Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2463 - 2399: Not Really Stealing Love

Sensing the tangled feelings woven into Nian Che's voice, Chiang Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

Was there perhaps a tangled bond linking the three of them from the past?

During that incident, Old Madam Nian had dragged her son Nian Tang to the Meng household to stir up trouble. Was the diary's hidden secret truly the cause?

Suddenly, the urge struck her to rush to Meng Xinian's location and escort him straight to the hospital.

Whatever the case, he deserved to uncover the actual events, didn't he?

Yet fear gripped her that departing might cause her to miss vital revelations, and concern lingered that Nian Che could inflict damage on the Meng father and son.

Thus, Chiang Xiao resolved to linger and eavesdrop.

Inside the chamber, Old Meng fell quiet for a brief spell, then released a heavy sigh before uttering, "Nian Che, after so many years, have you truly not moved on? Chao Jun back then remained unaware of your sentiments toward Chenger. What's more, Chenger and Chao Jun shared a deep mutual affection at that point. Chao Jun didn't steal her heart from you. You simply can't fault Chao Jun for it."

"I hold no grudge against him," Nian Che replied with a hint of detachment in his voice. "The fault lies solely with the Nian Family. My true father and mother conceived me outside of wedlock, but he lacked the boldness to claim me. He allowed his brother to bring me into the Nian Family instead. My adoptive father showed kindness, yet it carried a formal distance that left me feeling like a stranger."

"Brother Nian always praised you endlessly; how could you still nurse bitterness toward him?"

"When he detected my fondness for Chenger, he rebuked me fiercely, then swiftly organized introductions to potential suitors for her, scouring every corner for an ideal match to wed her off in haste. He even concocted a pretext to banish me to a remote area."

Nian Che delivered these recollections in a composed and even manner.

However, that very composure lent his statements a subtle wave of underlying sentiment.

From beyond the door, Chiang Xiao detected the sharply contained grudge.

"Had he not banished me for those six months, assuring me that strong efforts might earn me a chance with Chenger, what reason would I have had to labor so relentlessly in a distant land? How was I to realize that in that very period, Chenger encountered Meng Chaojun, developed feelings for him, and they fixed their wedding plans?"

"How does any of this involve Chenger and Chao Jun? Brother Nian departed this world long ago; are you truly still bitter toward him?"

Nian Che let out a chuckle and steered away from the matter.

Chiang Xiao stole a cautious glance within and spotted him positioned beside the hospital bed, staring down at Meng Chaojun.

"Eldest Uncle Meng, gaze upon my brother-in-law here, teetering on death's edge, weathered by age, with snow-white hair, his features bloated and warped, a shadow of his former vigor. Now behold me—do I appear to hold up well?"

As Nian Che traced his fingers over his cheek, he added, "That blaze long ago scorched and ravaged my face. To mend it, I ventured overseas, scraping together funds by any method, hunting down physicians, submitting to countless procedures. The torment defied description. Ponder it now: in the end, did my brother-in-law find greater joy, or did I? Or in terms of misfortune, was fate harsher to me, or to him?"

So Nian Che's features had been seared and marred by flames in the past? That must explain his journey abroad.

What precisely unfolded back then?

Did it tie into Nian Chengcheng or Meng Chaojun somehow?

Regardless, a peculiar unease always stirred in her whenever Nian Che uttered words, and that odd vibe surged even more intensely at this moment.