Chapter 195: Mom Knows

The heavy gates of the manor slowly swung open.

The servant today seemed to be the same one who had opened the door for Liu Xie yesterday, but he was far more observant than he had been then. Having spotted Liu Xie’s signature blonde hair from a distance, he opened the gate in advance and bowed as she walked along the main driveway.

However, Liu Xie couldn’t be bothered with him. She hurried past the bluestone-paved front yard, past the koi swimming in the ponds on either side, and past all the sunlight and warmth as if she were in a race.

Her mother had called her home, so she had returned.

But her mother didn’t often call her home, so she had returned with high expectations.

Right now, the only serious matter worth mentioning was Liu Anran’s situation, wasn’t it?

As long as it concerned Liu Anran, it was enough to make her come running.

Of course, she also had to activate her super acting mode along the way.

Liu Anran had only shared the script with her; perhaps even their parents didn’t know about it.

In that case, her deceptive ploy was of vital importance.

She currently viewed herself entirely as a spurned woman abandoned by Liu Anran, confident that even her mother wouldn’t be able to see through a single flaw in her performance.

“Mom–!”

As if pressed for time, Liu Xie began calling for her mother the moment she stepped through the door, unwilling to waste a single second.

“Mom?”

When she didn’t receive an immediate response, Liu Xie began searching for her mother’s figure.

“Why are you still so impulsive? You’re a girl now, you should be more mindful.” Liu Xie’s mother walked out from the side, a deep, persistent sorrow seemingly etched between her brows.

“Why should I care about that? I’m not dating anyone, why should I bother so much?” Liu Xie still wore that same expression of indifference.

“You can’t just live your whole life lonely and alone like this,” her mother said.

“Isn’t there still Liu Anran? Isn’t it enough if I spend my life with him? It’s not like I absolutely have to find a partner…”

As she spoke, Liu Xie’s voice gradually trailed off.

That’s right, Liu Anran—the Liu Anran who had agreed to stay single with her for the rest of their lives—now refused to even see her.

He didn’t want her anymore.

This was the most pathetic thing she had realized up until now. she couldn’t even say a word, nor could she convey any message to Liu Anran’s ears. She was unable to detain the Liu Anran who wanted to leave.

She couldn’t understand it. Were those ethereal, illusory things really that important? In the face of the Liu Anran she had raised with all her heart and soul, those illusory things could actually act like a monstrous flood, stealing her Liu Anran away, even to the point of never meeting again.

Perhaps she could never call Liu Anran “little brother” again, and he could never call her “big sister” again.

Up until this moment, she even began to wonder if she had truly done something that made Liu Anran loathe her to the core—something enough for him to remember until now, something enough for him to want to find an opportunity to escape her side at any time.

But even if she had done something wrong, he should at least give her a chance to apologize, shouldn’t he?

He should at least let her see him, let her try to make him stay to his face, let her comfort him, or at least let her say goodbye.

She didn’t want to be thrown away by Liu Anran like this, to be forgotten by him like this.

The ending between her and Liu Anran, at the very least, shouldn’t be like this.

Even… even if it meant she had to endure a harsh scolding from him, that would be fine.

It was only now that she began to remember the Liu Anran of the past, the Liu Anran before all of this happened.

At that time, her desire to communicate with him wasn’t as intense as it was now, and it wasn’t met with this lack of response.

Back then, she was like a spoiled, arrogant princess.

She didn’t need to take the initiative to maintain her relationship with him; Liu Anran would never leave her.

No matter how she walked, as long as she turned back, Liu Anran would surely still be standing there waiting for her, responding to all her needs and wishes.

Liu Anran was wonderful. She couldn’t accept losing him, but she also couldn’t stop his choices.

She didn’t know what this contradictory psychological state was called. Perhaps Ye Qingchang would know; that kind of pretentious literary youth always seemed to have this sort of mindset.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you not sleep well?” Her mother touched the corners of her daughter’s eyes with some heartache.

She knew, of course, that her precious daughter definitely hadn’t slept well.

At this point, she didn’t even know how to be a parent, or what to do to make both of them satisfied.

She couldn’t figure it out, so she gave up and simply left it to the two children to solve themselves.

“I stayed up late playing games yesterday.” Liu Xie gave a giggling response, seemingly instinctively trying not to worry her family even when anyone could see the truth.

Then, her next words were like a complete giveaway: “What about Liu Anran? Is there any news?”

Only she knew that the redness at the corners of her eyes was from her own rubbing.

For a body long accustomed to staying up late, how could a mere single night of minor sleep deprivation leave behind such signs of battle?

“Can’t I call you home if there’s no news about Liu Anran?” Her mother feigned a look of slight anger as she looked at Liu Xie.

“It’s not that…”

Liu Xie’s expression visibly slumped.

Watching the change in Liu Xie’s expression, her mother’s face stiffened slightly, but in the end, she simply swallowed that stiffness herself.

“I called you here today to take you out to relax with me—a way of relaxing that belongs exclusively to girls.” As she spoke, her mother grabbed Liu Xie’s hand. “Girls your age like to get their nails done or do something with their hair. Why don’t you go try that too?”

“No need. I only dyed my hair blonde for myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else, and I won’t go do those things just to show them off to anyone.”

“Then can’t you just do it for yourself to see?” her mother countered.

“I don’t even like looking at myself.”

For a moment, her mother was speechless.

“But you can’t be like this. You have to learn how to please others, to make yourself look a bit more pleasing to the eye, and while you’re at it, change your impulsive temperament. Be a bit more gentle, like a girl should be.” Her mother continued her coaching.

“Why should I be gentle? Are you in a hurry to marry me off?” Liu Xie felt that her mother was a bit strange today.

“I’m not in a hurry to marry you off, but surely there has to be someone who comes to marry you, right?”

Liu Xie was just about to bring up Liu Anran’s promise to stay single with her forever.

But Liu Anran didn’t want her anymore.

“I’m not going to fall in love.”

“Are your standards very high?” Her mother phrased it differently.

“…I suppose so.”

So, as her mother led her daughter outside by the hand, she spoke: “Tell me about them.”

“Their temper can’t be worse than Liu Anran’s, their ability can’t be worse than Liu Anran’s, their looks can’t be worse than Liu Anran’s, their build can’t be worse than Liu Anran’s, their depth can’t be worse than Liu Anran’s, and they have to treat me well—at the very least, they can’t treat me worse than Liu Anran does…”

Liu Xie listed them off like she was recounting family treasures, mentioning Liu Anran in every single sentence.

She didn’t bother to control her blurting; since she was going to act, she would go all out.

She actually just wanted to use this method to let her mother know that it was impossible for her to date.

But all she saw was her mother’s somewhat despairing expression.

“Alright, alright. You don’t need to say more. Mom knows.”