You Owe Me, My Love
Chapter 334

Chapter 334 The Real Family

Wu Nian paced outside the door but did not go in.

She knew Gu Yan would hate her for calling Gu Mingchen over, but things would go out of hand ifshe did not.

She knew she could not get the best of both worlds. She had to choose the lesser of two evils.

Gu Mingchen happened to be nearby when he got her text. He arrived within ten minutes.

Wu Nian instantly felt an air of smoldering anger when the elevator door opened to Gu Mingchen.Having felt that sense of foreboding, she raced toward him and tried to calm him down. “Please talkto him nicely.”

“That's none of your business,” Gu Mingchen answered back harshly as he walked out of theelevator.

"Yanny didn't want to stay with you, to begin with. I bet he won't want to live with you anymore ifyou're so stern,” Wu Nian said.

"Who else is he gonna stay with if not me? You? Who are you to him?” Gu Mingchen bombardedher with questions. He was livid.

“I didn't say he would stay with me. If that was really what I wanted, I won't have told you he washere in the first place,” she tried explaining herself.

"Oh, really? Then how did he know you lived here? Stop being so scheming. Things won't end upwell for anyone if you keep this up,” Gu Mingchen growled scornfully.

“I didn't tell him where I lived. He heard it when my friend was talking to me. Gu Mingchen, youshould really calm down. Yanny is still a boy. You'll only break his heart if you behave like this. Hewon't understand your worry and care for him,” Wu Nian spoke faster as they got closer to herroom.

"Whether he’s heartbroken or not is none of your business. Move aside,” Gu Mingchen ordered.But Wu Nian stayed put. She would not allow Gu Mingchen to bring Gu Yan home if he could notcontrol his anger.

When Gu Yan heard the raised voices outside, he opened the door to check out the noise. When hesaw Gu Mingchen, he slammed the door closed again in fright.

Gu Mingchen took a step forward and blocked the door swiftly before it closed.

He glared at the boy in fury. It went without saying that what Gu Yan just did only enraged himfurther.

Gu Mingchen had called everyone he knew when Gu Yan went missing.

He was not expecting the kid to shut him out when he finally found him.

His anger spiked and he kicked the door open.

Gu Yan leaped backward, hiding behind the bed.

Wu Nian dashed toward Gu Mingchen. “Could you please calm down?”

Gu Mingchen shot a death glare at her. “Get lost! You have no right to tell me how I shoulddiscipline my child,” he replied coldly as he turned toward Gu Yan. “Get over here!”

The timid boy shook his head over and over again as he crouched in the corner like a tiny rabbit.What Gu Yan said echoed in Wu Nian’s mind. I want to work for it myself as I don't want to dependon him. That way even if he abandons me, I won't feel sad about it. Ill try my best to get used to anew environment, but if I can't, I'll do everything I can to change it.

The boy was only seven, yet he had said something so precociously mature. The pain was just toomuch for her to bear.

She dashed in front of the boy and protected him with her own body. “Please, Gu Mingchen, justfive minutes! Can you give me just five minutes?”

"What's wrong with all of you? Zhou Hailan behaved like this, and now you're doing the same too?"He unbuckled his belt and pointed a finger at Gu Yan. “Get over here right now!”

“No! I want to go home! I want to go home to my parents!” Gu Yan started wailing.

“You want to go home?” Gu Mingchen lost it. He raised his hand and lashed his belt at the boy.

Wu Nian took the blow. Her arm instantly reddened as the belt whipped against her flesh.

But Gu Mingchen’s anger showed no sign of diminishing. He lifted his hand again and anotherstroke landed. “I fed you, sheltered you and paid for your studies. Is this not a home to you? All youkids know is to run away from home when you throw a tantrum. Who do you take me for? Do youthink you can barge in and out of my life just like that? If you want to go home, fine! I'll let you gohome! I'll send you to your mother!”

Wu Nian“s grip did not loosen around Gu Yan. She covered the boy with her body and took thebeating in his stead. The belt lashed against her flesh, leaving it raw and painful.

All she could think about was Gu Yan. He was still a boy and she could not bear the thought of himenduring all this.

Yet what hurt Gu Yan and her the most was not what Gu Mingchen was doing, but what he had said.I'll send you to your mother! Wu Nian could not believe he had actually said that. Does he want tobeat Yanny to death so he can join his dead mother?

In Wu Nian's opinion, he should have never said that if he still had Bai Rong in his heart.

He knew just how much Bai Rong cared for her child.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

In her arms, instead of asking his father for forgiveness, Gu Yan howled tearfully, “Just hit me all youwant! I'd rather die! Then I can go and replace Mommy! I don’t want to stay with you anymore. You canlive with Xin and Ms. Zhou happily ever after!”

Gu Mingchen flung his belt out of his hand and shoved Wu Nian out of the way. He grabbed theboy hard by his shoulders and shouted in his face, “Do you still think what you did is right? Do youthink it's right to just leave without telling me? Do you know how worried I was?”

“But you're hitting me! Is this how you show your worry? I don't feel your love at all!” Gu Yanscreamed back at his father.

“Will you learn from your mistake if I don't teach you a harsh lesson? I might still replace you if you runaway once or twice, but what if something happens? I'll lose you forever!” Gu Mingchen bellowed atthe boy in a fit.

“But nothing happened! Even if something happens, I'll get to see Mommy in heaven. She's all aloneover there. I can stay by her side and keep her company.”

Gu Mingchen clenched his jaw tight as his eyes bulged and became red. “Who said your mother isin heaven? She's not. She's not dead! I'm still waiting for her to come back. I won't let anythinghappen to you. If you're gone, you won't get to see her anymore!”

“You're lying.” Gu Yan sobbed and shook his head in denial.

“I'm not lying. I know your mother is still alive... She must be!” Gu Mingchen finally broke down.Tears welled up and dropped from his eyes. The pain and agony of waiting for her to come backhad never once weakened him, but he just could not take it anymore.

"If she’s still alive, why didn't she come back?” Gu Yan asked.

“I don’t know. But I know she'll come back one day. The people she loves are still here. She still hasa lot of unfulfilled responsibilities and unrealized dreams. She'll come back,” Gu Mingchen statedassuredly.

The little boy could only bow his head and continue crying.

Wu Nian turned aside as tears poured out of her eyes incessantly.

“Let's go home.” Gu Mingchen'’s hoarse voice finally resounded in the silence.

But Gu Yan looked toward Wu Nian instead.

Her shirt was tattered and wet with blood because of the beating.

“Daddy, we need to send Nian to the hospital. She's hurt,” Gu Yan said.

Wu Nian cried harder when she heard the boy.

She could not believe her son was still thinking about her when he himself was going through sucha difficult time.

She reached out to him and dried his tears tenderly. “I'm fine, Yanny. I'll get better with a few days’rest. You should go home with your father. Promise me you won't ever run away from home again. Iwant you to grow up into a fine young man.”