Standing Next To You-Chapter 330: Fourth Branch’s changes II

After the shared experience of eating egg tarts together, Lin Ruo realized so many things.

It was just a cheap pastry, but at that moment, it brought him enlightenment. It turned out that simple things like this could bring harmony and a moment of happiness.

Li Mei continued, "You know how I was treated in my family. I promised myself that when I have a family of my own, I won’t let my children feel that way. But in the end, I became like my parents."

Li Mei came from a patriarchal family. Despite her wisdom and talent, she was sidelined and neglected. They only paid attention to her when they arranged her marriage.

She had chosen Lin Ruo as her husband because he had assured her that she would be in charge of the education of their children and that he wouldn’t be patriarchal like her family.

When Li Mei became pregnant with twins, she was both happy and conflicted.

Due to her past experiences, she focused more on Lin Sunji. Especially when Lin Sanju showed talent at a very young age and received more attention from Headmaster Lin, Li Mei became increasingly biased toward Lin Sunji. She did not want Lin Sunji to feel neglected like her.

And it remained that way for many years.

Because she was overly fixated on one child, she neglected the other.

It only became clear to her when Lin Sanju had already closed his heart.

She wanted to get closer to Lin Sanju, but in doing so, she inadvertently hurt Lin Sunji. Despite her good intentions for both of her children, she ended up hurting them both.

Lin Ruo hugged Li Mei, "I am at fault too. As their father, I should have paid more attention to them. But all I wanted to see was results. How different am I from my father?"

As the fourth son, who was not particularly talented, Lin Ruo wished his children would display more talent to capture the heart of his father and be named as his successor. But that greed made him distant towards his children.

Li Mei felt guilty in her heart. Like her husband said, they were too focused on seeing results.

She resorted to extreme methods to make them adapt to the harsh realities of life in the mansion. If her children were too weak, they would be eaten alive. If they were too soft, they would be taken advantage of until there was nothing left of them.

So it seemed better to be harsher than others.

These methods made her children strong, but it also twisted them in a way.

Li Mei only realized how wrong her methods were until recently.

Lin Sunji believed that she was abandoned by them because she was now deemed useless without her title as an heir. Li Mei understood why she believed that, because it was the principle she instilled in her.

Lin Sanju’s heart was distant from them because Li Mei always neglected him.

This caused their family to grow apart and continuously misunderstand each other.

If Lin Ruo had not loved her, perhaps this family would have broken apart long ago.

In the past, it would never have crossed her mind that her methods were wrong. But after the downfall of their fourth branch, she suddenly could see things clearly. This left her feeling lost, unsure of what to do.

To think that there was a benefit to falling from their pedestal, Li Mei didn’t know whether to be thankful or not.

Li Mei now admits that she lacked the ability to be a mother. It was easy to be a parent, but it was hard to be a mother.

"...Laogong, should we take parenting classes?"

Lin Ruo laughed, "Parenting classes? Our children are now eighteen years old."

"Some parents might laugh at us. But seeing Lin Sunji and Lin Sanju sitting together and eating in harmony, I have this desire to see that scene often. I can endure some embarrassment."

Lin Ruo glanced at his wife. Li Mei seemed serious.

He smiled, "Well, since you are ready to endure some embarrassment, I have to accompany you."

Li Mei smiled. Although her husband wasn’t the greatest option she had in her younger years, she did not regret her decision. A husband who loved her more was always a good choice.

"It’s not too late, Laogong. Let’s change for the better for our children."

Li Mei sincerely wished that one day, they could sit together at the dining table, laughing and in harmony with each other.

At this moment, Li Mei had forgotten about the fight for succession. The image of their family of four happily sharing a meal together burned stronger in her heart than anything else.

*****

A/n: This Chapter contains themes of suicide and may be uncomfortable for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.

Epilogue:

’A house divided against itself cannot stand.’

Lin Sanju remembered this phrase from a book as he glanced at the gloomy mansion.

This was the place he had called home for twenty-six years. After living so many years here, the only valuable possessions he could gather amounted to just a small suitcase.

The battle for inheritance had reached its peak. What had once been restrained scheming behind each other’s backs had now turned into bold attacks on each other’s lives. Each branch’s methods became more extreme than the last.

But what was even more frightening was that person from the third branch.

Despite receiving most of the backlash in this fight, she relentlessly attacked as if she had gone mad.

Lin Sanju, who stood on the sidelines, couldn’t bear this insane conflict any longer. These people were simply destroying each other. He tried to warn his parents and his sister, but they didn’t listen to him. He was even ridiculed for what they called cowardly behavior.

But Lin Sanju could see clearly. This fight would surely be won by Bei Sangyun.

It wasn’t because Bei Sangyun was the most powerful, but because she was the most ruthless. Not only to others, but to herself.

Given how the other branches treated and schemed against her, once she emerged victorious, she would not only expel them but exact revenge tenfold.

Before this could happen, Lin Sanju prepared an escape plan. Today, he spoke to his parents again and convinced them to abandon this fight and leave the country with him while they still had time.

Because once Bei Sangyun took the reins, Lin Sanju wouldn’t be able to help them even if he wanted to.

Despite being neglected for many years, Lin Sanju still couldn’t abandon his parents like this. He arranged new identities for them and provided enough money for them to maintain their current lifestyle.

But in the end, they chose to stay with Lin Sunji and fight until they exhausted all their resources for the slim chance of victory.

They were all blinded by greed and anger.

Lin Sanju glanced at the mansion, which had a bleak future, with a heavy heart.

He closed his eyes and turned his back on the place that held no good memories for him.

He had long lost hope for his family and had anticipated this outcome. He thought he would be able to leave with a resolute heart since he had done everything he could for them. But now that he was leaving them for good, it still pained him.

From now on, Lin Sanju ceased to exist. And he would live a life without the Lin family as if ’he’ had never existed.

And like that, Lin Sanju disappeared before the fight was even over.

The fourth branch was utterly defeated. They were driven out, and all their wealth was exhausted. Despite begging Bei Sangyun, she left them with nothing.

In the end, they could only afford a small apartment in a slum area using the money they were able to salvage.

Li Mei and Lin Ruo grew older in a single night. Lin Sunji couldn’t accept her defeat and searched for ways to make a comeback. But the people she called ’friends’ all turned their backs on her after stripping away everything she had.

Even the apartment they managed to buy as their home was taken by those so-called friends.

If not for Lin Sunji’s ex-husband who came to help them, the family of three would have been living in the slum with only their clothes on their backs.

However, this fall took a huge toll on both their physical and mental health. Lin Sunji was driven mad, causing trouble here and there, until one day her own mistake led to her death.

The sudden loss of their daughter was more than the couple could bear. They fell into deep depression and, in the end, took their own lives by overdosing on pills.

*****