Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

What's going on?

She looked in the direction of the sobbing...

Behind Yu Zhe, a blonde girl who had been sitting quietly and didn't seem very bright was wiping away tears.

Ouyang Lizhi...she's clearly Elisa's child, so how come the mother and daughter have such different personalities?

Yang Qiuyun was about to go and comfort her when Yu Zhe was even faster. He had already turned back and was wiping Xiao Lizhi's tears with his sleeve.

Alright, son... As expected of you, no wonder so many girls are smitten with you, your attention to detail is truly impressive.

What details? Yu Zhe's actions were just a natural one, okay?

He couldn't bear to see girls cry, especially the cheerful Lychee. She was much better suited to a carefree smile than to sobbing softly.

While wiping away her tears, Yu Zhe asked her what was wrong.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying? When you mentioned Aunt Elisa earlier, were you thinking about how hard she hit you on the head?"

"Ugh...no, no! I've already developed a brain...I just...ugh, I felt sorry for Auntie Ta, that's why..."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

The thoughtful Zixiao had already found a clean towel and handed it over. Little Lizhi took the towel, and although she had stopped crying, her eyes were still sparkling.

She felt so heartbroken that she almost couldn't bear to listen any further.

She knew it. Back then, Aunt Yang's death certificate process was complete, and no one in Fenghai City had any doubts. That meant that after that month, Aunt Xiaota really...

Yang Qiuyun had to tell her the answer to this question.

Elisa's daughter, though a bit simple-minded, has clearly inherited Elisa's sentimentality...

Yang Qiuyun turned her gaze to Xiao Lizhi and told her the truth with great responsibility.

“Little Ta... has passed away, but it's not quite what the doctor said at the time. The doctor said... she could only live for thirty days at most, that was a generous estimate, but Little Ta miraculously lived for fifty-two days... almost two months. She was emaciated before she passed away, but... she truly created a miracle of life. Elisa and I will always be proud of her.”

"Ugh...!"

Little Lychee buried her head in the towel and cried.

It's not just her...

The girls present all felt uneasy...

This incident deeply affected them; they never imagined that such a tragic story could have happened that summer.

In fact, even Yu Zhe and Yu Che, who grew up in the Su family, were hearing the name "Carlotta" for the first time.

The reason why Yang Qiuyun's "death confirmation" was able to deceive Yu Zhe at first was because all the procedures were so complete and so real that he had no choice but to accept reality and face despair.

Even after learning that Yang Qiuyun was still alive, Yu Zhe couldn't understand how she had managed to do it under the circumstances.

If someone truly died in their mother's name, then everything makes sense.

But the thought of this made Yu Zhe and Yu Che feel conflicted and heartbroken.

They were thinking about the same problem.

The two, who look alike, are friends and confidants, sharing everything and growing up together.

But no matter how similar they looked, their fates were completely different.

Because of their different fates, they even had to say goodbye forever at the crossroads between heaven and earth.

Before her final farewell, the unfortunate girl unexpectedly encountered the life she had always dreamed of, ending her short and unfortunate life in the way she most wished to be.

Is this a stroke of luck or a stroke of bad luck...?

Thinking of this, Yu Zhe blurted out the question he most wanted to ask.

"Mom... little

Aunt Ta, what was her expression like before she left...?

"She's smiling."

The gentle smile on Yang Qiuyun's face at this moment seemed to be a replica of Carlotta's last smile as he lay dying.

She said she was very happy to have come to this world, met many good people, and had no regrets.

Seeing Yu Zhe and Yu Che gradually relax, Yang Qiuyun felt very gratified.

real...

She will probably admire Little Tower for the rest of her life.

She had endured countless hardships and losses throughout her life, and was constantly tormented by illness.

But before she left, she actually said... she was very happy.

Is it true happiness?

Yang Qiuyun didn't know.

Many people get upset over trivial matters in life and complain about their misfortunes.

But Xiaota experienced what most people would consider the greatest misfortune, yet she said she was very happy...

Perhaps, happiness among people truly cannot be generalized...

Now, everyone knows the general outline of the whole incident, and the reason why Yang Qiuyun had to leave her hometown and hide here.

The girls are still very willing to listen carefully to Aunt Xiaota's stories, both past and present, if given the chance.

But before that, there is still one most contradictory point that has not been answered.

"I roughly understand..." Zixiao wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

Even though she was heartbroken, she didn't forget to ask about the part that hurt her brother the most, and the reason behind it.

"Mom, there's one last question. Why did you leave without saying goodbye? We understand that the elders in the family put a lot of pressure on you, but according to you, when you brought up Aunt Xiaota as your trump card, didn't the negotiations succeed? You could have left Fenghai City without any worries, according to your own plan. If that's the case, why didn't you go home and say goodbye to your brother and Yuche properly? Tell them where you were going, and then leave on your own initiative. It's okay if you faked your death, but that was to deal with outsiders. Why did you keep it from your own children?"

Zixiao asked this question on behalf of Yuzhe and Yuche.

I remember when Zixiao first came to the Su family when we were little, Yuzhe would occasionally mutter to himself absentmindedly.

That's what was said.

——Mushroom and pork soup dumplings.

Yu Che is the same. Sometimes when she goes to the villa's kitchen to arrange meals for herself and her brother, she always deliberately avoids the choice of mushroom and pork soup dumplings. According to Zi Xiao, she learned from the villa's maids that Yu Che really liked this filling when she was a child.

In short, the term "shiitake mushroom and pork soup dumpling" has really bothered Zixiao for many years.

Later, through her persistence, she finally learned the origin of the story from Yu Zhe.

And today, this was confirmed by Yang Qiuyun.

It turns out... the mushroom and pork soup dumplings were Yang Qiuyun's promise to her child before she disappeared.

"You two just stay home and wait patiently. Didn't I promise yesterday that I'd personally make you mushroom and pork soup dumplings for lunch today? Wait for me to come back, okay?"

She broke her promise.

That noon, Yu Zhe and Yu Che, who had already found the flour, did not wait for their mother to fulfill her promise.

They were only informed that their mother had suddenly been hospitalized and that they were not allowed to visit her.

That day, flour was spilled all over the floor.

Their hearts were shattered.

This is the question that everyone wants to hear Yang Qiuyun recount her past and the one that needs the most explanation.

Why are you hiding this from your child?

Yang Qiuyun sighed heavily, feeling deeply apologetic but mostly helpless.

"Would I really want to keep this from the children... Just thinking about how Yu Zhe and Yu Che would feel if they knew I was dead makes me feel like a knife is cutting into my flesh. But... in the Su family's circumstances at the time, there were many things... that I couldn't do as I pleased. Let me finish telling you my last story before I left Fenghai City."

19. Undercurrents are surging.

To understand why, we have to go back to the end of that meeting ten years ago.

The meeting, which was originally aimed at Yang Qiuyun and her almost hopeless situation, had already shifted direction by the end.

These elders from the branch families no longer intended to push things too far. They allowed Yang Qiuyun to step down from the Su family stage at the peak of her fame and honor, and promised to do everything in their power to welcome Xiaota into Fenghai City and ensure that Yang Qiuyun could leave Fenghai safely to go wherever she wanted.

I thought Yang Qiuyun would say she wanted to go back to her parents' home, but to my surprise, she chose a property in Northern Europe.

No problem, that's even better. The elders agree, and she can decide all of these things.

Okay~

Everything's been resolved. The next thing to do is go home, pack my bags, and leave Fenghai as planned. Of course, the most important thing is to go home, cook lunch for the kids, say goodbye properly, explain the situation, and reassure them not to worry. They can just fly over to see their mother if they have time—treat it like a vacation.

And Xiaota, Yang Qiuyun must have secretly visited her at the hospital before she left.

However...

Just as the elders were leaving the meeting room one after another, Yang Qiuyun and Su Zhenfeng were about to leave last.

Finally, the second uncle, who had been sitting there motionless, suddenly spoke up.

"and many more."

"Ok?"

Su Zhenfeng, who had just turned around, paused, frowned, and looked back at the old man across the table who had just compromised.

"Second Uncle? Is there anything else?"

Su Zhenfeng is currently very sensitive. He doesn't want to stay here for even a second longer and just wants to take Qiuyun home to reunite with the children.

My second uncle stroked his slightly graying beard with two fingers.

etc.

She stood up, ignored Su Zhenfeng's question, and walked straight out of the conference room.

Su Zhenfeng thought he was leaving, but after he went out, he just looked around and then stepped back.

"Second Uncle?"

"Don't rush, Zhenfeng. As the head of the Su family, you must temper your mind."

"..."