Chapter 679 Such an Apology (Part 2)

Wu Sheng’s eyes reddened, but he fought desperately to keep the tears from falling as he stared intently at Li Xian.

Li Xian was so unnerved by his stare that he almost fled in a panic. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

He kept repeating his apologies, but he neither changed his tune nor left.

The light in Wu Sheng’s eyes dimmed. Listening to Li Xian’s repeated apologies, the disappointment and anger in his heart felt like they were about to tear his chest apart.

"If you want to be a good husband, I have no problem with that. But don’t you dare do it in front of me. It’s ridiculous. What makes you think an apology can solve everything?"

Li Xian was stunned by the coldness and mockery in Wu Sheng’s eyes, and a wave of panic washed over him—the kind of panic you feel when you’re about to lose something precious.

"Wu Sheng, that’s not it. I don’t think I have any right..."

But Wu Sheng was unmoved. "Heh... You say you have no right, but your actions speak louder than your words. It’s all fake. All of it."

Wu Sheng sneered, his words like barbs, but only Su Li could see his battered and broken heart.

"Wu Sheng..." Su Li got out of bed, not even bothering to put on shoes, and grabbed his hand.

Wu Sheng didn’t look at Su Li, his gaze fixed squarely on Li Xian.

"It’s only today that I see you for who you really are. Sorry? Are you truly sorry? If you think an apology can fix everything, what is there to feel guilty about?"

"Guilty? What are you guilty about? Who are you even apologizing to?"

Wu Sheng suddenly erupted. "You can’t even control your own wife! I told you before, if you can’t get her under control, I’ll do it for you!"

Li Xian’s face flushed red with anxiety as he waved his hands frantically. "No, Wu Sheng, that’s not it! I didn’t mean it like that, that’s not what you think... I..."

Su Li’s heart ached as she looked at Wu Sheng’s tightly clenched jaw, then at his hand, knuckles white and veins bulging from the strain.

She squeezed Wu Sheng’s hand, stepped in front of him, and cut Li Xian off.

"If saying sorry was enough, what would we need the police for?"

Su Li spoke. Her voice wasn’t loud and her tone was even, but it was impossible to ignore.

She stood protectively in front of Wu Sheng, facing Li Xian head-on.

"I’ve been holding this back the entire time. Now I see that was a mistake. I should have said it the moment you opened your mouth."

"Wu Sheng is right. In your eyes, is the law just a suggestion? Is it just for decoration? You’re not a three-year-old. For you to say something like that is both disappointing and disgusting."

Su Li’s words were merciless, and her cold gaze seemed to pierce straight through Li Xian’s eyes and into his very soul.

"I... I didn’t mean it like that..." Li Xian tried to explain, but Su Li gave him no opportunity.

"You didn’t mean it like that? Are you saying I misunderstood you? Didn’t you come here to apologize for your wife? And aren’t you apologizing so I won’t pursue legal action against her?"

Li Xian was completely floored. "No, that’s not it! I am sincerely apologizing to you. It’s not what you think..."

Su Li let out a scornful laugh and held up a hand.

"Enough with the broken record. Since you got here, all you’ve said is ’I’m sorry,’ ’it’s my fault,’ and ’that’s not what I mean.’ Fine. Go ahead. I’ll give you a chance to talk."

"If I’ve misunderstood you, and that’s not what you meant, then what, exactly, *did* you mean?"

Li Xian rushed to speak, but the words died on his lips. He didn’t know what to say, because no matter how he might phrase it, he realized it would ultimately sound exactly like what Su Li had accused him of.

Li Xian froze. He looked up at Su Li’s scornful expression and then at Wu Sheng’s icy, utterly disappointed glare. His heart sank.

’So that’s how it sounds? No matter what I say, that’s what it comes down to?’

’I truly am sorry, and I really wasn’t just apologizing to get Su Li to drop the charges against Ye Xilan...’

’But what good did that do? From Su Li’s perspective, it looked like he was only apologizing to get her to back down.’

’Am I really that ridiculous and pathetic in their eyes? Like a three-year-old?’

’Is the law just a suggestion? Is it just for decoration?’

’Were my actions really so laughable and absurd?’

Seeing Li Xian’s devastated expression, Su Li closed her eyes for a moment. She made an effort to soften her voice before she spoke again.

"There’s a condition called a psychological disorder, commonly known as mental illness. It refers to a severe psychological impairment."

Li Xian immediately waved his hands in protest. "No, that’s not it. Xinlan can be extreme, but she isn’t mentally ill."

In that era, the concept of mental illness was not easily accepted.

Su Li offered a small smile. "I wasn’t just talking about her. I was also talking about you."

"You see yourself as responsible, a good man who’s good to his wife, who protects her no matter what and takes all the blame for her mistakes. Oh, what a wonderfully responsible husband. The whole nation should sing your praises."

Her tone was light and airy, and though the words were complimentary, they dripped with sarcasm.

"You live in a bubble of your own responsibility and the praise of others, completely oblivious to the consequences. If Ye Xilan truly has a problem, it’s because you’ve enabled her."

"Your coddling has allowed her to get to this point, step by step. And now, you’re here apologizing for her, asking us not to hold her accountable... I’m very sorry, but I can agree with your methods no more than I can with hers."

Su Li’s expression was stern. She spoke quickly, yet every word was articulate and her reasoning was crystal clear.

"Her actions have escalated each time. First, she pretended to be Wu Sheng’s mother, met with me, and demanded I break up with him. She said she couldn’t accept me and even caused a scene at the university. All of that was, to some degree, within the realm of comprehension."

"After that, she started dragging Bai Xinyue around, calling her the ’daughter-in-law’ and constantly stirring up trouble. Then she escalated, even resorting to despicable tactics to come after me..."

"You came to apologize then, and I accepted it, thinking it wasn’t your fault."

"Now she’s escalated to kidnapping, and you’re back again, apologizing and asking me not to hold her accountable. If I agree to that, what happens next?"

"Next time, if she commits murder or arson, are you going to come apologize then, too? Will you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness?"

Li Xian knew Su Li was a journalist—eloquent and logical. He had always admired her work when he saw her reports, but he never imagined he would one day be on the receiving end of that eloquence.

He was rendered speechless, and a cold sweat beaded on his skin.

"I... I..."

"Don’t tell me there won’t be a next time, and don’t tell me Ye Xilan won’t do it again. If I let this go, I guarantee you, one hundred percent, that there *will* be a next time."

"When people are enabled, their behavior only escalates. Have you heard of Mrs. Tang? The one Ye Xilan coincidentally ended up working with?"

Li Xian nodded stiffly.

"That Mrs. Tang is what the future holds for Ye Xilan. She didn’t end up in prison overnight; she got there one step at a time."

"And how did she get to that point? It was all because she was enabled."

Enabled, step by step, to get to where she is today.

Even now, though Mrs. Tang might be scared and full of regret, she can no longer control herself. She couldn’t change even if she wanted to.

This was a conclusion Su Li had reached after watching Mrs. Tang and Tang Yuanxiao interact for so many years.