Chapter 667: Chapter 575: Revised

Chapter 575

Xiao Man had seen Ai Baoguo from a distance at the Hao Mansion before. At the time, he had tried to speak with Grandma Hao but hadn’t been allowed in. Now, up close, she could see him more clearly. He was a tall, thin old man with fairly regular features and the distinct air of a military man—a square face, short, thick eyebrows, and small but piercing eyes. Faces like his were a dime a dozen in the army. To have successfully pursued the beautiful and refined Grandma Hao back then, he must have not only expended considerable effort and cunning but also likely used the pressure of his military rank and status. Otherwise, given Grandma Hao’s and the Hao Family’s standing, they would have at least chosen a son-in-law who was a suitable match in every regard.

So it was no wonder Hao Hueling loathed Ai Baoguo to the bone, wishing she could kill him. Any woman whose life had been deliberately ruined from the very beginning, only to be betrayed and sold out along the way, could never face him with indifference.

Worried Grandma Hao might harm herself in her agitation and anger, Xiao Man handed the baby to Hao Wenli. She then took out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and brought it to Hao Hueling’s lips. "Grandma, have a sip or two of water before you say more, or your throat will get hoarse."

Hao Hueling took a sip of the faintly warm, sweet tea and swallowed slowly. She closed her eyes for a moment, then took the water bottle and drank two more mouthfuls. Only then did she let out a long sigh. She screwed the cap back on, handed the bottle to Xiao Man, and gently pushed her aside. "Good girl, don’t go over there. Just stand here and watch!"

She then strode forward, snatched up all the offerings Ai Baoguo had laid out, and hurled them far away.

Xiao Man noticed the offerings had been placed in two separate spots and initially thought the two Hao ancestors were buried apart. But the headstones were different sizes—the one on the right was noticeably smaller, which struck her as odd. A closer look at the inscriptions revealed the truth: Mr. Hao and Mrs. Hao were indeed interred together. The smaller headstone was for Ai Huisheng, which had to be the grave of Ai Baoguo and Hao Hueling’s eldest son.

Ai Baoguo tried to stop Hao Hueling from throwing away the items he had placed before their son’s grave. Hao Hueling shot to her feet, turned, and slammed her body hard into Ai Baoguo, looking as if she wanted to shove him right off onto the cemetery terrace below.

"Bastard! Isn’t it enough to torment the living? You have to come and desecrate the peace of my parents and my son! Do you plan on hounding the Hao Family until the day you die? Let me tell you, Ai Baoguo, there’s no greater sin than being this shameless! Just hurry up and die and go down to the eighteenth level of hell!"

His aide started to move forward but was stopped by a wave of Ai Baoguo’s hand. Ai Baoguo grabbed Hao Hueling’s wrist, his face a mask of pain and regret. "Hueling, I will never forget the kindness of your parents. I’ve told you, I was deceived back then. I thought it was the only way to prevent anyone from getting hurt... I was trying to protect you!"

"Get out! Don’t defile my children’s eyes and ears!"

"For the sake of our children... Huisheng’s grave is only a cenotaph. I’ll arrange for another search. Perhaps his remains can still be found..."

"Hah, how laughable! Back then, you lacked the courage and the means to bring our son’s body back, and now you have the nerve to make empty promises! Ai Baoguo, has your shamelessness truly reached such depths? Stop embarrassing yourself here. Even as a cenotaph, this grave has nothing to do with you. My son is buried in my heart. I carry him with me every single moment!"

Ai Baoguo’s expression stiffened. He coughed a few times, then sighed. "About that... your parents’ headstone only has ’Ai’er’ engraved on it. Ai’er is just her childhood name. We should have the stone replaced and put our daughter’s full name, ’Ai Wenli,’ on it instead."

"Don’t you trouble yourself with it. My parents’ headstone and Huisheng’s both need to be replaced. Wenli already changed her surname back to Hao a while ago. Naturally, Huisheng’s will be changed as well!"

Ai Baoguo froze, a flash of anger crossing his square face. "I do not consent! Huisheng and Wenli are my son and daughter, descendants of the Ai Family! How can you just change their surnames as you please?"

Hao Hueling sneered, finally feeling a sliver of satisfaction at having provoked the man she so despised. "Huisheng came to me in a dream. He said he only wants to be a descendant of the Hao Family and wants nothing to do with you or the Ai Family! My Wenli fled home as a teenager and wandered the world alone. She survived without a father’s protection, got married, and had a child. She has always been the master of her own life. When has she ever needed your permission for anything?"

Ai Baoguo was speechless.

He turned to look at Hao Wenli, his gaze filled with guilt, yet his expression was far more relaxed than it had been with Hao Hueling. He probably thought that since this was his daughter, who shared his blood, she ought to be understanding and help him save face. "My daughter, it’s true that Dad was thoughtless back then and failed to protect you. But I never stopped asking people to look for you. I was under surveillance myself, and my hands were tied. In any case, you know that ever since you were little, Dad has always doted on you and your brother. I wanted to give you the world!"

Hao Wenli averted her gaze, her voice quiet. "But in the end, you couldn’t bear to give us your everything. Instead, you stripped away and shattered everything of ours. So that’s your ’love.’ I’ve experienced it firsthand. My brother fought and died for your reputation, reduced to dust and ashes. In a way, it’s for the best. He never had to witness your vile hypocrisy or suffer the kind of world-shattering agony that I have. I don’t want to say anything more, and I don’t want to see you again. Every time I do, I feel like disaster is about to strike. My heart pounds with terror, and the nightmares return. So, let’s just stay out of each other’s lives. Consider it your good deed, your atonement."

Hao Wenli’s quiet, measured words proved more effective than Hao Hueling’s furious tirade. Perhaps it was the mention of Ai Huisheng’s death, but Ai Baoguo’s expression turned desolate. His back, which had been straight, now slumped. He bowed his head low, seeming to age several years in an instant.

Tang Qingshan, ever considerate of his wife and mother-in-law’s feelings, didn’t exchange a single word with Ai Baoguo. He handed the baby to the nanny who had just made her way up the slope and busied himself arranging offerings before the graves of Mr. Hao, Mrs. Hao, and Ai Huisheng. Hao Wenli showed Xiao Man how to divide the flowers between the two gravesites, while Grandma Hao gently stroked the headstone, murmuring stories from the past to Xiao Man—stories about Old Mr. Hao, Mrs. Hao, and Ai Huisheng...

Ai Baoguo stood a short distance away, completely shut out of their world as if he were air. With a choked, forced smile, Hao Hueling recounted one story after another about her son. Ai Baoguo couldn’t help but listen, and an image of his son as a child appeared in his mind’s eye: sturdy and strong, mischievous yet clever. Then, his son as a teenager, who often followed him to the military base for training, looking so proper and upright, like a little man full of a sense of justice. ’Back then, I truly raised him as my successor, pouring all my heart and energy into his upbringing. Who could have known life would be so fickle? That everything would change so suddenly, that the man who was always my rival would seize the upper hand overnight... The situation forced my hand. I was caught completely off guard!’

The memories, vivid and clear, were filled with pain and regret—all things he wished he could forget. Finally, Ai Baoguo could stand it no longer. He had his aide support him as he staggered away.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.