Just after they had a close and intimate conversation, Shen Lin's phone rang.
Shen Lin didn't try to hide anything and answered the call right in front of her. Then he lifted the covers, put on a bathrobe, and went to the balcony.
Ye Xinning sat on the bed.
Then I thought of that phrase again.
I know he is as distant as the moon, yet so close to my heart.
Shen Lin, you are to me an unforgettable past, and also an unforgettable present.
Jiang An's call came so openly and honestly that after she found out, Shen Lin no longer tried to hide it. He was truly frank and open.
Ye Xinning stopped wallowing in self-pity in bed, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom.
...
The next day, Ye Xinning went to the law firm early, but she didn't expect that someone else had arrived even earlier than her.
Looking at Ye Rouxin sitting in her office, her mood, which had finally eased up after a night, turned sour again.
Now that everyone was there, she couldn't hide no matter what she wanted to do, so Ye Xinning had no choice but to step inside.
Upon seeing her arrive, Ye Rouxin stood up, her gaze earnest, "Ningning, you've come."
Ye Xinning's attitude was indifferent. "Is there something you need?"
Ye Rouxin reached out her hand, wanting to hold hers, but Ye Xinning dodged. Ye Rouxin was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I came here specifically to apologize to you."
Ye Xinning remained silent, and the atmosphere in the office began to become somewhat tense.
Ye Rouxin pursed her lips and continued, "Ningning, Mom knows that what happened yesterday made you unhappy. It was my fault for not thinking things through and letting you talk to Chen Lin. I know I was wrong and I won't do it again next time."
This wasn't the first time Ye Xinning had heard similar words from Ye Rouxin.
She looked calmly at Ye Rouxin before her, and after a long while, she finally spoke, "Mom, you always make such promises, but in your heart, it's only right that I beg Shen Lin no matter what. After I married him, you either made me ask him or his father. Do you think there's any truth to your words now?"
I didn't mean that.
"Is it that you didn't mean it that way, or are you just unwilling to acknowledge your changes?"
When the changes were mentioned, a strange look flashed in Ye Rouxin's eyes. If she had been looking at Ye Xinning with her eyes locked before, then as soon as Ye Xinning finished speaking, Ye Rouxin looked away and gazed into the distance, her voice filled with restraint as she answered.
"I haven't changed."
Ye Xinning lowered her head, looking at her palms, her tone calm and even, "Mom, do you know when it was that I truly felt you weren't the mother I remembered?"
Ye Rouxin clenched her hands, which were hanging at her sides.
“Ningning, Mommy…”
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Xinning interrupted her.
"A few years ago, when you wanted to send me away for Kenneth Fok, if separating from my father and being with Kenneth Fok made me feel that my once happy family was no more, then when you told me to leave Nancheng, I knew that my beloved mother had changed."
Ye Rouxin looked at her with complicated eyes. How could she not know that even if Ye Xinning returned to Nancheng and even if Ye Xinning married Shen Lin, the estrangement between the mother and daughter had never been eliminated.
“Back then, at my grandfather’s funeral, I waited from morning till night, day after day, waiting for my father to appear, waiting for you to tell me why you were with Kenneth Fok. But in the end, I didn’t get what I wanted. What I saw was you and Kenneth Fok appearing together, and you telling me that you were going to marry this man. I couldn’t control my emotions at the time. I hurled insults at Kenneth Fok, saying that he was scheming and had destroyed my family. I asked him why he didn’t just die.”
When the past was mentioned, Ye Rouxin suppressed her emotions. This was not only something Ye Xinning could not forget, but also something Ye Rouxin could not forget.
"After my grandfather's funeral, Huo Qijun really got into trouble. He was in a car accident and was on the verge of death in the hospital. He almost didn't make it. What did you do? At the entrance of the operating room, you slapped me in front of everyone. Because of Huo Qijun, you questioned me, asking why I couldn't tolerate him. You asked me why I was so ruthless and scheming at such a young age. You had Xia He send me away from Nancheng, and only when I needed to marry Shen Lin did you recall me to Nancheng. Actually, even after so long, I feel like I've never forgotten what that slap felt like, and I dare not forget it."
At this point, Ye Rouxin's eyes were already red. She closed her eyes, not wanting her loss of composure to be too obvious in front of Ye Xinning.
"At this moment, I have no other choice."
Compared to Ye Rouxin's loss of control, Ye Xinning remained calm. She looked at Ye Rouxin and smiled gently, "Why are you crying? I was just reminding you of things. So, Mom, don't ask too much of me. Actually, the deep mother-daughter bond between us was gone long ago when I left Nancheng."
Ye Rouxin wanted to apologize, but Ye Xinning turned around first.
"You can leave now. If it's not absolutely necessary, try not to come looking for me anymore. As for Shen Lin, don't hold any more thoughts about him. I won't bring it up. Besides, it wouldn't make any difference if I did. Shen Lin doesn't care about me. Even if I lowered my pride and begged him, the outcome would be the same. Nothing would change."
After finishing speaking, Ye Xinning opened the office door and left.
Bringing up old stories brought back vivid memories of pain that had lingered in her mind for a long time.
She went to the break room, thinking she needed a space to process these negative emotions.
To outsiders, her departure from Nancheng was to study abroad, but what they didn't know was that Ye Rouxin never called her once during those years abroad. Such a departure was less about continuing her studies and more about exile.
She always kept in mind the hardships she endured abroad.
if……
If it weren't for the marriage alliance with Shen Lin, if she hadn't known that her heart condition was getting worse, she probably wouldn't have wanted to come back to Nancheng.
As for that car accident back then...
Ye Xinning closed her eyes and leaned weakly against the back of the chair. No one believed her. Because of what she said at the funeral, everyone assumed that she wanted to kill Huo Qijun through a car accident. From that moment on, her reputation for being ruthless spread throughout Nancheng.
But……
If she really wanted Huo Qijun dead, why would she have gone through a car accident like that?
...
Ye Rouxin left Ye Xinning's law firm. After such a conversation, she looked tired. It was at this moment that Shen Lin called.
"Hello."
"mom."
A deep, resonant voice came through the phone, its emotion unreadable.
Before Ye Rouxin could figure out the purpose of Shen Lin's call, she was surprised by his words.
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