This was a completely different girl, utterly unlike any side of Su Shanshan that Pei Xingyan had ever seen.
Her eyes held only cold indifference as she stared at the middle-aged woman approaching her—no joy, no resentment, just a faint, detached gaze.
“Mom.”
She suddenly uttered these two words, and then fell silent.
Pei Xingyan, hiding upstairs, was utterly baffled. He guessed this was Su Shanshan’s mother, but he never imagined a daughter would react like this upon seeing her own mother.
A child seeing her mother should evoke some emotion—joy, happiness, or even annoyance—
Even if filled with resentment or anger, it would still be some form of feeling.
But now, there was no warmth at all in Su Shanshan’s voice. She only mechanically called out those two words, as if completing a task.
What Pei Xingyan sensed from her was nothing but estrangement.
He had no doubt that if the woman in front of Su Shanshan wasn’t really her mother, Su Shanshan wouldn’t even bother to speak.
Yet even with such a response from her daughter, Su Shanshan’s mother still looked happy. She wore a formal professional outfit, the heels of her shoes clicking loudly as she strode quickly over to the sofa. She suddenly leaned forward, hoping for some kind of intimate contact with her daughter.
But Su Shanshan showed no consideration. She recoiled as if disgusted by the woman beside her, bouncing up and hastily stepping away from her spot.
Su Shanshan’s mother missed her chance but did not show displeasure. She quietly brushed back her disheveled hair and forced a flattering smile.
She said to her daughter, “What made you think to come home this week?”
“Mm.”
Su Shanshan nodded lightly, her tone completely perfunctory, clearly unwilling to say more.
Her mother continued talking to herself, “Mom just happened to come by to pick something up, and you happened to be here—don’t you think that’s a coincidence?”
Her face was full of smiles, genuinely happy to see her daughter.
But Su Shanshan was unmoved by such emotion and atmosphere. She raised an eyebrow and looked at her mother, then after a moment, suddenly gave a slightly mocking smile.
She retorted, “Is it? It’s quite a coincidence, but aren’t you supposed to see that man this week?”
Pei Xingyan, upstairs, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. He caught a whiff of a shocking secret.
Su Shanshan’s mother shivered violently too—her body trembled, clearly unable to accept her daughter’s words.
The smile on her face hadn’t faded, but it had frozen. She reached out to grab her daughter’s arm but realized she was too far away. So she stood up and took two steps to stand in front of Su Shanshan.
“Shanshan, how many times do I have to explain this to you? It’s not the way you think. Mom has never done anything to betray the family.”
Her tone was firm, with no sign of weakness, but beneath it was a hint of despair. Perhaps she had explained this many times before, yet never got the result she wanted.
Su Shanshan still sneered coldly. She curled her lips and turned her head away, her tone finally lightening a bit—but anyone could see it was only a façade. Indifferently, she said, “Whatever. Dad is no different from you anyway, so neither of you really betrayed anyone.”
Pei Xingyan’s heart shook again. He never expected Su Shanshan’s family situation to be so complicated, that she grew up in a household where the couple only appeared to be married on the surface.
But he wasn’t too surprised. From Su Shanshan’s usual behavior, spending habits, and the large villa she lived in, her parents were clearly successful people by conventional standards.
Men and women like that… really find it difficult to be a normal family from beginning to end.
They always live surrounded by temptation. Without a strong reason to remain loyal, it’s only a matter of time before hearts stray.
Of course, his own parents were an exception. The two of them were like gods—twenty years into their marriage and still inseparable. This was mainly because they perfectly complemented each other in both career and spirit, a rare match.
Pei Xingyan sighed quietly. Looking at it this way, Su Shanshan was quite pitiable—
“Shanshan, how many times do I have to tell you?” Su Shanshan’s mother finally grew frustrated. She grabbed her daughter’s arm and spoke in a pleading voice, “Just because a man glances at another woman, or a woman glances at another man, doesn’t mean it’s cheating.”
Huh???
If he weren’t hidden upstairs, Pei Xingyan would’ve definitely exclaimed in surprise.
His earlier assumptions seemed completely wrong…
No, Su Shanshan really did have this kind of issue. And it was her own parents who had been tortured by it first?!
Pei Xingyan had thought all those words from her about how she liked him because he never looked at other girls were lies!
“A glance?” Su Shanshan sneered, no longer calm, “Is it really just a glance? You’ve had physical contact with him!”
“That was a handshake…”
Her mother’s spirit was worn down by such ignorance, her shoulders visibly slumping—not from having no response in judgment, but from sheer speechlessness, “A handshake is a form of etiquette. You can’t… consider that rude, right?”
“Hmph.”
“Shanshan, you’re being… unreasonable.”
Her mother’s mood shifted from dejection to despair, perhaps worried about her daughter’s future, she asked, “If you keep thinking this way, what will you do in the future?”
Su Shanshan said nothing.
Her mother thought she was getting through to her and pressed on quickly, “Can you be sure you’ll find a guy who won’t look at other girls or ever have physical contact with them?”
Su Shanshan remained silent but deliberately glanced upward.
Pei Xingyan’s heart sank. This “Su Shanshan” wasn’t about to drag him out now, was she?
That would be really troublesome.
Seeing her daughter unable to respond, her mother wanted to say more, but all she heard was Su Shanshan’s faint voice:
“I already found him.”
Pei Xingyan’s heart dropped completely. He shrank back, trying to hide himself even better.
But then he heard Su Shanshan add, as if chasing him down to kill, “That guy is upstairs now, in my room. Do you want to go take a look?”
Pei Xingyan wanted to cry.
But Su Shanshan’s mother didn’t believe a word. She thought it was a joke, gently stroking her daughter’s head with a mixture of helplessness and pity, “Okay, okay… Mom believes you found that kind of guy, but be careful not to be fooled.”
Pei Xingyan completely agreed. He wished he could jump down and stand beside the woman, helping her explain to Su Shanshan, “Your mother is right.”
……
Su Shanshan’s mother didn’t plan to stay long. After grabbing a small item from the living room, she left.
Pei Xingyan could tell she was somewhat reluctant, but Su Shanshan’s attitude remained cold. Saying more might only worsen their already strained relationship.
In this situation, fewer words were definitely better.
He finally exhaled in relief.
But such moments were often the most dangerous.
At the door, the mother clearly noticed a pair of men’s shoes.
She suddenly turned back, her gaze locking directly with Pei Xingyan’s head poking out upstairs.
Pei Xingyan felt as if his soul was about to be scared out of him—he didn’t even know what expression he was making.
What shocked him even more was that the woman said nothing and quietly left.
But before she went, she gave Pei Xingyan a long, intense look.
It was a deeply complicated expression—like a mother faced with a daughter’s terminal illness, forced to make a desperate gamble, placing all her hope in a wild country boy.
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