Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 171 - 171 168 Whose Responsibility

Chapter 171: Chapter 168 Whose Responsibility Chapter 171: Chapter 168 Whose Responsibility “She had to put in a lot of effort to be able to take the Gaokao.”

Mu Chenyan knew what her mother was thinking just by looking at her expression.

Her voice low, she said, “What happened with Xiaosi being found won’t just erase the past with the Mu Family. Otherwise, what has my daughter suffered these past fourteen years for?”

The smile on Old Madam Mu’s face stiffened as she looked at Mu Chenyan, her once excited heart gradually sank.

Since she arrived, she hadn’t dared to ask what life had been like for that child over the past decade, fearful that Mu Chenyan would respond this way.

She had also carried a sliver of hope—perhaps the family that adopted her treated her well.

Alas… what a pity!

Only after a long while did Old Madam Mu finally say in a heavy voice, “I’m seventy-eight this year, and your father is eighty. How many more years can the two of us live? Can’t you consider the care we’ve given you and reconcile with the Mu Family… for our sake?”

With her head slightly lowered, Mu Chenyan looked at the teacup in her hands and kept silent.

“Shaoning was raised by you since he was little, and he’s always been close to you. These years have been hard on you because of the child. Do you think he’s had it easy? For over a decade, aside from work, all he did was search for people. He has traveled all over the place. Go ask around—hasn’t he been to every corner?

I know, even with all he’s done, it can’t make up for the pain in your heart or the suffering of the child. I’m not forcing you to forgive him, but your father and I are so old now. Can you really bear to treat us like this?”

Upon hearing this, Mu Chenyan looked up at her mother, her mouth twisting slightly. “Do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused? Although Xiaosi was lost under the care of Mu Shaoning and his wife, who was it that later prevented him from calling the police and notifying us? It was Mu Shaotang and Li Qingyan!”

“But they have always been helping to search…”

“Who knows if they were truly searching?” Mu Chenyan’s gaze was icy. “All I know is that if it hadn’t been for those two back then, the police might have been able to find Xiaosi before the traffickers left Beijing! Mu Shaoning is unforgivable, and Mu Shaotang is hardly innocent. And what’s the end result? My daughter is gone, yet their lives go on without any issues, and has Mu Shaotang even felt the slightest bit of guilt over the years? I bet Li Qingyan probably resents me in her heart for being petty, without Xiaosi, she could pamper Mu Wan as if she were her own flesh and blood. She actually said that to my face back then!

My daughter is gone, and she said such words to me; what could be more heartless than that?”

Old Madam Mu’s mouth fell open in shock; she had no idea Li Qingyan had done such a thing.

Remembering the past, Mu Chenyan’s face was as if covered in frost. “I lost my daughter, and you and dad still wanted me to be magnanimous, saying no matter what, he’s still my brother and blood is thicker than water, not to become enemies over this. Mom, think back to what you said then, don’t you find it cruel?

If Mu Wan had been lost at my house and I had said the same thing, how would you feel?

Not to mention the life of my mother-in-law was also at stake!”

Old Madam Mu sat on the sofa, falling silent.

“Do you still remember the incident when I lost my examination admission ticket during the Gaokao? If it weren’t for the teacher providing a proof in time, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to participate in the Gaokao. After investigating, I discovered it was Mu Shaotang who took it, tore it up, and threw it into the trash bin.”

Old Madam Mu suddenly looked up, staring at Mu Chenyan with a shocked expression.

“There are many more such incidents, which I simply never told you about to avoid troubling you. Do you know why he would do that? Because everyone always compared me to him. I skipped grades in elementary and middle school, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up, so he hated me, and I didn’t particularly like him either. That’s why I never wanted to be close to him since we were kids. But I never imagined he could be so cruel to a three-year-old child. Back then, he was vehemently against Shaoning calling the police. If you say he didn’t have his own motives, I don’t believe it!”

“So Mom, even if someday I make peace with Mu Shaoning, for Mu Shaotang, the greatest mercy I will show is to never interact with him as long as we both shall live!”

At this point in the conversation, the elderly Mrs. Mu finally understood that her eldest daughter and the Mu Family truly had no chance of reconciling.

Full of hope upon arrival, she left in complete disarray.

Mrs. Mu staggered down the stairs, and Mu Shaoning, who had been waiting below, quickly got out of the car to support her, “Mom…”

The elderly lady waved her hand, “Get in the car first.”

Seeing his mother like this, Mu Shaoning guessed what might have happened, and he sighed inwardly, once again hating himself for why he had left that year.

Throughout the drive, the elderly lady didn’t say a word until they arrived home. The sight of Mu Shaotang sitting on the sofa discussing the banquet guest list with Mr. Mu seemed to bring her back to her senses.

“Shaotang, come here.”

Mu Shaotang, confused, stood up and walked towards the elderly lady, reaching out to help her, “Was your visit to Big sister smooth? Did she agree to come back? The child…”

“Slap!”

The sudden slap dazed Mu Shaotang and shocked everyone in the living room.

The elderly lady had put strength into her slap, but being of advanced age, it didn’t do much to her eldest son. Instead, the reaction of the force almost caused her to fall, but Mu Shaoning was quick to catch his old mother.

The elderly lady, trembling, pointed at Mu Shaotang, “Mu Shaotang, tell me, did you intentionally prevent Shaoning from calling the police that year? The child was only three years old, how could you bear to do it?”

At these words, everyone was once again astonished.

Li Qingyan was the first to recover, raising her voice, “Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? It’s clear that it was Shaoning and his wife who lost the girl, what does Shaotang have to do with it?”

Yong Ruifang, no longer holding back, sprang up and said, “It was you two! I knew something was odd back then. Shaoning and I were busy looking for the child, we asked you to call the police and notify Big sister, but what happened? The police were nowhere to be seen even after Big sister came back. What did you say, Shaotang? That the police wouldn’t bother if a child went missing for less than twenty-four hours, bullshit! The child was so small, and you expected us to wait twenty-four hours? The opportunity would have been long gone.”

Yong Ruifang seemed to have found an outlet for her emotions, and turned to point at Mu Shaoning,”At that time, I said there was something wrong with your brother and sister-in-law, and you told me to shut up, accusing me of being overly suspicious and of shirking responsibility, you bastard…”

She couldn’t hold back her sobs anymore, “I’ve felt guilty for over a decade for losing Xiaosi, I’ve let Big sister down, I can’t even sleep properly…”

Mu Shaoning’s eyes also reddened, and suddenly he stepped forward, punching Mu Shaotang hard.

With a loud thud, Mu Shaotang, completely unprepared, fell to the ground, hitting a chair on his way down, followed by another loud crash.

“Dad…”

Mu Wan shouted, rushing over to help Mu Shaotang, while also glaring at Mu Shaoning, “Uncle, have you lost your mind? No matter what, my dad just didn’t call the police, but the child was lost while in your care, that’s a fact!”