Chapter 124: To Do or Not To Do

Du Dan cast a glance around the living room. Her attention had been entirely focused on the matter of Peng Min, and she hadn't yet taken the time to properly assess the place. While this villa could not be considered top-tier, it still felt quite pleasant, and living here would certainly be comfortable enough.

However, the thought of that woman living here day and night with her son immediately soured her mood. In particular, the realization that it was because of that woman that her son had become addicted to drugs filled her with such hatred that she could practically grind her teeth.

"Alright, pull yourself together. Xiao Yu will be back any moment now," Huang Tianhua said, noticing his wife’s consistently gloomy expression and offering a reminder.

She nodded, and her expression gradually softened.

"Regarding Xiao Yu’s drug addiction, you don’t need to worry too much. According to my investigations, he has almost completely kicked the habit," Huang Tianhua said, attempting to console her, well aware of the reason for her distress.

"You’d be better off not saying anything at all. As soon as you bring this up, my anger flares up from nowhere. That Peng Min is truly abominable. I won’t be able to ease the bitterness in my heart until I’ve gotten rid of her," Du Dan fumed.

Though she spoke this way, she knew in her heart that as long as the child in Peng Min’s womb existed, they could not touch her. Not only could they not harm her, but they also had to treat her with the utmost care. The thought of it made her feelings incredibly complex.

"Don't dwell on it so much. When Xiao Yu returns, let’s see what his attitude is. If we had known things would come to this, we shouldn't have kept our business dealings hidden from him for so long. If he had been exposed to those matters earlier, perhaps none of this mess would have happened today. But it’s too late to say such things now. Fortunately, Xiao Yu has managed to kick his addiction on his own," Huang Tianhua said, his own expression darkening as he spoke.

Despite his grim look, after seeing Peng Min today, he had formed some new thoughts. Based on her behavior today and the intelligence he had gathered previously, he had actually seen a trace of Du Dan in this woman; their temperaments were somewhat similar. The only difference was that Peng Min’s background and appearance were far inferior to Du Dan’s. Du Dan was a young lady from a grand, aristocratic family in Country MD, while Peng Min came from an ordinary, working-class home. Had it not been for Peng Min’s past, he felt his wife might have been able to get along with her quite well. But given Peng Min’s history, it was essentially impossible for him to accept her, let alone his wife.

*Xiao Yu, oh Xiao Yu,* Huang Tianhua thought to himself, *I let you date freely and didn't interfere in your personal life, but that didn't mean I wanted you to just pick any woman off the street. How much do you really know about her?*

Just as the two sat in the living room, each harboring their own hidden thoughts, Huang Yu walked in.

"Mom, Dad, why didn't you let me know you were coming?" Huang Yu asked as soon as he entered, seeing his parents sitting on the sofa.

After asking, he scanned the room and, seeing no sign of Peng Min, realized immediately that his parents' sudden visit was not merely a casual check-in.

"Xiao Yu, come sit by Mom. Let me have a good look at you," Du Dan said, beckoning him with a smile. Seeing that her son hadn't changed much since their last meeting, she felt a sense of relief.

"Where is Peng Min?" Huang Yu ignored the invitation, walking straight over to his parents instead.

He wasn't in the mood for a leisurely reunion until he saw Peng Min. If there were issues, they needed to be cleared up first.

"Xiao Yu, how much do you really know about Peng Min?" Huang Tianhua asked, his tone slow and deliberate.

"Dad, what do you mean by that?" Huang Yu asked, his brow furrowing. Ever since he learned that his father had been involved in illegal activities behind the scenes, he had instinctively avoided him. But there was no escaping the inevitable; before he could seek his father out, his father had found him.

"Here is the file on my investigation into Peng Min. You can look at it first, and then we’ll discuss the rest," Huang Tianhua said, noticing a shift in the way his son looked at him. Without further thought, he pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and handed them over.

Huang Yu took the papers and sat on a nearby sofa, flipping through them page by page. The further he read, the darker his expression became. The documents detailed almost everything that could be unearthed about Peng Min, including the names and brief biographies of the boyfriends she had dated during middle school and vocational college.

"I don't understand why you would choose to live with such a woman. Perhaps you simply don't know the truth and have been deceived by her," Huang Tianhua stated.

Although the investigative file was shocking, its contents were largely expected. After all, having lived, eaten, and slept with Peng Min as a couple for some time, she had gradually shared most of her past and experiences with him, hiding very little. Thus, Huang Yu had already learned most of what was recorded in the file directly from her.

"I have no interest in her past. Besides, I only want to live a good life with her now. Most importantly, she is carrying my child," Huang Yu replied, looking at his father.

"Xiao Yu, has she fed you some kind of love potion? A woman like this isn't worth your affection, let alone your love. There are women in this world a thousand times more beautiful than her, and Mom can find any one of them for you," Du Dan interjected.

"A love potion? Perhaps. Minmin may not be considered a great beauty, and her past might be unsightly—perhaps even sordid. But I don't believe that makes her unworthy of my love, my care, and my devotion. Everyone is born with a specific identity and background; these are things one cannot choose. For instance, I am your son, and she is her parents' daughter. I grew up enjoying immense material wealth—I could travel abroad every year, buy any toy I wanted, and have grandmasters teach me the piano. These were not choices I made, just as she could not choose to be born into a common, ordinary family. But what can a person actually choose?"

Huang Yu continued slowly, as if something had stirred within him. He said a great deal, leaving his parents bewildered, unable to grasp what he was trying to express.

"Xiao Yu, have you read so many books that you've lost your mind?" Du Dan asked with concern.

"Dad, where is Peng Min? I hope you haven't harmed her. Even if you don't like her, the child in her womb is your own grandchild," Huang Yu said, ignoring his mother and standing up to address his father once more.

"Rest assured, I have only moved her to another location to settle her in. She will be well cared for until the child is born," Huang Tianhua replied.

Hearing that Peng Min was safe for the time being, Huang Yu felt a sense of relief. He immediately asked where they had taken her and wanted to go see her, but Huang Tianhua flatly refused.

"While she is away, take this time to calm down and think about this situation. If, after the baby is born, you still insist on being with her, I will not recognize her as my daughter-in-law, but I will no longer oppose you," Huang Tianhua said, standing up and looking his son in the eye.

"Tianhua, what are you saying?" Du Dan asked, sounding anxious.

"The boy is grown and has his own mind. He should choose the life he wants to live. When I was his age, the thing I hated most was elders making choices for me, even if they were under the guise of doing what was best for me," Huang Tianhua said to Du Dan, then turned back to Huang Yu. "Xiao Yu, while I won't interfere with your choices, as a father, I will offer you reminders. Furthermore, I will not stand idly by if someone intentionally harms my son. That is why I brought Peng Min here and had her past investigated so you would know the truth."

***

In the villa living room, Huang Yu sat alone on the sofa, the television playing a paused animated film. Huang Tianhua and Du Dan had been gone for a long time. In the vast villa, he hadn't felt much when Peng Min was there, but now that she was gone, he felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and solitude.

Inside a long Mercedes-Benz, Du Dan spoke up indignantly. "Tianhua, I do not agree with what you just said. Even if the child Peng Min gives birth to is Xiao Yu’s own flesh and blood, I will never recognize that woman as my daughter-in-law, nor will I agree to them being together."

She had wanted to lash out in the villa, but Huang Tianhua had held her back, preventing her from erupting in front of their son.

"Set your mind at ease. He is your son, but is he not mine as well? I wouldn't do anything that would harm him. I have my reasons for doing things this way," Huang Tianhua said, reaching out to pat her hand gently to reassure her.