"But I do mind. If you insist on being with me, it will only make me feel that this is an unequal relationship, and I won't be able to hold my head up in front of you!"
Jiang Nan Fang also grew anxious, "Ke Teng, it's impossible for us to ever be together."
"Nonsense! How can you know it's impossible if you haven't even tried to get to know me?"
"Jiang Nan Fang, I'm begging you. Don't go see her, just come with me, okay?"
Having reached this point, Ke Teng still wouldn't listen.
Jiang Nan Fang no longer knew how to continue the conversation and could only heartlessly step aside.
"Stop talking. You should leave first. We can talk properly when I have time."
"I'm begging you too. You go back first."
After speaking, she also walked towards the stairwell.
Watching her slender and resolute back move further and further away from him.
Thinking that she was about to reconcile with Zhan Bei Jue, and would have no future with him.
Ke Teng's heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife.
He stood there in exasperation for a few seconds, then unhesitatingly followed.
The weather was very bad today, with heavy smog.
The sky was dark and gloomy. Standing on the high rooftop, it felt as if the smog was right above, making one feel truly oppressed.
Jiang Nan Fang reached the rooftop and pushed the door open, immediately spotting Madam Zhan standing alone in the smog.
It was the first time the two of them were alone together with a calm state of mind.
Looking at her lonely back, Jiang Nan Fang took two deep breaths, steadied herself, and then took two steps forward.
"Madam Zhan."
Madam Zhan turned around, looked her up and down, and smiled faintly.
"You won, Jiang Nan Fang."
Jiang Nan Fang didn't know how to respond to her words.
Had she won?
She had harbored feelings for Zhan Bei Jue since she was five years old.
Now, nearing thirty, having lost two children, she found she still couldn't forget him...
Although she finally heard him say a few words that leaned towards her, was this considered a win?
Madam Zhan continued to smile, "I entered into a commercial marriage with Ah Jue's father when I was 22, and gave birth to him at 23."
"Until this year, I'm 53. For a full 30 years, do you know how I've lived?"
"Ah Jue's father never loved me, not for a single day."
"In the more than ten years of our marriage before he died, countless women had been in his arms. Do you know how I've managed to live until today?"
"You've also given birth, so you should know that if it weren't for Ah Jue, if it weren't for the instinct of a mother, I might have died long ago."
"It's truly pathetic. My life has been like a huge joke. I've never experienced love or being loved. In my twilight years, I'm even despised by my son."
The wind picked up on the rooftop, slightly ruffling Madam Zhan's neat hair.
As she spoke, she slowly walked towards the edge. "I am a strong-willed person."
"In this life, no matter how much Ah Jue's father didn't love me, I never admitted defeat. Until today."
"Jiang Nan Fang, besides you, my son has never expressed such strong affection for a woman. Can you come over and let me have a good look at you?"
"Let me see what makes you stronger than me, that he insists on choosing you."
She spoke with great emotion, as if a person on the verge of death speaking their last words of wisdom.
Jiang Nan Fang sympathized with her plight, but she wouldn't go near her.
A mother-in-law is always different from one's own mother. No matter how kind, she couldn't meet her gaze gently.
So she remained still.
"There's nothing about me that you need to figure out, Madam Zhan, you're mistaken."
"Your son will always be your son. Even if he argues with you or makes you angry, you will always be his mother, and no one can replace you."
"In that regard, no woman can ever win against you."
Madam Zhan suddenly smiled genuinely.
"That's right. Even if I've made grave mistakes, even if I'm wicked, he can never escape the fate of being my son."
"Alas," she sighed, slowly took something out of her pocket, peeled it, and put it into her mouth.
"I'm leaving soon. It's not easy for us, as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, to be so calm today."
"Come here, come to my side, and I'll tell you some stories from his childhood."
Jiang Nan Fang felt something was strange about her.
She was clearly going abroad, not disappearing forever from Zhan Bei Jue's life, yet she spoke as if it were a farewell to the dying.
She absolutely would not go over.
"It's windy. If you have something to say, let's go downstairs. I'll treat you to a cup of coffee."
Seeing that Jiang Nan Fang refused to come to her side no matter what, Madam Zhan let out a self-mocking laugh.
Slowly turning, she walked towards her.
"Even after saying all that, you're still wary of me."
"But if you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
"We've known each other for so long, and I've never really looked at you properly."
As she spoke, she reached Jiang Nan Fang.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Nan Fang finally stopped evading.
Let her look if she wanted to, as there would be no more interaction in the future anyway.
Unexpectedly, after staring at her for less than five seconds, Madam Zhan's face suddenly contorted, and she clutched her stomach.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her in so much discomfort, Jiang Nan Fang thought she was having a medical episode and instinctively reached out to help her.
Madam Zhan grabbed her hand.
"It's nothing. I've thought about it, and before I leave, there's a secret I want to tell you. Are you willing to listen?"
The wind grew stronger, blowing both their hair.
Seeing that her face was already contorted with pain, Jiang Nan Fang pulled her towards a corner.
"Don't talk for now. Lean here and rest. We'll talk when you feel better."
Madam Zhan leaned against the wall, held her hand, and suddenly began to cough violently.
Jiang Nan Fang quickly reached out to pat her back. However, as she coughed, blood actually appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"What's wrong? What exactly is bothering you? Let's get off this roof quickly and call a doctor to examine you!"
Madam Zhan struggled to stand up, leaning her entire back against the railing, as if preparing to fall backward.
"I'm not sick. I've taken medicine, and I'm going to die."
"Jiang Nan Fang, you are the last person I see before I die, and besides Ah Jue's father, you are the one I hate the most in this life."
"Ah Jue's father was killed by me back then. Do you know what I mean by doing this today?"
Jiang Nan Fang's head buzzed.
She stared at her in disbelief, "You..."
"That's right. I said, I'm a person who doesn't accept defeat. In this life, I won't allow anyone to betray me."
"The Zhan surname betrayed me, so I made sure he had a terrible end. You snatched my most beloved son, so I'll make sure you have a terrible end too. Hahahaha!"
Saying this, she let out a wild laugh, suddenly turned, grabbed the railing with both hands, and stepped one leg over.
Seeing her turn and prepare to jump, Jiang Nan Fang screamed in fright and quickly grabbed her clothes.
"Are you crazy! I have no intention of snatching your son, you don't need to do this to harm me!"