Song Ning became skin and bones due to illness, and her face was pale. Even after so many years, you can still vaguely see the shadow of that old photo in her facial features.
Song Qingyou never expected that her reunion with Song Ning would be so calm. They looked at each other, but their hearts were not stirred at all.
Song Ning seemed to have anticipated Song Qingyou's arrival. She was seriously ill and even simple actions like getting up from the bed were difficult for her. Seeing this, Xu Qingran hurriedly went over and bent down to help Song Ning up.
Song Ning glanced at Song Qingyou, but spoke to Xu Qingran: "You go out first."
Xu Qingran bit her lip, responded softly with a period, then lowered her head and walked out of the ward, closing the door behind her.
The room was silent except for the rustling of the wind through the treetops.
Song Ning coughed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "Xu Qingran is your sister. She has the blood of the Song family in her veins. Find a time to let her recognize her ancestors and return to the family."
Song Qingyou was stunned for a moment, then her lips curled up slightly: "I didn't expect that the first thing you would say to me on our first meeting would be to make a request about someone else."
Song Ning looked extremely weak, probably knowing that her time was coming to an end. Her breath was weak, but her cloudy, aged eyes revealed indifference.
That was the haughty attitude that came from decades of pampered living.
Even now, in their current state of decline, they remain unchanged.
“Song Qingyou, she is not just anyone, she is your sister.”
Song Qingyou's lips curved into a smile, her tone slightly teasing: "It's kind of you to remember my name."
Song Ning frowned. Illness and the passage of time had taken their toll on her youth, leaving her face lined with wrinkles. It seemed that only now did she remember to ask her daughter, whom she had abandoned and hadn't seen for over twenty years: "How have you been all these years...?"
Song Qingyou's expression was calm, and she was surrounded by light: "It's alright. Thanks to you, I'm still alive and well after going through this big melting pot of the Song family."
Song Ning was annoyed by the barbed words and said coldly, "You hate me? What right do you have to hate me? If it weren't for being pregnant with you, why would I have been in such a hurry to marry that scumbag Luo Yuan back then!"
When Luo Yuan was mentioned, Song Ning's face showed obvious hatred: "If it weren't for him, why would I have given up being the eldest daughter of the Song family? Why would I have fallen out with my father and been unable to go home for so many years? Song Qingyou, if I hadn't abandoned you back then, I would have been the one who died in the hospital!"
Song Ning recounted her forced helplessness. It was the first time the mother and daughter had met in over twenty years, and there was no warmth whatsoever, only questioning and excuses.
Song Qingyou felt a chill in her heart, but thankfully she hadn't had high expectations for Song Ning to begin with: "I know."
"What?"
“I said I know.” Song Qingyou remained calm throughout, standing at the foot of the bed, expressionless. “You wanted to leave Luo Yuan, so you abandoned me. I understand your actions, so I don’t blame you. Even though we’ve lived in the same city for so many years, you’ve never once come to see me, not even once. Even though I thought you were really dead and endured humiliation for over twenty years to avenge you, even though my grandfather wanted to strangle me because of your death, even though…”
Song Qingyou let out a heavy breath and said with a faint smile, "Even if you finally remember that you have a daughter today, it's for the sake of your other daughter."
She said, "I don't blame you, nor do I hate you, because I have no feelings for you. How can there be hate without love, Ms. Song?"
Song Ning was stung by the words "Ms. Song," and she clutched her stomach and coughed repeatedly, as if she had been stimulated by something.
Hearing the noise, Xu Qingran hurriedly pushed open the door to ask what was wrong, but was scolded by Song Ning and kept outside.
Song Qingyou remained silent throughout, as if she were an outsider detached from the situation.
Once Song Ning calmed down, Song Qingyou spoke again: "I also know that you are a selfish woman. For a man, you did not hesitate to break with your family and sever your father-daughter relationship. After you got married, you found out that he was cheating on you and began to shift the blame onto others, thinking that you were not wrong. You abandoned your daughter and left heartlessly. And more than 20 years later, you want to find the daughter you abandoned back then in order to obtain a share of the Song family's property for Xu Qingran."
Song Ning's face turned pale at her words, a sudden tightness in her chest, her expression helpless and sorrowful: "How could you say such a thing about your mother! What mother in the world wouldn't love her own child!"
"I'm sorry," Song Qingyou said calmly, "your love is too ethereal and elusive; I can't see it."
"You!" Song Ning coughed a few more times before slowly raising her head. "Qingyou, I know I've wronged you all these years, but I'm dying. Even after surgery, I don't have much time left. There's been a gap of over twenty years between us. I'm not looking for you to rekindle our mother-daughter relationship. I'm not worthy to be your mother in this life, and I won't beg for your forgiveness. But Xu Qingran is different—"
Song Ning abruptly changed the subject, her gaze fixed firmly on Song Qingyou: "She's still young, still in school. While you were living a life of luxury in the Song family, she was working part-time everywhere to raise money for my medical expenses, and you..."
Song Qingyou interrupted her: "I have no interest in listening to you complain about being poor. Me, pampered and spoiled? A princess? Song Ning, if the Song family is like this, then why did you risk your life to escape in the first place?"
Song Ning was speechless.
Since Luo Yuan took control of the Song family, Song Ning personally experienced the dire straits the Song family had endured.
Song Qingyou must have had a very difficult time and struggled to make ends meet in the Song family all these years.
Song Ning felt a pang of guilt and lowered her voice, but her words still revolved around Xu Qingran: "The past is the past. Xu Qingran is a member of the Song family after all. I don't want much. Just leave what's mine to her."
Song Qingyou smiled and said, "Ms. Song, Xu Qingran's surname is Xu. What does she have to do with my Song family? You don't mean to think that an outsider is worthy of entering my Song family, do you?"
Song Ning's eyebrows furrowed suddenly: "What are you saying? What do you mean by 'outsider'? She's your only family in this world!"
Song Qingyou said, "According to you, then Song Shi, Song Chen, and Song Wei are also members of the Song family, since they share the same blood as me."
Song Ning suddenly flew into a rage, supporting herself as she glared at him: "They have Luo Yuan's and that bitch's blood in them! Unlike you! You and Qingran both have my blood in you!"
"But I also have Song Yuan's blood in my veins."
"Nonsense! He's not your father at all! He..."
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