Jiang Qingli walked out of the lounge, and Baili Jing was standing not far away, waiting for her.

The young man walked up to her. "Uncle Zhou had to leave early. Shall we..."

He paused, then raised a hand to pull her into his arms. The pad of his thumb gently rubbed the tip of her ear as his voice remained as gentle as ever. "Why the long face? Did something happen?"

He could always tell right away when Jiang Qingli was in a bad mood.

Jiang Qingli lowered her head and bumped it against his chest a couple of times. Her voice was muffled. "It’s nothing. I just saw someone I can’t stand."

"Is that so? Do you want me to teach them a lesson for my baby?"

"I already did."

"My baby is so amazing."

"You’re so insincere." Jiang Qingli looked up, glaring at him with mock ferocity.

"Then how about I give my baby a gift when we get home tonight?" He leaned in with a grin, his nose gently brushing against hers. "You can have anything you want. After all... we’re a legally married couple."

Jiang Qingli reached out and flicked his forehead. "Be serious."

She didn’t notice the door behind her open soundlessly.

Jiang Youchen stood hidden in the shadows, his narrow eyes, fixed on Baili Jing, squinting slightly, filled with a sharp warning.

Baili Jing acted as if he hadn’t seen him. He leaned down, kissed the girl’s cheek, and took her hand. "Let’s go."

Jiang Qingli followed him, taking out her terminal to send a few messages. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After watching the two of them leave, Jiang Youchen turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

The young man’s breathing was slightly ragged. His usually steady steps faltered, wobbling slightly from the effects of the drug.

-

To be honest, ever since she started living with the Jiang Family, Jiang Qingli had imagined meeting Jiang Yi countless times.

She had even rehearsed corresponding scripts for each of those different scenarios.

But when she actually pushed the door open and saw the woman sitting by the window slowly turn to look at her, Jiang Qingli’s mind went completely blank.

It was as if the world had hit pause.

The clamor of the banquet hall faded into the distance, leaving only the sound of her own heartbeat, which grew faster and louder.

Jiang Qingli stared blankly at Jiang Yi as moisture welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision and threatening to fall.

She felt she was losing her composure and hurriedly raised a hand to wipe them away.

But the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face.

’How strange.’

’Why is this happening?’

’Why won’t my tears listen to me?’

Just as Jiang Qingli was about to lower her head to hide her face, a warm hand suddenly cupped her cheek.

She followed the touch and looked up, and through her blurred vision, she saw that the woman’s eyes, so similar to her own, were filled with loving pity.

"My Xiao Li..."

With a soft sigh, Jiang Qingli was pulled into a familiar, warm embrace.

A gentle and reassuring fragrance enveloped her every sense, soothing her nerves.

But the woman’s comfort didn’t stop Jiang Qingli’s tears; instead, they flowed even more fiercely.

She wanted to respond, to call out "Mom," but her throat ached from sobbing, and when she opened her mouth, only broken sounds came out, not forming any words.

Fat tears splashed down, soaking their formal dresses and leaving dark stains like mottled, viscous blood, connecting two hearts beating at different rhythms.

A hand gently stroked the crown of her head, and Jiang Qingli heard Jiang Yi say, "Go on and cry. Mom’s here."

Those simple, soft words were all it took for Jiang Qingli to break down and sob aloud.

She could no longer tell if her vision was light or dark, nor did she care who was around her.

It was as if she had returned to her swaddling clothes, like a newborn infant, clinging tightly to her mother’s arm and dress, pouring out all the grievances in the world with a torrent of tears.

After crying for who knows how long, Jiang Qingli slowly came to her senses, her loud sobs turning into quiet sniffles.

Her eyelashes were clumped together with tears, and Jiang Qingli couldn’t see clearly, but she vaguely sensed someone approach and offer her a tissue.

Jiang Yi took a tissue and wiped away the tears smearing her face.

She obediently tilted her face up and heard the other woman’s choked voice, "It’s been so long, how is our Xiao Li still such a little crybaby?"

"Do you despise me for it?"

Jiang Qingli was in a panic. She threw her arms around Jiang Yi’s waist, her eyes stinging as she spoke in a choked, aggrieved voice:

"You don’t like crybabies, do you, Mom? Do you despise me? Just now, you ignored me. You were talking to other people, smiling at them. Do you think I’m annoying? Is that why you don’t want me anymore..."

She collapsed into Jiang Yi’s arms, whimpering and pleading like a small animal, her words tumbling out incoherently. "Mom, don’t hate me. Don’t hate Xiao Li."

"I won’t let you hate me! I won’t let you abandon me! You’re my mom, you can’t be nice to other people..."

Jiang Qingli couldn’t control her emotions, and she didn’t want to.

In front of her mother, she became childish and possessive, unable to stop herself from throwing a tantrum, just as she was unable to stop herself from drawing close to her.

Perhaps, deep down, she knew.

No matter what she did, her mother would always indulge her.

A warm touch met her face. Jiang Yi patted her back gently, as if coaxing a small child, and responded to her insecurities. "Xiao Li, how could Mom ever not want you?"

"You’re the treasure I carried for ten months. You’re the apple of my eye. We’re the closest people in the world..."

"How could I possibly hate you?"

"You’re the person Mom loves most in the whole world."

The woman suppressed her own sobs, responding to every one of her daughter’s words with absolute certainty.

Every syllable was thick with a yearning and a mother’s love so dense it could not be dissolved.

Jiang Qingli raised her hand and felt a patch of warm wetness.

She froze for a moment before she realized.

They were her mother’s tears.

Jiang Qingli tried to wipe them away with her fingers, but the more she wiped, the more they fell.

The tears slid down her knuckles, so hot it felt like they could melt her.

...

Beneath the bright crystal chandelier, two figures held each other tightly, their tears mingling together.

Doctor Meng, who had been standing to the side offering tissues, wiped her own face, stood up, and quietly left the room.

The moment she opened the door, the four males standing outside all looked toward her.

Xie Qizhen took a step forward, his expression anxious. "They’re crying? What happened? Why did you come out?"

Doctor Meng said, "The young miss doesn’t appear to be in any physical discomfort at the moment. I was afraid of disturbing the Family Head and the young miss, so I came out first."

Previously, every time Jiang Qingli had met Jiang Yi, she’d had a strong rejection response. Sometimes her reaction was so severe she would get headaches, and in serious cases, she had even fainted a few times.

This had led Jiang Yi and the Beast Husbands to be wary of meeting with her.

For this meeting, Jiang Yi didn’t have the Beast Husbands stay, keeping only Doctor Meng with her precisely to be prepared for an emergency.

Xie Qizhen was still uneasy. Coupled with his desire to see his daughter, he began to pace back and forth anxiously by the door.

He suddenly stopped and looked at Baili Jing. "Jing, how about you use your Barrier to make us invisible? We can just stand guard by Xiao Li’s side."

Baili Jing looked troubled. "Uncle Xie, that..."

Zhou Yanli raised a hand to stop him. "Big Brother, give the mother and daughter some time alone. If you rush in like this, you can just wait to receive the female master’s punishment tomorrow."

Xie Qizhen: "..."

The handsome man scratched his hair, leaned against the wall, and sighed deeply. "I hope the heavens are watching. Please don’t let my daughter suffer again this time..."

"Don’t talk like she’s only your daughter," Zhou Yanli said, patting his shoulder. "Xiao Li is back now. What you should be thinking about is what gift to prepare for her. I’ve already decided. I’ll give her..."

Before he could finish, a panicked, voice-cracking cry suddenly came from inside—

"Doctor Meng! Doctor Meng!"

"Quick! Someone, quick! Xiao Li fainted!"