Child abduction

January 21st, the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, less than 72 hours before Lunar New Year's Eve.

Lan Xin, carrying gifts she brought back from abroad, knocked on the door of apartment 2203 in unit 3 of a building in Baihe Garden.
This was her former home, but the person opening the door was the new mistress of the house. The mistress
was quite surprised by Lan Xin's arrival, looking her up and down. She noticed that the visitor had shoulder-length short hair, wore a
pink knee-length wool coat, paired with a black high-necked wool sweater, black thick stockings, and exquisite
high heels, looking incredibly capable.

"Sister Lan, when did you come back from abroad?" The mistress, dressed in loungewear, was already
half a head shorter than the woman outside, and because of the woman's high heels,
she looked up at her slightly. "Please come in, please come in." She quickly realized that it was inappropriate to keep the guest out of the house, so she hurriedly bent down and
took out a pair of lounge shoes from the shoe cabinet, placing them in front of the former mistress.

Lan Xin entered the house, put the items aside, took off her high heels, and said while changing her shoes, "I've been back for
several days, just finished up, so I came to see you all." She looked around the living room; the somewhat old house was neatly organized
, warm, and had a festive atmosphere. "Where's Yu'er?"

"Yu'er is playing games in his room." The lady of the house got up and called towards the room, "Xiao Yu, your mother is back from
abroad , come out quickly." After calling out, her heart skipped a beat for some reason. Yes, this
woman was her son's real mother.

There was no response from the room. She ushered the guest to the living room, where the guest casually asked, "Xiuyan, is Wang
Ke still so busy?"

"Yes, you know, he's a doctor, he doesn't take a break until New Year's Eve." The hostess, Xiuyan, poured
a glass of warm water and handed it to the former hostess, smiling as she said, "Sister Lan, please sit down.
I'll go call Xiaoyu over. That child has been playing games a lot lately, he probably didn't hear me."

Lan Xin took the water and nodded in agreement, "Thank you."

The hostess turned and left the living room, heading towards her son's room. Watching the hostess's retreating figure, the former
hostess sighed inwardly. She wondered what good deeds Wang Ke had done in his past life to marry her, have a
son with her, and then divorce her due to personality clashes and family issues, only for her to leave for another place. And now Wang Ke
had found such a beautiful wife.

Seeing that the hostess hadn't come out of her room for over ten minutes, a sense of sadness welled up inside her. Yes, her son ultimately
didn't want her.

"Xiaoyu, why are you so disobedient? I've been talking to you for so long, can't you listen?" In the room,
the woman of the house was earnestly advising the seventeen-year-old boy. "She is, after all, your biological mother. You can't keep ignoring her. She
came all the way back from abroad just to see you, and she bought you so many gifts. Be good and
come out with me."

The hot-blooded boy threw his phone aside and said angrily to his stepmother, "I don't want you to criticize me because of
an outsider. In my heart, there is only one mother, and that is you." He walked up to his stepmother,
held her hands, and continued, "Tell her to go back. This family doesn't welcome her."

The woman of the house had tears in her eyes. She didn't know if it was from anger at the boy or from being moved. But she still
wanted to offer one last piece of advice, "If you keep going like this,
people will think I'm some kind of stepmother. They'll think I'm always badmouthing your mother to you, that's why you hate her so much. How am I supposed to face them?"

"You haven't said anything bad about anyone to me, and you're not a gossip, so don't worry about what others
say. Ask that person outside, what face does she have to call her my mother?" The 1.75-meter-tall boy
grew increasingly angry, raising his voice, "How did she abandon us back then? And now she has the nerve to come back to
me?" Clearly, he was deliberately saying this for the former mistress of the house in the living room to hear.

"Can you keep your voice down? You're making her so sad," Xiuyan said in a low voice, also somewhat
annoyed. "Whatever, I don't care about you." She then left the room.

In the living room, Lan Xin heard everything clearly; she had actually anticipated this outcome. When Xiuyan came out,
she stood up awkwardly, smoothed the hair behind her ear, cleared her throat, and said, "Xiuyan, since Yu'er
doesn't want me, I'll be leaving now."

"That child, so stubborn—stay for lunch before you go."

"No, I have some things to take care of. I'll be going back to America the day after tomorrow." Saying this, she got up and
went to the shoe cabinet, and without waiting for the hostess's reply, she began to change her shoes. Although Xiuyan felt disrespected,
she knew that the other woman was just that kind of strong-willed woman, so she didn't try to stop her. She picked up Lan Xin's gifts and said, "Take
these things back with you. We have everything we need at home."

Lan Xin put on her high heels, slung her expensive handbag over her shoulder, and said condescendingly, "Keep them.
Some of them are for you, all brand-name cosmetics. I also bought Wang Ke a new massage device.
As for the ones for Yu'er, see if he wants them. If not, just throw them away." The hostess sensed Lan Xin's dissatisfaction and
was speechless for a moment, not knowing whether the dissatisfaction was directed at her son or at her.

"Okay, okay, I'll accept it then. I'll tell Xiaoyu later."

Xiuyan escorted Lanxin to the elevator, watching her walk in and waving goodbye. She thought to herself that
Wang Yu 's stubbornness was probably inherited from his biological mother. She closed the door and saw Wang Yu already sitting in the living room.
She complained aggrievedly, "You two are having a fight, and in the end, I'm the one who suffers from both sides. Why?"

"What, did she get angry at you?" Wang Yu was somewhat dissatisfied. He hated seeing his stepmother being bullied,
even by his own father. Sometimes when he argued with his stepmother, he would side with her.

"No," Xiuyan quickly explained, not wanting to stir up trouble, "She didn't yell at me, but some
little brat did."

"Mom—" the boy deliberately raised his voice, pouting, "I know I was wrong."

"Yes, you know you were wrong, but you never change." Hearing the boy's pouting, Xiuyan shook her head helplessly
, "I really can't do anything with you—tell me how you're going to make it up to me." Wang Yu picked up his phone and said, "How can I
make it up At worst, I'll just feed you a few kills this time. Come on, play a game with your son."

"All you do is play! Aren't you going to eat lunch?" He then flicked Wang Yu's head with his thumb and forefinger,
"I'll go make you some food."

A boy shouted dramatically, "Ah—Mom's murdering her own son!"

Walking into the kitchen, Xiuyan suddenly remembered that her husband had mentioned the pandemic yesterday, but she'd forgotten to
tell Lanxin, who had just returned from the US and wasn't wearing a mask. But then she thought, Lanxin was going back to the US soon,
so it shouldn't be a problem. She muttered to herself, "Everyone says women are most vulnerable to the ravages of time, but
why does look younger and younger? With light makeup, her face is as delicate as a celebrity's. Honestly, I'm five years younger than her
, and my natural features aren't bad either, but I feel completely insecure in front of her." The only consolation was that
her son, between his biological mother and stepmother, still stood by her, his stepmother. She couldn't even
imagine
what she would do if Xiaoyu, whom she'd lived with for almost ten years, had been given such a deep mother-son bond with—if his biological mother took him away.

It was 11 PM when Wang Ke finally returned. Before this, Xiuyan had already taken a shower and played
King of Glory with Wang Yu all night. When Wang Yu and Wang Ke returned, they hurriedly went to the bathroom and then sneaked back to
their room like thieves. He didn't want to stay with his father; he preferred to be with his stepmother. Although
his stepmother was 35 years old, 18 years older than him, he felt no generation gap and felt no pressure or
restraint with her.

Xiuyan reheated the leftovers from their evening meal and put them on the table, also telling her husband about his ex-wife's visit
.

"The situation is not optimistic," Wang Ke said, sipping his wine and eating his mother's hot food. "The number of
infected patients being sent to the hospital these past two days has been increasing." His work was very busy and stressful, so he liked to have a few drinks every night
when he got home　 .

"I saw on the news that there's already human-to-human transmission?"

"Yes, several colleagues in the hospital have been infected. For your safety and for better work,
I'll be staying at the hospital starting tomorrow. We'll see how things go in two weeks."

"Isn't infectious disease a respiratory specialty? You're in oncology, so you shouldn't be infected. Just be careful
—besides, it's almost Chinese New Year. Are you going to spend it in the hospital?" In the past, it
was one thing for her husband to be too busy to be home, but if they didn't even have a reunion dinner together on New Year's Eve, Xiuyan really felt a little
uncomfortable .

Wang Ke's expression was grave as he explained, "This virus is more serious than any of us anticipated
. Our hospital has received firsthand information saying it could last for more than two months. Based on the current infection rate, the number of infected
people at least 50,000. Furthermore, the higher-ups might implement even stricter measures to stop the spread of the virus.

" "Is it really that serious?" As a former nurse, Xiu Yan immediately thought of 2003. "Wouldn't that be like
SARS　 ?"

"It's hard to say right now—you and Yu'er go to the supermarket tomorrow and stock up on at least twenty days' worth of rice, flour, cooking oil, and water."

Hearing her usually meticulous husband say this, Xiu Yan realized the seriousness of the situation: "Okay, then you
take care of yourself too."

After her husband finished eating, Xiu Yan wiped the table and dishes clean; it was already midnight. She turned off the living room light and,
on her way back to her room, passed Wang Yu's room and heard faint moans coming from inside. Her face
flushed, and she quickly ran back to the master bedroom. Her husband was still awake, looking at the news on his phone.

She lay down beside her husband, pulled the covers up, and snuggled against him, calling out coquettishly, "Honey,
how about we do our 'marital duties' tonight?"

Wang Ke felt a pang of guilt. It had been a month since their last "marital duties." Looking at his
wife , so alluring and captivating, he was simply too tired to feel anything. He hesitated for a moment, then finally
mustered his courage and said, "Xiuyan, I'm sorry, I've been too tired these past few days. I'll make it up to you after the pandemic."

Xiuyan was a sensible woman. Despite her own desires, she comforted her husband, smiling and saying, "It's alright, if you're
too tired, we'll rest early."

Soon after the lights were turned off, her husband's snoring filled the air, while Xiuyan remained in a hazy state between wakefulness and sleep,
her body feeling as if a thousand ants were eroding it—a feeling she had been experiencing frequently lately. She didn't know how much time had passed before
she fell asleep, but her sleep was light. In her half-awake state, she dreamt of her first love's bravery and passion, of
his handsome face, of him pressing down on her, indulging in unrestrained passion. Then his face gradually blurred, and as he ejaculated
deep inside her, her first love's face transformed into Wang Yu's. He looked at her stubbornly, calling her "Mom"...

The next morning, she woke up at nine. Looking at the wardrobe, which her husband had left open because he had taken out a change of clothes,
a wave of disappointment washed over her, as if her heart had emptied along with the wardrobe. She wanted to lie down a little longer; her
sleep quality had been poor these past few days, which she guessed was due to the winter. But thinking of the
young man in the house, she couldn't let him go hungry, so she got up, threw back the covers, and got out of bed.

After washing up, Xiuyan passed by Wang Yu's room on her way to the kitchen, gently knocking and saying, "Xiao Yu,
get up quickly, I'm going to make breakfast." Without waiting to see if Wang Yu was awake or not, she went to the kitchen to get busy.

In the kitchen, Xiuyan busied herself happily, the emptiness and loneliness of the night
dispelled . In less than half an hour, Xiuyan had prepared breakfast and set it on the table. She untied her apron and
knocked loudly on Wang Yu's door. Only then did she hear the sound of him getting up. "Mom, you eat first, I'm getting up now."

"Hurry up, you little lazybones, I have to call you twice every day." She then returned to the table and sat down.
The boy opened the door, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, and came into the dining room, yawning, "Mom, you've made
noodles with soybean paste again? We

eat noodles with soybean paste every day!"

"Who said my noodles with soybean paste were delicious? Besides, the last time we had noodles with soybean paste was three days
ago . We don't eat them every day," the woman, sitting upright, retorted. The boy plopped down next to her, picked up his chopsticks
, and was about to start eating when she quickly stopped him. "You haven't brushed your teeth yet! Go wash up first."

The boy, quick as a flash, had already stuffed noodles into his mouth, chewing as he said, "
It's come back, the noodles will be cold. Wouldn't that be a waste of
the good breakfast you prepared for me?"

"You're just being glib," the woman shook her head helplessly, placing a fried egg in the boy's bowl.
"Eat more, so you'll have strength to carry things when we go shopping later."

"What do you need me to buy?" Xiuyan recounted what her husband had said the night before.
Wang Yu was astonished and said, "I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

We had a banquet for ten thousand people a few days ago, and we both went. If it's really as serious as my dad says, how come we're
both　 perfectly fine?"

"Hopefully it's not that serious, but we should be on the safe side. So hurry up and eat, and then we'll
go to the supermarket."

"Okay, as you say." The young man really enjoyed shopping with his stepmother, and he
didn't care .

After breakfast, Xiuyan cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen, while Wang Yu took a shower. When
they came out, Wang Yu asked, "Mom, are you really going out in this?"

"Yes, just going out to buy groceries, do I have to dress up like a bride?" Xiuyan looked down at
her fluffy pajamas with a Mickey Mouse pattern on them and asked playfully.

Wang Yu said, "You should at least dress yourself up a bit. Don't think you can
do whatever ." He liked to openly flatter his stepmother like this, and Xiu Yan was quite pleased with it.

"Don't flatter me. Do you think everyone is like your biological mother? You didn't see her yesterday, she was all dressed
up , so beautiful—" Xiu Yan wanted to continue, but seeing the boy's displeasure, she quickly grabbed
his arm and changed her words, "Let's go, let's go to Da Shao Pin."

Wang Yu's arm was held by his stepmother, his elbow lightly brushing against her soft breasts, which dispelled his
displeasure. He remembered that a few years ago, he was shorter than his stepmother, and she always liked to put her hand on his shoulder. In
recent years, he had grown taller, and she couldn't reach him, so she always linked arms with him when they went out.

"That's shopping, not roasted food."

"I insist on saying roasted food, hmph." The woman and boy bickered, neither willing to back down. "Look at my memory,
your dad reminded us to wear masks yesterday, I'll grab two."

The two hurried to the supermarket. Perhaps it was because the end of the year was approaching, or perhaps others had heard the news, but the entire
supermarket was packed with people. Xiuyan was a planned person; the things she wanted to buy were already in her phone's notes, including
two 25kg bags of rice, some pork, beef, and other meats, fruits, and vegetables suitable for storage.
Wang Yu pushed the shopping cart, and Xiuyan took his hand. The two of them moved through the crowds, selecting the items they needed.

It took a full two hours to buy everything according to Xiuyan's phone notes, and both of them were exhausted.
Xiuyan muttered, "Are things in the supermarket free now? Buying something is
like ."

"It just means everyone has money. It's almost Chinese New Year, so money isn't worth much anymore."

As they passed the lingerie section, Wang Yu suddenly stopped, and Xiuyan stopped too. He leaned close to Xiuyan's
ear , "Mom, you might have to buy underwear again."

Hearing the boy say this, her face instantly turned red with embarrassment, and she glared at him fiercely.

The boy hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry, Mom, I was too rough last night and accidentally tore the lace trim on your underwear
."

"How could you do that?" The woman's voice was so low only the two of them could hear. "If you do that again, I
won't give you any next time."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Xiuyan was wearing a mask, so the boy didn't notice the blush on his stepmother's face.
Instead,　 he apologized coquettishly, "I'll pay for the underwear this time."

The woman glared at the boy again and said, "Isn't your money given to you by your father and me? You
can even afford ? Honestly, you don't care about money at all."

"Then I'll sew it up for you, maybe you can still wear it." The boy's breath blew through the mask near the woman
's earlobe. The woman felt insulted, angry and embarrassed but helpless.
She walked straight ahead.

The boy realized his rudeness and, pushing his heavy shopping cart, jogged to catch up with his stepmother
. After much persuasion, he finally managed to appease her. After leaving the supermarket, Xiuyan asked Wang Yu to ask the security guard to help carry the items
upstairs , while she went to the third-floor boutique to pick out a few new pairs of underwear.

On the way back, Xiuyan drove while saying earnestly, "Xiaoyu, I'm angry today
not because you tore my underwear—that's what I promised you, and I won't go back on my word. What I'm angry about is that
you knew it was our secret, yet you still blatantly said it. What will we be able to face others if
they ?"

Wang Yu replied tremblingly, "Yes, I'll definitely be careful next time and won't say anything carelessly."

Hearing Wang Yu's admission, Xiuyan's heart softened, and she continued, "And—and also, you need to be
more restrained. Don't be so rough when you're doing it. I'm not worried about my underwear, but you're being too rough; it's bad for
your health . You're so young, you might not feel it, but if you develop health problems later, I'll be a sinner." She finished
with a sigh.

Hearing his stepmother's self-reproachful sigh, Wang Yu hurriedly explained, "I'm very restrained now, only
once a week, you should know that."

"Yes, I know, let's not talk about this anymore, it's weird." Xiuyan interrupted the topic, raising her voice
, "As punishment, you'll have to carry all these things home by yourself later."

"No problem."

Despite saying that, once the car was parked properly in the underground parking lot, the two of them carried the items from the trunk to the elevator.
After several trips back and forth, Xiuyan carried more than Wang Yu each time. Wang Yu felt sorry for his stepmother and told her not to carry anything, but to no
avail. The two of them competed to carry more than the other, like two children trying to determine a winner.

After much effort, the two carried the items from the elevator back home. Only then did Wang Yu
suddenly realize and ask, "Mom, why didn't we just stop the elevator car at the entrance? Why didn't we stop it first, and then
start moving the things? Or, at the very least, borrow a small trolley from the building management? That would have saved us the trouble."

Xiuyan seemed to have an epiphany too, saying, "Oh, why didn't I think of that? All that effort for nothing!"
They then looked at each other and burst into laughter, teasing each other for being so slow.

After laughing, Wang Yu helped Xiuyan put away the things they had bought—things in the kitchen, things in the refrigerator
, things in the storage room. The whole house was organized as if none of these things had ever existed.
"Tch, thanks to Xiuyan's planning. "

The two finished tidying up and sat down on the sofa, panting. Xiuyan glanced at the clock in the living room and said,
"Oh dear, I forgot to cook! You must be starving."

Wang Yu's stomach had been growling for a while; after all, he was a seventeen-year-old boy, in the prime of his life, especially with
such a large workload. But he still stubbornly insisted, "Not yet. You look tired. Let's order some takeout
and grab something ."

"No way! Takeout isn't clean and it's expensive. I'll make it for you right now." Saying this, she stood up. "
Ouch ." She felt a sore back, probably from carrying the rice.

"Mom, are you alright?" Wang Yu asked with concern.

"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't moved in a while, so I'm still a bit weak."

Wang Yu approached Xiu Yan and complained, "I told you not to move, but you insisted on being strong. Now you
know how uncomfortable it is—come on, let me rub it for you."

"No need." Xiu Yan refused, then retorted, "Where am I being strong? You know, back
when your mother was a nurse, I could easily lift a big man weighing seventy or eighty kilograms onto a hospital bed by myself."

"You're just bragging. You think I don't know? I heard from my dad that you were almost crippled by that man.
It was because of that incident that my dad noticed you and thought you were a bit weak." Wang Yu chuckled and teased his
stepmother.

"Are you asking for a beating?" Xiu Yan was embarrassed and raised her hand, pretending to hit the talkative boy.

Wang Yu knew his stepmother wouldn't hit him. Since she married his father when he was seven, he had never been slapped
. So he deliberately brought his face close to Xiu Yan's hand and said provocatively, "Come on, let's see if you're
willing to hit me."

"You—" Xiu Yan was furious. Of course, she wouldn't actually slap Wang Yu, but she reached
back , her fingers tightly interlocked, and pressed down on Wang Yu's head. "If I don't teach you a lesson, you really won't know I'm
your mother."

"Ah." Wang Yu shouted exaggeratedly, then fell onto the sofa, pressing his hand against his chest,
imitating a scene from a movie, "Indeed, the most beautiful women are the most vicious—ah, I'm going to die,
pfft." After saying that, he imitated the scene of spitting blood in Stephen Chow's "Flirting Scholar," making Xiu Yan laugh out loud.

"Wang Yu, you're overacting! I hit your head, why are you clutching your chest? You should do this."
Saying this, she covered her head with her fair hand and instantly got into character, saying in a pitiful voice, "I never expected, ah,
I never expected, it was you who attacked me, ah, my heart hurts so much, ah, my head is bleeding, but my
heart is bleeding profusely, ah, ah—" Before she could finish acting, she burst out laughing.

"Mom, you're even more exaggerated than me! We need to be method actors, not just superficial actors," Wang Yu said,
covering his head with his hands and mimicking Xiu Yan's tone. "Ah, your acting! Ah, how can your acting be so exaggerated? Ah,
why do we have to act? Ah, why am I spitting blood? Ahhhhhhh!"

Xiu Yan laughed so hard she bent over, gently patting Wang Yu's thigh, and said, "You're such a grown man, still acting
like a child."

"You're the same, acting like a child too. But you look really good when you smile."

"You're just trying to make me happy. I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'll go cook for you." Wang Yu stood up first,
returning to his previous tone: "Ah—I'll cook for you today, ah—let you taste the skills of this master chef."

"Speak seriously." Xiuyan looked incredulous. "I've lived with you for so many years, do you
think I don't know you can't cook?"

Wang Yu protested, "With those beautiful big eyes of yours, why are you looking down on me? I
'll show you something different later."

"I want to see how well my precious son cooks."

Wang Yu's confidence was overflowing: "Sure, whatever you want to eat, this chef will take your pick."

"Just make whatever you think is best, just make something simple, don't waste any food." Xiuyan leaned back on the sofa, stretching
out comfortably.

"Okay, then I'll make you two of my signature dishes." Although she spoke confidently, she felt a little uneasy. She
took out her phone, searched on Baidu, and went into the kitchen.

Hearing the clattering sounds coming from the kitchen, Xiuyan felt a surge of happiness. Years of dedication
had made her and Wang Yu more than just mother and son; now her son was growing up and starting to care for
her. Everything was getting better, except for the secret between her and her son.
She was afraid it would be discovered, and even more afraid that her son would take advantage of her.

"Knock, knock, knock." The knocking disturbed Xiuyan's thoughts. She muttered to herself who it was as she got up to open the door
.

Opening the door, a strong scent of perfume wafted out. The visitor was none other than the former landlady who had been evicted yesterday. She
was still wearing that pink wool coat, but the turtleneck sweater underneath had been replaced with a white
shirt. She looked icy, with a melancholy expression. Xiuyan opened the door and gave her a professional, slight
smile.

"I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd come and see you again."

Xiuyan sensed the flimsy excuse but didn't call her out. As the saying goes, parents' hearts are always full of love and concern
. Although she was a stepmother, she was still a mother herself and naturally understood Lan Xin's longing for her son. She took out some slippers for Lan Xin to change into,
glancing at Wang Yu in the kitchen. He was engrossed in cooking, the old-fashioned range hood making him
completely unaware of his biological mother's arrival.

Lan Xin also saw Wang Yu busy in the kitchen. She quickly changed her shoes and went to the sliding door of the kitchen.
She quietly watched her son's back. She was much taller and thinner than she had been two years ago.

Xiu Yan said to Wang Yu's back, "Xiao Yu, your mother has come to see you again."

Wang Yu was busy cooking. The range hood in the house was a bit loud because it had been running for too long. He only heard
his stepmother call him, but he didn't hear the rest of what she said. He turned around with the spatula in hand and saw the woman standing next to his stepmother.
He was stunned at first, and then a strange anger rose in his heart. However, he didn't want to lose his temper in front of his stepmother, so he had to
suppress and pretend not to see her. He shifted his gaze to Xiu Yan and said loudly, "Mom, are you
hungry? The food will be ready soon." After saying that, he turned around and continued cooking.

Xiuyan said embarrassedly, "Let's ignore this child. Come sit on the sofa and have a cup of tea."

Lanxin felt extremely disappointed and followed her to sit on the sofa.

Xiuyan poured Lanxin a cup of steaming hot water, then picked up the fruit plate on the table and went to the kitchen to wash
the grapes . From where Lanxin was sitting, she could see Xiuyan whispering to her son. A pang of pain shot through her heart;
that place should have been hers, but now it had been taken by another woman.

In the kitchen, Xiuyan scolded Wang Yu for his insensible behavior. Wang Yu just listened without arguing, letting his stepmother
talk the grapes were washed, Xiuyan was tired of talking. She glared at Wang Yu, then picked up the fruit plate and came to the living room, placing it in
front of Lanxin.

"Have some grapes. I just went to the supermarket with Xiaoyu today."

"Okay, just leave them here. Why are you having lunch so late? What time is it?" She looked at
her watch, somewhat dissatisfied, because she had actually made her son cook for her.

Xiuyan sensed her dissatisfaction and quickly explained, "We went to the supermarket and bought a lot of things today, so
we got back a little late. Xiaoyu saw I was too tired and insisted on cooking himself, so I let him mess around.
To be honest, I've never asked him to cook before."

Xiuyan's explanation didn't calm Lanxin's dissatisfaction; instead, it made her even more annoyed, feeling that Xiuyan
was deliberately showing off how good her son was to her. She didn't answer, and Xiuyan didn't know how to
continue the conversation, creating an awkward atmosphere. Xiuyan had to turn on the TV to ease the tension.

The range hood stopped running, and Wang Yu brought the dishes to the dining room, calling out to the living room, "Mom, the food is ready
, we can eat now." The two women naturally knew who he was talking to. Although Lanxin was annoyed, she
had no reason to get angry.

Xiuyan asked with a forced smile, "Sister Lan, would you like to eat something together? See if this little rascal's cooking is good."
Before Lan Xin could reply, the boy in the restaurant said, "There's only enough food for the two of us. We didn't
prepare any . Come and eat, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lan Xin trembled with anger when she heard her son call her an outsider, but she still tried her best to hold back and said to Xiuyan,
"Go and eat, I've already eaten."

"Okay, then watch some TV, we'll talk later."

Xiuyan was already hungry, and being with Lan Xin made her feel like she was under a strange aura
, so she hurried to the restaurant as if she were escaping. There were two dishes on the table, one with celery and beef, and the other with
scrambled eggs with tomatoes, both of which were her favorites. A warm feeling immediately welled up in her heart.

"Mom, aren't you touched? These two dishes are your favorites." Wang Yu said proudly, completely
unaware that his own mother was sitting in the dining room.

Xiuyan smiled and picked up her chopsticks, "You've got a conscience, I haven't spoiled you for nothing." She wanted to say something more,
but thinking of Xiuyan's biological mother in the living room, which would make her uncomfortable, she stopped talking and picked up
a slice of persimmon to put in her mouth.

Wang Yu looked at his stepmother expectantly, trying to tell how good his cooking was from her expression.
Xiuyan, though finding the dish to be just average, still put on a look of delight. Wang Yu couldn't
stand it and said, "You're overacting. Is my first time cooking really that good? You'd
think a culinary master had come!"

Xiuyan, feeling seen through, was a little embarrassed and laughed awkwardly, "It's alright.
I'm very satisfied with my first time cooking like this. You should eat too."

She picked up an egg and tasted it, "Mmm—"

"What's wrong, Mom?" Wang Yu asked with concern.

Xiuyan spat out the egg, saying leisurely, "Ptooey, you idiot, you forgot to stir the salt properly,
ptooey, ptooey."

Wang Yu, full of apology, hurriedly ran to the living room, poured a glass of water, and brought it to Xiuyan, not even
glancing Lan Xin on the sofa. Lan Xin's anger and jealousy coalesced, especially after hearing the two of them
laughing and chatting as they ate the food her son had prepared in the dining room. Her feelings towards Xiuyan shifted from dissatisfaction to disgust, even
hatred . She realized she had underestimated this former nurse, assuming she was now just an ordinary housewife,
never expecting her to possess such methods, completely fooling her son.

After dinner, Wang Yu volunteered to wash the dishes. Xiu Yan came to the living room, smiling obsequiously as she chatted with Lan Xin:
"Sister Lan, I heard you say yesterday that you're going back to America tomorrow. Why didn't you wait until after the New Year? You have
n't spent Chinese New Year in Wuhan for a long time, have you?"

It was a normal conversation, but to Lan Xin, it sounded like the other woman was telling her to leave. However, she
suppressed her displeasure and pretended to be nonchalant, replying, "Yes, it's been many years since I spent Chinese New Year in Wuhan. To
be honest , I still can't stand the weather here." Lan Xin carefully observed this woman in her pajamas.
Her smile was amiable, and she seemed to have no ill intentions. However, years of business experience told Lan Xin that this kind
of person was the most dangerous—a smiling Buddha in public, a stab in the back in private. She was too much like that.

Xiuyan stared at Lan Xin, a little embarrassed. She smoothed her hair and said, "Yes,
especially this winter, it's been raining every day, damp and cold."

Lan Xin didn't reply, and the two fell into silence, only able to watch the boring TV program to ease the
awkwardness. Wang Yu finished washing the dishes and went straight back to his room from the kitchen. Xiuyan, seeing his expression, ran after
him .

"Xiao Yu, go out and chat with your mother," Xiuyan said gently from inside the room.

Wang Yu picked up his phone and opened Honor of Kings: "First of all, she's not my mother. Secondly, I have nothing to say to her."

Xiuyan felt that Lan Xin must have something to say to Wang Yu this time, otherwise,
a woman with such strong self-esteem wouldn't have been so humiliated by Wang Yu's angry words yesterday. Xiuyan
wanted to be a peacemaker and hoped that the young man wouldn't live with hatred. She had a sudden inspiration and said in a pleading
tone , "Sweetie Xiaoyu, just go outside and sit for a bit, just for my sake. You don't know,
I always feel a strange atmosphere when I'm with your mom. She has this powerful aura that makes me uncomfortable."

"She has no aura whatsoever! Just tell her to get lost!" the boy said impatiently,
already　 .

"How can you talk like that?" Xiuyan stepped forward and snatched his phone. "All you do is play games all day long..."
"See, I've spoiled you rotten. The way your mother spoke to me just now sounded like she was blaming me."

"What did she say to you?" Wang Yu wanted to find out.

Xiu Yan didn't want Wang Yu's misunderstanding of Lan Xin to worsen, so she quickly changed her tune, saying, "She didn't say anything.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but I feel like she doesn't like me, which makes me feel oppressed. It's definitely your fault.
Who told you to become more and more rude? If someone raised my son like this, I would definitely be furious too."

"How is it my fault?" Wang Yu shook his head helplessly, suddenly realizing Xiu Yan's trick, and said
with a smile , "Mom, you're trying to make me suffer, but I still saw through it—never mind, I'll go
out with you so you won't get bullied by her."

Xiu Yan chuckled and handed the phone back to Wang Yu, tiptoed and patted the back of Wang Yu's head, and the two
left sat down on the sofa in the living room.

Lan Xin was overjoyed that her son was able to come out, but she didn't speak to him. She knew he
didn't want to talk to her, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself.

"Xiuyan, I might not be coming back after this trip to America?" Lan Xin said, glancing at her son who was
engrossed in playing a game. He didn't react.

Xiuyan was surprised and asked, "Why? Uncle Xiaoyu and the others are still in China."

Lan Xin said with a bitter smile, "Don't even mention them. Just thinking about them makes me
angry . All they do is ask me for money. When my parents were still alive, I paid for their living expenses and medical bills. Now
that they're dead, they still have the nerve to ask me for money, treating me like an ATM." She spoke as if recounting someone else's
story, without much emotion when mentioning her parents' passing.

Xiuyan had heard about Lan Xin's family situation. According to her husband, Lan Xin's family was a large part of the reason for their
divorce . Xiuyan said, "Even if you don't keep in touch with Uncle Xiaoyu anymore,
you can still come back to see Xiaoyu and us occasionally. After all, you've lived in China for so many years,
and it's a little hard to just stop coming back." Lan

Xin said calmly, "There's nothing to be reluctant about. You've taken good care of Yu'er, and he doesn't
need another mother like me. I'm free of any ties now, and it's better for everyone if I don't come back."

Xiuyan was speechless for a moment, then asked after thinking for a while, "So what are your plans over there?"

Lan Xin spread out her hand, revealing a sparkling diamond ring on her slender finger, and said, "Li Huaye
proposed to me, and I said yes. I'm tired of wandering outside for so long, so I finally need to have
a home of my own."

"Congratulations! When are you planning to get married?" Xiuyan sincerely wished her well.

Lan Xin glanced at Wang Yu again. "It's set for February 14th, Valentine's Day."

Although Wang Yu was playing a game, he had been listening to his mother and stepmother's conversation. When he heard his mother mention remarrying
, his chest filled with rage. He couldn't hold back any longer and said dismissively without looking up, "February
14th, huh? So romantic. Didn't you already get married before? Including what happened with my dad, this is your
third marriage. Are you trying to make enough for a football team?"

Lan Xin hadn't expected her son to say such vicious things. Was he implying she was promiscuous? She was so angry
she couldn't answer . Seeing Lan Xin's changed expression, Xiu Yan slapped Wang Yu's arm hard and scolded, "How dare
you talk to your mother like that? Shut up!" "

Lan Xin organized her thoughts and explained, "That time wasn't a real marriage; it was for a US green card
. We divorced after getting the green card."

Wang Yu finally raised his head, staring directly at his biological mother, and asked fiercely, "So,
what kind of woman is she who would marry someone just for a green card?"

"Are you done yet? Apologize now!" Xiu Yan felt embarrassed and angry. "

Why should I apologize? I can't be bothered with her. Tell her to get lost." Wang Yu stood up and
walked .

Xiu Yan looked at Lan Xin's stern face and cautiously apologized, "Sister Lan, I'm sorry, I will definitely
discipline her properly."

Lan Xin, who didn't know where to vent her anger, sneered when she heard Xiu Yan's words, stood up, and shouted
, "Discipline her properly? What right do you have to discipline her! Is this the kind of person you raised?" This rebuke left Xiu Yan at a loss, not knowing what she had done to offend Lan Xin and why she had been subjected to such anger

for no reason .
By the time she came to her senses, Lan Xin was already changing her shoes by the shoe cabinet. Although she was displeased, she
still pretended to try and persuade her to stay. But Lan Xin left without looking back, slamming the door shut as if venting
her frustration.

Xiu Yan took a few breaths to calm down. Her attitude towards Lan Xin changed from sympathy to resentment. She felt that a forty-
year-old woman shouldn't be angry with her son, let alone take it out on her, especially since she had always
tried to improve their relationship.

Wang Yu's bedroom door wasn't closed. Xiu Yan pushed it open and entered. Wang Yu was casually pushing a tower, and she said with
exasperation , "Your mother's gone. Are you satisfied now?"

Wang Yu controlled Zhuge Liang back to safety, looked up at Xiu Yan, and said resentfully, "Satisfied,
but I beg you, don't be a pushover next time, don't be a saintly white lotus. I just heard her scolding
you, like she was scolding her grandson, but I don't feel sorry for you. I think you deserve it."

Xiu Yan thought Wang Yu would say something nice to comfort her, and her eyes instantly reddened. She asked in a tearful voice
, "Don't you have any conscience? I was only doing this for your own good! Ugh—now you two have nowhere to vent your anger,
so you take it out on me, right? What did I do to deserve this?" The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and large tears streamed down her face.
"What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

Wang Yu rarely saw his stepmother cry, let alone heard her swear. He was clearly frightened. He threw down his phone and
stood in front of Xiu Yan, somewhat at a loss. He gently rubbed Xiu Yan's shoulder and said regretfully, "I was wrong,
Mom. I shouldn't have said those things to upset you. I'm sorry."

Xiu Yan ignored him. She hated herself for being so nosy and meddling in other people's business. She shook off Wang Yu's hand,
went back to her room, locked the door, and left Wang Yu outside. She then lay on the bed and
wailed .

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