Chapter 155: The Toyed-With Goddaughter (30)
“Earlier than you think,” Su Mingxiu finally replied.
Yu Nian, pondering this answer, went to work. Perhaps because of her newfound resolve, she now faced her responsibilities with a sense of calm, her heart at peace, focused on catching up to Su Mingxiu.
As if having found a home.
The memory of their passionate encounter in the bathroom was still vivid. During a work break, Yu Nian thought about Su Mingxiu’s intense desire, feeling both overwhelmed and…
…a strange sense of wanting more, a mix of anticipation and fear.
Perhaps fueled by this newfound intimacy, she worked efficiently, finishing her tasks by 4 PM, then started messaging Su Mingxiu, asking if they could meet tonight.
Su Mingxiu replied quickly:
“I’ll be done around 9:30 PM, you have dinner first, then send me the address, I’ll pick you up.”
Yu Nian, looking at the clock, felt the next five hours stretch endlessly before her.
But she waited patiently, even taking on extra tasks, finishing the urgent ones, leaving the rest for tomorrow.
5:30 PM.
The second the clock’s second hand reached 12, she jumped up from her desk, ignoring her colleagues’ surprised glances, and left, a champion against corporate exploitation.
But at the company entrance, she was met by familiar figures in black suits.
“Ms. Yu.”
They greeted her politely, but their actions were less so, forming a wall, blocking her path.
Yu Nian frowned, then said, not wanting to waste time: “Tell my mom that if she wants to see me, she can just call, no need for this.”
Then, she looked past them. “Where’s the car? Let’s go.”
City Hospital, VIP ward.
Unlike her previous passive visits, Yu Nian now entered the room, checking the caregiver’s work, then Yu Wanru’s condition, which seemed to have improved. She walked to the bedside. “Mom,” she said softly.
Yu Wanru was on a video conference with overseas partners. She glanced at Yu Nian, silencing her with a look.
The meeting ended half an hour later.
She looked at Yu Nian, who was peeling an apple. “I don’t like apples,” she said suddenly.
Yu Nian paused, put down the apple and the knife, and reached for another fruit, but Yu Wanru spoke again: “You’re so patient today, aren’t you afraid of being kept here, unable to see your… sweetheart?”
“You can keep me here, but you can’t stop her,” Yu Nian replied calmly, wiping her hands with a tissue.
“Are you so sure she’ll come for you?” Yu Wanru’s voice was mocking, as if she had already foreseen their tragic ending.
She seemed to want to test Yu Nian’s faith in Su Mingxiu’s feelings.
But Yu Nian replied quickly: “I’m not sure, I just… hope so.”
“Tsk,” Yu Wanru scoffed.
But Yu Nian didn’t try to argue, her light-colored eyes calm and mature beyond her years.
She even initiated a conversation. “Mom, you can’t dismiss all similar relationships just because yours failed.”
This was the most rebellious thing she had said in years.
Yu Wanru’s face hardened. “Do you think I’m preventing you from being with Su Mingxiu because I failed, so I want you to fail too?”
Yu Nian, usually defiant, paused, then continued: “I just don’t understand… you had such courage when you were young, why won’t you let me be brave with my own feelings now?”
“You not being with my mother… wasn’t your fault, it was because she was afraid of—”
“Shut up!”
Yu Wanru had been able to listen calmly when Yu Nian talked about her, but mentioning her birth mother was a line she wouldn’t allow Yu Nian to cross.
There was nothing special about their story. They both knew the truth, it wasn’t difficult to uncover. Yu Nian’s mother, in a time when same-sex marriage wasn’t legal, had been in love with Yu Wanru.
But she had succumbed to societal pressure and married a man, the heir to a company similar in size to Wanda.
And this marriage had been celebrated.
After the wedding, Yu Wanru had cut off all contact, but Yu Nian’s mother had been unhappy.
Her husband had cheated during her pregnancy, and Yu Nian’s birth had been difficult. Suffering from postpartum depression, she had committed suicide.
Upon hearing this, Yu Wanru had been both shocked and furious. Wanda, under her leadership, was thriving, and she had used all her resources to target that company, forcing them to name Yu Nian as the heir.
But since Yu Nian was a girl, they had only agreed superficially, secretly trying for a son, a true heir.
Yu Wanru, discovering this, had fought for custody.
And then, Yu Nian’s father had died in a car accident, his family in turmoil, making it easier for Yu Wanru to take Yu Nian. To protect her from gossip, she had initially left Yu Nian with her parents, only bringing her home later, to prepare her for the company.
Upon returning to the Yu residence, Yu Nian, still young, had been shocked to see Su Mingxiu—
If Yu Wanru loved her mother so much, why was there another woman in her life?
Later, she had wondered why her mother hadn’t chosen Yu Wanru.
And now…
Yu Nian finally understood. Her mother had been a victim of societal pressure, one wrong step leading to another.
And Yu Wanru’s feelings towards her mother were probably a mix of guilt and regret, perhaps wondering, in those sleepless nights, what if she hadn’t given up…
So she had closed off her heart, offering marriage as a form of repayment to the Su family, not as a symbol of love.
But these were just Yu Nian’s guesses.
Now, she didn’t mention her mother again, only saying, glancing at the time: “You should have your dinner now.”
She thought Yu Wanru, still angry, wouldn’t continue the conversation. But Yu Wanru, calming down, asked: “Have you ever thought about… my past relationship with Su Mingxiu? If you insist on being with her, what will people say?”
“I have,” Yu Nian replied, her eyes lowered.
“As long as she’s not afraid, I don’t care.”
This wasn’t the first time Yu Wanru had brought this up.
But it was only now that Yu Nian understood her mother’s repeated objections. Yu Wanru seemed to be afraid that Yu Nian’s stubbornness would mirror her own, and that Su Mingxiu would eventually…
…abandon her, like Yu Nian’s mother. It was in this moment that Yu Nian realized how much she resembled Yu Wanru.
When she had been taken from her original family, she had known how lucky she was to become Yu Wanru’s daughter, she had always strived to be like her. But the motherly love she had received wasn’t as warm as in those stories.
But whether in her original family, with Yu Wanru’s parents, or even later at the Yu residence, she had thought this was what family was like, until she met Su Mingxiu—
While calling her “Little Mom,” she had also felt that Su Mingxiu’s care was too intimate, different from her understanding of a mother-daughter relationship.
So she had thought it was love, then, with those repeated “Little Mom” addresses, had swayed back towards familial affection.
Yu Nian had felt both motherly love and something else from Su Mingxiu, her feelings uncertain, until the events on the dating show, fueled by jealousy and possessiveness, and Yu Wanru’s opposition, had pushed her firmly towards love.
Now, if asked when she had fallen in love, she wouldn’t know.
But having acknowledged her feelings, she would continue on this path.
After all…
She wanted Su Mingxiu to stay by her side forever.
“If I still insist, if you choose to be with her, you can’t inherit Wanda, and you must sever all ties with me, do you still want to be with her?” Yu Wanru asked, her gaze intense.
This time…
Yu Nian knew how to answer. “You will always be my mother, I’m happy to help you, but even if I can’t inherit Wanda, I’ll still work hard. When you’re old, when you need me, I’ll be there for you—”
“And I’ll still remember my mother, whether you allow me to visit her grave or not.”
Hearing this, Yu Wanru suddenly realized that her child had truly grown up.
She couldn’t keep an eagle caged forever, it was destined to fly, to soar through the storms. She could control Yu Nian’s actions, but not her heart.
“Knock, knock.”
A knock on the door.
Yu Nian, thinking it was the doctor, looked over, then stood up, surprised. “Didn’t you say you had to work overtime?”
The person at the door was Su Mingxiu.
Her sunglasses perched on her collar, she looked at Yu Wanru, then at Yu Nian, thinking that the little one was clearly outmatched—but it didn’t matter, she could teach her.
“Ms. Yu requested my presence, I have to show some respect,” she said, addressing Yu Nian, then turned to Yu Wanru, guessing her intentions. She straightened up, her usual playful smile gone, her expression serious.
“If you want a guarantee, Yu Wanru—”
“I can only say, if it weren’t for your interference, I wouldn’t have to give up easy money as a model and work so hard as a CEO.”
This was her answer.
Yu Wanru looked at her for a moment, then looked away. “You’ve changed, but that’s not important. I just want you to know, Su Mingxiu, she’s my only child.”
Anyone who knew Su Mingxiu’s past would agree that she was a different person now.
Although Yu Wanru hadn’t paid much attention to her before, she could still sense the change, and… it wasn’t just her demeanor.
“You might not believe this…” Su Mingxiu also looked away, her gaze softening as she turned to Yu Nian, “but she’s more important to me than you can imagine.”
Yu Nian, feeling Su Mingxiu’s gaze, wanted to hug her, but Yu Wanru was there.
The temperature in the room seemed to rise slightly.
Su Mingxiu didn’t want to argue with her “ex-wife.” She patted Yu Nian’s head. “It’s almost dinner time, let’s go eat.”
Yu Nian glanced at Yu Wanru hesitantly.
“What are we having?” she asked softly.
Su Mingxiu replied casually: “Everything your mom can’t eat, you can be a filial daughter and try it for her.”
Yu Nian: “…”
She felt a shiver of apprehension, even wanting to hold Su Mingxiu’s hand for reassurance. She wouldn’t dare to provoke Yu Wanru like this.
But Su Mingxiu took her hand and led her towards the door. As they reached the exit, Yu Wanru spoke again.
“I think I owe you an apology—”
For offering her marriage, then abandoning her.
“It’s okay,” Su Mingxiu said, not turning around. “The people who deserve your apology and gratitude… aren’t here. The Su Mingxiu before you is just… your future daughter-in-law.”
Yu Wanru: “…”
Leave a Reply