Chapter 106 - Meeting
Mu Chen set the meeting place at the meeting room in Mu Corporation. Since the place was a neutral territory for both Song Ning and Ning Zhe, it would be better for Song Ning.
Ning Zhe came alone. It was obvious he was excited to see Song Ning. After he took a seat across from Mu Chen and Song Ning, he called out, "Ning Xia."
Song Ning remained silent. Her hand was still in Mu Chen's hand.
At the same time, Mu Chen could feel her hand growing colder and colder. He tightened his grip on her hands slightly as he cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Ning."
Ning Zhe finally shifted his gaze away from Song Ning to Mu Chen and said, "Very good, Mu Chen, Ning Xia.. Welcome home, Ning Xia. The door of the Ning family will always be open to you…"
Based on Ning Zhe's words, it was obvious he had assumed Mu Chen had invited him to meet Song Ning because Song Ning had agreed to return to the Ning family. With this thought in mind, he was rather patient. As long as Song Ning is willing to return, they could take things slow.
Mu Chen did not respond to Ning Zhe.
Instead, Song Ning inhaled deeply before she calmly asked, "How much do you remember from ten years ago?"
Ning Zhe was stunned.
Song Ning did not wait for Ning Zhe's reply as she continued to say, "I remember everything clearly. I swore that I'll never return to the Ning family and that I'll never have anything to do with the Ning family again. I remember everything."
Upon hearing these words, Ning Zhe's expression turned unsightly. Nevertheless, he softened his voice and said, "Ning Xia, that's all in the past. Now that your mother is no longer around, it's my responsibility to take care of you. I'm your father. Why don't you come home?"
Song Ning smiled. "I'm already married so my husband will take care of me. I invited you here today to talk about Zhuang Ji."
Ning Zhe's expression turned even more unsightly.
Song Ning lowered her eyes and bit her lips before she said in a slightly trembling voice, "Zhuang Ji is mother's hard work and the only thing she left for me. I won't give it to anyone. Even if I can't maintain it and have to close it down, it's still something my mother left me. I'll never hand it over to another person. Therefore, you don't have to waste your effort on me."
"Ning Xia, don't forget that Zhuang Ji used to be part of the Ning family. It was something your mother and I worked together to build," Ning Zhe said in a deep voice.
Song Ning sneered. "So you do remember that you and my mother worked together to build Zhuang Ji. In that case, do you also remember why my mother took me and Zhuang Ji away? Have you forgotten? Or do you want to pretend those things didn't happen? You might be able to forget them, but I can't."
Tears brimmed in Song Ning's eyes as she continued to say, "Do you remember your son whom you didn't get to meet? I bet you've forgotten all about him, right? He was really pitiful; he left before he could even take a look at this world? Have you ever felt distressed? Probably not since you already have a son. It doesn't matter to you if one of them died. However, it's different for my mother." She paused briefly before she continued to say, "Why do you think my mother left so early? After losing my brother, her body was already at the end of its tether. However, she still had to look after my ailing grandparents and me during my college entrance exams. During that time, I was so depressed that I hurt myself and almost died. It was my mother who exhausted herself to pull me out of the darkest period of my life. For all these reasons, I hate my father and the family I once belonged to, to the bones. Do you understand?"
Ning Zhe's face grew progressively paler as Song Ning spoke. He seemed uneasy as he clenched and unclenched his hands. Then, he said softly, "Ning Xia, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Can you forgive me?"
Song Ning shook her head. Her voice was gentle but firm as she said, "No. I'll never forgive you even if I die. You expect me to forgive you just because you apologize? Then, can you bring my mother, my grandfather, and my grandmother back? Unless you can do that, it's impossible for me to forgive you."
Song Ning pointed at her left ear and continued to say, "Do you remember when you slapped me back then? My eardrum was perforated because of that slap. For a very long time, I had trouble with my hearing. Due to that, I developed the habit of tilting my head to the right when I'm listening to others. Some habits, once they're formed, can never be changed. Just like those wounds in my heart that'll never recover."
At this time, the tears she held back began to stream down her face.
Upon seeing this, Mu Chen handed a piece of tissue before he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders to console her. He could feel her trembling from her surging emotions. As distressed as he felt, he was relieved she did not vomit or faint.
Ning Zhe's face seemed to turn white to green, and to red. He finally lost his temper as he glared at Song Ning and said, "Ning Xia, how can you be so ungrateful?!"