TVSFPAG -Chapter 165 This Time, Can I Make My Own Decision?

Chu Jinhan remained silent.

Madam Chu looked at him, and in her eyes, there was no longer the admiration she once had—only unmistakable disappointment.

“Xiao Han, from childhood to now, how much effort have your father and I poured into you? I always thought you knew what should be done and what shouldn’t.”

“But look at what you’re doing now. For the sake of an unknown woman who has been deceiving you all this time, you lied to us and abandoned important work!”

“Xiao Han, tell me—what kind of spell did that woman cast on you? So much so that you’ve forgotten who you are and what you’re supposed to do?”

Chu Jinhan listened quietly to his mother’s accusations. His back remained as straight as a pine tree, but the fingers hanging at his sides slowly tightened, turning faintly pale.

“I haven’t forgotten.” His voice was low, with a hint of hoarseness.

Madam Chu let out a cold laugh. “You haven’t forgotten? You say you haven’t, but what about your actions? If I hadn’t repeatedly called you, would you still be unwilling to come back even now?”

“How long has it been since you last visited your grandfather? He thinks about you every day. For the past half year, we didn’t even dare mention your disappearance, and did everything we could to hide it from him, fearing he couldn’t handle the shock.”

“But you? You stayed in Qingcheng with that woman, living carefree, completely abandoning all of us!”

Faced with his mother’s relentless questioning, Chu Jinhan gave no response other than silence.

Because even he himself did not know what he was doing—or what he truly wanted.

What exactly was this obsession that made him willing to deceive his family, set aside his work, and keep Song Yunfei confined by his side?

Was it hatred over being deceived, a desire for revenge? A possessiveness? Or perhaps something deeper—an emotion he himself did not dare to examine.

Madam Chu took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and softened her tone slightly. “I’ve looked into Song Yunfei. She graduated from an average-tier university, her academic performance was mediocre, and her reputation is unremarkable.”

“What’s even more despicable is that not only did she harm you, she also deceived you when you were at your most vulnerable and least capable of judgment. Xiao Han, wake up—don’t be so stubborn and lost in delusion, alright?”

Chu Jinhan remained silent, his eyes lowered. No one could see the emotions hidden within them.

Madam Chu continued earnestly, trying to persuade him: “Her background, her past, the way she approached you—what about any of that makes her worthy of standing beside you? What about any of it can be shown in the light?”

“Don’t tell me that after all these years of effort your father and I put into raising you, you’re going to sink into something so illusory.”

“Have you forgotten how your father and I taught you?”

The vast living room fell into dead silence, the chandelier’s light casting a cold glow over both of them.

Madam Chu looked at him expectantly—at the son she had always been proud of—hoping he would come to his senses.

No one knew how long had passed before Chu Jinhan slowly raised his head and met his mother’s gaze. His eyes were firm, yet carried a hint of stubbornness.

“My father once said: if you want something, you should go after it at any cost. The only difference is whether it’s worth it.”

Madam Chu looked at him in disbelief.

She never expected that he would use those words on a woman who had deceived him.

After a long pause, Madam Chu finally spoke with great difficulty, her voice filled with exhaustion: “Do you think… she’s worth it?”

“Mom.” Chu Jinhan looked at his mother. His voice was dry and hoarse, yet carried an unprecedented stubbornness—and a hint of pleading.

“From childhood until now, I’ve done everything I could to meet your expectations. This time… can you let me make my own decision?”

The living room fell into silence once more—so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

Madam Chu stared blankly at her son, the son she had always been proud of.

At this moment, he showed a fragile and unfamiliar side—for the sake of a woman with a questionable past.

Looking at how close he seemed to breaking, Madam Chu’s feelings shifted more toward heartache than anger.

In their social circle, emotions were an extreme luxury.

Everyone weighed pros and cons, calculating how to maximize benefits. Even if there was fleeting affection between spouses, it was often built upon mutual interests.

Precisely because it was so rare and extravagant, her son’s words felt absurd, sorrowful—and strangely shocking.

She wasn’t angry that he had failed to live up to expectations—she felt heartache.

Because she saw the struggle and confusion in him—something that should never have appeared in him.

No one had ever taught him what love was, so he could not understand it himself, which was why he was so conflicted and in pain.

After the shock came an even deeper sense of helplessness and sadness.

She felt heartache that her son had to endure all of this suffering, and that the relationship binding him had arrived in such an unsightly way.

Thus, what he was facing was not only external obstacles, but also the collapse of the self-esteem and worldview he had built over many years.

This meant he would have to step down from his lofty pedestal, let go of all his pride and dignity, and seek the genuine feelings of a liar—accepting this seemingly absurd relationship.

If he couldn’t do it, if he couldn’t figure it out, he would remain trapped forever, living in endless pain.

Madam Chu was even more saddened by the fact that, as a mother, she could offer him no help or advice.

After all, she herself had never experienced such a thing—and she had never been allowed to.

Ironically, she had never experienced what love was, yet both of her sons turned out to be hopeless romantics.

She couldn’t help wondering which ancestor had been buried in the wrong spot.

After an unknown amount of time, Madam Chu took a deep breath.

Wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, she said with a slight nasal tone, “Alright. Focus on preparing for the shareholders’ meeting first. As for you and that woman, we’ll talk about it later.”

She said no more, stood up, and walked toward the stairs.

Chu Jinhan sat on the sofa, head lowered, staring at the carpet beneath his feet.

A sense of loneliness permeated his entire being, his figure appearing especially desolate.

——

Song Yunfei enjoyed seven days of an extremely boring life—eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating every day.

She weighed herself and was shocked to find she had gone from 98 jin to 104 jin.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

She took a deep breath, stepped off the scale, and weighed herself again—103.

She took off her coat, her shoes, and placed her phone aside before weighing herself again—101.

Only then did Song Yunfei finally breathe a sigh of relief. Good—she hadn’t gained too much weight. She could still continue eating at noon.

Putting her coat back on, she returned comfortably to the sofa, lay down, and turned on the TV to watch a drama starring her favorite actress.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated.

Picking it up, she saw it was a call from Bai Yu.

Song Yunfei answered, “Hello?”

Bai Yu said, “Come to the balcony.”

Feeling suspicious, Song Yunfei got up and went to the balcony. Looking down, she indeed saw Bai Yu standing below, waving at her.

“What are you doing?”

Bai Yu replied, “Running away. Chu Jinhan has returned to Haishi—if you don’t run now, when do you plan to run?”

Song Yunfei hesitated. “Last time I ran so far and still got caught by him. Are you sure I won’t be caught again?”

She didn’t dare imagine what would happen if she were caught again this time—her life would truly be over.

Without a hundred percent certainty, she really didn’t dare take the risk.

Bai Yu reached into his arms and pulled out a small booklet.

From the fourth floor, she could barely make out what he was holding—it looked like a passport.

She asked in surprise, “Mine?”

“Whose else would it be?”

“When did you secretly get this processed?”

“Don’t worry about that. So, are you leaving or not?”

Song Yunfei pondered for a moment, recalling everything that had happened over the past days.

After a brief pause, she took a deep breath, as if making a huge decision, and nodded heavily.

“Go! But there are bodyguards guarding the entrance—I can’t get down.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Bai Yu wave toward a spot in the distance.

A moment later, under her widening eyes, a crane truck slowly drove over.