The Long Chase For The President's Spouse

Chp. 71

Chapter 71: Because You Love Them

"What's the point of it all?" Gu Zhun looked up, feeling a sense of anger flare into life at Zhang Heng's words. It was clear to him that nothing could be achieved by seeing them. The love and hate he felt towards them had long been washed away by the passage of time.

"The point is that you want to see them. You have always loved them and you still do."

I don't... Gu Zhun's retort died on the tip of his tongue. "... That's not possible."

"Why do you deceive yourself like this?" Zhang Heng could not understand Gu Zhun's reaction, but he had no intention to force Gu Zhun into a decision against his will. He continued gently, "If you didn't love them, you would not be so obsessed with the idea that our relationship would hurt me. You've always wished that you could have done something to prevent their breakup, haven't you? Isn't it true that you found their divorce so heartbreaking that you were afraid you would inflict the same pain on me one day? Doesn't all this show that they have always been on your mind, and that you still care about them? The fact that you still feel betrayed proves that you haven't stopped loving them."

Gu Zhun kept his head down and stirred his coffee silently.

Zhang Heng sighed. Gu Zhun was in denial and it was clear that he was beginning to distance himself emotionally from everything. Zhang Heng made his way to the back of Gu Zhun's chair and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Tell me if you can't deal with this by yourself. I will always be here for you."

After a long pause, Gu Zhun finally nodded his assent.

Years ago, Gu Zhun's parents went their separate ways after the divorce. His mother returned to her hometown and eventually started a new family with another divorcee and they had two children together. His father started a small business in the rural town he grew up in and never remarried. Gu Li and Gu Zhun never understood the reason for their divorce. There were no warnings that indicated the marriage was falling apart; as far as the siblings knew, their parents never fought. Although the family was poor, their father's income was still enough to keep the family afloat. Despite the lack of material comfort, there was neither tension nor unhappiness in the family. What could have been the cause for the divorce?

Zhang Heng began to wonder about the same question after hearing the story from Gu Li. As he despatched his staff to track down Gu Zhun's parents, he also instructed them to find out more about their past. The story unearthed by the staff was a sad one.

When Gu Zhun was eight years old, his father was diagnosed with an occupational disease and had no choice but to stop working. However, no one knew how long it would be before he could work again; it could be a month, or even years, before he recovered fully. Without his income, the family would be unable to make ends meet. The pressure was overwhelming since he was responsible for his children and his wife, who fell out with her family when she married him despite her family's disapproval.

Gu Zhun's mother was aware of her husband's condition, but nothing could have prepared her for his decision.

"Let's get a divorce so you can marry again," he said one day.

She became hysterical. "Why?" she shouted at him in bewilderment. She had given up everything to be with him, sacrificing her family in the prime of her life to suffer through years of poverty and hardship by his side. What he was asking of her amounted to nothing less than a betrayal and it was completely unacceptable.

"No reason." He took out a piece of paper from the pocket of his faded uniform, his callused hands shaking imperceptibly. "Just sign your name on this."