My Alleged Husband

Chapter 313: Chapter 293: It’s Not That I Can’t Without You_1

”Child, your grandfather is begging you like this, how can you bear to leave him alone at home? You know how lonely I’ve been for decades, and you should understand, these past years, how I have lived through them. Even if no one understands the painstaking efforts I’ve made, I believe you, being so understanding, will surely grasp my intention. You are the granddaughter-in-law I have acknowledged, and also the one my grandson has chosen. Do you think that suddenly breaking up with him, you can expect him to accept it? In these three years, although you have lost your previous memories, you both have created memories worth recalling. Why insist on hurting each other like this? Do you think this is a test of your feelings for each other? But you won’t know, once the test is over, you will understand that everything you’ve done before was wrong. What you want isn’t that difficult to achieve; you simply wish to be cherished by the man you love, to be loved without suffering any more harm. Your thoughts are not wrong; it’s just that too many things have happened in the past, leaving you unable to trust others. But so much time has passed, why can’t you let go of those past events? Holding on to them brings no benefit to you and also hurts those who love you. Did you know that? Your parents too, how much they wish for your happiness. If you give up the happiness you worked so hard to attain, your parents will feel guilty. They will think that it’s because of them you lost a lifetime of happiness. Can you really bear to let your parents live with that guilt forever?” Old Master Zhang’s eloquence was truly impressive, his words compelling and undeniable. But would Ran Zhihan really heed his advice?

”Grandfather, you didn’t know how hard these years have been for me, and I understand how difficult it has been for you. To provide a better education for the man I love—Yichen, you spared no effort to mentor him. I should also thank you. Had it not been for you sending him to train in the valley, I would never have met the man I love, nor such a good person. Honestly, in all these years, I’ve never felt affection for anyone else. He is the only one. From the first day I saw him, I vowed that I would spend my life with him and him alone, never marrying or having children with any other man. Yet today, I’m going against my initial vow—I’ve realized I simply can’t do it. I don’t love him as much as I thought I did! Grandfather, you must understand deep down that a marriage born out of compulsion, even if two people are forced together, won’t bring any happiness. I’ve been with him for so long, and my heart truly struggles to let go. However, the day my memory returned was the day I knew I had to sever all ties with him completely. How I wish my memory would never return, so I could spend my life with the man I love forever. But fate is so cruel, making me choose to regain my memory today, and today I must bring an end to all the past with him...” Ran Zhihan said, tears streaming down her face.

”Grandfather, there’s no need to persuade her further. Her attitude is clear now; she has decided not to be with me anymore because she no longer holds a place for me in her heart. She doesn’t love me, and I don’t want a loveless marriage. I, Zhang Yichen, can go on without her...” Zhang Yichen said, clearly agitated, speaking without filter.

Old Master Zhang heard his grandson utter such words and feared it would worsen the relationship between him and his intended wife. He reached for his grandson, but Zhang Yichen treated Old Master Zhang’s gestures as if they were thin air and paid him no heed.

”Ran Zhihan, do you really think you’re something special? Do you think you are so pure? Isn’t it all about money? Dare you say that you didn’t get together with me for my wealth? Dare you claim the time you spent with me wasn’t because I was willing to spend money on you? You are nothing but a vain woman, pretending to be noble, always using your parents as an excuse. Do you honestly think sacrificing your happiness to ensure your parents’ peace in the future is seen as a noble act by others? People will only see you as a fool. You think you’re so great, that I can’t live without you? There are countless women in the world, many of whom are more beautiful, more kind-hearted, and more understanding than you. Why should I forsake an entire forest for a single tree? If you don’t want the respect I offer, I won’t beg in vain, because I too disdain a marriage lacking in love. I don’t hope to be with someone who’s with me out of someone else’s pleading, as that would make me feel you are beneath me!”

Ran Zhihan had never expected the man she loved to say such things to her, his words inflicting immense pain. She had never imagined that things would turn out this way, but why did her heart ache so much now?

”What are you saying, Zhang Yichen?” Ran Zhihan couldn’t believe her ears, unsure if these were the words of the man she loved most.

”Didn’t you hear me clearly? Or should I repeat it for you? I said it’s not that I can’t perform; you are just a woman who’s vain and greedy for money...”

Ran Zhihan slapped Zhang Yichen right across the face.

Zhang Yichen retaliated with a backhand slap that drew blood from the corner of Ran Zhihan’s mouth. From his childhood to this day, no one had ever dared to lay a hand on him, not even his own grandfather, who had never been willing to touch him with a finger. Yet today, this woman had the audacity to strike him, something he simply could not tolerate.

Everyone present was stunned, none could have imagined that the always dapper Zhang Yichen would actually hit the seemingly fragile Ran Zhihan. Although everyone thought it was unbelievable, when they thought about it, why should their son, whom they had painstakingly raised, be subjected to violence and insults by an irrelevant woman? She had no right, no standing to do so. She wasn’t Zhang Yichen’s wife, nor was she a member of the Zhang Family. What right did she have to do this?

”Zhihan, I always thought you were a gentle woman, but I never expected you would dare strike my grandson,” said Elder Zhang, his voice tinged with disappointment. ”I held you in such high regard, and today you’ve greatly disappointed me. Perhaps you two were never meant to be together. No matter your reasons for wanting to be with him, I never thought you were with my grandson out of vanity or greed for wealth. But today, I see that maybe you are with Yichen for money after all! To make you more worthy of my grandson, I went through the trouble of sending you to study in the United States, and what do I get in return? A thankless wretch...”