After the school beauty rejected me, I became her mom's number one fan!

Qiao Jinlin buried his face in his knees.

She didn't want her mother to see her expression.

Because she wasn't sure what her expression was... anger? Resentment? Or some kind of understanding she didn't want to admit?

The silence lasted for a short while longer.

Qiao Feiyu did not continue the conversation.

She is waiting.

Waiting for my daughter to process this, waiting for her to ask questions.

She's been a mother for twenty years and knows this child's rhythm all too well.

Sure enough, the next question arose.

"Exactly..." Qiao Jinlin raised his head, but his gaze remained fixed on the carpet pattern, avoiding Qiao Feiyu's eyes, "How did it all begin?"

Qiao Feiyu was silent for a few seconds, then began to speak.

She didn't lie, nor did she hide any crucial facts... There was a special subordinate relationship between them, which Qiao Jinlin witnessed firsthand and couldn't be concealed.

But she omitted all the specific details.

No marker was mentioned.

No photos were mentioned.

The text message was not mentioned.

She only mentioned the most essential part.

Did you ever see your mother cry when you were a child?

Qiao Jinlin thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Yes. Mom has never cried in front of you. Nor in front of your grandfather, and certainly not at work."

Qiao Feiyu rested her hands on her knees, her fingers gently stroking the fabric of her pajama bottoms.

"After your father passed away, your mother raised you alone and went to work by herself. During the day, she made the right decisions at the city government, and at night she came home to cook for you and check your homework. Everyone said that Qiao Feiyu was amazing, a strong woman, an iron lady."

She paused for a moment.

"But no one has ever asked me if I'm happy."

Qiao Jinlin's fingernails dug into his palm.

"After meeting him," Qiao Feiyu slowed down, as if considering how to simplify an extremely complicated matter, "Mom felt for the first time... that she could finally catch her breath."

"It's not because he's rich, it's not because he's young. It's because in front of him, Mom doesn't have to be Qiao Feiyu. She doesn't have to be the mayor, she doesn't have to be the daughter of Minister Qiao, she doesn't have to be anyone else. She can just be... an ordinary woman."

When she said the words "ordinary woman," the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

That wasn't a laugh.

It's a bitter, self-deprecating curve.

Qiao Jinlin looked up at her mother.

The forty-two-year-old woman sat on the carpet, having shed all her armor.

She lacked the worldly wisdom of a political figure, the omniscience of a mother, and the humble flattery she displayed in front of Ning Xiuyang.

She was just a very tired middle-aged woman sitting in front of her daughter.

Qiao Jinlin opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But what came up was a different question.

This was a problem that even she herself hadn't anticipated.

"Then why did you make me...make me his girlfriend..." Her voice rose and then fell again, "Was it your doing? Was I your shield?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Feiyu's body visibly stiffened.

It wasn't that some conspiracy had been exposed.

It's because this problem is too serious.

It touches on the core moral dilemma of the whole affair: Did a mother take advantage of her daughter?

"Jinlin".

Qiao Feiyu's voice was even lower than before.

"Your feelings for him are real. This mother doesn't dare to take credit, nor does she have the right. You fell in love with him on your own."

She paused.

"But Mom did...go with the flow."

"Your maternal grandfather wanted to see him. Mom thought to herself, rather than making up a fake identity, it would be better to..."

"Why not let your daughter be the one to take care of it?" Qiao Jinlin finished speaking for her, his voice flat, so flat that no emotion could be detected.

Qiao Feiyu shut his mouth.

Qiao Jinlin let out a short, dry laugh.

"You've been an official your whole life. You even scheme against your own daughter."

That statement was very hurtful.

Qiao Feiyu didn't say anything.

She knew this was the only way her daughter could vent her emotions.

It's better to vent than to hold it in.

Quiet has returned.

The clock ticks away.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a thin ray of light leaked in through the gap, shining on the ceiling.

It's hard to say whether it's moonlight or streetlights.

A long time passed.

Qiao Jinlin's voice suddenly came out, very softly.

It was so soft, like talking to oneself, unsure if a second person would hear it.

Is he good to you?

Qiao Feiyu was stunned.

She was prepared to be scolded, questioned, pushed away, or even slapped.

But she wasn't prepared to answer that question.

This means that the daughter's focus has shifted from "How could you do this?" to "How does this person treat you?"

The former is anger.

The latter means...to care.

Qiao Feiyu's tears fell.

She endured it all night.

She didn't cry in front of Ning Xiuyang, nor did she cry when her daughter questioned her.

But those four words broke through her last line of defense.

"it is good."

Just one word.

My throat can't produce any more words.

The room remained quiet for a long time.

During this time, Qiao Jinlin kept his head buried in his knees, his shoulders shrugging, but he didn't make a sound.

She is digesting.

The amount of information she needed to process was too much... so much that she had to chop it up, chew it thoroughly, and swallow it bit by bit.

Then she stood up.

My knees were a little numb, so I braced myself against the wall to steady myself before I could stand up straight.

She walked up to Qiao Feiyu.

Qiao Feiyu sat on the carpet and looked up at her.

From this angle, half of the mother's face was illuminated by the light filtering in from the side.

Half of it was bright, and half was dark. Qiao Jinlin noticed fine lines at the corners of his mother's eyes.

She had always worn light makeup before, so she hadn't paid much attention to it.

Tonight, after removing my makeup, all those lines were on full display.

Forty-two years old.

He carried it all alone for eighteen years.

Qiao Jinlin extended his hand.

Qiao Feiyu hesitated for a second, then extended her hand.

Qiao Jinlin pulled her up from the ground.

Then he hugged her.

There was no "I forgive you" or "I don't blame you".

It sounds too fake to say that, and she's not in a position to forgive right now... because she hasn't fully processed it yet.

She just held him.

My face was pressed against my mother's shoulder, and I could smell the scent of the laundry detergent that my mother had been using for many years.

It smelled just like it did when she was a child.

"mom."

"Um."

"I need time."

"it is good."

"But I won't leave him."

Qiao Feiyu tightened his grip on her arm.

"I will never leave you."

Qiao Feiyu pressed his lips to his daughter's hair, opened them slightly, but said nothing.

It's not that I don't want to talk about it.

I'm afraid that if I open my mouth, I'll burst into tears.

They hugged for a long time.

So long that the ray of light from outside the window moved from the ceiling to the wall. The sky was getting brighter.

Qiao Jinlin loosened up first.

She took a step back and rubbed her swollen eyes.

Her lips were still trembling slightly, but her voice was surprisingly flat... the kind of flatness that comes after crying your heart out.

"I'll go talk to him."

Qiao Feiyu did not stop him.

There were no further instructions or explanations.

She stood in the middle of the room, watching her daughter open the door and walk into the hallway.

The footsteps faded into the distance, each step making a soft creaking sound on the old solid wood floor.

Qiao Feiyu sat back on the bed after that.

She picked up a tissue from the bedside table, wiped her face, and then noticed a large wet patch on the pillow.

It wasn't hers... it was splashed on Qiao Jinlin when he was sitting in that corner.

Qiao Feiyu stared at the wet stain for a while in a daze.