26/Bloodline
Shen Yu said he would take Chen Mian out to play, but in the end, he couldn't. After they got in the car, a torrential downpour began. The two looked at the heavy rain outside the window and then asked the driver to take them back to Shengshi Haoting.
Chen Mian arranged the items one by one, and when she finally opened the wardrobe, she was surprised to find a lot of women's clothes inside, including casual wear, pajamas, and dresses, all brand new and with the tags still on.
The question of where it came from barely surfaced; the answer has already emerged.
I bought it from Shenyu.
They probably guessed that she wouldn't have many clothes to pack when she went home to get her things, so they prepared these in advance.
It was a piece of cake for him; he didn't even need to buy it himself. A simple phone call was all it took for someone to prepare everything for him.
Underwear and panties were also neatly stacked in a small drawer.
The four-bedroom, two-living-room layout provided her with a bright and airy room. Opening the window revealed lush green trees. The weather was bad, with dark clouds gathering and raindrops pattering into the room. The scent of rain-soaked grass and trees, along with the cool air, wafted in with the wind, wetting Chen Mian's palms. Just as she was about to close the window, she saw a black Audi parked downstairs.
The driver's seat door opened, and a man in a suit stepped out holding an umbrella. The back door opened, and the pink umbrella looked much smaller. The woman holding the umbrella was wearing a white dress. Her face was revealed when the umbrella was tilted. She was saying something, and her expression was smiling. Soon, a girl came out next to her and took her arm.
A family of three walked side by side in the rain, each carrying two umbrellas, before finally disappearing into the building across the street.
When Shen Yu called her name, Chen Mian came back to her senses. As she was about to close the window, she realized that she had been pinching countless crescent moons in her palm.
Shen Yu looked at her, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just saw someone I know."
Shen Yu asked, "What acquaintance?"
Chen Mian glanced at him, "Qiao Zhiwan."
Shen Yu and Chen Mian never inquired about each other's private lives.
Even though the rumors about Shen Yu and Chen Yin were so rampant before, Chen Mian never said a word about it.
At this moment, Qiao Zhiwan suddenly appeared, and Shen Yu was still a little confused as to who this person was.
Only after Chen Mian brushed past him did he grab her wrist, pull her back to him, and suddenly lower his head to look at her expression.
She looked up at him with her eyes completely unmoved.
It's just stating the facts.
He let go of her hand. "You have sharp eyes. You didn't see anyone else, but you saw Qiao Zhiwan."
"And Qiao Zhiwan's parents," Chen Mian added casually, then added seemingly unintentionally, "She and her mother don't look very alike."
“You noticed quite a lot when you looked out the window. I’m not familiar with Qiao Zhiwan, so how would I know if she looks like her mother?”
As Shen Yu spoke, he pulled the person into the living room. The takeout had just arrived and was scattered haphazardly on the table. When the lid was lifted, steam billowed out.
He ordered whatever came to mind: Sichuan pepper beef, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, boiled fish, stir-fried pork, and even chicken soup.
There was a pile of plates next to him, and he took them out one by one and poured the contents directly into them.
The movements weren't very meticulous, and no one bothered with the spilled soup.
Seeing his actions, Chen Mian couldn't help but pull out a tissue to help him clean up the mess, continuing the previous topic, "Have they always lived here?"
This question wasn't like Chen Mian's usual style. She rarely cared about other people's affairs, and her concern for Qiao Zhiwan was already excessive. Shen Yu let go of her hand and asked with a smile, "Jealous?"
To his surprise, Chen Mian looked at him seriously and nodded, "Yes."
"..."
Shen Yu was speechless for a moment, and handed her the chopsticks with a bit of a laugh. "Your jealousy is quite strange. It would be more believable if you just told me you're jealous of Chen Yin. Can you be more honest? I think you're more concerned about Qiao Zhiwan's stepmother."
stepmother.
She wasn't mistaken.
The biological mother, who ran away on a rainy night, abandoned her and went on to pursue her own future.
When they met again, it was still a rainy night, but she had transformed into a wealthy woman getting out of an Audi.
She never expected that she would marry into Qiao Zhiwan's family.
The girl's voice, smiling as she told her they could be friends, still echoed in her ears.
Chen Mian didn't say anything more and silently ate her rice.
Seeing her strange expression, Shen Yu asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Mian shook her head, "It's nothing."
"Chen Mian, remember to tell me if anything happens."
When Shen Yu said this to her, Chen Mian looked up and met his eyes.
How strange.
These are words that parents should say to their children.
But her father, drunk, coveted his daughter's body.
Her biological mother plays the role of a good parent to others.
The stepmother didn't act like a stepmother at all; she was only calculating the benefits she could bring.
Everyone who should have shown her care ignored her, while those who had no connection to her and had the least obligation to care for her made up for what they should have said but didn't.
"fine."
Chen Mian repeated herself, lowering her eyes to look at the food that Chen Yu had put in her bowl, her voice very soft, "Really, it's okay."
She never intended to ask Ruan Yanmei to take on the responsibilities that a mother should bear. She was about to turn eighteen, and there was no need to ask someone who had long since drifted away from her life to take on the responsibilities that she should have borne in the past. However, living in the same neighborhood, it was inevitable that they would run into each other.
Shen Yu doesn't live here often. It seems he's determined to leave this apartment to Chen Mian. With the college entrance exam approaching, he doesn't stay overnight often. It's as if he's suddenly become innocent. He doesn't have sex with Chen Mian, but they do exams together. Occasionally, he grabs someone to ask about reading comprehension in Chinese and explains a few math problems to Chen Mian.
They really looked like two top students studying hard together.
Even the head of the teaching department would have to award them certificates.
The day I met Ruan Yanmei again was seventy days before the college entrance examination.
I've been living here for almost a month now.
Shen Yu was kept after class by the teacher, so she took the bus back by herself. As soon as she entered the community, she saw Ruan Yanmei carrying groceries back. Ruan Yanmei was holding her phone in one hand and talking on the phone, saying that she would come to her house to play next time she had time. She was probably chatting with a friend.
When he saw Chen Mian, he was stunned for a moment. He squinted and didn't recognize Chen Mian at first glance. He just felt that she looked familiar and subconsciously called her "classmate".
Chen Mian stopped and turned around to look at Ruan Yanmei.
It was that face so similar to her own that reminded Ruan Yanmei of her daughter who had been abandoned in the slums. Her superior material conditions meant that her appearance had not changed much from before, and she even looked more radiant than before, thanks to her expensive clothes.
"Mianmian?!" Ruan Yanmei's eyes widened, more incredulous than joyful, as if she hadn't expected Chen Mian to appear in this situation, and instinctively showed surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Chen Mian did not answer, and her gaze towards her was indifferent.
"Your dad isn't here either, is he?!" Ruan Yanmei didn't want anyone to know about her past. Marrying an abusive alcoholic gambler wasn't exactly a glorious thing. The man she was married to now was successful and gentle, and her stepdaughter was well-behaved and sensible, even better than her own daughter. Over time, she forgot that she even had a daughter.
She took a few steps forward, stood in front of Chen Mian, and asked in a low voice, "Mianmian, are you looking for your mother?"
As she rummaged through her bag, her hand had just touched the bank card when she heard the girl in front of her sneer and say, "One isn't enough."
Ruan Yanmei was stunned.
Chen Mian looked into her eyes.
When I was little, adults often said, "Mianmian looks just like your mother. You're both beauties."
Back then, Ruan Yanmei would hug her, kiss her face, and say, "My little darling doesn't resemble me, so who else could she resemble?"
Chen Mian didn't actually blame Ruan Yanmei.
Everyone has the right to strive for a better life and should not be bound by anything. One's life should belong only to oneself.
Even if it were her, she wouldn't choose someone like Chen Song.
Ruan Yanmei simply made the right decision for her.
I even had a feeling of "I knew it" pop into my head.
Everything has a root cause; her cold-bloodedness and Ruan Yanmei's are from the same lineage, and so are their selfishness and indifference.
She looked at Ruan Yanmei and said to her indifferently, "Chen Song doesn't have the ability to buy a house here. He drinks, gambles, frequents prostitutes, and is abusive. A rotten person can't escape the slums. You don't need to worry."
Ruan Yanmei felt a lump in her throat. The content of Chen Mian's words brought a wave of belated guilt over her. She reached out to grab Chen Mian, and then immediately understood the second meaning behind Chen Mian's words.
Chen Song couldn't afford to buy a house here, but Chen Mian showed up here, carrying a backpack and holding the key to the place.
The answer was obvious, and she frowned. "Mianmian, Mom knows I've wronged you, but there's nothing Mom can do—"
The exact same script as before.
She had no choice but to abandon her.
Chen Mian didn't react much at first, and she doesn't react much now.
Ruan Yanmei changed the subject, "If you need money, Mom can give it to you, but Mom hopes you can be clear about what you want. You're in high school now, right? Mom will rent you a new place. You're still young, so you need to be careful and respectful, understand?"
As soon as Shen Yu entered the residential area, he saw Chen Mian standing there talking to someone.
He didn't seem very happy. Chen Mian, who was facing him, even frowned, but he didn't leave. He still stood there obediently listening to the person opposite him spouting his profound principles.
This time is too early for students; most of the people living here attend evening self-study sessions at school.
But for working people, it's too late.
There weren't many people around, so Ruan Yanmei assumed it was just her and Chen Mian there. After lecturing Chen Mian a few times and finding that Chen Mian didn't argue, she took out her wallet. When she reached for her bank cards, she paused for a moment, but couldn't bring herself to do it. In the end, she only took out a supplementary card with a limited balance and handed it to Chen Mian.
"Mianmian, listen to your mother, go back first, and I will find you a good house."
Chen Mian didn't move, she just stared at the card.
Ruan Yanmei's patience had run out. She and Chen Mian hadn't been in contact for years, and their mother-daughter bond was as thin as paper. With Qiao Cheng's workday drawing to a close, she grew impatient and urged, "Mianmian, didn't you hear me?"
But then he heard a boy's voice behind him.
With a slight smile, she asked, "Auntie, who are you? Does she have to listen to you?"
Ruan Yanmei turned around and saw the boy wearing a school uniform, with a tall and straight figure and outstanding features.
He stepped forward, grasped Chen Mian's wrist, and pulled her to his side.
It was as if they were the people of one country, and she was nothing more than an invading foreigner.
His words were undisguisedly protective, and he glanced at the card in her hand, his tone quite indifferent.
"You think you can adopt a daughter with just a card?"
He lowered his eyes, looked at Chen Mian, and teased, "Chen Mian, after all these years of my efforts, shouldn't you acknowledge me as your father?"
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