I Already Severed Ties With Them. Who Would Bother With Them Now? - Chapter 12:

Chapter 12: He Was So Hungry He Ate Pet Food!

Seeing Miss Su crying, Aunt Song also felt terrible. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she quickly wiped them away, falling silent. In truth, there were still many things she hadn’t said. Miss Su had no idea. She was always busy, sometimes working at the company, sometimes going out to have fun. But what about the son-in-law? He went back and forth between just two places every day—home and the office—busy to the point of exhaustion, giving everything he had for their family, pouring his heart and soul into supporting them, yet they had completely ignored everything he had done for them!

“Is there more? I want to know everything!” After a long time, Su Yuebai wiped away her tears and asked.

Aunt Song hesitated, then after a long pause said, “Miss, could you come with me?”

“Where to?”

“Where he usually stays.”

About five minutes later, Aunt Song brought Su Yuebai to a corner of the basement. It used to store alcohol and had a strong smell. It was narrow and had long been abandoned. But Zhang Xiaofeng didn’t live here—he lived even deeper in.

Soon, Su Yuebai reached the deepest part and finally saw it clearly. It was a stairwell! Zhang Xiaofeng had actually been living in the stairwell!

Guilt overwhelmed Su Yuebai. She had never known any of this. She only knew that she would kick him out every evening, never caring where he went. She assumed her parents would have arranged a room for him in such a big house. She never imagined the place they arranged for him would be this pitiful.

This stairwell was even smaller than a storage room. Living here would be extremely cramped and suffocating—there wasn’t even room to turn over! It was like those tiny prefab rooms for migrant workers, a small cubicle barely big enough for one person to lie down in.

Looking around, she saw there wasn’t even a proper bed. A hammock hung from the wall, already torn with a large hole. Because the space was so tight, there was no shelf or furniture. Two adhesive hooks hung from the wall—most likely used to hang clothes.

Su Yuebai’s face turned pale. So this was where he had been living all along? Sometimes, when he had no place to stay, he’d even be locked outside and forced to huddle with the dog for warmth! Their house only allowed entry to the basement from inside, nowhere else. Yet even so, he had lived in this kind of underground space! This was the kind of place only laborers from out of town would stay in!

She had been living in a spacious, comfortable home with air conditioning and a sofa. And he? His living conditions were like those at the very bottom of society. There was nothing in the room—not even a decent piece of furniture. Forget air conditioning, the place was stifling hot!

Looking around more carefully, she saw there wasn’t even a table. The only light source was a distant bulb. On the hammock rested a notebook.

Su Yuebai curiously picked it up and was instantly stunned.

It was Zhang Xiaofeng’s personal diary—a place where he vented all his grievances and sorrow.

“December 6th. Yueyue’s mom scolded me again today. Her words were harsh. But can I argue back? She’s Yueyue’s mother. She gave birth to her and raised her. I must respect her. I can’t do anything that would hurt Yueyue…”

“December 7th. I worked overnight at the company yesterday and felt a bit disoriented today. I borrowed some money from a colleague and went to the hospital. The doctor said I have neurasthenia. It’s common for people who overwork. Still, it hit me hard. What if I collapse one day? I asked the doctor, and he told me to stop overworking. But how can I not? The competitors are too strong, and my father-in-law is aging fast. His hair has turned gray, and he can’t carry on for much longer. I’m the pillar of this family!”

“December 8th. I felt dizzy again today, almost fainted. I went back to rest and had a nightmare—I died and went to heaven. I was finally free. But the next second, I realized—I’d never see Yueyue again! Or my parents! I love them. I can’t die! I want to go back! Thank goodness… it was just a dream.”

…

“December 10th. Yueyue actually kicked over my cup and threw it in the trash. I was angry, but I didn’t show it. My parents taught me to be a man of my word. I once said I’d even give my life for her. What’s a teacup? A real man should be tolerant, able to endure!”

“December 11th. Today I finally couldn’t hold it in. I argued with Yueyue’s parents twice. Because of that, Yueyue ignored me all day and didn’t speak to me. It felt like we were in a cold war. I was deeply hurt and wanted to leave, but… what about my promise to her? I can’t break my word! Besides, the company can’t run without me. If I leave, my father-in-law won’t be able to withstand six or seven strong competitors alone!”

“December 12th. Several technicians at the company were poached by competitors offering double salaries. I felt useless. I couldn’t keep them. Then that company even tried to poach me with triple salary. But how can I leave Yueyue? I love her. I’ll never betray her!”

…

There were many more entries, but Su Yuebai couldn’t bear to read any further. Her heart ached so badly she couldn’t stop crying. She closed the diary and lowered her head, falling into a long, sorrowful silence.

Tears kept falling uncontrollably. Yes, he had been supporting the company alone, working so hard, so exhausted. Yet when he returned home, her family still treated him that way. But for her, he bore it all willingly. No wonder people say: no one walks away suddenly—it’s always a buildup of pain. He had endured so much, and in the end, because she told him to get lost, he gave up. He despaired. And he left.

It felt like a thousand arrows had pierced Su Yuebai’s heart. The pain was unbearable.

Suddenly, she noticed the trash bin on the ground. It was full of instant noodle wrappers. What shocked her even more was that they were all cheap bagged noodles! That meant Zhang Xiaofeng often ate these!

She suddenly remembered how her parents often didn’t allow him to eat with them. So when he was hungry, he had to eat instant noodles! And because he had no money, he could only eat the cheapest kind.

Su Yuebai’s hands trembled as she reached into the trash bin. She found layer after layer of noodle bags—far more than she imagined. These junk foods were things she never even touched, but Zhang Xiaofeng had been living on them! So many bags… he had clearly been eating them as his main meals!

“Aunt Song… how could he survive eating just this? I never asked about his meals. Was this really all he had?”

“What else could he eat? He was always skipping meals. Sometimes when he was too hungry, he would sneak into the kitchen to find leftovers. Once, I caught him. He blushed and ran off. Another time… I actually caught him eating the cat’s food! When he realized I saw him, he said it tasted good and wanted to try it!”

Thud!

Su Yuebai’s heart shook violently, like being struck by lightning. So hungry he ate pet food? Was that even something a human could endure?

But thinking again, during times of famine, people even ate bark. To him, maybe the pet food tasted good. But that was animal food! Still, he had no money. Where could he buy proper food?

“Oh right, Miss… um… the young master also borrowed 300 yuan from me. He still hasn’t been able to pay it back…” Aunt Song hesitated as she spoke.

Su Yuebai immediately took out her phone and transferred 3,000 yuan to her. Tears kept falling from her eyes. “It’s too tragic. Too tragic! I never cared about his meals. I thought, in our house, no matter what, he wouldn’t starve. But now I realize… this is what he’s been going through…”

“Miss, don’t blame yourself. It’s the master and madam who’ve been too harsh. They wanted to assert authority. Plus, they suspected the young master of hiding private savings, like taking kickbacks from procurement. They thought he was pretending to be poor. But tell me—if someone wasn’t truly desperate, would they sneak pet food to eat? I saw it with my own eyes! Haven’t you noticed? Compared to when he first came, he’s lost so much weight! But when I reported all this to the master and madam, they stubbornly insisted he was faking!”

Su Yuebai shook her head and sighed. Her heart was filled with unbearable sorrow. Zhang Xiaofeng lived in a big villa but ate instant noodles for every meal—so hungry he had to steal pet food. Even if those pet foods were expensive and tasty, costing tens of thousands per bag, they were still not meant for people! Maybe to someone poor, it could be seen as a luxury, a way to fill their stomach, but in the end—it wasn’t food meant for humans!

Su Yuebai trembled as she said, “He didn’t take any kickbacks. I believe him.”

“Miss, I believe him too. He’s upright and honest—not that kind of person.”

Su Yuebai nodded, then added, “I made him turn over all his money. He doesn’t have any other bank cards. Where would he keep kickback money? I also regularly check his phone. There are no suspicious transfers. He has nothing!”

“Even so, the master and madam still don’t trust him. After all, he’s not family by blood.”

Su Yuebai fell silent again. Her family… had truly wronged him too deeply.