Chapter 518 - 502-503: Having You Is My Happiness (Part 2)

He thought back to how his mother had been. No matter how badly his father treated his older sister, his mother never dared to resist—she had to obey him. Later, when his father treated his second sister the same way, she still wouldn’t say a word, knowing he was the head of the household. So, he reasoned, now that she had married another man, she would just obey him instead. If her new husband didn’t want her to take him in, then she wouldn’t.

Once Zhou Cai figured this out, he knew there was no hope of going with his mother. Zhou Mazi wouldn’t let him leave the Zhou family, either. With all hope lost, he returned to the village. From then on, he started to eat, drink, and gamble alongside Zhou Mazi, eventually becoming a second version of his father.

Gu’er had heard all this from others. She was silent for a long time. But she knew that even if she had wanted to change Zhou Cai back then, she couldn’t have. She had watched him grow up; Zhou Cai was an exceptionally cold and selfish person. Since he was the only son, Zhou Mazi was very protective and doting. In fact, whenever Zhou Mazi was beating her or Li Hua, she and Li Hua would have been spared many of the blows if Zhou Cai had just said a word or tried to talk him down. But he never did.

He never once tried to intervene. He would just watch coldly from the sidelines every time. He would even yell at Li Hua to quiet down, complaining that her pained cries were grating to the ear.

Worse, he would even use his fists, just like Zhou Mazi. In his heart, he never saw Li Hua or the other girls as human. That’s why Gu’er never once considered trying to change Zhou Cai—he was a lost cause. What became of Zhou Mazi and Zhou Cai was no longer any of her concern.

As for Li Hua, she was relieved. She had Qin Dali now, a companion. Li Hua’s fate would not be the same as it was in her past life.

"What is it? What are you thinking about? You’re completely lost in thought."

Seeing Gu’er sitting dazedly on the sofa after her phone call, Sun Jiaming walked over and asked with concern.

"I was thinking about you, Jia Ming. I’m so lucky to have you in this life."

Gu’er rested her head on Sun Jiaming’s shoulder. She meant it from the bottom of her heart. Once, she had asked him if he would still want her if she couldn’t have children. He said he would—if they couldn’t have kids, they just wouldn’t. In that moment, she knew he was telling the truth.

After they married, she was on birth control. Cao Qiu would often grumble about it, and even her own mother, Chen Fengjiao, would constantly nag her to have a baby. But Sun Jiaming never once criticized her. He always told her not to feel pressured, saying that if a child was meant to be, it would happen. If not, it just meant he was fated to be childless. He would even take all the responsibility to stop Cao Qiu from bothering her.

’This man is always protecting me. No matter what I do, he supports me without a shred of doubt. I really am so fortunate.’

"Finding you was *my* good fortune."

Sun Jiaming didn’t know why Gu’er was saying this, but he truly felt his own destiny had changed after meeting her. Life had been passable before then, but his mother and grandmother didn’t get along, his grandmother was paralyzed and bedridden, and his mother was pushing him to marry Zhou Mei. His home life was a mess. It was Gu’er’s appearance that gave him the resolve to marry someone he actually loved.

They had started a business selling mushrooms and other mountain products together. They later expanded into the city, bought a large house, and his grandmother’s health improved greatly. The relationship between his mother and grandmother improved as well. His older brother’s family was also doing better, and now he had an adorable son, Jiji. None of his present happiness would exist without Gu’er.

Sun Jiaming stroked Gu’er’s hair. ’Some people might say I’m henpecked,’ he thought, ’but it’s not fear. It’s care. It’s adoration. It’s love. I just want this woman to be well and to be happy with me for the rest of our lives. As long as our life is good, I’m willing to stand behind her forever. Of course, that means I’ll support her in everything she does. But if trouble comes, if there’s any danger, I’ll be the one to stand in front and shield her.’

Gu’er snuggled closer into Sun Jiaming’s embrace. Just then, a small figure came barreling over, threw himself into Gu’er’s lap, and wrapped his arms around her neck, glaring resentfully at Sun Jiaming.

"Oh, my little ancestor, slow down! You’re going to fall."

Cao Qiu cried out as she hurried after him.

"Son, what on earth are you doing?"

Sun Jiaming watched his son with amusement.

Jiji glanced back at him, tightening his hug around Gu’er’s neck. He even pressed his cheek against hers, physically wedging himself between her and Sun Jiaming.

"Good boy."

Gu’er gave Jiji a kiss, amused. ’He must have seen me with Sun Jiaming and gotten jealous,’ she thought. ’That’s why he came running.’

Sun Jiaming tried to hug Gu’er again. He was doing it on purpose, wanting to see how Jiji would react. Sure enough, the little guy shifted his rear, turned his back on his father, and squeezed into the space between them, blocking him from hugging Gu’er.