Transmigration: The Cannon Fodder Suddenly Made a Comeback!-Chapter 715 Childhood Shadow

Jiang Mingyu let out a long sigh before collapsing onto the sofa, burying his head deep into his arms.

After a long while, Jiang Li finally heard his muffled voice echoing in the empty room.

"It was all my fault back then."

That was eight years ago.

At that time, he and Shen Lan had been secretly married for ten years, and Jiang Shixu was nine years old.

Because of their jobs, he and Shen Lan spent little time together, coupled with the rigid family atmosphere, they frequently argued, ending almost every rare meeting with a fight.

Shixu had been suspected of having autism by doctors early on, and due to the pressure from the old man and considering his child’s health, he proposed the idea of retiring to Shen Lan for the first time.

Shen Lan was extremely ambitious about her career, and she would have never agreed to marry him if it weren’t for an accidental pregnancy.

At that time, he was highly popular, even nominated for an international music award, and Shen Lan was intent on expanding his market overseas.

He, however, threw cold water on her plans.

After knowing his thoughts, she berated him for his cowardice, argued fiercely, and then left home.

Watching his family on the brink of collapse, he felt utterly despondent, ignored his assistant’s advice, quit a fan group decisively, and was determined to exit the music industry.

The members of that group had been his fans since his debut, and the news fell on them like a bombshell.

A few extreme ones started to crazily investigate the reasons behind his decision to leave the industry.

It’s hard to keep secrets forever, and soon they found out he was secretly married with a son.

Driven to despair, they contrived a criminal plan.

They believed that if his family ceased to exist, he would return to the music industry and become their "Heavenly God" again.

So, they targeted Jiang Shixu, who was attending elementary school then.

They meticulously disguised themselves as intern teachers at his school, isolated him from his peers using their positions.

Once Xiao Shixu became completely isolated, they crazily kidnapped him.

They then threatened him, saying if he wanted to retire, they would take both his son’s life and the "Jiang Tienshen" with them.

Xiao Shixu was in their hands for three whole days.

He did not dare to think how such a small child had managed during those three days.

He only knew that after the police rescued him, his voice was hoarse from crying, his body was full of bruises, and his eyes fearfully stared blankly at everything around him.

It took him half a year in the recovery center before he began to improve.

But after that, he refused to be close to him again, never again calling him "Daddy".

He did not want to go to school, nor did he want to see people, always locking himself in his room.

The old man felt sorry for Shixu, saw him as the culprit, and had him hung in the house and beaten for three days, finally relenting only after Lin Manru and his third brother pleaded bitterly.

He also fell into deep self-blame, afraid of facing his son, fearing it might remind him of those terrible events.

Shen Lan, blaming him for his impulsiveness, became even colder towards him, eventually took Jiang Shixu overseas for treatment, and then under the old man’s persuasion, brought Jiang Shixu back to the Jiang Family half a year later.

Once Shen Lan left, he immediately announced his retirement and almost used up all his savings to suppress the matter, to prevent Jiang Shixu from suffering more public criticism.

After settling these matters, he left this cold place and traveled around the world for adventures.

Only during those extreme sports, with the surge of adrenaline, could he temporarily forget those things.

He had hoped that by embarking on this adventure, he could become braver and more independent, capable of shouldering the responsibilities of his family and becoming a competent father and husband.

He also hoped that staying away from him, Jiang Shixu could recover more quickly.

But he had not anticipated that once he left, he would lose contact with his family for various reasons, and that he would be gone for many years.

"He must hate me," Jiang Mingyu’s voice grew hoarser, "It’s only right that he hates me. If I hadn’t chosen to enter the entertainment industry at the beginning, I could have been there for him like most fathers, giving him a normal and complete childhood..."

Jiang Li was at a loss for words.

She had never imagined that Jiang Shixu had experienced such an event.

No wonder the old man never mentioned the second uncle; there had been no hint of it online either.

Thinking of the changes Jiang Shixu had been through recently, even she couldn’t help but admire him.

Not many people could successfully escape the shadows left from their childhood.

Even the strongest of superheroes could be trapped by their unfortunate childhood for life.

By taking this step, he had already become the bravest person in the world.

Jiang Li sat down silently next to Jiang Mingyu, then placed a hand on his shoulder.

Her palm was very warm, so warm that it reminded Jiang Mingyu of his elder brother in his childhood—sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.

Their mother had died early, and their grandfather had been too strict and rigid.

His childhood had been almost entirely supported by his brother.

With this thought, Jiang Mingyu cried even louder.

He knew it was unseemly for a middle-aged man to cry in front of a younger family member.

But he just couldn’t help himself.

Jiang Li’s hand was too warm and strong; his years of anxiety, loneliness, depression, and hardship all came out at this moment.

The emotions he had deliberately hidden were now inescapably pulled out by Jiang Li.

"Second Uncle," her voice remained firm and strong, "ultimately, we must look forward. Always being trapped in past suffering will forever rob us of the courage to move forward."

"In the past, you indeed made mistakes, and everyone did, but living isn’t about dwelling on past mistakes or forever wallowing in guilt. It’s about making amends, rectifying the wrongs we’ve committed, mending the wounds we’ve inflicted."

"Wouldn’t everything become better that way?"

And indeed, it was to make amends to those she had hurt.

That was why she had started over.

Since fate had given her this opportunity, she was determined to do her best.

Determined not to leave any regrets for her future self.

Jiang Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then finally lifted his head, his face streaked with tears, and gave a resigned smile.

"In this regard... Second Uncle really is no match for you."

"If only you had woken me up like this back then, perhaps these years wouldn’t have been wasted."

Seeing that he had somewhat come to his senses, Jiang Li finally stood up, patted his shoulder again.

"Second Uncle, take some time to think things over by yourself. I’ll head home first. Once you’re ready, we’ll all come to pick you up... Actually, Grandpa misses you a lot."

"Okay."

This time, Jiang Mingyu nodded vigorously, without any hesitation or fear.