Stepping out of the station, Mu Nanqiu let out a soft sigh under the sky sprinkled with fine snowflakes.
When Bei Zhi called, she immediately bought the next available train ticket to get back quickly.
During the journey, she also messaged Bei Zhi, asking her to keep an eye on things and not to let their mother go too far.
Although Bei Zhi agreed, Mu Nanqiu knew her well enough to realize that if something really happened, Bei Zhi wouldn’t be of much help.
But that was just a precaution.
Mu Nanqiu believed that Madam Mu wasn’t the kind of person to casually resort to injections.
She never expected her mother would actually take the initiative to find Su Yao and even bring her home.
As a familiar car pulled up, Mu Nanqiu opened the door and got in, speaking to the driver up front.
“He Shu, please hurry.”
“All right, Miss.”
The trip from the train station to her residential area didn’t take long.
She glanced at her phone, seeing many unread messages from Su Yao.
She had forgotten to charge her phone last night, and hadn’t brought a charger on the way here.
Only when the battery died did she remember, so she had to close all possible apps to save power.
Naturally, she hadn’t seen those messages and therefore hadn’t replied.
She sent a message to Su Yao just now, but there was still no reply.
Mu Nanqiu felt a flicker of anxiety and her mind immediately turned to her mother, causing a headache.
She hadn’t wanted Su Yao to have anything to do with this side of her family or even let them know Su Yao existed.
Mu Nanqiu found it strange how her mother had found out about this.
Then she thought of Gu Qin. No wonder Gu Qin had been absent lately — afraid that if she found out, she’d come looking to cause trouble?
She sneered coldly but sighed helplessly.
“Why is it always trouble with these people…”
Stopping all her swirling thoughts, she quietly waited as the car pulled up to the entrance of the community. After passing security checks, they drove straight to Mu Nanqiu’s house.
Unbuckling her seatbelt, she opened the door and stepped out.
Her eyes immediately focused on the front door.
Standing before it, Mu Nanqiu inserted her key into the lock and turned it.
Pushing lightly, the door creaked open a narrow gap.
Inside, there was no sound — the silence was almost unsettling.
After entering, she saw no one.
Just as she was about to wonder where everyone was, she noticed Su Yao curled up asleep in the corner of the sofa.
Mu Nanqiu quickened her pace.
She hadn’t had time to change shoes and her hard-soled boots made a crisp sound as they hit the floor.
Hearing it, Su Yao stirred from her light sleep.
Seeing the worried expression on Mu Nanqiu’s face, Su Yao looked confused.
“Nanqiu, are you real or am I dreaming?”
“…Real.”
Mu Nanqiu shot a sharp glare at the still-dazed Su Yao, then pinched her cheek to wake her up properly.
That sting, that warmth — there was no doubt she was real.
Feeling that, Su Yao exhaled in relief.
Just as she wanted to fall back asleep for a bit, Mu Nanqiu firmly straightened her posture.
After a moment’s hesitation, seeing Mu Nanqiu was really there, Su Yao couldn’t hold back and threw herself into her arms, Xiao Zhenzhu slipping out uncontrollably.
Facing all of life alone, with no one to rely on, she hadn’t cried — not when she fell while running and sprained her ankle, not when she trudged home in the rain by herself, not even when she first came to relatives’ homes, messy and flustered.
Because she knew crying was useless — it wouldn’t make anyone pity her.
She thought she was strong enough, and this time wouldn’t be any different.
But seeing Mu Nanqiu, Su Yao couldn’t help but let Xiao Zhenzhu fall.
Afraid Mu Nanqiu would be annoyed, she bit her lip trying to hold it in, but only managed quiet sobs, frantically wiping tears and trembling.
Only when Mu Nanqiu wrapped her arms tighter did Su Yao begin to calm down.
In her twenty-one years, Mu Nanqiu had never felt so helpless, unsure of what to do.
“Nanqiu, why did you come back so soon?”
Madam Mu’s voice came from inside.
Mu Nanqiu glanced over just as she felt Su Yao tense in her arms.
Her brow furrowed immediately.
Madam Mu stared wide-eyed at Su Yao, who was clinging to her daughter’s embrace, hearing the faint sobs.
She looked stunned, then Mu Nanqiu spoke.
“Mom, what’s going on here?”
She was about to voice her thoughts when Su Yao released her hold, wiped away Xiao Zhenzhu, and said in a soft, trembling voice,
“It has nothing to do with Auntie, it’s my own…”
Madam Mu gasped sharply.
“Good grief, you really are a little devil!”
Su Yao was startled by the cold tone Mu Nanqiu used.
She hadn’t expected Mu Nanqiu to ask her mother so directly.
Sensing the tense atmosphere between mother and daughter, Su Yao hurriedly tried to say something to ease the situation, but her words only made Madam Mu’s expression darken further.
She was pouring oil on the fire.
But Su Yao felt she wasn’t wrong.
“Yao Yao, this has nothing to do with you.”
Mu Nanqiu’s head hurt so much she felt like it would split open.
Not only Su Yao noticed the odd atmosphere — Mu Nanqiu did too.
She was somewhat annoyed she hadn’t controlled her emotions earlier but didn’t want to give in to her mother either.
After all, her mother had brought Su Yao home behind her back and done who knew what.
She didn’t dare to imagine.
Avoiding her mother’s gaze, she pulled Su Yao behind her to block Madam Mu’s eyes.
“Mom, I’ll take Yao Yao home first.”
“Wait, have some dinner at home before you go!”
“No need, Mom.”
“Why not? Aren’t you going to properly introduce her to me?”
In the end, Madam Mu was a woman of experience.
She remained calm, and her previously cold tone immediately softened into that of a gentle mother.
Even Mu Nanqiu was momentarily stunned by how quickly her mother’s mood shifted.
Hiding behind Mu Nanqiu, Su Yao blinked curiously at Madam Mu.
Madam Mu caught Su Yao’s gaze, smiled, and said,
“Yao Yao, stay for dinner. It’s rare you come all the way here.”
“Huh?”
“You’re not going to say you don’t like my cooking, are you?”
“No, no!”
At first, Su Yao had thought Madam Mu was the type of wealthy matron from dramas, but she was actually quite kind.
She realized she had been wrong not to visit earlier — apparently, she had been preparing lunch.
Understanding Madam Mu’s intentions, Su Yao sincerely apologized.
“How could I possibly dislike it?”
“That’s good. Stay for dinner. I’ll cook.”
Mu Nanqiu looked at her mother, then at Su Yao.
The two of them chatting back and forth left her a bit baffled, unable to grasp what exactly was happening.
She stopped their conversation and pulled Su Yao aside.
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