More than anyone else, even his own father, Ye Xiaozu hated himself. He could have done something to help his sister and Lu Tianxin instead of pretending to be a dog licking his own wounds. His pain was evidently incomparable to the pain and suffering the two most important women in his life had suffered.

  He'd totally deluded himself that he was the one who was suffering, that Lu Tianxin had betrayed him, when in fact she didn't. It turned out that he was the one who chickened out and abandoned her instead.

  Not for the first time, Ye Xiaozu hated himself more than he already did. He should have insisted on staying rather than following his father's wishes. If only he was strong enough to go against his father eight years ago, he and Lu Tianxin wouldn't have to end up like this.

  Bitterness flooded his mouth as he realized how useless he'd been. He clenched his fists tightly to suppress the anger he felt for himself. He had wallowed in self pity without even bothering to find out the reason for her rejection.

  Had he known that his sister was sick and dying, he definitely wouldn't leave the country and would've stayed by Yimei's side, sharing the burden with Lu Tianxin. Alas, it was too late to regret anything now.

  Ye Xiaozu felt like screaming, punching something at this exact moment, but he reined his anger as he didn't want to scare Lu Tianxin. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him why she hadn't chosen him.

  "Eight years, Tianxin. Why? I don't understand why you kept the truth from me for this long." He was having a hard time controlling his emotions over this revelation and seeing Lu Tianxin looking defeated wasn't helping him at all.

  "For the longest time, I asked myself the same question. I knew I should tell you eventually, but I knew that if Luo Luo were to be raised by your father or your family, he would constantly be on the edge." Lu Tianxin's voice trembled as she continued to reveal the secret she'd been keeping for a long time.

  "Why did you think your sister gave him to me? Why do you think she insisted on me keeping this from you until the storm has settled in your family? Tell me, Xiaozu, now that you've reached the highest position in your company, can you finally protect your nephew from your family?" She questioned him.

  She needed to know what he planned to do now that he knew about the only person his dead sister had left in this world. Because if Ye Xiaozu wasn't willing to fight and protect Luo Luo, the frontline battle would be hers and she wouldn't easily surrender her son to anyone.

  "He's now my son, Xiaozu. I would forsake everything for his sake." Lu Tianxin admitted to him in a low voice. Her tears had dried up and with this confession, it somehow lightened the burden in her heart.

  "Now that you know everything about your sister and Luo Luo… Xiaozu, please consider your choices. But more than anything, please keep Luo Luo's identity a secret from your family. Don't drag your dysfunctional family dynamics into his life. Luo Luo deserves a life where he is loved and cherished. I will not allow anyone to use him as a pawn, not even you, Xiaozu."

  Lu Tianxin stood up and wrapped her arms around her middle section as she watched her son giggling over something Xiao Bao said to him as they played with Li Meili and Elaine Wu.

  "I didn't have any choice before, but I couldn't simply leave him even though I knew I would need to sacrifice a lot to keep him with me." She smiled bitterly. "But I regret nothing, Xiaozu. Luo Luo is now the love of my life. I don't care if he didn't come from me. He is and will always be my little Luo Luo."

  Ye Xiaozu remained silent as he tried to digest all the information he just heard from Lu Tianxin. This really wasn't what he expected to find out when he asked his private investigator, who had yet to update him on his extended investigation, to look into the events that had happened 8 years ago. Whatever the investigator could find later would only serve as proof of her claims now.

  He looked at Lu Tianxin's vulnerable form. She was still the same woman he'd fallen in love with, and he regretted how he treated her recently. She'd suffered because of him and his family. He could see how affectionate she was with Luo Luo, like he was her own. Not everyone could love someone else's child like that.

  "Tianxin, this is my fight. As you said, you and Luo Luo shouldn't be dragged into our family issues. Yimei trusted you to take care of him and I can see that you've fulfilled your promise to her. As for my relatives, I assure you that I will do my best to protect Luo Luo from them."

  He wasn't able to help Yimei and Tianxin eight years ago, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to do anything to help Tianxin and Luo Luo this time. They only solidified the reason for him to get rid of threats in his family as soon as possible.