Her mother still cares about her very much.
“Mom, I’m fine,” Shui Anluo said softly.
Long Manyin simply looked at what she could see before she looked up to eye Chu Ningyi with annoyance.
Shui Anluo slowly backed away again as if to shield Chu Ningyi from Long Manyin’s glare.
Long Manyin saw the look on her daughter’s face and knew that she was in love.
“Bring the baby to the room first. Come, Luoluo. I have something to talk to you about,” Long Manyin said as she led Shui Anluo away.
Shui Anluo turned around and looked at Chu Ningyi. Chu Ningyi nodded.
“What, do you now obey him and not me?” Long Manyin stared at the look on her daughter’s face as she asked. There was a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“No way, Mom, let’s go,” Shui Anluo said and hurriedly ushered Long Manyin away.
Chu Ningyi carried the little darling and followed a servant into the guest room which had been prepared long ago. Chu Ningyi found the room very familiar and after a few more glances, he understood why. Long Manyin had hidden herself in this room whenever she was on a video call with Shui Anluo.
“Let me know if you need anything, Sir.” The servant spoke in Chinese.
Chu Ningyi nodded. ‘Sir’,[1] so this was considered to be his wife’s mother’s home?
The setting of this home was rather large.
Long Manyin led Shui Anluo into her room. Long Manyin’s room was the bridal chamber so it was brimming with bridal festivity. Shui Anluo looked at the wedding portrait over the bed. The woman in the picture looked so beautiful that she did not seem to have originated from this world.
“You look very pretty, Mother.” Shui Anluo exclaimed sincerely. Actually, her father and mother’s wedding portrait was quite nice too but her mother was not smiling as prettily as she was now.
Long Manyin wrapped her arms around Shui Anluo and sat her down on the bed. She then reached out and stroked her small face. “My daughter’s little bun face is gone now. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Pretty.” Shui Anluo lowered her head and murmured. The tip of her nose felt sour.
Long Manyin held Shui Anluo’s shoulder and gently patted her on the back. “Why would I leave you alone in ‘A’ City if I didn’t have so much to fear?”
Shui Anluo reached out and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. She took a deep breath and said, “Mother, I killed someone.” Shui Anluo’d body trembled as she spoke.
“Your brother told me, I’m so happy that you’re able to protect yourself like that,” Long Manyin said softly. “Luoluo, one shouldn’t have intentions of harming another but one should know when to protect themselves. You had done nothing wrong.”
Long Manyin gently pulled away from her a little and wiped her tears. “Luoluo, would you like to come back to me?”
Return to Mother’s side?
Shui Anluo looked up. Her tears no longer streamed down her face but she was staring in confusion at her mother instead.
“Mother…”
“Chu Ningyi has disappointed me…”
“It’s got nothing to do with him,” Shui Anluo hurriedly explained. “This time, it really wasn’t his fault because he has always protected me. Mother, he…” The more Shui Anluo tried to explain, the more anxious she felt as if she was really afraid that her mother might make her stay.
“Don’t you want to live with me?” Long Manyin’s gentle voice interrupted Shui Anluo.
Shui Anluo looked up, her face was still streaked with tears.
Staying with her mother meant that she would have to live here. Then what about Chu Ningyi?
“But Mother…” She did not want to leave Chu Ningyi, especially after that incident. She had finally managed to confirm Chu Ningyi’s feelings for her.
[1] It’s actually written as 姑爷 in the raws, which is a form of address for a man used by the senior members of his wife’s family. However there are no such hierarchical terms in the English language, so I’ve translated it to ‘sir’.