.

His life thereafter consisted only of his parents’ endless scolding and beatings, with tumultuous memories filling his life from age five to thirteen.

"You bastard, what are you looking at? Look again, and I’ll gouge out your eyes."

"You little brat, I’ve raised you for so many years, you better earn lots and lots of money to take care of me in old age...."

His mother, who lost at gambling, cursed him with vicious words.

His drunken father kicked and punched him, and he bit his lip in endurance, numbly letting the falls of blows rain down on him.

He didn’t understand why his classmates’ parents treated them so well, while his own parents were like this.

The way they looked at him wasn’t like they were looking at their own child, but as if they were looking at an enemy.

So, those two pairs of cold eyes became the nightmare that haunted him night after night.

Rong Xianning woke from the nightmare drenched in sweat.

It was like he had relived the experience of being abused and cursed in his childhood. The fear deep within caused his frail body to tremble uncontrollably.

In the next moment, a shadow fell over him, and he was enveloped in a warm embrace with a faint, elegant scent.

A warm hand gently patted his back, dispelling the relentless disturbance and unease.

"Aning, Mommy is here, don’t be afraid..."

It was such a gentle voice, something he had never heard before, maternal love that was exclusively his.

"Mom... Mom?" he murmured instinctively, tears flowing freely.