Chapter 198: Worries

Words : 1225 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Yun Shifei wasn’t against Yun Tiancheng having a new relationship; she just felt that Yun Tiancheng ought to find someone suitable for him, not a woman who was duplicitous. So, even though Yun Shifei felt that speaking ill of others behind their backs was inappropriate, she still couldn’t resist saying it out loud. To be honest, before coming here, her impression of this woman had been quite good. After all, this was the woman her father liked, and she’d once helped her pick out many beautiful clothes. During their interactions, she had seemed enthusiastic and particularly attentive. Yun Shifei had developed some goodwill toward her. Who would have known she’d witness such a scene? A lot of things can be faked, but those subtle, unintentional details often reveal a person’s true character. At that moment, Yun Shifei’s impression of her changed drastically. Thus, when Yun Tiancheng asked her about it, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak up. After hearing Yun Shifei’s words, Yun Tiancheng remained silent for a while before saying, "Shifei, don’t worry. Dad won’t casually find you a stepmother, nor will I let myself be easily deceived." In his heart, nothing was more important now than his daughter. After all, it had taken so many years to reunite, and she had endured plenty of grievances before. If, at this point, he were to marry a malicious stepmother, he wouldn’t be much of a man. Hearing Yun Tiancheng say this, Yun Shifei felt reassured. Yun Tiancheng was accomplished in his career, had a large family business, and a good personality. Apart from his "burden" of a daughter, he had virtually no flaws. Finding a woman wouldn’t be difficult. However, Yun Shifei worried that some women might approach Yun Tiancheng with ulterior motives. She simply hoped her father could find happiness. "Dad, are you dating Auntie now?" Yun Shifei asked tentatively. What if Yun Tiancheng had already grown fond of her? Yun Tiancheng smiled and shook his head. "Little girl, at my age, I’ve seen all sorts of storms. Plus, your mom and I haven’t divorced—how could I possibly date someone else? Wouldn’t that be unfair to other women?" It turned out Yun Tiancheng believed he could only start a new relationship once he had properly ended the last one. Yun Shifei thought her father was quite reliable. After all this time spent together, she had long realized how dependable Yun Tiancheng truly was. Thinking about this, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but recall Xu Ya. Speaking of, it seemed like she hadn’t seen Xu Ya in quite a while. Xu Ya had moved out of the house for Yun Sisi and had been separated from Yun Tiancheng for nearly a year. Did she truly no longer want this family? She wondered how Xu Ya was managing after all this time without a job. Living by herself, she must have been spending her savings. If she didn’t start working soon, she’d run out of money, wouldn’t she? But after pondering for a moment, Yun Shifei quickly stopped worrying. Xu Ya was an adult; surely she had considered the consequences of her choices. Why should Yun Shifei concern herself unnecessarily? After all, Xu Ya had abandoned her for Yun Sisi. She didn’t need to burden herself by worrying about her. Though she told herself this, that night, because Yun Tiancheng had taken her to meet a pretty auntie, Yun Shifei ended up having a dream. In the dream, Xu Ya had returned home. She had bought a lot of things for her, apologized to her, and promised to never leave her again—to live well with them as a family. When she woke up, Yun Shifei realized it was just a dream. But in the afternoon, Xu Ya actually visited. After not seeing her for a while, Yun Shifei noticed Xu Ya seemed much thinner, her features slightly haggard. She was wearing a pale gray dress. Yun Shifei could tell the fabric wasn’t from one of Xu Ya’s preferred brands. "Shifei, has your dad gone to the office?" Xu Ya asked Yun Shifei. Yun Shifei nodded. "Mom bought you some snacks. I don’t know if you’ll like them." Xu Ya gestured toward the bag of snacks on the table. "Thank you." Listening to Yun Shifei’s polite and distant tone, without even calling her "Mom," Xu Ya felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. But this was all her own doing; she couldn’t blame anyone else. She chatted briefly with Yun Shifei, asking about her studies and recent life. Yun Shifei answered each question one by one. Soon, the conversation dwindled, and an awkward silence settled between them. Yun Shifei felt uncomfortable too. It was a strange feeling—if it were a stranger sitting across from her, there’d be no issue with a lack of conversation, and it wouldn’t feel awkward. But they were mother and daughter, supposed to be the closest relationship in the world, yet they had nothing to say. That truly was awkward. Yun Shifei resorted to petting her dog excessively. The dog felt somewhat hurt and let out a soft whine. Was this the so-called "raising a dog for years only to use it in moments of need"? Watching Yun Shifei playing with her dog, showing no desire to keep talking, Xu Ya began to feel restless. She had already said everything she had prepared before coming. Since Yun Shifei didn’t seem to have more to say to her, should she leave? With this thought, Xu Ya stood up and said to Yun Shifei, "Alright, I just came to see you today. I’ll be leaving now." When Yun Shifei heard her, she nodded at Xu Ya. "Take care." She courteously escorted Xu Ya to the door. Xu Ya felt an even deeper bitterness in her heart. This was supposed to be her home, yet because of her decisions, she had become a guest here. Thinking back to that day when Yun Tiancheng was so close with another woman, Xu Ya couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She wondered if Yun Shifei was aware of it. She turned to Yun Shifei and said, "Shifei, I have not been a good mother. I am truly sorry for hurting you in the past. It’s understandable that you don’t like me now. Someday, you will meet someone more suitable to be your mother than me." Upon hearing Xu Ya’s words, Yun Shifei froze for a moment. She couldn’t help but look closely at Xu Ya, noticing her trembling voice and reddened eyes, as though she was suppressing immense pain. This expression was something Yun Shifei had never seen on Xu Ya’s face before. In the past, Xu Ya had always been either calm and aloof or angry. She had never seemed this heartbroken. It took Yun Shifei a few seconds to process what Xu Ya was saying. "You... know about Dad’s..." Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Ya nodded, tearfully on the verge of breaking down. Crying in front of Yun Shifei, Xu Ya felt she was far too fragile. She had always avoided showing weakness to others, much less in front of her daughter. "Shifei, I don’t expect you to forgive me. After all, I’ve hurt you so deeply before. But please believe that Mom loves you. I was just... blinded by my mistakes."

Chapter 198: Worries

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