Three years later.
Yan Songyu watched Feifei enter the kindergarten with her backpack, her little pigtails bouncing, and couldn’t help but show a relieved smile. Her little sunflower should forever bloom brightly!
“Mommy, remember to pick me up after school!” Feifei’s sparkling eyes stared expectantly at Yan Songyu, unblinking, utterly adorable.
Yan Songyu responded with a radiant smile, “I know, hurry and go in with your teacher.”
Zhou Yue hid behind a tree, watching this scene with tear-filled eyes, just like when she had secretly watched from behind a hospital pillar years ago. Even if she could never acknowledge her daughter in this lifetime, she had no regrets!
Back in the car, Yan Songyu looked mockingly at Zhou Yue’s overflowing maternal affection, feeling immensely satisfied. Finally couldn’t hold back anymore, could you? Hah~
Since that night, Yan Songyu had never stopped monitoring Zhou Yue and her daughter. Zhou Yue treated Zhou Mu with indifference, only ensuring she wouldn’t starve to death. Zhou Mu’s clothes were either donated by neighbors or picked from trash bins.
By age three, Zhou Mu—still shorter than a broom—was already being ordered to sweep and do household chores. Beatings and scoldings were commonplace. Neighbors sometimes tried to intervene when they couldn’t bear to watch, but Zhou Yue remained stubbornly unchanged.
The already frail Zhou Mu grew so thin she resembled a little monkey, looking barely two years old—a world apart from her previous life.
Yan Songyu wasn’t without moments of softness. In her previous life, Yan Mu had also been raised by her own hands—a daughter she had cherished for over twenty years. But whenever she remembered that these were the exact sufferings Feifei had endured in the past, along with what she had uncovered while investigating Feifei’s background, she couldn’t help but direct her anger toward Zhou Mu.
When Zhou Yue returned home, she found the door wide open. Just as she was about to curse, she heard her neighbor Sun Caiying’s voice from behind, “Zhou Yue, you’re finally back.”
“Look at you—if you had to go out, you could’ve sent Xiao Mu to my place. I could’ve watched her for you. How could you lock a four-year-old child inside? Look at these burns.”
Zhou Yue turned and saw the small bundle in Xia Dahai’s arms. Zhou Mu’s face was streaked with dirty tear tracks, but most shocking were the red, swollen blisters on her foot. “What happened?”
“You’re asking what happened?” Sun Caiying looked at Zhou Yue reproachfully. “You locked the child inside. She accidentally broke the thermos and got scalded.”
“Old Xia had to break your door open. Xiao Mu was crying so pitifully, and we were helpless outside the locked door, so we had to force it open. If you want compensation, come to my place later.” Sun Caiying jabbed at Zhou Yue.
Zhou Yue quickly shook her head. “No need, Sister Sun. Thank you for saving Xiao Mu.”
Perhaps because she had seen her longed-for “daughter” today, Zhou Yue looked at the injured Zhou Mu and felt unusually tender. “Come, Xiao Mu, Mommy will carry you home. Let’s thank Uncle Xia and Auntie Sun.”
A child’s instinct is to cling to their mother, especially in vulnerable moments. Zhou Mu wrapped her small arms around Zhou Yue’s neck, burying her face in her neck as she sobbed quietly.
“Sister Sun, I’ll bring the medical expenses to you later. Thank you so much for today.”
Sun Caiying waved her hand. “No rush. Take Xiao Mu back now. We need to pick up Yangyang from Auntie Qian’s place.”
By noon, Yan Songyu had received the latest updates about Zhou Yue and her daughter. At that moment, she had just finished speaking with Feifei’s teacher and learned that Feifei was doing well. In silence, Yan Songyu tossed the photo of Zhou Mu into the shredder. This was her fate!
When the kindergarten gate opened, Feifei dashed from the crowd of children toward Yan Songyu, “Mommy, I missed you so much!”
Yan Songyu picked up her daughter and gave her a kiss, “Mwah~ Mommy missed you too! Did you listen to the teacher at school today?”
“Yes!” Feifei pouted her little mouth, “I was so good! The teacher even gave me a little red flower for helping a classmate.”
“Really? Our Feifei is amazing!” Yan Songyu carried her daughter to the car, “How about keeping Mommy company at work for a while? We’ll go home together tonight.”
Kindergarten ended at 3 PM, and Yan Songyu had taken time off specifically to pick up her daughter.
“Okay! Can I have an ice cream cake then?” Feifei attempted to negotiate for treats.
“Sure, Mommy has one ready for you. But we have to keep our promise – only one, or your tummy will hurt.”
“Yay! Awesome!” Feifei planted a big kiss on Yan Songyu’s cheek, “Mommy, I love you!”
Feng Yu, who was driving, watched the mother-daughter interaction through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Wow, it’s Uncle Feng! Feifei missed you too!” Feifei was a sweet little charmer who loved to act cute, her smile capable of melting anyone’s heart – nobody who met her could help but adore her.
“Whose little sweetheart is this, so good with words?” Feng Yu’s deep, magnetic voice unconsciously softened.
Feifei raised her chin proudly, “The Yan Family’s! Madam Yan Songyu’s little sweetheart!”
Laughter and cheerful chatter continued throughout the ride, but when they returned to the company and pushed open the office door, the smile Yan Songyu had maintained the entire way instantly vanished.