Chapter 28: Dad Was Betrayed
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A heavy silence fell upon the spacious living room after Su Chen played the last note of the song.
As Su Chen lifted his eyes, he saw that his mother’s and sister’s eyes watered. Tears rolled down his mother’s cheeks.
“Oh, my god. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have sung this song. Mom, don’t cry!” Su Chen was thrown into a panic. He did not know what to do.
There had always been a young, carefree, and cheerful soul in his mother’s body, as if she was still a little girl. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw his mom cry.
“No, it’s fine. The song was great!” Wen Xia wiped away her tears and smiled. “Listening to it, I couldn’t help but imagine how I will look when I am old. That made me a little sad.”
Su Mo moved to her mother’s side and hugged her. She said in a hoarse voice, “Mommy, you won’t get old. Brother and I will always be by your side.”
Although the mother and daughter squabbled all the time like a pair of sisters, the bond between them was tight.
“Sister’s right, Mom. Didn’t I tell you that you’d stay eighteen forever?” Su Chen smiled and agreed.
“You silly kids—who doesn’t get old?” Wen Xia smiled gently. She asked Su Chen, “Chenchen, did you write this song also? What is the name?”
A few days ago, when Su Mo came back from the gathering with her friends, she proudly showed off the song Su Chen wrote for her. Wen Xia was jealous of it.
Wen Xia also had a good ear for music and loved listening to it. The song Su Chen sang for her was professional. If it had already existed, she would have recognized it.
“Yeah, the name is ‘When You Are Old,'” Su Chen replied.
“‘When You Are Old’…Great, really great! Sing it again!” Wen Xia smiled.
“I’d rather not. How about a livelier song?” Su Chen suggested. He didn’t want to make his mom cry again. She was always so joyous. His heart ached when she cried.
“Yeah, bro, sing the song you wrote for me,” Su Mo quickly nodded and agreed with him.
“No, sing the one you wrote for me.” Wen Xia was determined. “Don’t worry. I won’t cry this time. It was because I heard it for the first time just now, and it moved me.”
Since she insisted, the brother and sister agreed.
Su Chen strummed the guitar gently, and the melody filled the room again.
The mother and daughter were not as down as they had been before. Their bodies swayed to the music, and they softly sang along.
The door opened in the midst of the song.
Su Wenshan, who wore a suit and carried a briefcase, was home.
“Uh…What are you guys doing?” stupefied, Su Wenshan asked.
When the three heard him, they stopped singing and looked in his direction.
He seemed to have drunk a lot of alcohol because his cheeks were red.
“Hubby, come. Chenchen wrote us a song. It’s very touching.” Wen Xia quickly waved at him.
“Really?” Su Wenshan was a little surprised. He walked toward them after changing into a pair of slippers.
“Mo, make a cup of tea for dad. Sober him up,” Su Chen said to his sister.
Su Mo nodded instantly and left the living room to make tea.
“You drank so much again!” When Wen Xia smelled alcohol on Su Wenshan, her face cringed in disgust. She pinched her nose and fluttered her hands, trying to get rid of the smell.
“I didn’t have a choice.” Su Wenshan gave her a wry smile.
“How did it go? The meeting didn’t go well? Still no suitable script?” Wen Xia frowned.
Su Wen shan sighed. “It’s not gonna be easy in such a short time. The problem now is that everything is ready; we’re ready to start shooting. If we terminate the project, we’re gonna suffer a heavy loss!”
“It’s all because that a**hole broke his promise.” Wen Xia was enraged.
“Dad, drink some tea. What’s going on?” asked Su Mo as she brought a cup of steaming hot green tea and put it in front of her dad.
“Nothing, nothing. Chen, aren’t you going to sing a song? Let’s begin; let’s see what great song you’ve got there.” Su Wenshan laughed and changed the subject. He didn’t want to worry his kids with the trouble he faced in his business.
Su Chen nodded and started playing the guitar again.
“When you are old and gray…”
Once Su Chen sang the first line of the song, Su Wenshan was stunned. He put the cup of tea down and listened earnestly.
The song ended.
“Hubby, what do you think? This is the song Chenchen wrote especially for us,” Wen Xia proudly exclaimed while grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s good. It’s a great song!” Gratified, he looked at Su Chen and said, “Huh, never thought Chen had such talent and could write such a great song.”
“Haha, of course! Chenchen is my son. He inherited my talent.” Wen Xia’s face glowed with pride.
“Well, half of it was my contribution!” Su Wenshan said with a smile.
“Hey, what are you talking about? The kids are here!” Wen Xia punched her husband coquettishly. Su Wenshan burst into laughter; all the downheartedness was gone, and he was delighted.
Su Chen and Su Mo couldn’t stand the sight of their parents flirting; they looked at each other and smiled.
After finishing his tea, Su Wenshan sat in the living room for a while before going upstairs to take a bath.
“Mom, what’s going on with the business?” Su Chen asked.
Wen Xia did not hold back. She briefly explained the situation.
The whole mess began with an old friend of Su Wenshan’s. He was an author who specialized in military novels. Chentian Media Culture Company had already worked with him to publish a few bestselling novels.
His recent work, “Cavalry Charge,” had received a good response. More than 10,000 copies sold in just two months.
Chentian Media Culture Company’s main focus used to be book publication and advertising design, but they were currently considering expanding into the motion picture industry. Since the book was a bestseller, Su Wenshan thought that it was a good idea to adapt the book into a film script.
The negotiation went well with the friend, and they sealed the deal.
Su Wenshan, a highly effective person, started the preparation immediately. He searched for investors, built a team, sought out film directors…
When everything was ready, Su Wenshan went to the friend to sign the contract, only to learn that he had sold the movie rights to another company, Rising Sun Multimedia, which was Chentian Media Culture Company’s competitor.
“How could he do that? He is so untrustworthy!” Su Mo criticized, her blood boiling with righteous indignation.
“Your dad trusted this friend too much. He should’ve secured the contract before starting the preparation. For many people nowadays, money is their new friend, decades of friendship don’t mean a thing, and profit is more important.”
Wen Xia sighed and spoke in a grave and earnest tone while staring at them. “So, you guys have got to take this as a lesson learned: be careful and critical while making friends with others. Don’t be friends with two-faced people.”
The brother and sister nodded solemnly.
“Mom, so what’s Dad gonna do?” Su Chen asked curiously.
“Now he can only try his best to find other film scripts. This project was of great importance to the company. We drew on many resources since it was supposed to be our debut as we stepped into the motion picture industry. However, it’s very hard to find a good script in such a short time.”
Wen Xia’s face clouded, but when she saw that the kids also turned moody, she smiled and said while waving her hands, “Hey, why did I tell you this? There will be a way out of this mess. You guys don’t have to worry. It’s your dad’s and my problem.”
Su Chen contemplated for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the stairs.
“Chenchen, it’s still early. Are you going to bed?” asked Wen Xia.
“Nah, I just wanna get some books from Dad’s study,” replied Su Chen as he went up the staircase.