Come Daybreak

Xue Yang (xxvii)

As Xue Bai had already accepted that there was nothing he could do to save his mother, he did not reassure her with empty promises. Instead, he wanted to spend this remaining time with her as if it were their last.

Judging by her current condition, Xue Bai highly doubted she would live for much longer if she persisted in holding her tongue. Thus, he also tried to persuade her to confess so that she could at least live. In that way he could still visit her in the future in prison.

The information she had was not much, but it was still enough to further justify the Xue family's actions against the Qiu family in the eyes of the public. While the Qiu family would try to use the fact that his father was an illegitimate son, none of their words would matter if their own actions were even crueler and inhumane.

To him, the Qiu family and his aunt were not as important as his mother's wellbeing. They may have given him the chance to be born and to live as the heir to the Xue family, but Xue Bai was also selfish and even at the fresh age of twelve he still had his own motives.

They could call him ungrateful, but he knew that he and his mother were simply nothing but mere pawns in their hands anyway. So, to him, there were no hard feelings when he had resolved to abandon them. In fact, he didn't even hesitate in doing so.

At first, Qiu Shui was reluctant as she knew that the consequences would not be light if the Qiu family were to find out.

"But mother, by the end of everything, aunt will no longer be able to touch us and the Qiu family will fall," Xue Bai persisted with his hands tightly grasping onto two bars, one in each hand.

Qiu Shui lightly caressed his cheeks that were stained with dried tears as she smiled softly, "Ah Bai, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even weakened, the Qiu family will still have the resources to take care of someone as small as me, your mother."

"They wouldn't have the leisure time to do such a thing," Xue Bai's eyes were fierce, "I will make sure of it, mother."

Even if he wasn't the current head, he could still ask his father to command the soldiers to pressure the Qiu family excessively so that they really would not be able to pay attention to his mother in the next prison she would be sent to after confessing.

It went without saying that he would also beg his father to make sure she was guarded well so that no mishaps could occur, and that a doctor would always be present on the off-chance that she would be poisoned.

When she heard how confident her only son was, Qiu Shui finally relented. She held the same sentiments towards the Qiu family as her son did.

Qiu Shui was only a distant relative of the Qiu family and was only given the surname in order to carry enough status to become a mistress of the illustrious Xue family. Although she did keep in contact with them, it was strictly business. She had been raised as a lowly chess piece in this cruel and petty game of revenge.

Although she admired the Xue head for his status, wealth, fame, and his good looks, she did not love him. Her son was the most important person in her heart and world. If he could live in peace knowing she was alive, then she would try her best to live for him.

But she would leave the confession for after her sweet son had left this dank prison. Although he was in the know for some minor schemes she had participated in, Xue Bai was actually kept in the dark regarding the more serious and mature matters such as his older brother's fate after he (XB) was brought to the Xue estate.

Even if he would one day learn about the truth, Qiu Shui did not want that day to be today, or anytime soon. He was just a child, and as a mother to her own son even she felt that dragging Xue Yang into such muddy waters was unnecessarily cruel.