Volume One, Chapter 64: Naive Woman

"I only know the child's surname is Lin."
"Lin Xing."
Yu Mo blurted out the name.
"You know who that child is?"
"Sort of," Yu Mo replied.
She couldn't help but recall how she had first met Lin Xing.
She had agreed to help Zhuang Zhizhi try some medicine for its effects and then left the hospital.
She called Douzi to go with her to the Qi family residence.

Upon entering the Qi residence, Yu Mo and Douzi immediately saw her mother.
Xiao Lin was seated on the living room sofa, facing Meng Pei.
Xiao Lin was surprised to see her daughter, while Meng Pei showed no sign of surprise, instead greeting Yu Mo warmly and inviting her to sit.
A surge of caution rose in Yu Mo's heart; she told Douzi to wait outside.
She quietly sat down beside her mother.
Xiao Lin continued her conversation with Meng Pei, her face full of hope as she carefully asked,
"Meng Pei, is Qi Yancheng your son?"
Meng Pei met Xiao Lin's anxious gaze, as if she'd just heard something amusing.
"Of course Yancheng is my son."
She lowered her eyelids, fiddling with her jeweled ring, and continued,
"I can understand your feelings after losing your son, but you can't just see someone else's child and claim he's yours."
Xiao Lin pressed her lips together, her expression apologetic.
"Can I meet Yancheng?"
She believed in the bond between mother and child; blood ties could never be erased.
If she saw Qi Yancheng, she would know for certain whether he was her son.
Since arriving in the imperial capital, she's had a strong intuition that her son was here.
This time, she was sure she would find him.
Absolutely.

Meng Pei smiled, her face showing difficulty.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Lin, Yancheng has been very busy lately. He hasn't had time to come home to see me, let alone meet you."
What a joke—Qi Yancheng would always be her child.
For this lifetime and forever.
She would never allow Xiao Lin to take Qi Yancheng away from her.
She knew she'd been too harsh to Yancheng in the past, but she regretted it now and had been making amends all these years.
Yancheng was certain to forgive her; after all, she was just a woman wounded by love.
Unable to control herself, she had vented her dissatisfaction by hurting others.
Yancheng would surely understand.

And all of this was caused by the woman before her.

By Xiao Lin and Yu Hongxuan.
They deserved to be without a son.
Xiao Lin's hands clenched tightly in her lap.
She had come to the Qi family today just to see Qi Yancheng.
She hadn't expected Meng Pei, after breaking up with Hongxuan, to marry into the Qi family in the imperial capital.
Nor that Meng Pei's son was born the same year as her own.
It was impossible not to suspect.
Her daughter had said that Qi Yancheng had a birthmark on his arm.
Though her daughter insisted Yancheng was not her brother, Xiao Lin refused to give up; she wanted to see him with her own eyes.

Yu Mo felt her heart tighten. She had already called Qi Yancheng before coming.
He would be back soon.
She needed to get her mother out of the Qi residence—preferably before her mother could meet Yancheng.
"Madam Qi, I'm sorry to have disturbed you," Yu Mo said, looking at her mother.
"Mom, let me take you home. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
Her tone was tinged with complaint, but mostly with fear that Meng Pei might do something to her mother.
Though Xiao Lin was reluctant to leave, she had no reason to stay.
Meng Pei stood and addressed Yu Mo and Xiao Lin,
"I won't see you out. Butler, please see them to the door."
The butler escorted Yu Mo and Xiao Lin to the entrance of the Qi residence.
Xiao Lin looked back regretfully, then turned away.

A car appeared at the gate.
Yu Mo recognized the driver—it was Qi Yancheng.
She frowned; there was no way to prevent her mother from meeting Qi Yancheng now.
The car moved slowly. Ignoring her daughter's tug, Xiao Lin rushed toward the vehicle.
"Screech—!"
The car stopped. Qi Yancheng hurriedly opened the door and ran to Xiao Lin.
"Are you all right?"
He looked nervously at the woman before him.
A few years ago, after uncovering his true origins, he had secretly gone to the Yu family in the magic city.
He had met his birth mother, but this was the first time he saw her so close.
Qi Yancheng felt as if a giant hand was gripping his heart, squeezing even tighter.
The pain was unbearable.
The greatest agony in life is having one's own blood standing before you, yet being unable to acknowledge them.
The corners of his eyes, already red, grew darker. He tried to keep his voice calm, but a slight choke betrayed him.
"And you are..."

Yu Mo stood quietly, unable to bear seeing her brother like this.
She discreetly wiped away a tear, then spoke to Qi Yancheng,
"This is my mother, Xiao Lin."
Xiao Lin stared at the man before her, almost certain he was her son.
She gripped Qi Yancheng's wrist tightly, so overcome with emotion that she could not speak.
Her gaze was filled with deep affection.
At last, she had found her son.
Twenty years.
She and Hongxuan's son stood right before her.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Yu Mo stepped forward to support her mother and said to Qi Yancheng,
"Young Master Qi, my mother isn't feeling well. I'll take her home."
"All right."
Qi Yancheng took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. He spotted Meng Pei emerging from the house.
He quickly added,
"If she's unwell, please take her home now."
Yu Mo also saw Meng Pei and called Douzi to help her mother as they hurried away from the Qi residence.

Qi Yancheng parked his car and walked toward the main house.
Meng Pei came forward, watching him with warmth.
"Yancheng, why are you home? You didn't tell me. I'll cook for you. What would you like to eat? I'll have the servants buy it. Let's have your favorite sweet-and-sour ribs."
Qi Yancheng's expression was cold, and he quietly avoided Meng Pei's outstretched hand.
He strode toward the stairs, but Meng Pei persisted,
"If you don't like my cooking, I'll have the chef make it for you. The five-star hotel's chef makes delicious sweet-and-sour ribs."
Qi Yancheng suddenly stopped. He turned to Meng Pei, his tone thick with sarcasm.
"Meng Pei, aren't you tired? What’s the point of pretending every day? My father isn't even home—who are you performing for?"
Meng Pei recoiled, clutching her chest as if deeply wounded.
Her expression twisted in pain.
"Yancheng, I truly want what's best for you. I'm not acting for anyone. Can't you feel my sincerity?"
Her voice grew more agitated, her whole body trembling, clutching her chest.
"Qi Yancheng, I really regret it. Can't you forgive me for what I did when you were a child? I was a victim too. Yu Hongxuan abandoned me, and my heart shattered..."
"So you used me as a tool to vent your anger? If I hadn't grown up, would you have kept abusing me until I died? Don't think I was too young for my memory to fade; let me tell you, I remember everything—clearly, vividly."
Qi Yancheng's blood-red eyes seemed stained by tears, but he stubbornly held them back, the red mole at the corner of his eye even more pronounced, as if mocking the woman's naivety.
He rarely lost control, but now he was on the verge of hysteria.
Meng Pei, this so-called 'mother,' wasn't even as kind as the household maids.
Had it not been for the servants sneaking him food as a child, he would have starved to death long ago.