The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

Returning triumphantly from Shanghai, Su Qingyao asked Wen Yu to take her luggage back and get busy, while she took a taxi to the hospital.

Clutching tightly in his arms were the crystal trophy for the "Best Individual Performance in Physics Award" and several award certificates.

Like a cheerful little bird, she hopped and skipped through the hospital corridor and rushed straight into Su's mother's ward.

"Aunt Zhou~~"

Her voice was clear and bright, still brimming with the excitement of her long journey, as she greeted Aunt Zhou, who was arranging flowers by the window.

"Hey, Yaoyao's back!"

Aunt Zhou turned around and saw the trophy in her arms and the undisguised joy on her face, and immediately understood.

"Judging by how happy you are, the competition must have gone exceptionally well, and you must have achieved outstanding results!"

"Mmm!" Su Qingyao nodded vigorously, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars.

She couldn't wait to walk to her mother's bedside, carefully placed the trophy and certificate on the bedside table, pulled up a chair, sat down, and leaned close to her mother's peacefully sleeping face.

"Mom, I'm home!"

Her voice was soft but filled with excitement, "I'm back from Shanghai, and I brought you a gift!"

She picked up the most exquisite "Best Physics Academic Performance Individual Award" certificate, opened the inner pages, pointed to the gold-embossed name and seal, and showed it to Su's mother like a treasure, regardless of whether her mother could see it or not.

"Mom, look! This is the national competition championship certificate! It's the best award for college students!"

She started sharing excitedly.

From the tense written exam upon arriving in Shanghai, to staying up all night with teammates in the lab to tackle difficult problems, to the excitement of taking the stage four times at the awards ceremony, and the surprise brought by Wen Yu's sudden appearance...

When they get excited, they unconsciously shake their heads, gesticulate wildly, and their faces are filled with pure joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Aunt Zhou quietly packed her things, and looking at Su Qingyao's appearance, her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

This child's character is truly rare.

It is said that there are no filial children at the bedside of a chronically ill patient, but she has lived most of her life and seen too much of that.

But this nineteen-year-old girl in front of me has remained steadfast in her filial piety for the past two years since Madam Su fell ill.

She learned all the professional nursing and massage techniques little by little from the caregivers and rehabilitation therapists.

Whenever he came to the ward, he would massage and clean Mrs. Su.

She was always smiling, constantly sharing interesting stories from her school life with Mrs. Su, and even if all she got in return was silence, she would still talk with great enthusiasm.

But Aunt Zhou knew in her heart how much suffering lay behind this optimism and strength.

She glanced at Mrs. Su, who was still sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, and silently prayed.

Madam Su, please wake up soon.

Your daughter, she really loves you, and she really... has had a tough time.

Perhaps it was truly a mother and daughter connected by heart, creating some kind of mysterious telepathic connection.

Just as Su Qingyao's throat grew dry from talking, she habitually reached out and gently grasped her mother's always slightly cool hand—

She froze completely.

It's not an illusion.

She could clearly feel her mother's slender fingers twitch very slightly, but definitely.

"Mom...Mom?!"

Su Qingyao's voice trembled with disbelief as she stared intently at her mother's hand, holding her breath.

Aunt Zhou noticed something was wrong and quickly came over. "Yaoyao, what's wrong?"

"It moved! Aunt Zhou! Mom's finger... just moved! I felt it move!"

Su Qingyao was so excited that she was incoherent, tightly gripping her mother's hand, afraid of missing the next slight movement.

It wasn't the first time she'd heard someone say it, but this was the first time she'd truly felt the signal her mother was sending through her own hands.

Even the slightest throbbing sent shivers down her spine.

The overwhelming surprise overwhelmed her, making her nose sting and her eyes instantly redden.

She held back her tears, gripped her mother's hand even tighter, and pressed her face close to hers. Her voice was choked with emotion, yet filled with an endless desire to express herself.

"Mom! You heard that, didn't you? You heard that Yaoyao won an award, right?"

She sniffed and continued, going into even more detail than before, and even mentioned the incident at the awards ceremony.

"Mom, there's one more thing!"

She straightened her back, a hint of smugness seeking praise appearing on her face.

"During the award ceremony, someone stood up and questioned me, saying that my results might be unfair because Wenyu was a sponsor!"

She mimicked the scene, her tone becoming firm and powerful.

"But I remember everything my mother taught me. I won't cause trouble, but I'm definitely not afraid of trouble either!"

"I responded to him on the spot, using facts, data, and the judges' later explanations to prove that my score was clean and well-deserved! I didn't let you down, right?"

She gazed expectantly at her mother's face, hoping to see the response she desired.

A few seconds after she finished speaking, Su's mother, who had been looking peaceful on the hospital bed, seemed to smile slightly.

The change was so subtle that it was hard to detect, like an illusion of light and shadow.

But Su Qingyao saw it.

"Mother……"

Su Qingyao's tears finally welled up, but they were tears of joy and happiness.

She bent down and gently pressed her face against the back of her mother's hand, feeling the warmth of life returning to her. Her voice was choked with emotion but filled with happiness.

"I knew it... you could hear me, you've always been with me."

Aunt Zhou couldn't help but wipe her eyes, quietly stepping back a few paces to leave the mother and daughter with complete space.

The winter sun shone softly through the glass, bathing the two people who were clinging to each other in the hospital room.

Time becomes gentle and full of hope at this moment.

After a while, Su Qingyao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her eyes regained their light, and she returned to her energetic self.

She gripped her mother's hand tightly and spoke in a coquettish tone.

"Mom, your daughter is so amazing, shouldn't we celebrate? How about I treat you to a celebratory dinner tonight?"

"Wait here, I'll go ask the nutritionist right now to see if there are any new flavors!"

She got up and walked to the side to call Wen Yu.

The call was answered instantly.

"My darling Yu Yu!" Su Qingyao couldn't wait to share.

"I was holding my mom's hand just now, and I clearly felt her fingers move! It really was me!"

On the other end of the phone, Wen Yu, who was dealing with a backlog of official business, put down his pen upon hearing the call.

He leaned back in his chair, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face, his voice so gentle it was almost palpable.

"Really? Our baby is such a lucky star! Auntie is already overjoyed after winning the championship."

"Mmm!" She nodded vigorously.

"And when I was talking to my mom, the corner of her mouth seemed to curve slightly, like she was smiling, and Aunt Zhou saw it too."

"The aunt must be very proud of her champion daughter."

Wen Yu's voice was full of determination and encouragement.