Jiang Lai listened quietly to her daughter’s rambling, remembering how just moments ago when she was wheeled out of the operating room, she had been just as restless.
Why did her daughter always want to call her “Mom” whenever she saw her?
From the very beginning, Jiang Lai’s identity had only been that of her aunt’s good friend.
Yet, Jiang Leyi seemed to have her own ideas about this “aunt-like” figure.
Although Mom was also a senior to her daughter, Leyi was still more accustomed to calling her by the original “Dad” title.
“Next time, you’re not allowed to call me that nonsense again…………”
Jiang Lai gently stroked her daughter’s head, smiling as she softened her tone in a way she never had before.
“But you really do feel a lot like her.”
Jiang Leyi looked up at Jiang Lai, her hand enveloped softly in hers.
The warmth in her gaze was so tender, it gave Jiang Leyi all the feelings she had always imagined her mother would give.
“Are you really not related to my dad at all? You two aren’t secretly involved or hiding something from me because I wouldn’t agree, right?”
“I can absolutely assure you I’m not lying. I really am just your aunt’s friend.”
“Alright then………….”
Jiang Leyi pouted slightly, leaning toward Jiang Lai as if coaxing her.
Jiang Lai took the cue and sat down beside the bed, offering her shoulder.
Jiang Leyi nestled like a tired bird returning to its nest, resting peacefully on the branch that belonged to her.
At this moment, no matter how much Jiang Lai might hesitate to admit it, apart from her youthful appearance, the atmosphere between her and Jiang Leyi truly resembled that of a mother and daughter.
This heartwarming scene, like a living painting, was painfully sharp in Shen Ruxue’s eyes.
Her daughter’s real mother sat right by her bedside, yet the two could not recognize each other.
Shen Ruxue couldn’t help but wonder if she had waited too long.
If she hadn’t known that the woman her daughter was leaning on was her sister’s lover, her sister’s girlfriend—
In a way, that was almost family.
Even if she wasn’t sure how to address her, she could at least think of her as a sister.
If she set aside that connection and replaced her with any stranger, the sense of crisis inside Shen Ruxue would skyrocket endlessly.
Moreover, from their earlier conversation, the so-called “Little Mom” title seemed to be nothing more than her daughter’s wishful thinking.
The previous scandal about the “other woman” appeared to be just her daughter trying to bluff.
Yet, the greatest danger she faced had already disappeared at this moment.
All misunderstandings had been clarified, explained thoroughly.
Still, Shen Ruxue’s sense of crisis was no lessened in the slightest.
Her daughter felt a motherly warmth from her sister’s lover.
What if another presence like this appeared by her daughter’s side?
Would the next one also be her sister’s lover?
Shen Ruxue knew she absolutely couldn’t wait any longer.
Otherwise, her presence would grow fainter and fainter… until no trace of her remained in her daughter’s life.
The two women leaning on each other inside the ward was unbearable for Shen Ruxue.
After just a few glances, the imbalance in her heart overwhelmed her.
She stepped out of the ward to calm herself alone, leaving the room to Jiang Lai and the others.
Outside, Chi Yingyu, who hadn’t gone in, saw her older sister looking distraught and lifeless, and gently pulled her close.
“Sis, why don’t you lean on me and rest for a bit?”
Shen Ruxue knew well that she was exhausted, and had been tense all through her daughter’s surgery.
She was like a taut string, ready to snap if she didn’t loosen up soon.
Seeing her only sister—the one who knew her true identity—brought a slight release to the tension she’d been holding inside.
“……”
Leaning against her sister, Shen Ruxue thought about how in these years, whether with her daughter or sister, she had never truly taken on the responsibility of being family.
“Xiaoyu, do you think I’m so unqualified? I’ve been like this with you and with Leyi too. I’ve never felt a real sense of responsibility. And now that I’ve come back and want to reclaim my place, am I just being delusional?”
Her voice was hoarse, tinged with helplessness and grievance.
At this moment, Chi Yingyu was the only person she could confide in, so she poured out all her thoughts and feelings without reservation.
For more than a decade, Shen Ruxue had hidden her deepest feelings.
Now, she laid everything bare to her sister.
From the start, Jiang Lai and the others had been the driving force behind Xu Ruobing.
In her heart, she constantly yearned to get just a little closer.
Even if it was from afar, even if it was only learning about the small, interesting things Jiang Lai’s family had recently experienced—no matter how insignificant—if it was related to her family, Xu Ruobing’s heart would brighten for the whole day.
The night she and her daughter became best friends, despite decades of experience and maturity, she had felt like a child, happy all day long.
But the closer she got to her daughter and sister, the more confused her heart became.
Sometimes, when facing these realities, she didn’t even know what to do.
If she was so hesitant even with her daughter and sister, how would she react to Jiang Lai?
Originally, Shen Ruxue could have planned out everything that would happen next, but now she couldn’t even calm her own heart.
Because in their interactions, Xu Ruobing had discovered a fact she didn’t want to admit: even without her, Jiang Lai and the others could live well and be happy.
So then, was there any need for her to come back?
Everything she had held on to so far seemed to crumble into ruins at this moment…
Even a strong person like Shen Ruxue couldn’t accept such a truth.
She felt she couldn’t keep going alone and desperately wanted someone to talk to, someone to share her grievances and sadness with.
“Jiang Leyi once said she was very happy. Even without a mother, she’s living a joyful, content life. Because she has Jiang Lai, and she has you, Xiaoyu. She said as long as you two are by her side, she’s the happiest, and her family feels complete……”
What Shen Ruxue said wasn’t everything her daughter had told her.
Besides all this, Leyi had also said that her aunt was like a mother to her.
She had secretly shared a secret—that it had once been a rebellious wish to imagine if her aunt really were her mother.
Jiang Leyi knew this was wrong, so she never thought about it again, but in her heart, she really wanted to call her aunt “Mom.” If she did, things would really get complicated.
Shen Ruxue knew clearly how important her sister was to her daughter—far more important than herself, the biological mother who had left more than a decade ago.
In those years when she was gone, it was her sister who had taken up the responsibilities that belonged to her.
Shen Ruxue was jealous—deeply jealous of how much her daughter depended on her sister.
But she also knew her feelings were wrong.
That jealousy was purely selfish.
Once she realized this, she even started to despise herself.
Because things had developed this way, it wasn’t anyone’s fault.
If her sister hadn’t borne the responsibilities that belonged to her, her husband Jiang Lai would never have held on, and her daughter wouldn’t have grown up so healthy.
Shen Ruxue wanted to thank her sister, to thank her for everything she had done since they reconnected.
But when the words reached her lips, she found she had no right to say them.
For Jiang Lai and her daughter, she was a complete outsider now, unqualified to say such things.
Yet, she wasn’t willing to let things get this far.
If she could, she wouldn’t want this to be the case…
Even though she had been reborn, with a younger body and a better life than before, deep down, she still wanted to return to her old self.
She wanted to stay with her daughter, to watch her grow, and to live alongside her husband.
“Xiaoyu, I really, really want to be by your side, never leaving you, watching my daughter grow up.
I want to attend her Parents’ Meeting, to help record everything during Sports Day.
I want to attend your university graduation, sister, to witness you becoming outstanding, and I want to be with Jiang Lai too.
I really, really want to be by his side, as if we’re together forever.
We promised when we got married that no matter life or death, we would always be together.
I’ll tell you a secret—your brother-in-law is quite spoiled when no one’s around.
He loves to act like a puppy, snuggling into my arms when it’s just the two of us.
Oh, and his first time cooking was……”
As she spoke about her husband, her sister’s mouth curved into a happy smile, but tears continued to fall from the corners of her eyes.
Though she shared the sweet memories of their times together and whispered little secrets only she knew, the more intimate and warm the words, the more uncontrollable her tears became.
The gulf between past and present was too vast to bear.
Eventually, her voice broke with sobs, and she was forced to stop speaking.
“I really, really love you…”
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