Night.
Outside, snowflakes drifted down, the cold intensified.
Inside the rented room, Lin Xinyuan lay on the bed, typing words on her phone.
Lately, because of those events, she had lost her mood, and her typing speed had dropped significantly; there was even a stretch of time when she hadn’t typed at all…
Her original backlog of drafts was running low, so she forced herself to prepare some new content.
Otherwise, if there were no updates, it would affect her income and be counterproductive.
After finally finishing today’s quota, Lin’s mother returned from outside, having just ended a phone call.
“Not asleep yet?” Lin’s mother’s voice was soft.
“I’m going to sleep now…” Lin Xinyuan replied quietly, putting down her phone and snuggling into the quilt.
“Shall I turn off the light?”
“Okay…”
The girl buried her head under the covers, her voice muffled.
After a dry moment of conversation, the light was turned off, and the entire room plunged into darkness.
Lin Xinyuan was lying facing the wall.
She only heard the soft rustle of footsteps, then the bed shifted slightly, and some of the quilt seemed to be pulled away.
“Can you come a little closer to Mom…”
A mature, pleasant female voice suddenly came from behind.
Lin Xinyuan was puzzled, but before she could say anything, her mother continued, “Let me cover you with the quilt too.”
Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan felt awkward and could only respond with a hum, pulling down the quilt to expose her head and inching a little closer to her mother.
But obviously, that distance was still not close enough; the quilt barely covered one of Lin’s mother’s shoulders.
“Eh…”
A sigh followed, but before Lin Xinyuan could react, a soft, warm body had already nestled close.
Along with it came a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Lin Xinyuan didn’t know exactly what it was, but it smelled like some kind of floral scent…
“Get closer, it’s warmer…” her mother explained as she covered them both with the quilt, bringing mother and daughter very close.
The girl was silent.
The room had the air conditioner on, so it wasn’t that cold, right?
Still, she didn’t say much.
She wasn’t a fool—she understood that her mother wanted to be closer, to ease the distance between them…
Lin Xinyuan wasn’t exactly opposed to this, but she certainly wasn’t eager either.
After all, the memories of past events were still vivid; she couldn’t accept it so quickly.
She’d just let things be natural…
Feeling that Lin Xinyuan didn’t resist, Lin’s mother relaxed considerably.
At least she hadn’t refused—that was good…
There was still time; she could take it slowly…
Lin Xinyuan kept her eyes closed but found it hard to fall asleep.
So, she silently counted sheep in her mind…
She didn’t know how long had passed, but her mind remained just as clear!
Since she could remember, this was the first time she had shared a bed with her mother; before, she always slept alone in her room…
Lin’s mother was the same—though she didn’t want to sleep now, quietly watching her daughter’s frail back, lost in thought.
“Are you asleep yet?”
Hearing Lin Xinyuan toss and turn, still moving slightly, her mother whispered.
Lin Xinyuan hadn’t expected her mother to be awake either: “No…”
“Then keep me company and chat for a while?”
“Okay…” Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, Lin Xinyuan didn’t refuse.
“Can you turn around?”
This time Lin Xinyuan didn’t reply, nor did she move; she didn’t want to face her mother.
“Forget it…” Lin’s mother chuckled lightly, not insisting. She wasn’t exactly hurt, just a little disappointed.
After a while, Lin’s mother spoke again.
“You… and that Qin Classmate… what’s your relationship now?”
Suddenly hearing this, Lin Xinyuan was stunned, her mind blank.
When she finally realized what her mother was referring to, her cheeks flushed.
Fortunately, she was still facing away from her mother in the darkness…
“What kind of… relationship… just classmates, roommates at most… friends… why?”
Lin Xinyuan’s words were unclear, her voice growing quieter.
She felt her mother must have realized the relationship between her and that yellow-haired guy was a little unusual.
Although she really thought there was nothing between her and Qin Nanfeng, some scenes flashed through her mind…
Were those things really appropriate for just classmates or friends?
The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt, so she spoke without confidence, her tone a little guilty.
Only then did she realize how ambiguous her past behavior with that yellow-haired guy had been…
No…
She must never act like that again!
“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.” Lin’s mother teased, but her eyes were full of happiness—they were finally able to talk openly.
“Really, we’re just good friends…” The girl feigned calmness, discarding all the messy thoughts in her mind.
“Is that so… Mom thinks that young man is very nice—tall, handsome, and a good match for you…”
Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan suddenly lost her composure and got a little flustered.
She turned to face her mother, her tone slightly angry: “I’m a man, how could I like another man? Don’t joke around…”
“Even if my body is a girl now!”
Only after saying this did Lin Xinyuan realize she had turned over.
Her mother’s gaze was fixed on her, lips curved in a smile.
The light outside was faint but gentle, illuminating her mother’s face.
Combined with that warm smile, she looked very different from the impression Lin Xinyuan had.
The girl suddenly felt overwhelmed by that gaze, eyes darting away.
Just as she was about to turn her head back, her mother gently caught her shoulder and turned her back to face her.
“You…”
The warm hand seemed to soothe the soul, and the strength Lin Xinyuan had to resist almost disappeared.
She closed her eyes, as if pretending not to see.
“Alright… no matter what, Mom supports you… just don’t hurt yourself, okay?”
Her mother’s voice was firm and strong, like it could see past the girl’s eyelids and offer a warm, unfamiliar smile.
Once, she had hoped for such a smile to fall on her, but after being ignored time and again, she had given up.
Yet unexpectedly, just when she had lost all hope, it finally came to her…
But… she didn’t seem to resist it so much anymore…
To be honest, she really was pathetic…
Lin Xinyuan’s mood was bitter, her expression complicated—somewhat warm, yet on the verge of tears, but she held back and finally nodded.
“Yeah… okay…”
Although she still didn’t address her mother properly, it was enough for her mother…
Afterward, they talked about other things, like some school matters.
Mostly, Lin’s mother asked and Lin Xinyuan answered.
Since her mother hadn’t gone to university, she was curious about campus life, so the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
They didn’t know how long they talked, but eventually, listening to her mother’s voice, Lin Xinyuan slowly fell asleep.
Her eyes were a bit moist—that was the girl’s last stubbornness…
Lin’s mother gently stroked her head, smiling softly as she drifted into dreams as well.
In the small room, the last sound was the woman’s gentle murmuring.
“Good night…”
“Xinyuan…”
“It won’t be like this anymore…”
After these words, the night returned to quiet…
(Volume One Complete)
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