"No, Youli. Ever since you acknowledged me as your mother, I've already completely let it go." Zhang Susu dabbed at the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "To be honest, all along, the one who was bothered by not having a child was me, not your father. Your dad never thought he was failing me by not having a child. Having a baby—if I wanted to, he would love our child because he loves me."
"Your dad said that if life was purely about having a child, just mating with any random woman to have one, then life would be utterly meaningless. You'd just be a puppet, controlled and used to contribute to human reproduction."
Jiang Youli actually held the same view.
In this life, you bring nothing into the world, and you take nothing out.
Things like carrying on the family line are all fleeting. When a person dies, the flame goes out, and everything vanishes like smoke.
Still, everyone has their own life.
Some people think carrying on the family line is more important than true love—that kind of life is understandable too.
It's just a matter of each person’s choice.
Zhang Susu smiled with a hint of melancholy. "Getting old—suddenly I can't help but dwell on the past. Alright, Youli, go wash up and change first. I'll wait for you downstairs to have breakfast."
"Okay."
After her Pretty Mom left, Jiang Youli sat quietly on the edge of the bed, not immediately getting up to wash up.
She reached out and stroked Xiaolv's head as the little creature nuzzled up to her.
"Even though Mom says she feels really happy since accepting me as her daughter, deep down, she must still wish she had a child she carried for ten months herself." Jiang Youli could see the regret in her Pretty Mom's eyes.
Xiaolv didn't really understand its owner's troubles.
It just tilted its head.
Mating and reproduction were simply a matter of course for its kind, without any other emotions mixed in.
The survival of the fittest—strong individuals would always try their best to leave behind their offspring.
Jiang Youli knew that her Pretty Mom hadn't gone through menopause yet, so as long as her body was fine, she could theoretically still get pregnant.
Before, her main concern was the danger of advanced maternal age.
But perhaps, with her medical skills, she could ensure the safety of both mother and child.
Still, even if she could help her Pretty Mom regulate her body enough to conceive, she would need to discuss it with her Handsome Dad first.
After washing up, Jiang Youli picked out a set of clothes from the ones her Pretty Mom had given her—a warm-toned ensemble with a unified brownish palette. She put on a bright brown knit top paired with a dark brown pleated skirt, tied a silk scarf at her neck, and the outfit gave her both presence and a touch of elegance.
In front of the dresser mirror, she applied a simple, matching makeup look, then packed Xiaolv and Xiaobai into her bag and headed downstairs.
After breakfast, Jiang Youli spoke up on her own: "Dad, my car seemed to have some issues yesterday. I'm planning to ask the butler to have someone come check it and do maintenance. Could you drop me off at work today?"
Jiang Yehan nodded. "Sure."
Zhang Susu watched Jiang Youli thoughtfully, wanting to say something but holding back, feeling she might be overthinking it.
…
Once they reached the garage and got into the car, Jiang Yehan turned his head to glance at Jiang Youli as they drove.
"Youli, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Dad, did you figure it out again?" Jiang Youli chuckled.
Jiang Yehan smiled. "I've been with your mom for nearly thirty years. Even though she kept smiling at me, I could still read the emotions in her eyes. Something must have happened when she gave you the clothes."
Jiang Youli didn't hide anything and truthfully recounted her conversation with her Pretty Mom to her Handsome Dad.
"I see..." Jiang Yehan gazed thoughtfully at the road ahead. "Actually, I'm not as good as your mom makes me out to be. She has too high an opinion of me."
Jiang Youli was surprised. "Does that mean you actually really wanted your own child, but you were just lying to Mom?"
Jiang Yehan gave a wry smile. "Saying I didn't want my own child would be a lie—but if it wasn't a child with your mom, it wouldn't have become an obsession for me."
"However, the reason I absolutely don't need a child isn't as noble as your mom imagines."
"It's actually simple. If the issue were that I couldn't have kids, I know your mom would never choose to divorce me. She wouldn't betray my true feelings, so how could I betray hers?"
"Besides, back then Jiang Yangxu and Qin Yulian had already had three kids. I didn’t need to have one just for the sake of carrying on the Jiang family line. Your grandpa wanted me to have a child mainly because he hoped I, the eldest brother, would take over the company. Without children, most of the family assets would inevitably fall on Jiang Yangxu's family. Your grandpa always had higher expectations for me than for Jiang Yangxu."
"Finally, your grandmother died suddenly from postpartum hemorrhage during her confinement after giving birth to Jiang Li. It was so sudden—there was no time to react before she was gone. I used to think that once a woman got through childbirth, she'd made it past the hardest part. Who knew you could still die suddenly during the postpartum period?"
As he spoke, Jiang Yehan seemed unable to shake off the pain. "When your mom had surgery for her uterine abnormality back then, I was terrified she might encounter some accident. So even now, I have no regrets about not divorcing her and remarrying."
"Honestly, if your grandpa had only me as a son and had pressured me to have a child—even threatening death—I can't guarantee I would have chosen your mom as firmly as I did."
Jiang Youli was both surprised and impressed by her Handsome Dad's candor. She couldn't help but remark, "Dad, you're really straightforward."
Jiang Yehan said, "It's the truth. Sometimes you can't just live for yourself. Back then, I was actually grateful to Jiang Yangxu and Qin Yulian. Because they had Jiang family blood, your mom and I didn't have as much pressure. I thought to myself—a child? If I really wanted to raise one, I could adopt with your mom, and that would be fine."
"But your grandpa was very particular about blood ties, so the adoption plan was dropped. He did think about having Jiang Li's second child be adopted by me and your mom, but after Jiang Li gave birth to a son, for some reason, she couldn't get pregnant again."
Jiang Youli understood. "So that's how it was..."
Jiang Yehan continued, "Later on, when your mom and I went to pick you up, she was so moved the moment she saw you. She couldn't understand how your biological mother could have let you suffer out there for twenty years without caring. So when you said you wanted to acknowledge her as your mom, she was thrilled. Having you as a daughter—every single day since then, your mom must have been happy."
Jiang Youli said, "Dad, even if Mom has me as a daughter and feels happy, deep down she must still want a biological child of her own."
Jiang Yehan was taken aback. "Youli, what are you trying to say?"
"Dad, I have confidence in my medical skills. If I specially work on regulating Mom's body, there's a decent chance I could help her successfully conceive." Jiang Youli paused here for a moment. "But there are some risks for Mom. At her age, if she'd already had one child before, it would be easier... but this would be her first pregnancy. In the worst-case scenario, it could lead to complications where both mother and child might be lost..."
Jiang Yehan interrupted directly, saying, "No need to consider it. At my age, I don't plan on having another child. Even if your mother wants one, I won't agree."
