Chapter 689 - 688: Should I Call Him Dad?

"Thank you." Tang Yuanxiao took a deep breath, his eyes filled with a mixture of melancholy and relief.

At this point, no matter how deep his feelings for Su Li were, all he could do was truly let go.

Tang Yuanxiao exhaled, then paused. "Momo came to see me last night. I... I was very happy. Please tell him that for me. I’ll be leaving now."

"Okay." Just as Su Li nodded, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her.

Footsteps followed, and Su Li turned around, freezing for a moment.

"Mom," Tang Mo called out, rubbing his eyes. He was still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up as he appeared before them.

After calling out, his eyes suddenly fell on Tang Yuanxiao, who was just about to turn away. His face lit up. "Dad."

He hurried forward, bypassing Su Li to carefully look Tang Yuanxiao over.

"Dad, you’re awake! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I went to see you yesterday, and I’ve been worried about you ever since." Seeing Tang Yuanxiao for himself, Tang Mo let out a huge sigh of relief.

He had gone to see Tang Yuanxiao yesterday, and the sight of him lying in the hospital bed had left him deeply worried.

If Su Li wasn’t getting married today, he would have stayed with him longer.

A relieved smile appeared on Tang Mo’s face as he looked at Tang Yuanxiao.

Watching Tang Mo smile, Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t help but smile back. He gazed at his son greedily, confirming that what he saw was real.

The moment he saw Tang Mo, the image of a cold, aloof young man from his past life flashed through Tang Yuanxiao’s mind.

The thought of that young man, who would never speak again, made Tang Yuanxiao’s heart clench painfully.

’Tang Mo, Tang Mo...’

’Thank goodness, thank goodness he’s alright like this.’

’This child... he’s still calling me Dad. He’s still calling me his dad.’

"Momo," Tang Yuanxiao called out, his eyes instantly turning red. He barely managed to choke back the lump forming in his throat.

His heart was a tangled mess of emotions—he was gratified yet heartbroken, feeling a mix of pain, bitterness, and sweetness. He was gratified that Tang Mo wasn’t mute this time and was living happily with Su Li.

As for his own irresponsibility in this life, how he had almost ruined Tang Mo once again—the thought was too painful to even contemplate.

In their last life, Mrs. Tang had cried herself blind for Tang Mo’s sake and later died of depression. In this life, Tang Mo had been saved and Mrs. Tang hadn’t died, but in the end, she had almost killed Tang Mo with her own hands. The irony was as absurd as it was cruel.

Su Li had rescued Tang Mo from human traffickers, but the suffering he endured hadn’t lessened one bit. All the hardship he’d been spared from the traffickers, he ended up suffering at the hands of Mrs. Tang.

That was why Su Li had been so furious, so full of hate back then. Faced with such a cruelly ironic reality, Tang Yuanxiao could completely imagine how she must have felt.

And what about him? What had he done? He had actually asked Su Li to let Mrs. Tang go, all for his mother’s sake.

Thinking of these past events, Tang Yuanxiao found he couldn’t face Tang Mo, couldn’t even bring himself to look into his son’s eyes.

"Dad, are you in a lot of pain?" Unaware of the turmoil in Tang Yuanxiao’s heart, Tang Mo asked worriedly when he didn’t speak.

"I’m fine, I’m fine." Hearing his son’s voice, Tang Yuanxiao forced himself to calm down and turned back with a smile.

"I can handle a little pain like this. It’s nothing, so don’t worry. Just focus on being with your mom today."

Seeing Tang Yuanxiao respond, Tang Mo nodded with a grin. "Okay, I will. Dad, you need to rest and recover well. When you get back to the Imperial City, stay in the hospital for a few more days before you check out. I’ll come visit you tomorrow."

"Okay, okay." Afraid he would lose control of his emotions if he listened any longer, Tang Yuanxiao gave a short reply.

Su Li knew that Tang Yuanxiao must be in emotional turmoil and that his feelings were volatile, so she gently patted Tang Mo’s shoulder to soothe him.

Tang Mo had been about to say more, but he stopped when Su Li patted him.

"I’ll be going now. Goodbye, Su Li, Momo."

Tang Yuanxiao took the opportunity to say his goodbyes.

"Goodbye," Su Li said in return. Though she was still a bit shocked, she felt much calmer now.

Tang Yuanxiao’s "I’s sorry," and hearing him say the words in person—it had to be said, it made Su Li feel much better.

Although she was surprised by Tang Yuanxiao’s situation, she had calmed down by now and accepted the reality of it.

’He’s been reborn and has memories from a past life. That’s all there is to it.’

’If she could get a second chance, why couldn’t Tang Yuanxiao?’

Besides, whether it was her or Tang Yuanxiao, even if they were reborn, what they had to do next was simply live their lives.

It wouldn’t change much. And it was a good thing that Tang Yuanxiao could come to terms with it, let go, and release his lingering frustrations.

With these thoughts, Su Li’s "goodbye" became much more serene.

"Goodbye, Dad," Tang Mo chimed in, quickly adding a reminder, "Be careful, Dad."

Tang Yuanxiao gave a vague response and left, almost as if he were fleeing.

Su Li watched Tang Yuanxiao’s back disappear down the hallway. She took a deep breath to compose herself, suppressed the complex feelings in her heart, and closed the door.

"Mom, you’re up so early! Are you thirsty? Hungry? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

The moment the door was closed, Tang Mo immediately started asking.

Listening to his barrage of questions, Su Li smiled and ruffled his hair. "Why so many questions? I’m perfectly fine, don’t worry. Nothing’s wrong, I’m not thirsty, and I’m not hungry. You don’t need to worry."

Su Li smoothed down Tang Mo’s messy hair, sighing with emotion. "Time flies so fast. You’re already so tall. It won’t be long before you’re taller than me."

Hearing this, Tang Mo’s eyes lit up. He immediately straightened his back and even stood on his tiptoes a little.

"See? See? I’m really tall! I’m a grown-up now. Mom, I can even give you a piggyback ride! Let me carry you today."

Tang Mo was practically itching to try.

Su Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "What are you talking about, carrying me? I say you’re tall and you think you’re a grown-up all of a sudden. You’re still a child. You can’t overexert yourself and get hurt, or you won’t grow any taller."

Tang Mo was frustrated. "Mom, I told you, I’m really strong! I’ve been practicing my martial arts for so long, I’m in great shape. How could I get hurt carrying you? You’re so thin right now, how much could you possibly weigh..."

Tang Mo wasn’t exaggerating about Su Li being thin. She had always been slender, and she had gotten even thinner over the past few days.

It made Tang Mo’s heart ache just talking about it.

"No matter how thin, I’m still an adult. You’re not to mention carrying me again. The weddings you see on TV are just on TV, don’t take them so seriously." Unaware of Tang Mo’s heartache, Su Li tried her best to dissuade him.

Tang Mo had seen the wedding dress Wu Sheng sent over. When he saw similar dresses in historical dramas on TV, he started paying close attention. He saw that the bride in the show was carried to the sedan chair by her older brother, which got him thinking.

Su Li had an older brother, but it was as if she didn’t, so Tang Mo figured he should be the one to carry her.

Unfortunately, Su Li wouldn’t allow it.

"But I asked around! They said that after the bride puts on her wedding dress, her feet can’t touch the ground before she gets into the sedan chair," Tang Mo was still fixated on it.

"That’s all in the past. No one follows that tradition anymore. Besides, there’s no sedan chair, everyone uses cars now. Stop thinking about it. Even if you really could carry me, it makes no sense for a son to carry his mother."

Su Li didn’t have the heart to tell him that after Wu Sheng heard Tang Mo’s idea, he had insisted that he could carry her, hold her, do anything, and told Tang Mo not to compete with him.

Convinced by Su Li, Tang Mo finally dropped the subject. After a moment of silence, he asked her a question.

"Mom, after you and Uncle get married... do I have to call him Dad?"