Cen Yu, covering her face, let out a short wail.
Cen Lan glanced at her daughter, a hint of subtle displeasure in her eyes. But she quickly composed herself and looked at the mugwort with a smile.
Cen Yu whispered, "Mom, why are you asking that..."
She glanced cautiously at Ai Cao, but couldn't detect any offense on her face. Cen Yu then breathed a small sigh of relief and sat down close to Cen Lan on the other side.
Even if Cen Lan wanted to ignore Cen Yu now, she couldn't.
Cen Lan looked at Cen Yu and asked her what she wanted to say. But Cen Yu just sat next to Cen Lan, dawdling and not saying a word.
Ai Cao thought for a moment and said, "My short hair is a family tradition."
Cen Lan smiled and said, "It's a family tradition."
Her tone was calm, but her eyes held a hint of inquiry. Cen Lan's gaze as she examined Ai Cao wasn't sharp. Rather than interrogating or causing trouble for Ai Cao, it was more like an elder interacting with a junior they hadn't seen in a long time.
Mugwort doesn't dislike her.
Ai Cao continued, "Whether I like women or not, I will cut my hair short—it has nothing to do with whether I choose a partner or what my future partner's identity is."
She temporarily avoided Cen Lan's question about whether she liked girls.
Ai Cao thought the question was unimportant and there was no need to answer it seriously.
Ai Cao's explanation of the answer had temporarily ended, but Cen Lan did not respond.
Ai Cao knew that Cen Lan hadn't yet heard the answer to the question she wanted. Although Ai Cao didn't understand why Cen Lan cared so much about the answer, she was happy to answer the woman's question.
Ai Cao paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "I prefer women to men."
Her voice was calm. But Cen Yu, who was sitting next to Cen Lan and staring so intently that she seemed to be drilling a hole in the corner of the living room, silently gripped the sofa cover beside her.
Cen Yu then shifted her gaze to another corner of the living room, seemingly determined not to speak until she had thoroughly scrutinized all four corners.
Cen Lan's smile remained unchanged, still the gentle and loving smile typical of an elder.
Cen Lan asked, "Is there some special reason?"
Artemisia thought about it carefully and said, "No."
Cen Lan smiled and pressed on, "But you compared the two, so there must be a reason." She smiled slyly, "Otherwise, you would have said it didn't matter."
Ai Cao hesitated before saying, "...Because the man is stupid?"
Cen Lan's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and asked, "What if I meet a man who isn't stupid?"
Artemisia thought for a moment.
In her life so far, she hasn't met a man who isn't stupid. Some men barely begin to think before she feels an urge to smash their heads to prevent herself from laughing out loud in inappropriate situations.
If there really are men who aren't stupid...
“That has nothing to do with me,” said Ai Cao.
She looked intently into Cen Lan's eyes and said, "I enjoy looking at all kinds of women. To me, women are the most important. No matter what kind of woman she is, she's good and capable. I like women as much as I like my mother."
Cen Lan smiled and took Ai Cao's hand.
Her hand rested gently on the back of Ai Cao's hand, like a mother embracing her daughter.
“I asked Feng An that question back then,” Cen Lan said with a smile. “She didn’t like men either.”
Cen Lan said, "I'm relieved to hear that." She turned to look at Cen Yu, and pulled Cen Yu, who was curled up in the corner of the sofa and muttering to herself, up. "Come here."
Cen Yu reluctantly sat up straight.
Cen Lan said, "I sent Yu Yu to study in England because I wanted her to broaden her horizons." She then beckoned Feng An to her side, "Now it seems that although she still has many shortcomings, she is indeed ready to take over my business."
“…I don’t want your company,” Cen Yu said softly.
Cen Lan's gaze, which had been quite gentle just moments before, became stern.
She asked Cen Yu, "Do you know what direction that brat's company is heading now?"
The "little brat" Cen Lan was referring to was naturally the male protagonist.
During Cen Yu's smooth-sailing first twenty years, the only person who wasn't dealt with in advance and instead popped up to cause trouble was the male protagonist.
This is the special nature of the male protagonist as a "male protagonist", and also the special nature of the female protagonist as a "female protagonist".
The only difference between the two is that the male protagonist succeeds by stepping on the female protagonist's failure.
The male protagonist will find sweet romance and a bright future.
The female lead will inherit the male lead's life.
She will become the male protagonist's appendage, a delicate and beautiful vase—a capable servant, a completely free breeding machine.
Mugwort doesn't like to see that happen.
Although she cannot change many things that are already set in stone, she can try to change the future that has not yet arrived by changing the present.
Cen Yu, who was being questioned by Cen Lan, cautiously shook his head.
Cen Lan asked again, "Do you know what his company's current market value is?"
Cen Yu shook her head again.
She reached behind her, trying to find a haven where she could temporarily escape her problems; but when she touched back, she could only touch the back of the sofa and the armrests.
Cen Lan became slightly more assertive, and the thin wall of resistance that Cen Yu had just erected collapsed with a crash.
Cen Yu whispered, "When I was little, didn't you say I wasn't cut out for business..."
Seeing a faint wrinkle appear between Cen Lan's brows, she hurriedly changed her tune, saying, "I'll learn it! Don't be angry!"
Cen Lan's expression softened slightly. She gently tapped Cen Yu's forehead and said slowly, "Now that Feng An is here, I can rest assured." She paused for a moment before adding, "I'm not the same as when I was younger... I'm older now."
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