“Seeing your whole family reunited is great. I’ll leave now,” Maria said, disregarding the need to see Jane off. Her full attention was on the two children.
“I still don’t know how to take care of both of them. Suddenly having them in my arms, I feel a bit lost,” Jane said, looking at the two crying children. She didn’t know how to soothe them.
Patrick signaled to the nanny, “You should take the children from the madam for now.”
Then he turned to Jane and said, “The two children are still very young, and their condition has just stabilized. It’s better to leave them in the care of the professionals for now. Your priority is to take care of your own health.”
With the appearance of the two children, Jane could finally listen to what others were saying.
Jane tightly hugged him as she watched the children being taken away. “Thank you for bringing our two children to me,” she said.
Upon hearing this, Patrick didn’t know how to respond. He felt like he had deceived her.
He could only pat her back gently and say, “Taking care of your health is more important than anything else.”
As Maria headed back, she couldn’t stop thinking about how it would be if she had such adorable children and a husband who loved her so much. It would be a perfect outcome, but unfortunately, none of it belonged to her, making her feel insignificant.
…
Considering their parents’ injuries, they would have to stay in the hospital for at least another month. Nana decided not to hide it from them anymore.
Rather than having William hide, it was better to be open about it.
However, as soon as Nana informed her parents about William being in the hospital, their expressions darkened instantly.
“What did you say? William bought breakfast?” Jerry’s tone was filled with surprise, and his face showed a hint of disdain.
“Yes, eat while it’s hot,” Nana affirmed with a smile. In order to make her parents accept William, she emphasized, “Last night, while you were in the emergency room, William took care of all the hospital admission procedures for me and even took care of the child. He didn’t sleep the entire night.”
Recalling these things, Nana felt indebted to William.
Now she had to take care of the child and her parents, and with so much to handle, she had to rely on William’s help.
She hoped her parents wouldn’t hold any prejudice against William anymore. At the very least, they shouldn’t use him while secretly harboring ill intentions.
Seeing their displeased expressions, Nana continued to persuade them, “Mom, Dad, William is not a bad person. Last night, he saw me being chased by some hooligans on the street and got injured while trying to save me.”
Hearing their daughter’s account, Jerry and Tracy exchanged glances.
It was only then that they realized it was William who had saved their entire family.
However, Jerry had never regarded William highly and didn’t appreciate his help.
“So what if he saved you? Do you think I’m someone who can be swayed by small favors?” Jerry’s face darkened, and he pushed away the breakfast in front of him.
Tracy also stuck to her previous opinion, following her husband’s lead. “Your father is experienced in judging people. He has lived long enough to see through them!”
Unable to convince her parents no matter what, Nana was at a loss and couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you so stubborn? Don’t you believe in repaying kindness? William not only saved me but our whole family!”
Seeing their daughter desperately trying to persuade them, Jerry and Tracy remained stern, showing no signs of giving in.
However, Nana didn’t want to give up. She knew that her parents had a deep misunderstanding of William, and perhaps this encounter was a good opportunity.
Patiently, Nana expressed her thoughts.
“Although William made mistakes when he was young, he has grown up now, and his mindset has matured. He is completely different from the past.”
“Who in this lifetime doesn’t make mistakes? Just because William got into fights and even stole things in junior high doesn’t mean that’s his true nature.”
“If you still can’t accept him and don’t appreciate his help, then I’ll ask him to leave, and we can hire a caregiver during your hospital stay!”
Nana wanted to make her parents reflect on themselves in this way. She turned around angrily, ready to leave, and picked up the breakfast from the table.
However, before she could take a step, William heard the argument in the hospital room and suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.
“So it’s because of this reason that you dislike me…”
William forced a bitter smile and firmly stated, “Although I made mistakes, I haven’t done anything wrong since I entered high school. Moreover, I have long since changed my ways.”
Seeing William enter the hospital room without permission, Jerry frowned instantly and questioned rudely, “Who let you in? You really think too highly of yourself!”
Tracy also didn’t hold back and accused him with a stern face, “Just as I suspected, you have no upbringing. Even if Nana speaks well of you, it won’t change our impression of you!”
The couple’s attitude remained firm, without any room for negotiation.
Every time they met, it ended unpleasantly. William didn’t argue or fight back, calmly responding, “You can have biases against me, but my actions and upbringing are not related. My parents are simple peasants, they are kind and have never done anything wrong!”
Hearing William’s rebuttal, Jerry looked down on him with disdain, sneering, “Hah! I genuinely feel sorry for your parents, to have raised a son like you!”
“Dad, can you say a little less? Why do you have to be so aggressive?” Nana couldn’t bear it anymore and immediately interrupted her father’s words. Then she turned to William, “Can you tell me why you went astray when you were young?”
Faced with Nana’s questioning, William fell silent for a moment before finally sharing his teenage experiences.
Initially, he was an obedient child, excelling in his studies and even recommended by the local primary school to attend a prestigious middle school in the county.
As William got exposed to a new environment, he realized the stark difference in the backgrounds of his classmates compared to his own.
Poverty subjected him to mockery and bullying. Once, when his father came to the county to buy seeds and visit him, his classmates made a big fuss about it.
His self-esteem was repeatedly trampled upon, and William couldn’t bear it anymore, especially the humiliation his classmates directed towards his father.
From that point on, William resorted to fighting to defend his dignity.
He gained a reputation through his fights and later started hanging out with a few delinquent teenagers from outside school.
To avoid burdening his parents with his living expenses, William relied on fighting and even resorted to theft.
Before the high school entrance examination, he was caught stealing a watch and nearly ended up in juvenile detention.
Fortunately, he was young, and with the forgiveness of the watch’s owner, William wasn’t expelled from school and successfully took the high school entrance examination at his parents’ insistence.
Seeing his parents’ heartbreak and disappointment, as well as the price he had to pay for it, William finally woke up.
He realized that his worthless self-esteem paled in comparison to the need to change his family’s and his own destiny through diligent studying.
This was the first time Nana truly understood William’s past, and she felt both sympathy and heartache for her ex-boyfriend.