“Mom, you’re finally back!”
“I’ve been craving your cooking! Hurry up and make something for me!!”
Bursting through the door, Ji Haotong shouted excitedly.
He really had it rough—first spending a whole month accompanying his dad on a business trip to another province to learn from the experts, then rushing back only to look forward to a good nap in his cozy little home and, of course, to enjoy his mom’s cooking.
But when he got back, he found out that his mom had gone over to her best friend’s place again, claiming she was working on some kind of strategy plan and treating that kid from the Jiang family more affectionately than her own son.
Helpless, he had no choice but to rest at the office and eat countless staff meals that left a weird taste in his mouth.
Now, the moment he heard the news that his mom was finally home, he immediately took a half-day off, eagerly thinking about finally having a good meal at home.
However, the scene behind the door was nothing like Ji Haotong had imagined—not a glamorous woman lounging lazily on the sofa, watching a comedy while snacking on chips.
Instead…
The spacious living room was casually stacked with some cardboard boxes and old belongings. Huang Qingchuan had just carried a box out of the storage room, and when she saw Ji Haotong at the door, she looked a bit surprised. “Tongtong, why are you back so early? Never mind, come help me.”
With that, she walked over, grabbed Ji Haotong’s hand, and pulled him into the storage room, then pointed to a wall made entirely of stacked boxes. “All of these need to be moved.”
“Mom, what are you doing?” Ji Haotong didn’t move right away but looked at his mom.
“Looking for something. I remember I put it in the storage room, right behind this wall of boxes.” Huang Qingchuan said as she moved forward to pull down another box.
“What is it? Something important?” Ji Haotong followed her, but Huang Qingchuan unusually didn’t answer, only a flicker of nostalgia passing through her eyes.
Working together, they quickly moved the boxes to the living room and neatly stacked them into cubes to save space and keep things tidy.
Inside the storage room, the box wall had vanished, revealing what was behind it—a piano. An old piano, left untouched for so long that a thick layer of dust had settled on it.
When Huang Qingchuan saw it, a trace of longing flashed across her eyes.
She stepped forward, her slender, pale fingers lightly brushing the piano. This piano must be over twenty years old, yet even after all that time, it still emitted a faint, subtle fragrance.
…
Then she bent down, opened a hidden compartment beneath the piano, and pulled out a cardboard box. The box was slightly ajar and surprisingly dust-free, clearly well protected when it was first placed there.
“Mom, what’s inside?” Ji Haotong leaned in, curious.
Huang Qingchuan glanced at her eldest son, then looked back at the slightly open box and sighed, “Your mom’s glorious past.”
She then gently opened the box with her delicate fingers.
Inside lay a stack of photos, the top one showing a rebellious girl with red dreadlocks, holding a steel pipe, her face full of defiance and challenge toward anyone who looked at her.
“Mom, is this you?” Ji Haotong asked, half in disbelief.
Though he had heard from his dad that his mom used to be a delinquent and suffered from mental illness in her youth, seeing it with his own eyes still shocked him.
“That’s right,” Huang Qingchuan replied calmly.
She pulled out another photo from the stack. This time, there were two girls—the red-haired delinquent and a quiet black-haired girl, arms draped around each other’s shoulders, like best friends.
She then took out her phone and opened another photo—same dreadlocks, same punk attitude, the only difference being the hair color and the innocent face.
Her memories flashed back to a few days ago when she and Xiaorourou overheard noises at the door and peeked through the crack, spotting that same dreadlocked, punk girl.
In that instant, Huang Qingchuan felt like she was looking at her former self.
Later, she searched for old photos of her younger self and compared them. The resemblance was uncanny—if you didn’t look at the face, it was almost a perfect match!
Huang Qingchuan thought to herself silently,
But she didn’t have a daughter, right?
Could it really be such a strange coincidence in this world? Like the shadow monster in a love apartment? But why did even the aura and little habits match perfectly? As if they were the exact lessons she had taught since childhood?
Suddenly, Ji Haotong noticed another box inside the piano’s hidden compartment. Curiosity piqued, he bent down and lifted it.
“Mom, what’s this?”
“Don’t touch it!” Huang Qingchuan turned sharply, pupils narrowing as she shouted loudly.
The sudden shout startled Ji Haotong so much his hands trembled, and the box slipped from his grip, spilling its contents all over the floor.
Huang Qingchuan’s eyes widened, her face flushed with embarrassment and humiliation.
Scattered on the floor were some indescribable items—a finger-thick hemp rope, a pink collar engraved with the name “Huang Qingchuan,” a delicately crafted hollow anklet, and even a few DVDs labeled 《The Overbearing Master Tames the Naughty Little Cat》.
Ji Haotong stood frozen, stunned by the scene before him.
“Ah, stop looking and help me clean this up! No, turn around right now!”
Huang Qingchuan stomped her feet anxiously, her face bright red.
Only then did Ji Haotong snap out of it and hurriedly turn his back to her. After Huang Qingchuan collected and packed the “toys” back into the box, he finally faced forward again.
His heart was still pounding wildly as his mind replayed those strange items, his face unconsciously warming.
He wasn’t a kid anymore—if anything, kids these days were even more perverted than adults.
But had his mom really lived such an extravagant life back then?
After tidying up, Huang Qingchuan let out a long breath, looking a little awkward as she said to Ji Haotong, “Well… well… Tongtong, I’ll explain, but don’t tell Yueyue.”
Ji Haotong nodded, making a zipper-mouth gesture, but his gaze couldn’t help but flicker back to the other box behind his mom.
Huang Qingchuan blushed, cleared her throat a few times, and said,
“Well… Tong, Honghong took you out last time and told you about my past, right?”
“When I was young, I liked to have fun. I didn’t study or pay attention in class and spent every day climbing over walls to be a delinquent. I loved being called the big boss girl.”
“I thought it was just my nature, but later I found out there was a mental illness behind it. It wasn’t until I met Honghong—your dad—that my condition improved somewhat, though it never fully healed.”
“At that time, your dad and I were both young, and I was stubborn by nature. To treat my illness, we tried some… um… special little games…”
“After the treatment began to work, with Honghong’s help, I developed a new hobby: playing the piano. I already had some foundation, and with my innate talent, I soared, winning trophies one after another.”
“Eventually, I retired quietly, living as a good wife and mother, which you’ve known since you were little. I never told you or Yueyue before because I didn’t want to scare you, but now I’m sure you’re fine, Tongtong. As for Yueyue, once he grows up, Honghong will take him for a checkup.”
After finishing her explanation, Huang Qingchuan lowered her head, her cheeks still flushed, too shy to look at Ji Haotong.
Ji Haotong was stunned beyond words.
After a long silence, he finally broke the quiet with a light cough, trying to ease the tension: “It’s okay, Mom, I understand, really. Well… well… I’m hungry. How about we go out to eat? I know a restaurant nearby that’s amazing!!”
“All pre-made food, not healthy,” Huang Qingchuan replied, instantly switching back to her usual doting mother mode. She stepped in front of her eldest son and pinched his cheek.
“Tongtong, what do you want to eat? Mommy will make it for you.”
“Hmm… oh right, I heard little brother’s school has an arts performance today with an online livestream. No dinner for now, how about some barbecue later?”
“That sounds good, I’ll order takeout now.”
Saying that, Huang Qingchuan turned and left the room.
After she left, Ji Haotong also exited but paused for a moment before closing the door softly, casting a long, lingering glance at one particular box in the storage room.
Like mother like daughter xD