Zhu Lingjie slowly regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a layout identical to her home but mirrored.
Where is this...
She suddenly sat up, realizing where she was.
"Lingling, you're awake."
A familiar, gentle voice reached her ears, briefly leaving her dazed.
She instinctively called out.
"Mom...?"
Liu Zhenshan tilted her head, resting a hand on her cheek, smiling.
"Oh my, I'm your Aunt Liu, not your mom."
"Ah—!"
Zhu Lingjie realized she had addressed her incorrectly and quickly waved her hands to explain.
"I'm sorry... Aunt Liu... I must've been groggy..."
"It's okay. I've watched you grow up. It's no problem if you call me mom."
"Thank you..."
Seeing Liu Zhenshan upon waking up made Zhu Lingjie feel at ease.
She recalled what happened before she fainted...
Her psychological condition, which she thought was cured, had flared up again.
And it had hit her particularly hard this time.
Even in the past, when she had similar feelings, they never led to her fainting outright.
Could it be that while she had mentally overcome her issues, her body had not fully adapted?
Zhu Lingjie thought of how she gradually got closer to Shi Hai, initially unable to hold hands but eventually becoming comfortable with intimacy, even craving it.
Liu Zhenshan looked at Zhu Lingjie with concern and asked, "Lingling, are you feeling alright? When Shi Hai carried you back, I was really shocked."
Hearing this, Zhu Lingjie was startled and quickly asked, "Wait, Shi Hai brought me here—?!"
"Yes, you fainted at your door, and it was left open."
"Uh-huh... So... Aunt Liu, where is Shi Hai now?"
"He's cleaning your house."
"Huh...? Cleaning?"
Why would he be in her house? And cleaning?
Zhu Lingjie was full of questions.
Liu Zhenshan explained, "He said you probably fainted from the dust since your house had been vacant for so long. So he's doing some quick cleaning."
Though it sounded far-fetched to a regular person that one would faint from dust, Liu Zhenshan knew Zhu Lingjie's extreme cleanliness, bordering on OCD, so she found Shi Hai's reasoning plausible.
Zhu Lingjie felt warmth in her heart, realizing that Shi Hai remembered her issues with cleanliness even at this stage.
She had thought Shi Hai didn't care about her during their university days.
Especially since Shi Hai's stunned reaction when they first met had already cooled half her heart.
Zhu Lingjie got up from the sofa and said, "I'd like to go see too..."
"No need, Lingling. Just wait here until Shi Hai finishes cleaning. What if you faint again?"
"It's okay, Aunt Liu... I'm not that obsessed with cleanliness anymore..."
At least her fainting wasn't due to her cleanliness obsession.
Her psychological issues were multifaceted, but at the root was her distrust and aversion to men.
In other words, she found things 'dirty' not because they were inherently unclean, but because she thought 'this might have been touched by a man,' thus psychologically deeming it dirty.
So even if her house was covered in dust, she wouldn't have reacted.
Her real reason for fainting was imagining Shi Hai and Jian Sichun together.
It was just like catching her father cheating...
But this isn't cheating... This isn't cheating!
At this time, Shi Hai was free to date anyone—!
She could only blame herself for not acting sooner...
Right, Shi Hai was innocent.
He was even cleaning her house for her now, wasn't he?
Zhu Lingjie shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off her feelings of disgust.
Seeing her frowning and shaking her head, Liu Zhenshan thought she was just fighting her cleanliness obsession and felt a sense of relief.
Kids really grow up unknowingly.
The last time she saw her, Zhu Lingjie was still a goody-two-shoes.
Now she had learned to dress herself up.
"Well, alright then... but let me get you a mask."
"Okay, thank you..."
Liu Zhenshan fetched a mask and smiled as she helped Zhu Lingjie put it on.
"Lingling, you've really grown into a beautiful young lady."
"Oh, not really… Thank you for the compliment…"
"If you feel uncomfortable, come back right away. Don't push yourself."
"Okay…"
After nodding, Zhu Lingjie thought for a moment and then opened her arms to hug Liu Zhenshan, even rubbing her forehead against hers affectionately.
Even if Shi Hai wasn't her husband yet, this woman had always been like a second mother to her, taking care of her since she was a child.
Liu Zhenshan's reaction mirrored Shi Hai's earlier one exactly; she stood there, stunned.
She liked Zhu Lingjie very much but was aware that the girl didn't like physical contact.
Now, Zhu Lingjie was hugging her voluntarily.
It was like a particularly shy kitten that had been aloof for a long time suddenly rubbing its fluffy head against its owner's hand for a pat.
The contrast was incredibly touching, and Liu Zhenshan felt her heart melt.
"I'll go over now…"
After letting go of Liu Zhenshan, Zhu Lingjie nodded to her and walked out towards her house.
Liu Zhenshan was left standing there, deep in thought.
"What a strange day… What's going on today?"
With the child she had long wanted to adopt, three people had called her mom today.
Was her maternal aura shining more brightly…
Or…
Was it her son's lucky charm for attracting romantic interests?
...
When Zhu Lingjie returned to her house, she found Shi Hai cleaning the living room floor.
Shi Hai didn't stop when he saw her. He continued mopping while looking up to greet her.
"Oh, you're awake."
"I—!"
Like Jian Sichun, Zhu Lingjie had a lot to say but didn't know where to start because there was too much on her mind.
In the end, she simply thanked him.
"Thank you—!"
"You're welcome. We've known each other for a long time, after all. Helping you out is the least I could do."
"Mm…"
Yes, they had known each other for a long time…
But it was just that—they had only known each other for a long time…
"By the way, are you feeling alright?"
"Uh… I…"
"Don't worry. I noticed your cleanliness obsession but didn't realize it was so severe."
Then, as if remembering something, Shi Hai stopped and raised a hand.
"Oh, just to clarify, I didn't touch you when I found you unconscious. I checked your breathing, found you were fine, and then carried you back like this."
'This' referred to the princess carry.
"But I used my clothes to cover you first, so I didn't touch your legs or shoulders."
Zhu Lingjie touched her exposed shoulder… She had deliberately worn this revealing top to show off her shoulders and collarbone to Shi Hai.
Even if you did touch me, I wouldn't mind and would actually be happy…
But his explanation… It was exactly the same.
When he brought her home drunk, he had given a similar explanation.
Indeed, Shi Hai hadn't changed… He was the same before and would be the same in the future.
Gathering her courage, Zhu Lingjie confessed.
"Well… Actually—!"
"Besides my cleanliness obsession… I also have a phobia of men—!"
"So… all this time… I'm sorry!"
She started with an apology to clear up any misunderstandings and remove any negative impressions Shi Hai might have of her.
Then, she would start over, from the beginning, from zero.