*****
In the Capital's branch of CM Luxuries, presidential suite 002.
Qiao Mingran read her daughter's simple message.
"Good day Madam. I'm fine now, thank you for your care. I don't need a doctor, but I appreciate the thought. Thank you for the gifts as well, but you really don't have to. I don't lack anything. Do take care of yourself and be healthy."
Reading it again, she felt very complicated. She had tried hard to ignore the title her daughter used in their messages, but she couldn't help it. That address of "Madam" was an stark testament to how distant her relationship with her daughter was currently.
Recalling her meeting with Director Zhou in City A a week ago, she closed her eyes. The love in Director Zhou's eyes as she told her about her daughter and her growing years could not be faked at all. Pei Yueran obviously got all the love she needed growing up.
Perhaps, this was why she could probably only be called "Madam" in this life by her daughter. Her daughter didn't look like she needed another mother.
It stung her to admit that if she had grown up in the Capital—in their family, her personality would not have turned out this way. That gentle softness, that elegant spirit, that balanced toughness could not possibly be nurtured among the scheming and plotting of the Capital's aristocratic circle.
Qiao Mingran fixed her eyes on her phone, rereading each line until her sight became blurry. Only then did she realize that she was crying.
Then she simply put the phone aside and wept softly. There was the joy of finding her daughter, the sorrow due to their lack of closeness, the disappointment at how her own family handled things, and the sense of failure that threatened to overwhelm her.
There was nothing she did well. After all these years, she had nothing to show for her life. She had always thought she would be dedicated to her family and bring up her household with love and elegance, but the reality was very harsh.
After the tragic incident, she tried to focus on her family, but she couldn't, so she just gave up and shut herself up in her own world, desperately willing the pain to go away.
It was this one wrong move that made everything else turn out wrong. By the time she realized and tried to salvage the situation, it was too late. Her husband and children were all strangers to her. Her home was in shambles.
She had well and truly failed everyone, and the guilt was threatening to cripple her.
In the quiet room, her sobs were so soft that they could not be heard, but the handkerchief she was crying into quickly became soaked.
Consequently, she stood up to take a new handkerchief and slowly dried her tears. She had more to do than just cry. She had wasted enough time already.
What she had to do now was sit down to a meeting with the Gao family and put the announcement of her daughter's return on the agenda.
After sending a message to Gao Tinghua, she turned back to the messages she had exchanged with Pei Yueran and painstakingly read each one over and over again.
*****
For Pei Yueran and Li Chuanmo the rest of the day flew by in a flurry of meetings, discussions and work. By the time they got home, it was already quite late.
The boys had gone back to school a few days ago, and the place was quiet again, although Pei Yueran would describe it as a bit lonely.
Without Li Yuchen's rambunctious actions and Han Yichen's steady presence, the villa felt strangely empty, even though the workers were present.
Thoughts of the boys made her smile. They had brought so much happiness and light to her life.
She had not heard any words of criticisms since she became Li Yuchen's stepmother, but even if she had, she wouldn't have taken them to heart.
Growing up among the many children in the orphanage, she was never one to discriminate based on blood relations.
All those older than her at the time were her elder siblings, the younger ones were her younger brothers and sisters, while her age mates were her friends. So the fact that she had come to love Li Yuchen like a son wasn't strange to her. It was just the way it should be.
In her mind, how could anyone not love such a lively and adorable boy?
All of Li Yuchen's past teachers: Please don't joke around!!!!
His present teachers, except Teacher Long: Madam, please remove those colored lenses and look again. Love is indeed blind ah!!!!
For Li Chuanmo, the current situation was just perfect. It gave him the feeling of being alone with her in the world, and it suited him just fine.
They had dinner and retired to their room.
As was typical, Li Chuanmo prepared the bath, picked out a night wear and then left her to enjoy the solitude. He went to the study to wrap up his job for the day.
By the time he returned almost an hour later, she was done and had just changed into the red silk thing he laid out, so he went in for a shower.
When he came out, she was already in bed, scrolling through WeChat.
She looked up long enough to smile at him as he got in beside her and slid an arm around her shoulders, "What are you looking at?"
"Just checking my messages and looking at the recent developments."
Bringing her phone closer to him, she gestured, "See, Qianhua and Philip are very amusing."
It was a picture of a heavily pregnant Qianhua trying to run and Philip desperately holding on to her. The expression on Qianhua's face was what tickled her friend. She looked pissed enough to beat someone up.
Li Chuanmo smiled, "They make a good pair. Philip does need a strong hand." He very mercilessly threw his friend under the bus.
Pei Yueran looked at a few more posts, Li Chuanmo throwing in a comment here and there, before she finally put down her phone in preparation to sleep.