Chapter 161 - I need his help

He thought she was talking about Lu Ziyan or Tian Le. 

The old lady was confused as well, and she looked up at him. She blinked for a few seconds and asked, "Did your mum give you other brothers after your dad passed away? If so... Erm... I'm talking about Han Xuan."

"Han Xuan?" Han Ye's face darkened. "What are you talking about?" 

The old lady lowered her head and stuttered, "I... I know... I know that I've disappointed Xiao Xuan, that I'm unfit to be his mum... I know I was selfish to leave him back there when I ran... I should have taken him with me... I did!"

Tears started to roll down her cheeks while her hands began to tremble. She had to grab onto her own hand to stop it from moving. 

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she continued, "P-Please believe me! I went back to check on him, and I wanted to take him with me... But I saw him with your mother, Ruoyun, before, and he seemed so much happier than when he was with me..."

She then looked up and smiled, completely oblivious to the confused expression on Han Ye's face. "I found a new man, my late husband... He was willing to accept my past, and when I told him about Xiao Xuan, he allowed me to take Xiao Xuan along. But the day I went to pick him up, I saw him playing with you..."

"Me?" Han Ye murmured while his brows furrowed deeper. He could not believe what he was listening to right now. Head Manager Han was his brother? How the heck did it come to this?! 

The old woman looked at Han Ye and nodded quickly. With trembling, excited hands, she then took out her wallet and pulled out an old wrinkled photo from her wallet. Showing it to Han Ye, she said in a loving tone, "I took this on that day... It was the only photo I had of him other than his baby photos."

Han Ye looked at the photo and frowned slightly. Even though it was slightly blurred, he recognized the little toddler in the photo. 

"That's you..." The old lady pointed at the little toddler and said, " Do you remember? You were very cute, and Xiao Xuan would always play with you. He kept you safe whenever... whenever that man returned from work." 

"My father..."

The old lady nodded. "Do... Do you remember him?" 

Han Ye admitted, "Not much... I remember bits and pieces..."

"He's not... someone kind. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left... and I left without Xiao Xuan even though I knew that he would be in danger... I just thought that because Xiao Xuan is his son, he won't be too bad toward him," she muttered in a soft voice as she gripped onto her sweat-stained shirt. "I-I was selfish... I know... When that man remarried, I was worried that Xiao Xuan would be bullied by his new mother as well, so I went to check on him. But I was wrong..."

She looked up at Han Ye and saw the traces of his mother in his expression. "Your mother was really kind to Xiao Xuan..."

She went back a few times to secretly check on her young son. And once, she saw a heavily pregnant Feng Ruoyun carrying Xiao Xuan on her back. To protect Xiao Xuan from his father's brutality, Feng Ruoyun had taken him with her whenever she went to work. 

The old lady wiped her tears off using her sleeve before she continued with a smile, "Han Ye, where is your mother?"

Han Ye gulped and looked away. After a moment of silence, he replied with a sad voice, "She passed away when I was sixteen..."

"I'm sorry..." 

"It's fine..." Han Ye waved his hand nonchalantly. It had been so long and he had come into terms with his mother's passing. "But, why did you come and find him now? Based on what you were saying, you went away? So, I guess you didn't see him for a long time?" 

The old lady nodded. "I got pregnant. After my second son was born, we moved here, to Imperial City. We have been staying here since then. Out of respect for my husband, I didn't look for Xiao Xuan after that... I figure that he's better off forgetting about me."

"Why didn't you look for him then?" 

"I didn't know he's here. I saw Xiao Xuan on TV a few months ago... during the 30th-anniversary event for Hotel W. I recognized him immediately. H-He's very handsome... like his father, which I wasn't sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate."

"And why now? what do you want me to do?" Han Ye asked gruffly.

He did not know what to think of this old lady in front of him. She abandoned her son to protect herself, and now, she came back looking for her son despite initially wanted her son to forget about her... Han Ye wanted to judge her, but he knew firsthand how hard it was for a mother to take her child with her while escaping from a brutal husband. 

His mother took him along, yet life was hard for them for the first few years. She was uneducated and had to rely on a man to keep them alive. And the man turned out to be the same. She could have had a better life, but with a child in tow, she could not choose her husband. Especially not when they could not even afford to pay for their rent. 

The old lady winced slightly when she heard the tone in Han Ye's voice. However, no matter how shameless she would appear in his eyes, she had to do this. "I need his help..."

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