Why did you make me reincarnate?

When Shen Ju opened the door, the living room light was still on.

A beautiful woman in a silk robe sat on the sofa. The coffee on the coffee table had gone cold, and next to her was an open newspaper, wrinkled and clearly read many times.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you tell your aunt or me?"

The tone was very cold. Shen Ju paused for a moment, then walked inside as if nothing had happened.

"stop."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Shen Ju stopped and turned to face her mother.

Her expression changed the moment she entered the room. She was no longer the girl with smiling eyes who was next to Xu Chaoyang, but had returned to her cold and aloof demeanor, just like she had been in the classroom at No. 1 Middle School.

Lin Shuqiu, a famous beauty in the Suzhou circle, is also Shen Ju's mother. When she and Shen Zhiyi got married, countless people were envious. Everyone said that the two were a perfect match made in heaven.

Now, more than a decade later, Lin Shuqiu's expression is somewhat distorted.

"I asked you where you went."

She frowned, but her daughter remained silent.

This scene was exactly like the afternoon when Shen Zhiyi and he had a falling out, especially since Shen Ju's eyebrows and eyes were so similar to Shen Zhiyi's, which made Lin Shuqiu's breathing become rapid.

Her chest heaved violently, and suddenly she reached out, grabbed the coffee cup, and smashed it to the ground.

The sound of shattering porcelain was particularly jarring in the quiet hall, shards flying everywhere, and a few drops of black coffee stains appearing on the expensive carpet.

"You and your daughter are both like this, ignoring me!" Lin Shuqiu roared, her eyes slightly red.

Shen Ju lowered her head, sighed as she looked at the mess on the ground, turned around and went to the kitchen to get a broom and dustpan, and picked up the broken pieces of porcelain one by one.

After doing all that, her gaze fell on Lin Shuqiu's hands. Her mother's right index finger had been cut by a shard of metal, and blood was seeping out.

Shen Ju rummaged through the TV cabinet and found a first-aid kit, iodine and bandages. She sat down next to Lin Shuqiu, took her hand, and carefully disinfected the wound.

When the iodine was poured on, Lin Shuqiu's hand slightly recoiled, but he did not pull it back.

Shen Ju moved very gently, carefully applying the band-aid.

Looking at his daughter's face, Lin Shuqiu's anger seemed to have been extinguished by something, replaced by an indescribable bitterness.

She reached out and gently touched Shen Ju's head, her palm resting on her daughter's hair.

"I'm sorry, Orange. I shouldn't have lost my temper, but you have to understand me because you're all I have left."

Lin Shuqiu's voice trembled with a sob, "Your father hasn't been home for a long time. He's keeping another woman outside. He doesn't care about us..."

Shen Ju didn't speak. She knew that her parents' relationship had been experiencing problems since elementary school.

The mother felt that the father had betrayed her, and the two argued countless times. Finally, one day they stopped arguing, but after that, the father rarely came home.

But what do these things have to do with her?

Dad doesn't like to come home, but Mom seems to care a lot about the family; she hasn't left the house in a long time.

This villa seemed to be Lin Shuqiu's whole world. She waited for him to get out of school every day and arranged extracurricular tutoring for him. It seemed like she always had endless things to do, but none of them were about Lin Shuqiu herself.

Lin Shuqiu felt she had nothing, so she focused all her attention on her daughter, Shen Ju, asking about everything from what time she got up to eat to what clothes she wore.

Fortunately, Shen Ju is very obedient and has never let me down.

Even without Shen Zhiyi's interference, she could still raise her daughter very well, couldn't she?

But recently, things have started to change.

Shen Ju avoids herself, often staying in her room and making excuses to skip dance class.

It got even worse today; she even skipped her oral English class, sneaking out of the house without telling anyone or letting the driver follow her.

However, none of this was the reason Lin Shuqiu lost her temper; what bothered her was that her daughter was hiding something from her.

During this time, Shen Ju would occasionally show an expression she had never seen before. It wasn't coldness or aloofness, but a warm, soft, and smiling expression.

This terrified Lin Shuqiu, as he had experienced that state himself.

My daughter must have been deceived, just like Shen Zhiyi deceived me back then.

It's okay, I can fix everything myself.

Lin Shuqiu's voice returned to calm, "Ju Zi, you're not allowed to do this again. Going out without telling the family is so dangerous outside. What if something happens?"

Shen Ju did not nod, but expressed her resistance with silence.

Lin Shuqiu sighed helplessly and advised, "Your oral English teacher is a foreign teacher I went to great lengths to hire, hoping that you won't face discrimination when you study abroad. So how could you skip class today?"

When the topic of studying abroad came up, Lin Shuqiu seemed a little happier, and her facial expression softened considerably.

"I've looked at a lot of houses. No matter which university you choose, you don't need to worry about accommodation. Once you finish the TOEFL, we can prepare to move in..."

"Mom will be with you then and will arrange everything for you. You don't need to worry about anything; just focus on completing your studies."

She paused, then added, "Actually, there's no need for the college entrance exam, but you've always had good grades, so you should still take it. A good score will give you more options at different schools."

Lin Shuqiu's family is not short of money either. Even without Shen Zhiyi, she could still provide Shen Ju with a comfortable material life.

Shen Ju listened to her mother's words without any change in expression.

She had heard the word "studying abroad" countless times, but her mother would always just keep talking about it without ever asking her if she wanted to go.

Shen Ju wanted to express her thoughts, but seeing the rare smile on her mother's face, she swallowed her words each time.

She knew why her mother wanted to take her abroad; it wasn't because the education overseas was better, but because she wanted to take her far away from her father.

After all, my father only comes home occasionally now, and it's always because of his own business.

But if you do this, will Father really change his mind?

"Okay, I'll go back to my room now."

Lin Shuqiu thought that Shen Ju must have listened, so he nodded and watched his daughter go upstairs.

She sat back down on the sofa, staring blankly at the open newspaper, looking lonely and stubborn.

Shen Ju sat down at her computer desk; the profile picture of Chaoyang in her friends list was gray.

She closed her eyes in disappointment, the scene from tonight flashing through her mind: Xu Chaoyang standing on the stage in a white shirt, singing an unrestrained melody.

I'm going to study abroad, so I won't be able to see him as often anymore.

Will Xu Chaoyang also feel disappointed if he can't see me? If so, it's better not to see him for a while.

This feeling is really awful.