Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 198 Compromise
The atmosphere at home was far more somber than Shen Ruzhi had anticipated.

As the security door behind her closed, she timidly looked up at the back of the room. When she saw her mother walking straight into the house, she felt like a child who had done something wrong.

They stood frozen in place, completely at a loss.

My mind was already in complete turmoil.

After all, she had done something so unconventional that no family would be able to accept it. Shen Ruzhi had never disappointed her mother like this before.

But now her behavior has put Wen Yunwei in a difficult position.

Having never dealt with a similar incident before, Shen Ruzhi, who had made a mistake, could only stand there helplessly. Her inner worries even made her afraid to continue watching, and she silently lowered her face, waiting for the final reprimand.

However... the room was unusually quiet at this moment.

The imagined scenario of being shut down and scolded did not occur. Wen Yunwei entered the room and tidied up the house as usual.

After emptying all the teacups that had just been used to serve tea, Wen Yunwei returned to the living room and finally noticed her daughter's motionless figure.

Seeing the child standing at the door with his head down, looking like he had done something wrong.

The expected scolding and reprimand did not occur. Instead, Wen Yunwei called out to her daughter softly, just like always.

"Take off your shoes first."

"..."

After waiting for so long, all she got was this one sentence. Shen Ruzhi, who was in a state of tension, raised her eyes in disbelief.

Looking at her mother standing not far away, she seemed to be in a daze for a moment.

She blinked frequently until her mother's voice came again.

"What are you doing standing still?"

"Okay, I'll change my shoes..."

Muttering to himself, he hurriedly took off his shoes, carefully slipped on his slippers with his toes, and then slowly approached his mother.

Until they arrived in front of Wen Yunwei.

As a child, Shen Ruzhi has already surpassed her mother in height, but even with the obvious height difference, she still looks like a child who will never grow up when she is in front of her mother.

Even though Shen Ruzhi now has her own opinions and judgments on things, she is still as obedient as ever when she faces her mother.

Awaiting criticism.

The girl, with her eyes lowered, ultimately only received comfort from her mother.

Wen Yunwei raised her arm with some difficulty, gently stroking her daughter's hair, which was no longer smooth after a whole day of playing wildly.

He gently stroked it, but the sorrow in his eyes became even more apparent.

But when Shen Ruzhi noticed this action and looked up, the worry in Wen Yunwei's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by his usual gentle gaze.

"mom……"

"My Zhizhi has grown up too..."

The daughter's call elicited a sigh from the mother.

As she responded softly, Wen Yunwei still carefully examined her daughter in front of her, just as she would when she was a toddler.

Looking at her daughter's face, which was somewhat similar to her own, yet she was becoming increasingly mature.

Wen Yunwei stopped moving and slowly withdrew her hand after a few seconds.

“There are some things… You know now what you should and shouldn’t do. The reason your mother brought you to the city in the first place was because she didn’t want you to…”

Before she could finish speaking, Wen Yunwei really didn't want to talk about those past events in front of her daughter.

As the daughter, Shen Ruzhi also realized this. Already feeling guilty, she completely lost the courage to refute after hearing this.

After her father passed away, the whole family started bullying her and her mother.

If her mother hadn't forcefully taken her away from that home, she probably wouldn't have needed many years to find a family willing to pay a reasonable price.

That's how my mother was back then, which is why I am Shen Ruzhi today.

Perhaps Wen Yunwei didn't want her daughter to follow in her footsteps, which is why she insisted on bringing her to the city.

Having a good learning environment while also being away from those terrible family members.

Shen Ruzhi thought the same thing back then.

Even though she didn't have exceptional talent in academics, she was absolutely confident that she could get into a good university by working hard and striving until the college entrance examination.

Get into university, study hard, and then find a well-paying job after graduation.

Let hardworking mothers enjoy a better life.

Her life, which she had already planned out, took a turn for the worse in the second semester of her second year of junior high school.

They came into contact with Liu Songyan, and the familiarity between their families gave them, who were the same age, more opportunities to communicate.

As their interactions deepened, Shen Ruzhi gradually found herself starting to notice Liu Songyan.

Even though Liu Songyan had a strange hairstyle back then and often made outrageous remarks, saying things that made people angry.

But his personality, which was different from that of ordinary boys, deeply attracted her attention.

Furthermore, through their subsequent interactions, she gradually came to understand the other person's character.

Beneath the boy's seemingly cactus-like exterior lies a warm heart that cares deeply for his family.

It is precisely because of this contrast that Shen Ruzhi began to care about him uncontrollably, and even this simple care began to change gradually without her realizing it.

The daughter understood her mother's good intentions.

But she couldn't resist the confusion of adolescence.

Girls tend to mature earlier than boys.

Perhaps it was for this reason that she gradually poured out her whole heart in this seemingly normal interaction.

Shen Ruzhi would not regret the decision she made, but as a daughter, she also did not want to see her mother disappointed.

Her current actions have strayed far from her mother's original intentions.

Feeling guilty, Shen Ruzhi looked at her mother in front of her, noticing Wen Yunwei's hesitant expression.

She clenched her fists quietly, and though she had never disobeyed her mother before, she was now mustering her courage.

"I like him."

She spoke the truth, or perhaps Shen Ruzhi felt that the statement was too ambiguous, so she added something else.

"I like Liu Songyan, and I like Uncle Liu's son!"

"..."

The words from her daughter shocked Wen Yunwei even more, who was already at a loss for words. Her eyes widened as she looked at her daughter in disbelief.

Such a straightforward statement is very similar to what she said to An Zhaoran when she watched a movie with her junior.

Her daughter takes after her; even her serious demeanor is exactly the same.

She looked at her daughter, who, after saying those words, seemed to have lost all her strength and had her eyes tightly closed.

Her constantly trembling eyelashes revealed that beneath her seemingly brave exterior lay deep-seated worries.

"But even though I like him, I also care about your opinion, Mom."

"..."

"If you don't want this to happen, I can voluntarily distance myself from Liu Songyan. Even if we're in the same class, I won't say another word to him..."

The trembling of her eyelashes gradually subsided, and the girl, who had been pursing her lips, opened her eyes again after a long silence.

He glanced at his mother, who was standing silently in front of him, and saw her lost in thought.

"I will listen to you, Mom. No matter what you say, I will listen..."

"Zhizhi..."

Coming to her senses, Wen Yunwei's gaze was complicated, feeling heartache for her daughter who had said those words.

As a mother, she already knew that in this contest of importance with Liu Songyan, she was the victor.

But knowing this result did not make her happy; instead, she began to feel a strange sadness.

Her child is very sensible. But such sensibility shouldn't be something a girl her age would show.

Wen Yunwei admitted that when she saw her daughter hugging her junior's son not long ago, her first thought was that it was absolutely unacceptable.

After all, the fact that both mother and daughter fell in love with the father and son is a shameful thing in any era.

Wen Yunwei even felt that her daughter was still young and that she might have just lost her mind because Liu Songyan was good-looking.

The self-deceptive explanation almost convinced her, but this self-deception crumbled after hearing her daughter's account.

Wen Yunwei understands Shen Ruzhi in front of her, and she understands the daughter she has watched grow up.

She knew that her child was not the kind of superficial girl who only cared about looks, nor was she an ordinary girl who would easily give up on someone.

In her mother's eyes, Shen Ruzhi had been self-reliant since childhood.

When she had a conflict with a boy in her class in elementary school, instead of crying and whining like other girls, she bravely used her own strength to defend her self-respect in the face of rejection from many people.

She... was never a child who gave up easily.

Even though her contact with Liu Songyan decreased over time, once the seed of affection was planted, such feelings would never be forced to stop due to external constraints.

Because she understood her daughter, Wen Yunwei, as a mother, knew exactly what kind of determination her child had made to say that she wanted to stay away from Liu Songyan.

Knowing the kind of suffering their own child has endured is what makes them stand firmly on their mother's side.

As a mother, she did not choose to believe her child at first, but instead thought of using words to persuade him to give up this inappropriate thought.

It was only at this moment that Wen Yunwei realized this.

For a moment, she felt like she wasn't a good mother. She couldn't handle her child's confusion as easily as her junior, and she subconsciously wanted to use her status as an elder to force him to give up.

Having understood all this, Wen Yunwei looked at her daughter in front of her again.

Looking at Shen Ruzhi in front of him, gazing at the child he cherished so dearly.

Her tightly pursed lips slowly opened, and after a long silence, Wen Yunwei finally spoke, giving her answer.

Do you really like him?

After a pause, Wen Yunwei continued.

"It's not just a casual fling, but a genuine liking... Which one are you?"

“I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”

The daughter's firm answer reached her mother's ears, which made Wen Yunwei, who had confirmed the information again, make a final judgment.

Seeing her child's serious expression, which was not like playing around, Wen Yunwei no longer had the intention to stop him. The worry on her face gradually disappeared after realizing this, and she returned to her usual gentle appearance.

Looking at the extremely serious Shen Ruzhi, Wen Yunwei did not hesitate at all this time.

"In that case... Mom won't object."

"..."

With wide eyes, Shen Ruzhi stared at her mother in surprise.

She was completely unprepared for such a reply and remained stunned for four or five seconds before belatedly opening her mouth.

"Mom... what did you just say?"

Perhaps seeing the surprised expression on Shen Ruzhi's face, Wen Yunwei no longer looked as worried as before.

“I said, I don’t object anymore.”

The confirmation made Shen Ruzhi completely certain that what she had just heard was true. Realizing that she was not hallucinating, her expression began to change.

The surprise turned into delight.

The joy in her eyes was not missed by her mother. Seeing her daughter so happy, Wen Yunwei was also infected by it and smiled as she looked at her.

"Really? Mom... were you telling the truth just now? You weren't just saying that to appease me, but you really think so?"

"Of course it's true."

"I...I think I'm dreaming..."

Shen Ruzhi suddenly had the illusion that she was dreaming.

She felt like she was dreaming all day.

Not only did she spend the whole day playing outside with Liu Songyan and Chi Jinhe, but she also felt the kindness that Liu Songyan was showing her when she returned home.

Now, she has received a direct answer from her own mother that she no longer objects.

The dreamlike experience plunged Shen Ruzhi into doubt.

Following Liu Songyan's example of pinching his own cheek not long ago, Shen Ruzhi pinched herself as well.

The same pain returned, and although her cheeks were being pinched, she unusually showed a happy expression.

When Wen Yunwei saw this, she immediately became nervous. She quickly raised her hand to stop her daughter from pinching her face and gently rubbed it.

"Why are you pinching yourself for no reason?"

"I...I was just too happy..."

"Being happy doesn't mean you have to hurt yourself."

"But, if this happens, Mom, you and Uncle Liu..."

Her daughter's words made Wen Yunwei stop rubbing the child's face, but she didn't show much reaction to it.

In an instant, the time she spent alone with An Zhaoran before going to the theater earlier that day flashed through her mind.

Although brief, it left a deep impression on her.

Putting aside their private rivalries, An Zhaoran is indeed a likable woman, not only for her outstanding appearance, but also for her considerate personality.

Wen Yunwei wasn't an idiot who knew nothing. In her interactions with Liu Changcun and An Zhaoran, she had long since noticed the strangeness between them.

She had long sensed it, but had never truly faced it.

Now a jewelry designer, she is very busy with work. Even though she wants to get to know her juniors better, she can't find much time to do so while focusing on her work.

Wen Yunwei noticed the ambiguous relationship between Liu Changcun and An Zhaoran; she had sensed it since they watched the movie together.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so eager to express her feelings back then.

However, compared to her hesitation, An Zhaoran's actions were clearly more drastic.

This trip to the theater wasn't too long after the last movie screening, but An Zhaoran and Liu Changcun's relationship has clearly progressed further.

Are you resentful?
Maybe.

However, Wen Yunwei also understands that with her busy work schedule and childcare responsibilities, she doesn't have the extra time to pursue a romantic relationship.

Even though she has feelings for her junior, she can't balance the two feelings well right now.

Wen Yunwei loves her job, adores her daughter, and also has an appreciative attitude towards her junior classmates.

However, their importance varies, and there is a distinction between what is more important and what is less important.

Wen Yunwei admitted that she couldn't devote all her life's focus to a relationship like An Zhaoran. It was precisely because she realized this that she didn't show too much disappointment after realizing her failure.

However, the reality presented to her was something she could never easily accept.

That's why, when she saw her daughter behaving intimately with her junior's son, she subconsciously wanted to stop this relationship that hadn't even started yet.

However, after hearing her daughter's account, Wen Yunwei now has completely different thoughts.

In her view now, as long as her daughter is happy, she can live a happy life in the future.

That's more than enough.

She had a deep impression of Liu Songyan. Although he was a little eccentric in terms of temperament and personality, there was nothing wrong with him as a person.

If her daughter's crush was Liu Songyan, Wen Yunwei might not have found it so hard to accept.

"There's nothing between me and your Uncle Liu."

With a smile, Wen Yunwei looked at her daughter.

Looking at the child's conflicted expression.

"We're just friends."

(End of this chapter)