"But why can't you let him meet Mom? Wei has every right to do so."

"Because I hate him," he said without hesitation. Even though Wei was right in front of him, Jiang Weizhe didn't hesitate at all to tell the truth even if it was harsh.

Wei seemed unaffected. This wasn't anything new to him. His father had already clarified his feelings for him long ago.

Lihua felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She peeked at Wei and he didn't seem anything different than before.

"But do you hate Mom too?" Lihua asked.

Jiang Weizhe widened his eyes. "No. How can I ever hate her?"

"Hmm…" Lihua touched her chin. "But you clearly said it just now. You hate Wei. So it obviously means that you hate Mom too. After all, half of Wei's blood and genes is hers, isn't it? Half of Wei's identity is Mom's. Aren't you denying that then?"

He froze.

"If you are denying Wei, then you are basically denying Mom too. If you are rejecting Wei's existence, then you are rejecting her existence too. So if you say that you hate Wei, then it means that you hate Mom too."

Jiang Weizhe parted his lips to say something but he couldn't exactly point his finger at what he was supposed to say.

Lihua pursed her lips. "Dad, I always thought that you love Mom the most," she sniffled as she dramatically wiped her tears, "But now…"

"Of course not!" He panicked.

Jiang Weizhe, who never failed to remain calm no matter what happened, was shaken and riled up for the first time. To say that he hated Jiang Yubi was completely absurd. Yet, he couldn't really oppose Lihua in this.

He glanced at Wei and his gaze dimmed.

Indeed, Wei resembled Weizhe a lot, but he saw Jiang Yubi's faint traces too. Was he also denying her if he was denying Wei?

He clenched his fist and remained silent.

Lihua peeked from her fake tears and smiled. She wanted Wei and Jiang Yubi to meet today at any cost. So she figured that this was the only way.

Jiang Weizhe seemed to be at a crossroads. Even if he hated Wei, he didn't want Jiang Yubi to feel that he hated her. That wasn't the truth at all.

But somehow, he gave that message for the last twenty-eight years.

His expression worsened as he realized this simple fact. Lihua blinked her eyes.

This father-son pair is really dangerous to my heart. When they look so bummed out, it feels as if somebody is mercilessly squeezing my heart.

Aiyaaa! I cannot see Dad like this, she sobbed.

She knew that guilt-tripping him into thinking that he didn't love Jiang Yubi was a little mean and even if he allowed Wei, it wouldn't solve the core problem of his hatred towards him.

But for now, she only wanted to think of Jiang Yubi who hadn't seen her son in twenty-eight years.

She sighed.

"Wei. You go ahead. I want to talk to Dad a bit."

Wei pursed his lips. "I will wait for you."

She smiled. "Mom has been waiting for you for many years now. Don't make her wait any longer. Plus you two need some alone time for catching up. I don't want to intrude."

Wei seemed downcast but he did as Lihua told him.

Jiang Weizhe almost raised his hand to stop him, but then it stopped midway. In the end, he let him go.

As they were left alone in the huge mansion's hall, Lihua took two steps in front of him. She gently held his hands in hers and asked, "Dad, First of all, I am really sorry. You don't have to prove anything because I know that you really reaaaaaaaaaly love Mom very much. There is no doubt about it. But I still questioned it. Please forgive me. I only did it for Mom."

Jiang Weizhe softly smiled and patted her head. "Don't be sorry. I understand your intentions and...you aren't wrong," he looked away. "I have been indirectly rejecting Yubi through Wei."

Lihua smiled. "Now tell me. Why do you not want Wei and Mom to meet?"

Silence.

His eyelashes and so did his hands trembled. Lihua felt them slightly shaking and her heart ached in pain.

"...Yubi won't love me like before," his voice also shook as he spoke. There was a distinct hint of fear and anxiety in his words. "Wei will become more important to her. Wei will occupy all of her heart. I...I won't have anywhere to go. I don't want to be alone. I don't want anybody to challenge my place in her heart. B-But if Wei comes, that won't be the case. A child is the most important for a woman when she becomes a mother. Where will I stand then?"

Lihua felt the corner of her eyes slightly sting in tears.

No wonder Mom couldn't hate Dad for separating her from Wei. His fear is as real as it gets…

Lihua softly pinched his cheek and grinned. "Where will you stand? Isn't it crystal clear? You will stand 'with' them, not somewhere far away. I mean, isn't it why she named Wei as Wei?"

Jiang Weizhe tilted his head in confusion.

"Ah? You mean you didn't notice? Mom is the one who must have kept his name, right?"

"...Yes. She insisted on giving him a name."

"En. So doesn't Wei derive from Weizhe? It's the first syllable of your name."

He slowly widened his eyes.

"That just proves how important you are to Mom. She kept her son's name after you because she wants to show you that her husband is as important to her as her son. Nobody can replace Wei in her heart. But nobody can replace you either. You are the reason Wei came into this world and she experienced the joy of motherhood. Your position in her heart would never fall apart because the reason why she loves Wei so much is not that he is her son but because he is yours."