Chapter 177 You are Transparent, I am Frank
She went along with him, sitting in his embrace, her head pressed against his shoulder. Her nose brushed against the skin on his neck, and all she could breathe in was his scent.
"I’m just saying, Mother... Aunt Shang..." She was his daughter-in-law, so she couldn’t call her the same as he did. Yet, she was on his side, and this title made her feel quite conflicted.
He pressed the back of her head, smiling, "Don’t worry about what I call her. You can call her whatever you like."
She decided then to call her Aunt Shang.
"Aunt Shang, she..." Just as she pressed her lips to speak, they almost touched his neck. Speaking made them move and continually brush against his skin. She wanted to move back but couldn’t, so she paused and forced herself to continue, "She’s not your biological mother, after all, but Rongyu is her own son. The way you treat Rongyu, though she doesn’t say anything, doesn’t mean she doesn’t mind. She holds back only because she has to maintain the dignity of Mrs. Su, to be a good wife and stepmother in Dad’s eyes. But who knows what’s truly in her heart? Over time, this will only create deeper resentment. I just wanted to persuade you to stop."
He murmured, "Then why didn’t you speak?"
"Later, I thought there was no need." She whispered, "What I can see through, how could you not? You live openly, full of righteousness in your heart. Whatever you do, you only seek to live with a clear conscience, true to the heavens and earth, not needing to cater to others."
"You are perceptive, and I am straightforward?" He savored these words, quite satisfied, and suddenly asked her, "Then tell me, did marrying you weigh on my conscience, or was it to please others?"
"..." She froze.
"What do you say?"
She didn’t want to touch on this topic, but he insisted on asking. How could there be none? Her gaze was calm. It should be calm, right?