Ming Jiayi reached out and gently patted Gu Shaojin's shoulder, then shook her head helplessly.
Gu Shaojin glanced at Ming Jiayi's restless hands, then smiled slightly. He spoke softly to Ming Jiayi in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"What? Trying to take advantage of me?"
"What are you thinking about?" Ming Jiayi asked Gu Shaojin with a puzzled look.
Gu Ze led Liao Ying to the very front of the long table, then turned to her with a beaming smile and introduced her.
"You all know each other, right? So I won't go into too much detail about introducing you. Besides the fact that I invited you all here today for a reunion dinner with long-lost friends, the most important reason is..."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table turned to look at Gu Shaojin.
In fact, they already knew that Gu Ze and Liao Ying were going back to China today and that they would confess everything to Gu Shaojin.
The reason they're here today, just as Gu Ze said, is not only to celebrate their long-awaited reunion, but also, most importantly, to help Gu Ze and Liao Ying persuade Gu Shaojin to prevent their reunion from turning into a tragedy.
Ignoring their gazes, Gu Shaojin lowered her head and picked up her phone to play as if no one else was there.
Liao Ying lowered her head with some embarrassment, her anxiety reaching its peak.
Gu Ze led Liao Ying to the back of Gu Shaojin and then patted Gu Shaojin on the shoulder.
Gu Shaojin raised her head, turned off her phone screen, and slowly turned her head back a few seconds later.
Ming Jiayi held Gu Shaojin's hand tightly, signaling him not to get too emotional.
Seeing Gu Shaojin turn around, Gu Ze gently pinched Liao Ying, urging her to explain quickly.
Liao Ying took a deep breath and then asked in a soft voice, "Shao Jin, do you still remember me? We met at the hospital this afternoon."
Gu Shaojin frowned, his face turning icy cold, and then he spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"What? Did you go to the hospital this afternoon just to get to know me beforehand and avoid this awkward situation?"
Liao Ying paused for a moment, then replied somewhat incoherently, "Yes, I wanted to see you first, but not to make things less awkward. I... I just wanted to see you first."
"You saw it? Are you satisfied? Even if you're not satisfied, you should at least say you are." Gu Shaojin replied coldly.
"Ah? Shao Jin, I'm very satisfied. How could I not be satisfied with you?" Liao Ying said, somewhat at a loss. She looked quite flustered, her face flushed.
"Tsk," Gu Shaojin muttered to herself.
"Shao Jin, what kind of attitude is this? Didn't your father teach you not to be so rude?" Gu Ze said angrily to Gu Shao Jin.
Gu Shaojin turned his head, his face stern, and answered coldly.
"It's been over 20 years. I don't object to you wanting to find someone to spend your life with, and I wish you all the best."
But there was really no need for this woman to come and test my opinion of my birth mother. Although I have no feelings for that birth mother I've never met, what right does she, as a newcomer, have to judge my birth mother?
Everyone frowned in confusion.
Is Gu Shaojin misunderstanding something?
"Gu Shaojin, didn't you say you noticed something? Is this all you noticed?" Ming Jiayi asked Gu Shaojin with a look of disbelief.
It's hard to tell whether Gu Shaojin overthinks things because she's too meticulous, or because she misses her mother so much that she can't tolerate anyone who appears around her father, seeing them as enemies who could ruin her parents' relationship.
Tears slowly streamed down Liao Ying's face. She released Gu Ze's hand, and, trembling with emotion, rushed forward to hug half of Gu Shaojin's body. She choked out, "..."
"Shao Jin, I'm sorry. I am the biological mother you've never met. I'm sorry, I disappeared for 20 years and missed your best years. Thank you for still protecting me... I'm sorry..."
An incredulous look appeared on Gu Shaojin's cold face. He didn't shake off Liao Ying, who was holding him, but instead turned his head to look at Ming Jiayi with a somewhat blank expression.
Ming Jiayi smiled faintly and nodded.
Gu Shaojin sat there motionless, unsure how to face Liao Ying.
After hearing what Liao Ying said that afternoon, he briefly thought that Liao Ying wanted to take his birth mother's place and become Gu Ze's wife, so she deliberately went to test him, Gu Ze's biological son...
He had felt utterly disgusted with Liao Ying that afternoon; she was so hesitant and indecisive, always trying to say what she wanted to say directly, and even went so far as to slander his birth mother in front of him. But he never expected things to turn out this way...
He hadn't seen his mother in over 20 years, and their first meeting was under such circumstances... He actually mistook his biological mother for a scheming woman on their very first meeting...
"Shao Jin, I don't expect you to forgive your mother so quickly, but... but, could you give me a chance? I promise I will fulfill my responsibilities as a mother in the days I have left and take good care of you..."
Liao Ying's physical condition was no longer able to support her grief. She slowly sobbed as she finished speaking, and then she no longer had the strength to hug Gu Shaojin.
She slumped weakly to the ground, panting heavily.
Gu Shaojin looked at Liao Ying with some concern, and subconsciously got up to help Liao Ying to his own seat.
Gu Ze's expression remained calm and composed as always. He instructed Uncle Zheng to pour him a glass of warm water, and then stepped forward to gently pat Liao Ying's back.
Xie Leying hurriedly stepped forward to check on Liao Ying. After checking Liao Ying's pulse and finding that there was nothing seriously wrong, she was relieved.
Ming Jiayi touched her chin, not quite understanding what illness Liao Ying had.
Chest tightness, shortness of breath, pale complexion, weakness and fatigue...
Gu Shaojin stood to the side, and saw him frown, asking in a detached yet worried voice, "What's wrong?"
“Heart disease, depression,” Gu Ze replied calmly.
Xie Leying looked up at Gu Shaojin, then said in a pitiful, high-pitched voice,
"Shaojin, Auntie really didn't abandon you on purpose more than 20 years ago. Auntie was under house arrest and had no way to see you. She thought about you every day."
My aunt's heart condition is very serious and cannot be completely cured. It can flare up at any time if she gets emotionally agitated.
Gu Shaojin's brows furrowed even more deeply at this moment, and he asked coldly, "Household confinement? What's going on?"
Liao Ying looked at Gu Shaojin with a pale smile. Her breathing was still a little rapid. She replied in a hoarse voice, "It's okay, all of that is in the past. Seeing you and Gu Ze makes me feel better."
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