My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"I forgot that the stove was still on at home, and soup was cooking..."

The house fell silent.

Wang Yuan and Mo Xiao wore rather complicated expressions.

Wang Yuting clenched her fists. She never imagined that Jiu'er would be kept behind for this reason.

Xia Mei took a deep breath to ease her tension, and continued, "Your health wasn't very good back then. You often had headaches and hadn't had a proper night's sleep in a long time. We took you to the hospital to see a doctor, who said you should relax, so we took you to the park. I saw you were sleeping soundly, and then I remembered that I forgot to turn off the stove when we left home, so I asked your father to keep an eye on you."

"When...was he there too?"

Lin Jiu covered his head. He had memories of the park, but no recollection of Lin Shanzong.

Xia Mei nodded and slowly said, "He was playing cards with people in the park at the time."

Lin Jiu fell silent.

If what Xia Mei said is true, then everything makes sense.

Lin Jiu had always thought Xia Mei was a cold-hearted person who always used the cruelest methods to educate her children, but in reality, he didn't understand his mother at all. If Lin Jiu had been willing to use his keen insight to observe his mother's expressions and subtle eye movements, would the story have been different? Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs."

Is Lin Jiu still able to return to her mother's side?

the answer is negative.

Regardless of how things unfolded, the outcome has already occurred.

Even if we went back now, we wouldn't be able to understand each other.

But at least...

"Mom, you've never been a good singer. Is it because you get nervous when you sing?"

Lin Jiu recalled how her mother, as a singer, had been harshly criticized by the media in the past for being tone-deaf, singing off-key, and unable to sing the lyrics well. Ticket buyers were there to see her, not to hear her singing ability.

However, Xia Mei is a talented musician, having won championship trophies in competitions. Her students have also not disappointed; a search for Xia Mei's name on search engines yields numerous informational entries about her.

Xia Mei's face turned deathly pale.

She bit her lip and slowly nodded.

Xia Mei's goal is to become a singer.

Her parents raised her in the same way.

However, Xia Mei has never been able to change her bad habit of becoming speechless when she is nervous. Her parents took her to see a doctor, but after the doctor explained the reason, her parents refused to believe him and thought that Xia Mei was faking her illness.

There are no such things as mental illnesses in this world; it's all just self-deception. Social anxiety, huh? Just take her out and let her interact with people more, and she'll get better. Just go where there are lots of people. If talking to people doesn't cure it, then beat her up until she does.

That's how Xia Mei spent her childhood.

Her parents disciplined their children by hitting them, and she learned the same educational approach.

One generation passes it on to the next, and one generation destroys the next.

So whose fault is it?

Xia Mei looked at Lin Jiu, then at Lin Yingying, and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry..."

"Mom, I'm sorry."

Before Xia Mei apologized, Lin Jiu took the initiative to apologize to her mother.

This apology stemmed from Lin Jiu's misunderstanding of her mother, who had always considered her the worst person in her heart.

Lin Jiu felt a knot in her heart loosen, and even her breathing became easier, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mother."

Lin Yingying gently tugged at Xia Mei's sleeve and took out a piece of candy for her.

Xia Mei looked at the candy in Lin Yingying's hand, her eyebrows slowly lowered, revealing an expression that looked like a smile.

Xia Mei wasn't good at speaking or expressing her feelings, but as a mother, she naturally reached out to Lin Yingying and hugged her child. She hadn't seen Lin Yingying for days, and she had no choice but to let Lin Yingying stay at Mo Xiao's house. Xia Mei wasn't just a mother; she also had to be responsible for her employees. She didn't have time to care for her, and because of her poor communication skills, she couldn't connect with Lin Yingying, leaving Lin Yingying living in fear every day.

"sorry."

Xia Mei whispered in her daughter's ear.

Lin Jiu looked at his mother and sister, then slowly lowered his head, and was then picked up in a hug.

"Go!"

Wang Yuting picked up Lin Jiu and walked towards Xia Mei.

Whenever Wang Yuting was exhausted, Lin Jiu would take good care of her.

Now that Lin Jiu is stuck, Wang Yuting will go over and give him a push to get him moving.

Lin Jiu was placed in front of Xia Mei by Wang Yuting like a kitten, and her head was patted.

Lin Jiu hesitated, instinctively wanting to hide, but Xia Mei reached out her hand to him. The same gesture of reaching out had brought a chilling fear to Lin Jiu back in school, leaving him frozen in place. Now, however, Lin Jiu felt a glimmer of expectation, letting his mother's hand embrace him and hold him close.

"sorry."

Xia Mei said to Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu nestled in Xia Mei's arms, his lips trembling, as he hugged his mother's back, which was thinner than he had imagined.

A soft sob came from Xia Mei's arms. The sound wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.

Lin Jiu habitually suppressed his sobs to the extreme, weeping almost silently, because he couldn't show the slightest weakness in his past family. If he showed even the slightest weakness to his biological father, his life might completely plummet into the abyss, so he couldn't cry out loud. He never lamented, enduring it all alone for ten years, and in his mother's arms, the strong man finally let down his heaviest emotional walls.

Lin Jiu's crying gradually grew louder, and Wang Yuting couldn't help but want to cry too.

On the contrary, Mo Xiao was laughing very happily, taking out his phone to take pictures, looking very enthusiastic.

Wang Yuan had no choice but to take his wife for a walk in the yard. He really didn't know whether he should praise his wife for her open-mindedness, but he felt that she would become particularly arrogant and overjoyed, so he decided not to praise her.

Seeing her brother crying so embarrassingly, Lin Yingying felt ashamed to cry herself, and instead quietly put a piece of candy in her brother's pocket.

Don't look at me.

Lin Jiu's eyes were red from crying, and she covered her cheeks with her hands.

Crying so hard in her mother's arms that her brain was almost deprived of oxygen, her body forcibly taking measures to calm her down and stop crying, this was beyond embarrassing. What's more, her girlfriend and sister were right there; it was like multiple tortures. Lin Jiu now wished she could find a place to hide, like the back of the curtains in the corner of the balcony—that would be the best hiding spot.

"It's okay, there are no outsiders here."

Wang Yuting comforted Lin Jiu, gently patting his back.

Lin Jiu felt that Wang Yuting's action was like preventing a baby from crying too much and having difficulty breathing, and she didn't know if she did it on purpose. However, after thinking about it carefully, Lin Jiu figured that Wang Yuting was probably not that clever; it must be a coincidence.

Xia Mei stood up and solemnly thanked Wang Yuting, saying, "Thank you, Lin Jiu... he's been taken care of by you."

"Oh, not at all, it's me who's always been taken care of by Lin Jiu." Wang Yuting scratched her head a little embarrassedly and honestly said what was on her mind, "Whether it's my body or my soul, I've been nourished by Lin Jiu."

"I see..."

Xia Mei looked at Wang Yuting and remembered how Wang Yuting had repeatedly stood in front of Lin Jiu, showing her a hostile attitude.

It has to be admitted that this is probably the worst mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship in history.

Xia Mei suddenly became nervous.

If Wang Yuting wanted to do something to Lin Jiu, she probably wouldn't be able to stop her.

However, Xia Mei is particularly bad at relationships and can't give Lin Jiu any advice.

When Xia Mei first met Lin Shanzong, she thought she had found the perfect person. Lin Shanzong could discern her true feelings through subtle observation, and a few words from him were enough to convey her good mood. However, all of this was an illusion. Lin Shanzong's sweet talk was merely the keen insight honed over years of practicing law. Xia Mei was completely unaware that Lin Shanzong had already set his sights on her, and this doomed marriage was about to begin and end.

If this terrible marriage left Xia Mei with anything beautiful, it must be Lin Jiu and Lin Yingying.

"Please..."

Xia Mei looked up at Wang Yuting, who was even taller than her, her nervousness unsure how to ease. As she pondered, her expression gradually darkened. Having experienced firsthand the terrifying oppression that Lin Jiu and Lin Yingying had often felt as children, Wang Yuting suddenly understood why Lin Jiu was so afraid of Xia Mei. This oppressive aura was suffocating in any situation.

Even though Wang Yuting had experience as a shopping mall manager, overseeing hundreds of people, and possessing leadership skills, she still lagged far behind Xia Mei, a powerful businesswoman who owned and managed a company.

"Please... stay by Lin Jiu's side and take good care of yourself."

Xia Mei mustered all her strength and finally managed to express what was on her mind.

A great deal of thought flashed through her mind in an instant, but she managed to do it; she truly conveyed her feelings.

"I will."

Wang Yuting looked at Lin Jiu, a faint smile appearing on her face.

Before Lin Jiu could react, Wang Yuting pulled him into her arms and made him lean against her chest.

"Please entrust your precious son, whom you value so much, to me. I will ensure he is happy for the rest of his life." Wang Yuting made this request to Lin Jiu's biological mother, but her actions were less of a request and more of a robbery.

This time, Xia Mei readily agreed.

Because she had figured it out: this person was Mo Xiao's daughter.

In other words, it would be futile for her to resist, so it would be better to give up the struggle.

If it's Wang Yuting, who can stand up without hesitation and even fight with her mother to protect Lin Jiu, then entrusting Lin Jiu to her is not a problem. At least Wang Yuting can do much more than her, the biological mother.

Xia Mei thought about it and felt relieved.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter these past few days."

Xia Mei put her hand on Lin Yingying's shoulder and thanked Wang Yuan.

"Yingying is a very well-behaved child. With her around, our lives have become much richer. If possible, please let us spend more time with this child in the future. She has great talent and will definitely become an extraordinary person in the future."

"Thanks……"

Xia Mei thanked her again.

Lin Yingying laughed.

She used to be a girl who didn't smile much and always found it difficult to express her emotions. She learned to hide herself in a repressive environment.

Now she can laugh heartily, surrounded by many outstanding people, and she wants to become an adult like them.

"Me? Shouldn't you be thanking me now? I'm the biggest hero!" Mo Xiao peeked out from behind Wang Yuan. She had put in so much effort and thought to get to the bottom of Xia Mei's case. She even went to great lengths to gather everyone together to translate and defend Xia Mei. Calling her the MVP this time wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?

Xia Mei gave Mo Xiao a deep look, her face instantly turning quite gloomy, which showed how intense her thoughts were.

Before Xia Mei could even speak, Mo Xiao already understood her meaning and went up to her with a grin, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh dear, you're really not being frank, but it's okay. At least I'm the expert in this world who understands you." Mo Xiao patted Xia Mei's shoulder and said confidently, "For Xiao Jiu's sake, if you ever have a conflict with him in the future, I'll come and translate for you."