Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 378 Absolute Relief
It must be said that Tang Xu's reaction was far beyond what Old Master Yan had expected.

He had to re-evaluate the young woman in front of him who seemed to pose no threat whatsoever.

In the past, in his eyes she was just a distant relative's wife, a daughter from an ordinary family who accidentally climbed into a wealthy family, just one of the many ordinary people in the world, nothing worth paying attention to.

Later, upon learning that she had been entangled with Yan Shiyu, he was furious, but also felt it was nothing more than a fleeting affair.

A daughter raised in such a family is likely to be full of seductive tricks. Being able to marry into the Jiang family is one of her skills, and being able to seduce Yan Shiyu, who has undergone rigorous training, into lust is also one of her skills.

He just hadn't expected Yan Shiyu to be so deeply involved—

For her sake, Yan Shiyu did not hesitate to defy him, disregarding his wishes for the first time and openly defying his orders.

At that time, in the eyes of Old Master Yan, Tang Xu was probably just a trigger, but the whole incident was probably not entirely because of her.

It's not that Yan Shiyu has been completely reformed; rather, it's that his ingrained bad habits have resurfaced. If he isn't disciplined soon, the consequences could become uncontrollable.

Fortunately, disciplining Yan Shiyu was not a difficult task for him.

The reason he chose him in the first place, and continued to train him despite his poor aptitude, was because he had enough leverage—enough leverage to control Yan Shiyu.

Moreover, the "topic" he used as a pretext was none other than Tang Xu.

But it was Tang Xu—

He personally led people to the scene of the car accident involving two vehicles and took Yan Shiyu away. He also used his connections to cover up all traceable clues, and in the end, no one was hurt except for Tang Xu.

It was precisely because of this coincidence that he easily used this incident to manipulate Yan Shiyu and force him to break up with Tang Xu.

In his view, this version of Yan Shiyu was ultimately not enough—

Not ruthless enough, not heartless enough, not vicious enough.

These are actually two very contradictory mindsets.

On the one hand, he hoped that Yan Shiyu could become a flawless and perfect heir to the Yan family;
On the other hand, it was precisely because of Yan Shiyu's weaknesses that he was able to firmly control him and force him to obey him.

So after that incident, he sent Yan Shiyu to Helsinki again, and for nearly half a year, he had his subordinates work hard to get him back on "track".

But he never imagined that Yan Shiyu would derail again in such a short time—and this time, he derailed even more thoroughly and recklessly than before.

Despite such a crazy incentive, Tang Xu still exists within it.

This was the first time he realized how important Tang Xu was to Yan Shiyu.

Equally contradictory is—

This influence caused by a woman filled him with immense anger and disappointment, but it was also because of this that he gained something crucial that could check and balance Yan Shiyu.

However, he also did not expect that Yan Shiyu would be able to oppose and restrain him on his own to the point that this balance of power could be ignored.

In such a short time, Yan Shiyu's control over the Yan Group has far exceeded his expectations. Even though he still holds the highest authority on the surface, the company's internal shareholding structure is far too complex, and there are many factions among the senior management. After joining the Yan Group, Yan Shiyu has put a lot of effort into both aspects. Now, the internal information and data he has in his hands can easily shake the entire Yan Group.

Therefore, Old Master Yan had no choice but to reach some kind of so-called peace agreement with him in his anger.

If he doesn't reveal the truth about Tang Xu's car accident, Yan Shiyu will have to continue to protect the Yan family for him.

Old Master Yan originally thought this was a consensus between him and Yan Shiyu—

If Ji Yan hadn't had this sudden accident, he wouldn't have known that Yan Shiyu had no intention of holding back at all.

He had already made all the preparations. On the one hand, he was ready to launch an attack on the Yan family, and on the other hand, he wanted to ensure that Tang Xu and Ji Yan would not be disturbed or threatened. Therefore, he originally planned to take Tang Xu away for a while and take the opportunity to take Ji Yan away as well.

But he still miscalculated once.

With Ji Yan in trouble, he and Tang Xu were unable to leave, and all his plans and schemes were exposed overnight.

This was the event that truly enraged Old Master Yan.

Yan Shiyu was someone he had personally nurtured. He cherished the effort and achievements he had put in over the years and gave him chance after chance, unwilling to ruin him with his own hands.

He had tolerated his rebellion and disobedience time and time again, but when Yan Shiyu schemed against him once again, he was finally utterly disappointed and could no longer bear it.

He had to let Yan Shiyu know who truly controlled his life.

There are certain authorities that he absolutely cannot challenge.

But Tang Xu, who seemed to have nothing special about him, calmly told him after learning the truth that he had known all along—

This was not the response he had expected.

It should absolutely not be the response of a weak and delicate woman.

"A long time ago?" Old Master Yan looked at her. "Since you already knew a long time ago, why did you still choose to be with him?"

Tang Xu tilted her head slightly and smiled, saying, "As long as I don't care, that matter won't have any impact."

"Don't care?" Grandpa Yan said, "You have such high talent in dance. Although you wasted two years in high school, you still quickly stood out after entering university. Every year you received outstanding awards from the school, you were on the most popular TV programs, your mentors had high hopes for you, and several of the most famous theater companies in the country extended invitations to you in advance... You could have had a bright future in dance and become a top figure in the dance circle, but now you can only completely give up the career you love most, your brilliance is tarnished, and you go to run some logistics company, dealing with some sweaty freight workers and drivers all day long... You say you don't care, can you convince yourself?"

Tang Xu's eyes widened slightly as she said, "I never expected that you, Grandpa Yan, would know me so well. You even managed to uncover things that I myself had forgotten... Is this your usual method of controlling people's hearts?"

She asked the question lightly, but Old Master Yan's gaze fell on the hand she was holding on the handle of the coffee cup.

At this very moment, that hand was trembling very slightly—

Although she tried her best to control and cover it up, she was eventually exposed.

Grandpa Yan glanced at her. "Didn't you already know? Didn't you say you didn't care? Is this what you call not caring?"

Following his gaze, Tang Xu's eyes also fell on her own hands.

Then, she gently raised that hand. "You mean this?"

At this moment, the hand, suspended in mid-air, trembled more and more noticeably, mirroring the intensity of her inner turmoil—

“You’ve misunderstood,” Tang Xu said. “This isn’t a sign of shock or anger, but rather a sense of relief and certainty—after all this time, my suspicions have finally been confirmed, I’ve finally gotten a definite answer, and I can finally let go completely.”

Yes, before this, everything was just speculation.

But it's also too easy to guess.

After the breakup, she had a lot of time to repeatedly recall everything that had happened and Yan Shiyu's every word and action.

They finally reconciled, she was certain of his feelings, and they had agreed to be honest with each other, but in the end, they broke up again because of reasons he couldn't bring himself to say.

Even the news of the breakup was relayed to him through Duan Siwei.

He wouldn't even see her one last time.

It's like being unable to face it.

Tang Xu thought for a long time about why he was so resolute.

What he couldn't face was her, or the harm he had caused her?
If it's the latter, then why did he make that choice? Is it because some of the damage that has already been done is irreparable?
In her more than twenty years of life, there have actually been no earth-shattering stories. There are only a few people and things that she cares about. If he has really caused her some kind of harm, she can easily find the answer by simply eliminating possibilities.

Tang Xu repeatedly recalled everything that happened before their last meeting, and finally remembered that on their last seemingly normal night together, he had asked her for the first time why she stopped dancing.

Before she could finish her answer, he sealed her lips with a kiss, preventing her from continuing.

At that time, Tang Xu thought he was just being considerate and didn't want her to recall her past pain.

But what if, at that time, he was experiencing more than just heartache?

As her suspicions began to take shape, she was not as calm and composed as she is now.

But what can we do?

At that time, she was accompanying Jiang Beiheng in London for medical treatment.

She was usually very good at hiding her emotions, but at that time, even Sister Ying could tell that something was wrong with her.

She had lost almost everything and everyone important to her, and at that time, she was utterly despondent.

If the car accident was indeed related to him, if he really was the one who caused the accident and fled the scene, then he was indeed the one who ruined her life.

But it was precisely this kind of person who developed an emotional entanglement with him, who still couldn't forget him, and who was still suffering terribly because of their breakup.

At that time, Tang Xu only felt that the world was unfair and God was too cruel. Why was God so cruel to her alone?

During that time, she suffered pain and torment that she had no one to confide in.

It's not that I don't hate, it's not that I don't resent.

So when they met again and faced each other once more, she genuinely didn't care about him anymore.

When they met again at the Qi family home in Jiangcheng, the two brushed past each other like strangers, neither of them giving the other a second glance.
When Song Luobai and Ji Shiqing tricked the two of them into reuniting in the hospital ward, and he lost control and hugged her in the darkness, she was truly numb and indifferent, completely unconcerned.

But he still wouldn't let her go.

He insisted on intruding into her life in all sorts of ways.

The location system in her phone helped Yu Muyao set up a scheme to push Shu Chen to her side to help her take revenge.

But she never wanted to have anything to do with him again.

So later, when facing Meng Liancheng, she was so resolute, abandoning everything and only seeking death.

Because a life with nothing is too painful to live, she really doesn't want to face those tangled grudges and entanglements anymore.

It would be better to die and find peace and liberation.

But in the end, he still failed to die.

He appeared once again.

He wouldn't let him die.

She just found it ridiculous.

She is now living a life worse than death, yet he, the one who started this, refuses to let her die. Does he think she hasn't suffered enough?
She was on the verge of collapse, but once again he took on everything for her.

In that remote little house, far from everything, she was numb and desperate, feeling that God was punishing her.

But what did she do wrong to deserve such punishment?
She hated him so much that she had completely severed ties with him, yet she still owed him a debt.

But so what if you owe it?

He owed her too.

They owed each other something, so let's call it even. From now on, let's go our separate ways. She will still bear what she has to bear, and those who are meant to be strangers should remain strangers forever.

But if only life were as simple as making a single decision.

She knew all his burdens, all his pain, and the contradictions and struggles within him.

He couldn't help but say "I'm sorry" to her over and over again, but he never said anything about what he was sorry for.

But she knew.

There were even one or two moments when she felt he deserved it.

He deserves to suffer like this.

But... why should he have to suffer such a fate?
Isn't life painful enough? Isn't it difficult enough? Why does he have to bear all her pain on his own shoulders? Doesn't he find it exhausting?
He opened a door for her, but also erected a high wall for her.

That door was meant to hold her in my arms.

That wall was there to prevent her from seeing her own heart.

Yes, his heart, riddled with wounds, could not bear anyone's prying eyes, not even hers.

But he would still tell her again and again, "Yaoyao, don't be afraid."

She was clearly no longer afraid of anything.

Did he think she was afraid of something, or was he himself afraid of something?
She knew everything and saw through everything, yet she still turned back after running away.

The moment you turn back is almost tantamount to resigning yourself to fate.

But she had no choice but to accept her fate.

A certain level of lucidity is painful, but after absolute lucidity, all that remains is acceptance.

She knew she could never clear her relationship with the man in front of her in this lifetime, so she might as well throw everything aside and recklessly entangle herself with him to the very end.

So after that, she stopped caring.

I don't care what kind of harm he has caused me, I don't care how many secrets he still holds in his heart, I don't care how many things he keeps from me.

As long as he is still him.

As long as he needs her by his side.

Then she stayed by his side.

Until... when I had no choice but to leave.

Therefore, she was not lying.

The news that Grandpa Yan told her did not shock or disappoint her; on the contrary, it brought her only relief.

That was after we finally got a definite answer...

Absolute relief.