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"Who are you to me! You were indifferent to her before, and now you come over like this? Do you treat her like a pet, summoning her at will and dismissing her just as easily?"
Su Peijiu struggled to shake off the worries in her heart, pouting and hugging her knees while turning her back.
She probably didn't realize how much she resembled a woman acting coy with her lover in this moment, looking so endearing.
Qi Mo reached out, wanting to pull her into his embrace, but she resisted for a moment. A warm smile played at the corners of his lips as he continued to pull her closer, wrapping her fully in his arms.
"What are you sulking about?" His voice was soft and warm, lingering by her ear like a gentle spring breeze in March, warm and ticklish.
Su Peijiu's face flushed suddenly. What was she doing? Acting spoiled and angry with Qi Mo? Was she… going crazy?
"Does your neck still hurt?" He gently pressed his hand against her neck, rubbing it lightly before saying, "You should be fine after some more rest."
Su Peijiu blinked with watery eyes, then suddenly pushed him away and fell backward. She didn't have time to see the surprise on his face as she hurriedly patted her clothes and stood up.
"Ahem..." She cleared her throat, avoiding his gaze. "Let's go."
Seeing this, Qi Mo teased, "Aren't you waiting for Black Crow?" He elegantly stood up from the ground.
Su Peijiu: "..." She didn't want to twist her arm either...
Hugging her bag tightly, Su Peijiu reluctantly followed behind Qi Mo, unable to focus on the fish nearby that usually captivated her attention.
...
Cangjian Villa.
Flower Mother walked along the familiar path, no matter how many years had passed, as if those memories separated by time and space were rushing back.
“Flower Mother, we need to buy time for our master and not let them discover that the forbidden area has been breached,” Hua Qian whispered in Flower Mother's ear.
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Flower Mother's eyes as she nodded and followed the elderly butler.
“Flower Sister, you haven't been back for many years,” the butler said with a smile as he led the way, the wrinkles on his face piling up at the corners of his eyes. “If you don't come back soon, Uncle Zhao might not get to see you again.”
Flower Mother's eyes reddened. Uncle Zhao had watched her grow up, and now he was old and gray; indeed, a long time had passed.
“Uncle Zhao, don’t say that. You are still very young; this Cangjian Villa needs you as its butler.”
Uncle Zhao smiled, knowing these were comforting words. “In my lifetime, just being able to see you enter the gates of Cangjian Villa again makes me very happy.”
“Uncle Zhao…” Flower Mother choked up a bit. In her youth, she was passionate and clear about love and hate. After what happened with Xiao Chuxin, she vowed never to enter the gates of Cangjian Villa again. She never expected… Uncle Zhao would still remember her.
“It’s just ahead, Flower Sister. Go on. Zhuang Master, he…” Uncle Zhao hesitated, his gaze flickering for a moment before he gestured for her to proceed and fell silent.
Flower Mother smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Uncle Zhao.” Then she turned to look at Hua Qian, paused for a moment, glanced toward the living room, and finally spoke: “Hua Qian, you can go with Uncle Zhao to look around.”
Only then did Uncle Zhao notice Hua Qian, and suddenly his eyes turned red, looking at Hua Qian with some excitement. “She… could she be the one from that time…”
Hua Qian's gaze darkened slightly; she did not answer but bowed slightly to Uncle Zhao before walking toward the living room.
During this time, Flower Mother had been thinking about what it would be like when they met again—whether it would be an explosive confrontation or a calm exchange, whether it would be cold and heartless… But she never imagined that person would cry and embrace her.
"I thought... I thought you really left..."
She heard him whispering in her ear, and a vague, indescribable feeling stirred within her.
"You’re holding me a bit too tightly." She was somewhat dazed and unsure of herself, but when she saw him loosen his grip like a carefree child and look at her in surprise, a smile crept onto her lips.
"...Have you been well these years?" After a long pause, Xiao Chuxin finally managed to compose himself, transforming back into the revered Zhuang Master of Cangjian Villa.
Flower Mother smiled faintly: "What does it matter if I’m good or bad?"
This statement originally held no emotion, but to Xiao Chuxin's ears, it sounded as if she was resenting him, causing him to look at her with a hint of melancholy.
"Flower Mother, do you still resent me?"
Flower Mother shook her head: "No." At first, there was resentment, but as time passed, she felt that everything became inconsequential. Living alone could also be quite carefree.
The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while, unable to find a topic to discuss, leading to an awkward moment.
"You..."
"I..."
Flower Mother smiled slightly and awkwardly cradled the teacup in her hands: "You go ahead."
"Or you go ahead." Over there, Xiao Chuxin suddenly felt as if he were meeting Flower Mother for the first time; she was still as beautiful and captivating as ever, but that beauty no longer belonged to him...
"Is she... good to you?" Flower Mother squeezed out this sentence from her throat, feeling somewhat relieved herself.
Xiao Chuxin's lips curled into a bitter smile, then she replied, "It's just living day by day... She treats me very well."
"Then... that's good." Flower Mother nodded, and silence fell again.
That's good...
Even if it wasn't good, what could she do?
Dressed up today, with the most exquisite makeup, it was just to let him know... that without him, she could still live well...
It seemed that at this moment, this was the only reason that could comfort her.
"I've heard over the years that you're still alone... Aren't you planning to find a partner?" Xiao Chuxin suppressed the tremor in her voice as she asked this question, and she didn't even notice she was holding her breath in tension.
Flower Mother was momentarily stunned, then smiled and shook her head. "I don't plan to find one; I've already gotten used to being alone."
Xiao Chuxin fell silent, looking at the woman before her who was as radiant as ever, unsure of how to continue the conversation.
Had he hurt her too deeply back then?
Just as both were lost in their own thoughts in silence, Nangong Xiang entered wearing a pale pink dress, accompanied by her personal maid.
"Sister, after all these years, you've finally come back." Nangong Xiang stepped forward and took Flower Mother's hand, tears welling in her eyes. "Sister, do you still resent me?"
Flower Mother's expression darkened the moment she entered Nangong Xiang. She would never forgive the woman before her; if it weren't for her, everything she had would not have collapsed overnight!
Slowly withdrawing her hand, Flower Mother suddenly changed her demeanor, smiling flamboyantly: "What is this from Madam Nangong? My parents of Fated to Suffer did not give birth to such a beautiful sister like you, so it's better not to casually claim relatives."
Nangong Xiang's face fell slightly, but when she caught a glimpse of Xiao Chuxin's attentive gaze, she suppressed her hatred and feigned weakness again. "Indeed, sister still cannot forgive me... For so many years, my heart has been restless, turning into an illness. If a doctor could untie my heart's knot, I wouldn't need medicine to heal... Now that I see sister, I also deserve this punishment; I do not expect to be cured."
She never expected that after all these years, Nangong Xiang would still be so detestable.
"I didn't think that a mere word of forgiveness from me could restore your health." She looked down at the tearful figure across from her, smiling mockingly: "It's just that my memory isn't very good... Do I know you?"
Nangong Xiang froze in place. There is a kind of humiliation in this world called the painstaking schemes you devised being completely disregarded by the other party, and even more so after many years, they don't even regard you as a person.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Nangong Xiang instinctively glanced at Xiao Chuxin.
Xiao Chuxin merely shifted her gaze, pretending not to see her look.
Flower Mother took out a handkerchief to wipe her hand clean after being held by Nangong Xiang, then glanced at Xiao Chuxin: "This time I came back just to sort out the things I left here back then. Once everything is sorted out, I will leave immediately; you don’t need to worry."
The implication was that some people should not feel uneasy.
Without even looking at Nangong Xiang, she walked out. After Flower Mother left, Xiao Chuxin followed behind and called out: "I have already arranged everything for you..."
Inside the room was a visibly upset Nangong Xiang.
"You finally came back... Good! However, since I, Nangong Xiang, was able to make you roll out of Cangjian Villa once, I can make you roll out a second time!" This time she did not want to see her Flower Mother leave Cangjian Villa alive!
Nangong Xiang twisted the cloth in her hands into an unrecognizable shape, her eyes flashing with a malicious glint.
In fact, Xiao Chuxin had suspected Flower Mother’s purpose for appearing at Cangjian Villa at this time. After all, Flower Mother was from Nan Xie Tower, and just a few days ago, the Master of the Building from Nan Xie Tower had shamelessly made bold claims at Cangjian Villa and even spread rumors that she was dead. So he wondered if Nan Xie Tower had other activities planned.
However, when he saw the woman in a lake blue dress bending over to look at each box with a gentle expression and a lingering gaze, saying, "Looking at these things makes me feel like we have returned to the past," all his concerns were immediately dispelled.
Xiao Chuxin leaned against the door, watching as the woman held a wooden doll in her hands, lost in her own memories.
"This is what you carved for me when you were thirteen; it was really ugly..." Flower Mother touched the doll's face, which was very smooth from being caressed countless times. She had cherished this doll dearly back then.
Xiao Chuxin laughed and said, "You owe me for that; it was my first carving. If you hadn't cried non-stop, I wouldn't have gone to steal Old Master's fine pear wood. I got caught and was punished terribly afterward."
"That's right! You were crying back then too. You got punished and still cried; how shameless!"
"Is it fair that you can cry when you fall but I can't cry when I get hit? Is there any reason in that?"
"Don't you know there's a saying that goes 'a man should not shed tears lightly'?"
"You have so many twisted arguments..."
The two of them suddenly opened up and talked freely, the doll bringing them back to their past selves.
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