"I did say it, and you also told me that the person you like has grown up with you since childhood."
Shang Wenli remained calm as she peeled an egg, showing no signs of lying.
"I said that too?"
Jiang Wei widened her eyes in shock. Last night, she wasn't too tired, so this must be because... she drank too much?
"Mmm-hmm."
Shang Wenli smiled gently, her eyebrows arching slightly. She propped her elbow up and leaned closer to her daughter's face, whispering, "I guess that person is Yi Ming, right? When you were little, your temper was as cold as ice, but only Yi Ming was willing to follow you around every day. I guessed you must like him, don't you?"
"Mom!"
Jiang Wei's face turned red, and she unconsciously glanced towards Yi Ming's room.
"Don't be shy, child. Didn't I give you 'The Secrets to Winning Love' last night? Study it carefully before you go to bed tonight, and I guarantee you'll be able to catch that boy. Yi Ming is handsome, has a good temper, and is even tall. If you two have children in the future, their little faces will definitely look like porcelain dolls. Oh my..."
"Mom, mom, the porridge is getting cold. Hurry up and drink it before dad gets here."
Jiang Wei pushed the bowl of porridge towards her mother, her face flushed as she said in an embarrassed voice, "After you finish eating, I'll send you downstairs and make sure you're safely picked up, then I'll go straight back to school."
"You always change the subject at the critical moment, my child."
Shang Wenli took a big bite of egg white and said regretfully, "You'd better hurry up. That boy Yi Ming is quite a catch, you know. He's tall, handsome, and smart. There are so many girls at the university, and you might miss your chance if someone else gets to him first."
"Mom, I got it."
Jiang Wei nodded and smiled gently.
"Xiao Wei."
Shang Wenli took a couple of bites of the egg, and then her expression suddenly became more serious.
"Hmm?"
"Are you... still blaming yourself for that incident?"
Shang Wenli looked at her daughter with concern.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei froze, her chopsticks suspended in mid-air.
"Mom, I'm not."
She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on her porridge bowl.
"Xiao Wei, though many things have causes and effects, it doesn't necessarily mean it's your fault. You shouldn't carry that burden through life; it will be very tiring..."
Shang Wenli put down her chopsticks and stroked her daughter's hair affectionately, saying in a gentle voice, "You're a good girl, and you deserve to be loved and respected. Yi Ming too. If there are truly feelings between you two, don't let each other go."
"Mom, I understand."
"What do you understand, silly girl?"
Shang Wenli sighed helplessly. She gazed into her daughter's eyes, filled with sympathy, "And don't feel inferior because of your illness. Your balance disorder is not your original sin. So what if my daughter has a flaw? A flawed beauty is even more captivating. There is no such thing as perfection. Anyway, in my eyes—"
Shang Wenli pointed to her heart, her eyes shimmering, "My daughter, Jiang Wei, is the most beautiful, most outstanding, and most kind-hearted girl in this world..."
"Mom, why are you being so emotional?"
Jiang Wei's eyes reddened, and her nose started to sting.
"A mother has to share her heart with her daughter from time to time. Otherwise, I can't just keep feeding her and her father with my 'dogfood', right?"
Shang Wenli finished and laughed at herself.
Jiang Wei laughed too.
She gazed silently at her mother's loving face, repeating over and over in her heart:
She will let go, she will let go, just give her some time.
She will become the kind of person her mother described, someone with flaws but her own unique radiance...
A good girl worthy of Yi Ming...