First, there was Boss Su. Lately, he kept hearing a woman sobbing outside his bedroom at night, but when he opened the door, there was no one there.

The money I had just earned was put in a drawer, and the next day most of it was gone. I searched everywhere but couldn't find it anywhere.

Even when he went to the shop to reconcile accounts, the ledgers would always inexplicably contain errors and omissions, resulting in a significant loss of money.

Zheng Yue'e was even more unlucky. The hairpins on her dressing table would often disappear without a trace, and she would always feel someone breathing in her ear when she was sound asleep at night, which frightened her so much that she suffered from insomnia and became mentally confused.

The two thought they had been possessed by an evil spirit and invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual, but it was to no avail.

It wasn't until Feng Axiu deliberately left an old hairpin that she had worn in Su Laoda's study—a hairpin that belonged to her maternal clan and that Su Laoda had seen her wear—that things came to light.

His sudden appearance, coupled with the strange events of the past few days, Boss Su turned ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself, "It's Ah Xiu...it's her..."

Feng Axiu hid outside the window, listening to the chaos inside, her eyes filled with cold mockery.

She had already learned from the old servants of the Su family that when she was still ill, Su Laoda had already become involved with Zheng Yue'e, and the so-called "deep affection" was nothing but a carefully planned deception.

The thought that she, a noblewoman of a matriarchal society, had been deceived by such a despicable man, and that even her daughter had suffered so much because of him, filled her with hatred.

She appeared more and more frequently in front of Su Laoda and Zheng Yue'e, or left a familiar fragrance at the alleyway they passed by.

Or perhaps she would hang an old handkerchief from her past in front of their window.

Su Laoda and Zheng Yue'e were already feeling guilty, and now they were even more frightened, staying indoors all day long, living in constant fear.

While Feng Axiu was secretly taking revenge, Su Lingwei finally couldn't suppress her doubts any longer and confided in Shen Qingtang: "Qingtang, I've been feeling like someone's following me lately. Their gaze is very gentle, not like a bad person, but I just can't find them..."

Shen Qingtang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, not expecting that Ling Wei had still noticed Feng Axiu's protection.

Looking at the confusion and unease in Su Lingwei's eyes.

Shen Qingtang knew it was time to tell her the truth. She took Su Lingwei's hand.

Sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, he said softly, "Ling Wei, there's something I've kept from you for a long time. Actually... your mother didn't die."

"What did you say?" Su Lingwei looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock as she stared at Shen Qingtang in disbelief. "Qingtang, don't lie to me... My mother has been gone for a long time..."

“It’s true.” Shen Qingtang nodded gently and told Su Lingwei everything about Feng Axiu’s background, the reason for her faked death back then, and how she had pretended to be crazy to protect her all these years. “She is the Feng Axiu you often see. She doesn’t dare to acknowledge you because she is afraid that her identity will be exposed, attracting the pursuit of her family and implicating you. All these years, she has been secretly guarding your side, watching you grow up, watching you suffer grievances, but she can only endure it and not show herself.”

Su Lingwei froze on the spot, tears instantly blurring her vision. So those gentle gazes weren't an illusion; her mother was truly still alive; all these years, someone had been secretly protecting her.

Years of pent-up grievances and longing erupted instantly, and she leaned on Shen Qingtang's shoulder.

She broke down in tears, crying, "I thought... I had no mother anymore... Why won't she acknowledge me? I'm not afraid of being implicated, I just want her back by my side..."

She sobbed uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling: "It doesn't matter how much I've suffered all these years, as long as she's alive... Qingtang, I want to see her, I want to tell her that I'm not afraid at all, I just want to be with her..."

Shen Qingtang gently patted her back, a pang of sadness rising in her heart.

She knew that this long-awaited reunion between mother and daughter was finally about to take place.

Hidden in the shadows, Feng Axiu listened to her daughter's heart-wrenching cries, tears streaming down her face. Her fists clenched tightly, and she had only one thought in her mind: this time.

She will never run away again; she will protect her daughter and make up for all the years she has missed.