Volume One, Chapter 79 He said, "I don't care at all whether she recovers or not."

“No problem, just a bit slow,” Xu Zhi replied, and to reassure him, she walked back and forth a few steps. Her gait was still slightly limping, but it was much better than yesterday—the swelling was noticeably reduced. Liang Jinmo said, “Let’s go, then.”

Xu Zhi changed her clothes and shoes. The two descended the stairs in silence. Liang Jinmo’s expression was grim, his brows slightly furrowed, the atmosphere around him icy and tense.

On the way, Xu Zhi asked, “What… illness does she have?”

“Diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder. She had suicidal thoughts before,” Liang Jinmo explained as he drove. “You know my family’s situation, right?”

Xu Zhi nodded, “I've heard about it, more or less.”

“My mother was abandoned by my father. After he married for alliance, the blow was too much for her. She called my father a modern-day Chen Shimei…” His lips curled in a mocking smile. “But she knew he wasn’t.”

Unlike Chen Shimei, who climbed higher and discarded his wife after gaining success, Liang Zhengguo was a scion of a prestigious family from the very start.

Liang Jinmo’s biological mother was named Gao Ying. She never had the status of a legitimate wife. Liang Zhengguo met her while visiting one of the family’s factories, and when he was with her, marriage never even crossed his mind.

In Liang Jinmo’s eyes, Gao Ying was the perfect example of someone blinded by love—she valued romance above all else, above social conventions, above morals.

When she was involved with Liang Zhengguo, he was indeed single. Later, when he was to marry, he broke up with her.

Gao Ying refused to let go, even when she knew he was marrying Fu Wanwen for family alliance.

She believed everything would change if she had a child. She hid her pregnancy from Liang Zhengguo, gave birth to Liang Jinmo, and then brought him to Beicheng, dreaming that her son would be her bridge to marry Liang Zhengguo.

Naturally, she was thrown out. Normally, Liang Zhengguo was dignified and composed, but that day he couldn't be bothered with pretense and bluntly asked Gao Ying how much money she wanted.

Liang Jinmo’s memories of this time are hazy—he was too young. But they were not without depth. From that day, Gao Ying and Liang Zhengguo began a tug-of-war. He remembers countless bus rides with Gao Ying from the small town to Beicheng.

Gao Ying, venting her anger, always pushed him in front of Liang Zhengguo, saying, “This is your child—you can't just ignore him. Look at him, he looks so much like you.”

Liang Zhengguo never looked. He handed Gao Ying a check—she always tore it to shreds. Eventually, he lost patience and shoved both mother and son out.

Liang Jinmo was so small that Liang Zhengguo had to bend down to push him, grabbing his arm to drag him away.

Once, at the main house’s doorstep, he stumbled and fell face-down to the ground.

His palm was scraped, the pain sharp. His nose stung, and he held back tears as he called for his mother.

No one listened. Gao Ying was still arguing with Liang Zhengguo; he had to pick himself up, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

From then on, Liang Jinmo vaguely realized that, in this world, he could rely on no one but himself.

Later, Liang Muzhi was born, and Gao Ying’s hope of winning back the man’s heart through her son was utterly shattered.

At first, she languished for a long time, no longer taking Liang Jinmo to Beicheng. She worked at a department store in the town, drifting through her days, often forgetting she even had a son. She’d eat lunch out and return to work, spend evenings drinking or playing cards with colleagues, coming home late.

When Liang Jinmo was little, he fainted from hunger. Sometimes, neighbors pitied him and gave him food.

He’s never spoken of these things to anyone, still feeling some shame.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Only love could revive Gao Ying’s ruined life, so she fell in love again—this time with the owner of a mahjong parlor.

By then, Liang Jinmo was in elementary school, withdrawn and unlikable, speaking little, almost autistic.

Every day, he tried to minimize his presence at home, but it was useless. Gao Ying’s apartment was a shabby, old housing unit—one bedroom, one living room. Even tucked in the corner, doing homework, he could hear the voices from the living room.

The man complained that having a child there was inconvenient. Gao Ying replied, “What can I do? He’s a person, not something else. I’ve already given birth to him—I can’t put him back, can I? He’s so big now, I can’t just throw him out.”

The man said, “Then I won’t come anymore.”

Gao Ying answered, “Let me think of a solution.”

She again thought of sending Liang Jinmo to the Liang family. This time, it should have been easier—it was just Liang Jinmo, and he was Liang Zhengguo’s son.

Gao Ying brought Liang Jinmo to the Liang family in Beicheng once more.

Perhaps the act of giving up her child made her feel guilty, because on the way, she said to Liang Jinmo, “Look, the Liang family lives in a villa. If you stay with them, you’ll definitely enjoy a good life. Don’t just stand there like a post—go hug your father’s leg, call him Daddy…”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened. She turned away to wipe her tears. “With me, you’ll never live in such a big house. I’ll never be able to afford it…”

Gao Ying could never let go of Liang Zhengguo. Her resentment made her demand a sky-high price when she saw him: “Take your son back—give me five million.”

But this time, Fu Wanwen happened to be there.

Fu Wanwen’s response was to take out her phone and call the police.

Gao Ying couldn’t understand—it had only been a short time since they offered money. Now, suddenly, there was none.

She looked at Liang Jinmo, often troubled—this child couldn’t be exchanged for money, but kept at home, he was a nuisance.

When the mahjong parlor owner came over again, he saw Liang Jinmo.

He disliked Liang Jinmo—no one would like such a sullen child, who never greeted him, just turned away and left, lacking any manners.

He wanted to smoke, but found he was out, so he ordered Liang Jinmo to buy some.

Liang Jinmo was like a stone—no matter how he called, he wouldn’t budge.

The man grew angry and slapped him.

Liang Jinmo never begged for mercy, never softened, never pleaded. Even when beaten, he just stared at the man with fierce eyes.

The man’s anger only intensified. Gao Ying rushed over but couldn’t stop him.

Such things happened again and again. Liang Jinmo began to suffer frequent beatings.

Sometimes, it was so bad he couldn’t sleep at night, his body covered in bruises from broomsticks.

Eventually, Gao Ying felt a pang of guilt. If she couldn’t get money, so be it. As long as the Liang family was willing to accept the child, she worried he’d be beaten to death if he stayed with her.

She tried every solution, except breaking up with the man.

The child of a heartless man could never compare to her new love.

This time, after negotiations, Gao Ying finally managed to send Liang Jinmo to the Liang family.

The road back to the Liang household was fraught with twists and turns.

“You probably know the rest—I’ve barely seen my mother since I arrived at the Liang family,” Liang Jinmo said calmly as the car entered the rehabilitation center’s parking lot.

Xu Zhi felt her heart sinking deeper and deeper.

She could hardly imagine how Liang Jinmo endured it all.

After parking the car, Liang Jinmo’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

“When I came back from America, I went to the town to find her. I learned she’d been dumped again. The second blow gave her mental illness. With no money, she delayed treatment, and her condition worsened. So I arranged for her to come here, to the rehab center.”

Xu Zhi didn’t know what to say. She unfastened her seatbelt and reached over, taking the man's hand.

“She’ll get better. She’ll recover.”

Liang Jinmo didn’t look at her. He stared straight ahead, a strange, almost sinister smile slowly appearing on his lips.

He said, “I don’t care whether she recovers or not.”