Xu Ya went out shopping with Yun Sisi.
Yun Sisi just happened to see Yun Shifei, so she couldn’t resist putting on a pitiful act, making Xu Ya once again feel guilty toward her.
Although Yun Shifei was long used to Yun Sisi’s antics, every performance of hers still left her amazed, thinking it was a shame Yun Sisi didn’t pursue a career in acting.
Yun Sisi had clearly intended for Xu Ya to hear her, but when Xu Ya responded, she still feigned surprise: "Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say those things, I just wanted to help Sister understand you better."
As she spoke, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
This behavior made Xu Ya feel even more distressed.
Xu Ya couldn’t help but wrap her arm around Yun Sisi’s shoulders, patting her head gently: "Sisi, Mommy’s fine. Don’t feel too burdened."
As she said this, she turned her gaze to Yun Shifei.
Yun Shifei was wearing a light pink sweater; her hair had grown out to below her shoulders.
Her features were bright and attractive, her expression carrying a hint of girlish charm.
She really had grown into her looks.
Indeed, given how Yun Shifei looked as a child, it was no surprise she turned out this beautiful.
Yun Shifei had come back, radiating beauty, and it was said her academic performance had also improved tremendously.
It almost aligned perfectly with the trajectory Yun Shifei was supposed to follow in Xu Ya’s mind.
As if the year she was abducted had never happened.
If that were the case, how harmonious their family of three could have been.
But now, everything had changed.
Xu Ya cared very deeply for Yun Sisi.
Especially after they moved out recently, she could clearly feel Yun Sisi’s unhappiness.
In contrast, Yun Shifei didn’t seem upset by their departure at all; her face showed no trace of sorrow, as calm as ever.
Even upon seeing Xu Ya, there wasn’t a hint of excitement.
It had been months since they last met!
Could it be that she didn’t miss her at all?
"Shifei, have you been doing well lately?" Xu Ya couldn’t help but ask Yun Shifei.
Regardless of what she meant to Yun Shifei, whether she still saw her as her mother or not, Yun Shifei was undeniably her child.
Yun Shifei spoke differently than before; Xu Ya could sense a certain distance and unfamiliarity in her tone.
Ah, how did it come to this?
They were mother and daughter, yet now it had come to this.
"Are you out shopping with your friend?" Xu Ya asked Yun Shifei.
She had already noticed the girl standing next to Yun Shifei, Sun Xiaoqi.
Yun Shifei had made a friend.
Next to her, Sun Xiaoqi obediently greeted Xu Ya with a soft, "Hello, Auntie."
She felt that Yun Shifei and Xu Ya didn’t seem much like mother and daughter—their relationship was far too detached.
She compared it to her own relationship with her mother...
Yun Shifei and Xu Ya were like distant relatives who rarely met, exchanging polite platitudes when they did.
There wasn’t even any warmth.
"Shifei, shall we go for afternoon tea together sometime?"
Yun Shifei glanced at Xu Ya, catching sight of Yun Sisi out of the corner of her eye. She shook her head: "I’m here to shop with my friend. I’ll pass on the tea."
This might have been the first time Yun Shifei had turned her down. They hadn’t seen each other in months, and now that they’d finally met, a quick tea wouldn’t have taken much time.
Xu Ya wanted to know how Yun Shifei was doing lately.
"Shifei, can’t you buy things later? What’s the rush?"
"Can’t you arrange to meet me some other day? Why does it have to be when I’ve already made plans with my friend?"
What’s the point of this forced interaction?
Yun Shifei’s retort left Xu Ya speechless.
"I’ll be going now," Yun Shifei said, pulling Sun Xiaoqi along as she walked away.
Actually, this was the first time Yun Shifei had talked back . In the past, she always tried to come across as a good child, just for Xu Ya’s acceptance.
But now, she didn’t see the need anymore.
She had her grievances, and she wanted to vent them, to let Xu Ya know that she, too, had emotions.
She wasn’t someone to be ignored for months on end as if she didn’t exist, only to be casually approached for tea upon an accidental meeting.
What kind of nonsense was that?
Yun Sisi, seeing Yun Shifei’s cold and firm rejection of Xu Ya, felt utterly delighted inside.
The worse their relationship got, the happier it made her.
Because this way, Xu Ya would be her mom alone, without having to share her love with Yun Shifei anymore.
On the surface, though, she pretended to comfort Xu Ya: "Mom, is Sister angry with me? I know, I’m just a sinner now, no longer worthy to appear before her."
"You’ve done nothing wrong. You already apologized for what happened," Xu Ya said, her thoughts a chaotic mess, but she still tried to comfort Yun Sisi.
Yun Sisi was really so gentle and considerate, never throwing tantrums, always so empathetic, and taking the blame on herself.
Xu Ya felt the fault lay with her own shortcomings.
If only she had been able to balance things better from the start, things wouldn’t have become so ugly now.
She felt like a complete failure.
Yun Tiancheng had separated from her, and now Yun Shifei didn’t like her anymore.
No wonder her own mother had called her foolish. She truly was hopelessly foolish, unable to handle relational dynamics properly no matter what.
"Shifei, your relationship with your mom doesn’t seem great," Sun Xiaoqi said, once they were out of sight of Yun Sisi and Xu Ya.
From her time at school, Sun Xiaoqi had learned that Yun Sisi was the Yun Family’s adopted child, and that Yun Shifei had been abducted as a child before being found earlier this year.
Hearing their conversation just now, she could guess that Yun Shifei’s parents were either divorced or separated.
And that the mother and daughter had gone months without contacting each other.
Giving up on your biological daughter in favor of an adopted one—Sun Xiaoqi couldn’t understand what Yun Shifei’s mother was thinking.
She thought Yun Shifei was still too mild-tempered. If it were her, and her mother had behaved this way, she wouldn’t even have acknowledged her in the mall.
But Yun Shifei had already brushed the upsetting matters aside.
She noticed a shop selling men’s gloves.
She walked in and picked out a pair of leather gloves.
However, gloves came in different sizes.
How big were Cheng Lie’s hands?
Yun Shifei recalled the boy’s slender, articulated fingers.
She had actually held them many times already and couldn’t help but think carefully about their size.
After a moment, she determined the size.
Seeing her buy a pair of men’s gloves, Sun Xiaoqi was surprised. "Are they for your dad?"
Yun Shifei shook her head. "For Cheng Lie."
"Cheng Lie?" Sun Xiaoqi was even more surprised.
Of course, she knew who Cheng Lie was—the autistic boy from their class who was Yun Shifei’s deskmate.
Their relationship must be really good; Yun Shifei was even buying gloves for Cheng Lie.
Sun Xiaoqi couldn’t resist nudging Yun Shifei’s shoulder. "Shifei, do you like Cheng Lie?"
At this age, any closeness between boys and girls would easily spark rumors.
Let alone someone like Yun Shifei, who outright gave gifts.