My Alleged Husband

Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Zhang Zhentian Pleads _1

After arguing with Xia Jing by the lakeside, Zhang Zhentian silently watched her retreating figure, his heart filled with an indescribable feeling.

When Zhang Zhentian decided to seek out Xia Jing, he thought she would make any sacrifice for him, even if it meant seeking forgiveness from his enemy by bowing her head. However, he never expected that Xia Jing’s reaction this time would be so unexpected; he did not anticipate such a resolute and direct denial from her.

After Xia Jing left, Zhang Zhentian thought a lot.

”Indeed, why should she? I am the one who did wrong, I am the one who betrayed Xia Jing, I have never realized my mistakes, I have not been punished, I have not gone to apologize to Li Jiayuan, what right do I have to ask Xia Jing to apologize?” Zhang Zhentian carefully considered Xia Jing’s words and felt that she was not wrong: ”Even if Xia Jing attempting to assassinate Li Jiayuan was a mistake, it was still because I betrayed her that she sought to kill Li Jiayuan. Shouldn’t all the blame lie with me? What reason do I have to demand her apology?”

Zhang Zhentian smiled bitterly, realizing his journey with Xia Jing was filled with such unexpected twists. All he wanted was to be with the woman he loved; why was it so difficult?

Late at night. Zhang Zhentian returned home and, upon opening the door, saw his father sitting on the sofa; he slowly walked over and stood in front of his father.

”Dad, you haven’t gone to bed yet?” Even though Old Master Zhang had previously had a heated argument with Zhang Zhentian over Xia Jing, he couldn’t bear to see his elderly father all alone.

”How can I sleep without you back home?” Old Master Zhang sighed and said to Zhang Zhentian.

Hearing this from his father, Zhang Zhentian knew that the reason his father had stayed up so late was that he was waiting for him: ”You waited up for me, is there something you want to talk about?”

Upon hearing his own son say this, Old Master Zhang didn’t hold back and went straight to the point: ”What did she say?”

Even though Zhang Zhentian knew exactly what Old Master Zhang was asking, he pretended not to and asked in return.

”What did who say?”

”Surely I don’t need to spell it out? You know what I’m asking? Stop pretending, I know you went to see Xia Jing. Tell me, what was her attitude?” Old Master Zhang finally asked his question outright.

Zhang Zhentian himself didn’t know how to respond to Old Master Zhang’s question. He thought, ”Xia Jing’s attitude was already so clear, surely she wouldn’t go and bow her head to apologize to Li Haixiao and Li Jiayuan, but how should I explain this to dad?”

Seeing his son in a daze, Old Master Zhang couldn’t help but ask, ”Did you hear me speak, what was Xia Jing’s attitude?” Old Master Zhang had a temper too, once or twice he could let it pass, but there’s a limit to everything.

”Dad, I want to ask you a question?” Zhang Zhentian still wanted to ask about his father’s perspective.

”Go ahead.”

”I want to know,” Zhentian asked, ”why you insist Xia Jing apologize to both Li Haixiao and Li Jiayuan’s parents?”

”Did Xia Jing send you to ask me this?” Old Master Zhang counter-questioned Zhentian instead of answering.

”How could Xia Jing ask me to inquire about this? It’s a question I have myself. Just tell it to me straight, why must you have Xia Jing apologize to Li Jiayuan and the others?” Upon hearing his father pin the issue on Xia Jing, Zhentian felt uncomfortable inside.

”There is no ’why’,” replied Old Master Zhang with a flushed face. ”If she wants to be your wife, Zhentian, if she wants to be my son’s wife, if she wants to be part of the Zhang Family, then she must have a clean background. Even if the Zhang Family’s wife is a mercenary, she must be a mercenary who has never killed anyone. She must be kind-hearted. Most importantly, even if someone isn’t that kind-hearted, they cannot be someone whose hands are stained with blood. I, Zhang Mo, can accept a mercenary as my daughter-in-law, but I absolutely will not allow a murderer to be part of the Zhang Family.”

”Dad, Xia Jing hasn’t killed anyone. Isn’t Li Jiayuan alive and well? If Xia Jing really wanted to kill Li Jiayuan, do you think she, as the leader of a Mercenary Group, couldn’t kill a woman as defenseless as Li Jiayuan? If she really wanted to kill Li Jiayuan, would Li Jiayuan still have the chance to come to our house and accuse Xia Jing of ordering a hit on her? If Xia Jing really wanted to kill Li Jiayuan, would she still be alive today? Dad, you know as well, if Xia Jing truly intended to kill Li Jiayuan, even if Li Jiayuan fled to the ends of the earth, with the strength of Xia Jing’s mercenary team, wouldn’t she be able to find where Li Jiayuan was hiding?” Even though Xia Jing had slapped him by the lake, Zhentian couldn’t help but defend her.

”Alright, it’s getting late, I have to go to the company tomorrow. Go to sleep early,” Old Master Zhang didn’t want to listen to Zhentian pleading for Xia Jing and was ready to go upstairs to sleep.

Zhentian saw his father was indifferent to his words and knelt down on the ground with a thump.

”What are you doing?” Old Master Zhang asked, puzzled by Zhentian’s action.

”Dad, I’m begging you, please don’t make Xia Jing apologize to Li Jiayuan, okay?” Zhentian knelt on the ground and asked Elder Zhang.

”You’re actually kneeling for that woman?” Old Master Zhang was a bit incredulous. ”Zhentian, I never thought you’d kneel for a woman. You’ve changed; when you were a child and did something wrong, even if I instructed you to kneel, you’d rather be locked outside in the cold wind than kneel. Back then, you were proud, but now you are kneeling for a woman, you’ve changed,” he said.

”Dad, it’s not that I’ve changed, but I truly want to be with Xia Jing. Do you know how proud she is? She’s never knelt to anyone, including her parents, but for my sake, to gain your approval, she who’s so proud knelt before you. Yet you still insist she apologize to Li Jiayuan; isn’t that hurting her pride? Dad, since Xia Jing already knelt and admitted her mistake to you over the Li Jiayuan matter, she must know she was wrong. Please forgive her and don’t make her apologize to Li Jiayuan. If she does apologize to Li Jiayuan, do you think a person like Li Haixiao would forgive her? He might even demand Xia Jing to kneel to him. Even if Li Haixiao forgives Xia Jing, so what? Do you want your daughter-in-law to kneel to someone else? Wouldn’t that be losing your face? If an apology is indeed needed, then let me apologize in place of Xia Jing,” Zhentian earnestly pleaded with his father.

Old Master Zhang thought Zhentian’s words made sense, pondering, ”Right, how could a daughter-in-law of mine kneel to others? That would be losing my own face.”

Although Old Master Zhang internally agreed with Zhentian’s words, he couldn’t get over his pride just yet.

”Get up, I’ll think it over,” said Old Master Zhang to Zhentian.

Zhentian got up, hesitant to speak further. Old Master Zhang turned and saw this, then said to Zhentian, ”It’s late. Get some rest. I will seriously consider what you’ve said.”

Zhentian felt much relieved, ”As long as Dad is willing to think it over, that means he listened to what I said.”