After I Lost My Memory, My Wife Started To Chase Me - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Regret

A fierce argument, or more accurately, a one-sided tirade, echoed from an apartment in the suburbs of Jincheng.

Zhou Shan stood at the door, his head bowed, not daring to speak. He was being scolded mercilessly.

Beige arrived and happened to witness the scene. She held her uncle’s arm and said to Zhou Wei, “Mom, you’ve said enough. Let Uncle come in.”

Zhou Wei had Beige when she was only twenty. She also had to raise Zhou Shan, who had lost his mother at a young age. It wasn’t easy to raise both of them, which made her strong-willed. She was a little softer on Beige since she was her daughter, and she rarely hit or scolded her after she grew up. But she was much stricter with Zhou Shan. He wasn’t as smart as Beige, and his grades were always poor, which made Zhou Wei constantly worry.

Zhou Wei didn’t say anything. She just turned and stomped into the house.

Beige pulled Zhou Shan inside and asked in a low voice, “Is it because of the drinking?”

Zhou Shan shook his head, his face full of shame. “It’s a recent investment. I lost money again. Your mom says I have no brains.”

Beige glanced at Zhou Shan and shook her head without speaking. Her uncle truly didn’t have a head for business. He preferred a peaceful, ordinary life. Beige had once offered to open a store for him or give him a few properties so he could live off the rent, but her mom disagreed, thinking he was a Zhou family descendant and couldn’t be a failure.

Beige could only sigh inwardly. “Come on, let’s go in.”

When they entered, Zhou Wei had calmed down a bit. She wasn’t as furious as before. Sitting on the living room sofa, she said to Zhou Shan, “I have another card here. Take it to fill the gap.”

Beige frowned, looking at the card on the table. “Mom, that’s your retirement card from me.”

“Sister, I don’t want to invest anymore. The risk is too high, and I can’t handle it.” When Zhou Shan saw the card, his face went even paler. He spoke up despite the pressure.

Zhou Wei’s eyebrows were cold and hard. She didn’t listen to him at all. “Can you ever amount to anything? Beige has a big company now. Look at you. You lose money on every investment. How much have you made?”

“Sister, I have enough money to live on…”

“Shut up! You useless thing. Did I raise you just so you’d have enough money for yourself? What did Mom and Dad say back then? Our family used to have money, but to put you through school, I went to other people’s homes to work as a maid. I swallowed my pride and dignity to earn money to raise you. Now that you’ve grown up, you won’t even listen to me?”

Beige couldn’t bear to listen anymore. “Mom, Uncle isn’t good at socializing. Forcing him like this isn’t good for either of you.”

Zhou Wei finally noticed Beige and turned her anger on her. “Then you should teach him more and let him get more experience. Last time, with that CEO Yang, you should have let him go by himself! He’s a grown man, and he still brings his niece to business dinners. Doesn’t he feel ashamed?”

Beige’s eyebrows were tightly knit. “Mom, Uncle needed me to go to secure that business deal. If he hadn’t asked me, the deal wouldn’t have gone through, and you would still scold him.”

Zhou Shan just sat on the other armchair, not saying a word.

“Xiaoge, don’t speak for me,” Zhou Shan said, standing up with his head down and picking up the card from the table. “I’ll keep doing business. Is that okay?”

The anger on Zhou Wei’s face faded. Seeing that Zhou Shan was obedient, she stopped scolding him. She nodded. “Then go back to work quickly.”

Beige’s eyes were fixed on Zhou Shan. She immediately followed up with, “Wait for me outside.”

Zhou Shan paused, took the card, and left.

“Mom, is this really fair to Uncle? What do you want? He’s over thirty, a grown man. Can’t you just let him live his own life?”

Beige was always blunt. Even in front of Zhou Wei, she said what was on her mind. Zhou Wei had always been lenient with her. She sighed when she heard this. “You don’t understand. I know exactly what your uncle is capable of. He was a mischievous kid who didn’t care about his studies. He’s not like you. If you told me you wanted to quit your company and live a country life, I wouldn’t say a word. But if your uncle doesn’t have a proper job, he’ll get into trouble.”

The prejudice between people is like a mountain that can never be climbed.

“Then why can’t you just let him be?” Beige shook her head, unable to understand. Zhou Wei had even taken out her retirement money. She knew Zhou Shan wasn’t capable, but she still helped him from top to bottom.

Zhou Wei glanced out the window. Zhou Shan’s back was faintly visible at the front gate. “…Because I’m his older sister.”

Beige fell silent, not saying another word. After a while, Zhou Wei looked at Beige. “Did you come to see me for something?”

Ever since Beige’s career took off in Jincheng, their family had moved there from Yucheng. Zhou Wei had a hard first half of her life, and now that she had it easy, she didn’t want to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the city. Beige didn’t visit often. She would always call ahead, but today she just showed up without a word.

Beige sat on the sofa. She was wearing a white suit today. Her jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a black silk blouse underneath. The classic black and white suit gave her a strong, professional look. Looking at Beige, Zhou Wei felt a sense of pride from the bottom of her heart.

The family she had worked for as a maid had a child the same age as Beige. To give Beige a better education, and because of a joke from the host family, she brought Beige to Jincheng and got her a spot in a private school. It was an expensive school with native English teachers and a strong faculty. Beige received an excellent education there for three years and saw things that an ordinary family wouldn’t. This laid the foundation for her success today.

Later, Zhou Wei saved enough money. Plus, the little girl from next door was constantly bothering Beige, so Zhou Wei decided to take Beige back home. That day, she saw Beige and Weishu playing in the garden. There was a small cake on the round table. A bee landed on it. Weishu thought it was fun. After the bee flew away, she wanted to taste the cake to see if it tasted like honey. Beige stopped her, saying it was dirty. Weishu was disappointed and said she had made the cake herself. After Weishu left, she watched Beige eat that cake.

Sometimes, Zhou Wei didn’t know if bringing Beige to the host family was the right thing to do. In front of Weishu, Beige’s strong self-esteem turned into no self-esteem at all. She would do anything to make that little girl happy.

Zhou Wei was good at reading people. Not long after, she resigned from her job and took Beige back home.

“Mom, are you listening to me?” Beige raised her voice and waved her hand in front of Zhou Wei.

Zhou Wei snapped out of her memory and smiled kindly at Beige. “What is it?”

Beige’s expression was a little solemn. She stared at Zhou Wei’s eyes as if she had thought about it for a long time and had to ask. “Mom, in high school, did Xiaoshu come to look for me?”

She spoke very slowly, each word clear, filled with emotions she couldn’t show to others. Zhou Wei’s face had already changed when she heard the words “high school.” When she heard the name, her face immediately fell. “Didn’t I tell you to stop mentioning her in front of me?” Zhou Wei evaded the question.

Beige looked into her eyes and asked again, “She came to find me, didn’t she?”

Zhou Wei looked away in annoyance. “I don’t know. What, did she tell on me?”

Beige didn’t move. Her voice became low, sounding absurd. “I found her right after I graduated from high school. I looked for her like a madman. If she wanted to tell me, why would I only find out now?”

Zhou Wei couldn’t stand to hear such words. She frowned and said angrily, “Is she all you care about?! Who told you to look for her? Does our family owe her something? What does it have to do with you that her family went under? She grew up with all the advantages, but what about you, my child? Do you remember how we struggled when you were little and didn’t even have enough to eat?”

Beige shook her head. Her eyes were wide, and they stung as if they were tearing her apart. “Our hardship wasn’t caused by Weishu. She came to me because I promised her I would help her and take care of her! That’s why she came to me!”

Even now, Beige still couldn’t bear to think about what happened back then. It was her first love, a beautiful dream from her youth. The person was so good. She held all of Beige’s hopes for a wonderful future. Beige thought that one day, she would go back and hold the person she had loved since she was a teenager in her arms.

But before she could take a step, Weishu’s family fell apart. Weishu was left homeless and had come to her for help. How could she turn away the person she loved so deeply? It broke her heart every time she thought about it.

“So what! So I should have let her bother you?” Zhou Wei yelled. “You were in your senior year. You had so much pressure from school. Before, you couldn’t sleep over Weishu’s little aches and pains. If I had told you, would you have cared about the college entrance exam? Would you have cared about your future?”

Beige sat on the sofa, stunned. All her strength drained away like water from a bucket with the plug pulled out. She looked at Zhou Wei as if she had never known her before. Her voice trembled unconsciously. “But Mom, did you really not think about how much pain I would be in if I found out the truth?”

“She’s fine now!” Zhou Wei turned away from Beige’s gaze as if she had been burned. Her demeanor didn’t waver. “A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. I don’t believe she was that desperate. She wanted to borrow money from me? She wanted to ruin my daughter’s future? In her dreams! Not a chance!”

This was what Zhou Wei had yelled in her anger. After hearing the words, Beige felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She repeated to herself, “Borrow money? At that time, she had no money left? Then… how did she live for over a year?”

A young girl with no money, only eleven years old, not even chest high yet, living on the streets. What kind of dangers would she have faced?

A spark of fire erupted in Beige’s forehead. Her head felt as if it had been pried open and molten lava poured in, burning her nerves, making them scream in agony and collapse. Memories, like a receding tide, rolled over the sand and shattered shells, pulling them into a thick, churning sea.

In the midst of the searing pain, Beige uncontrollably remembered scenes from back then. In the garden, under the grapevines, Weishu accidentally bumped her chest. She let out a soft “ah” and, with a wrinkled face, looked up at Beige. Her voice was thin and small, full of hurt. “It hurts so much.”

Beige pulled away the hand that was covering her chest and scratched her head. “Don’t touch it. Mom said we’re developing, and that’s what happens.”

Weishu didn’t understand. She didn’t know why a part of her body had started hurting when she touched it a few days ago. She put her hand back on it, holding Beige’s hand. “It’s so hard inside. It hurts so much.”

Beige thought about it blankly. She didn’t remember it hurting that much. Maybe it was because her development was slower. “The more you touch it, the more it hurts. It’ll get better in a few years.” That was all Beige could say.

Weishu believed her. She looked at her with tears in her eyes. “Will it really get better?”

“It will get better.”

“Will you always stay with me?”