Chapter 223 - Be Kind To Yourself (1)
There were times when Li Chuntao wondered what kind of life she would have now if her twin sister hadn't died from Lin Meirong's schemes. However, she knew that 'what-ifs' were pointless to think about, as there was nothing that could be done to change what had happened.
She could only hope that her sister and her unborn nephew's souls were at peace now. As Su Ling drove towards the orphanage where Qin Linfeng was working at, Li Chuntao wondered how the kids took the news about their beloved Sister Ying's death. She hoped that none of them would be grieving too much or blame themselves for not being with Ying.
Just as she expected, the moment the orphanage director introduced her to them as Li Chuntao, their Sister Ying's little sister, the children cried and whined about how they missed their Sister Ying. She couldn't blame them, because even she herself was still missing her dead sister.
Some children gave Li Chuntao a hug, as if they were attempting to console her from her loss.
"Sister Chuntao, I'm sure Sister Ying loved you so much. She talked about you all the time, and kept saying how she missed you so badly." Little Su Mei told her as the child took a seat on her lap, while the other children surrounded her.
"Really? I miss her so badly too." Li Chuntao replied with a somber tone while patting the girl's head gently.
One year was too short for her to completely move on as the pain of her loss was still fresh in her heart. But with her loving husband and daughter on her side, Li Chuntao was reminded that her life wasn't only hers anymore. Her loved ones still needed her.
"Sister Ying is already gone. What would happen to us now?" One of the children sobbed next to her. Looking at them, Li Chuntao couldn't help but feel bad about leaving them.
"Just remember what your Sister Ying taught you. You cannot change the attitude of the people around you, but you can certainly choose who you surround yourself with. Be kind to one another, but don't let others take advantage of that kindness. Ying Jie loved us with all her heart and I'm sure she doesn't want us to be forever sad from her death." She told them.
There's nothing else she could do for all of them other than making sure that they would be provided for until they reached legal age and were independent, or until they were adopted by other families.
Anyway, one of the reasons why she came here was because of Mu Jingyi, Lin Meirong's daughter who Mu Jianyu had adopted. After his death and funeral, the girl was left here to be cared for until they could find any of Mu Jianyu's distant relatives who would take her in, which was highly unlikely in Li Chuntao's opinion.
Mu Jianyu never had a supportive family, and Song Xiangrong's family didn't seem like they would like to get involved with his issues. Mu Jingyi would have a hard time finding a family of her own as she was practically the fruit of a series of betrayal, schemes and lies.
However, it shocked her when she received a report that Meng Huan was looking into adopting his ex-wife's daughter. It made sense because she was Meng Lingxiang's only sister, but for the love of god, she had never met a man as stupid and forgiving as Meng Huan.
She met the man outside the director's office, where he was discussing his intention to adopt Mu Jingyi. Since she was his ex-wife's daughter and he could now afford to provide for more than just their son, Meng Huan thought that there shouldn't be any problem with him claiming the girl's custody.
"Are you sure about this?" Li Chuntao asked him once he finished submitting his application for adoption.
He was shocked at first to see her standing outside, waiting for him. It took him a moment to remember that Li Xiuying had a younger twin sister named Li Chuntao, but he was oblivious that the woman he'd met a year ago, the one who helped him and his family was the same woman standing in front of him right now.
"Yes, I am sure, Miss Li. I think that Mu Jingyi deserves a family that would welcome her and truly love her. I know she isn't mine, but…" He trailed off, looking away as if he was ashamed that he was still concerned about Gu Changge despite all the things she did to him and their son.
Li Chuntao eyed him as if he'd grown another head over his shoulder. Was he serious? Did he really want to take on the responsibility of raising Mu Jingyi? Although she thought that the girl was innocent and shouldn't be held accountable for her mother's devious actions, she couldn't comprehend why would Meng Huan was willing to adopt her.
"Why?" She asked him straightforwardly.
"Because this is my way of paying back all the things I couldn't do for Changge before," Meng Huan said with a solemn expression on his face. "If I had been a better husband to her, if I truly did my best to provide for her and our son, she wouldn't feel the need to stray away from us for a better life."
Li Chuntao thought that was ridiculous. Gu Changge was the one who wronged him, but why did Meng Huan take the blame for her poor choices and attitude?
"I understand that you care about the girl, but don't you think you should be kind to yourself? You keep taking the blame for your wife's actions but why can't you put yourself first? You need to man up, Meng Huan. Too much kindness can kill you." She said before turning around.
Since he had decided to keep Mu Jingyi, then she wouldn't need to worry about the girl.. She'd already done her part to make sure that she and Meng Huan's son wouldn't be implicated by their mother's wrongdoing when she was still alive.
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