“The child I’m carrying has nothing to do with you, it’s not yours!” Xi Xianya rushed to extinguish his fantasies before he could finish speaking.
“Whether you come up or not is up to you. Your mother has already prepared food upstairs and is waiting for you to return.” After speaking, he walked into the apartment first.
Xi Xianya didn’t understand why her mother would come to Ai Yifeng’s residence and quickly followed him.
As soon as they entered, her mother indeed came out to greet them, pulling her to look her over and saying, “Xiaoya, you’ve lost so much weight. Your business trip must have been very tiring. Sit down quickly. I know you’re back today, so I made a lot of your favorite dishes…”
“Mom, is your body okay? Have you recovered?” Seeing her mother, Xi Xianya couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Her mother spun around and said to her, “The doctor let me be discharged. I’m fine now, thanks to your colleague. He’s such a good person…”
“Mom, after you were discharged, you should have returned to our own home. Why did you come to someone else’s place?” She dared not meet Ai Yifeng’s gaze and complained to her mother.
Her mother quickly explained, “Our rented apartment’s lease expired, and the landlord rented it to someone else without any notice. They forced me to move out quickly. You weren’t home, and I couldn’t find another place right away. Fortunately, Yifeng brought me here and let me stay, giving me a place to shelter.”
As she spoke, her mother’s eyes reddened, and she explained, “Where did you go on your business trip that you didn’t even send me a message? If it weren’t for Yifeng, I… I would be on the streets!”
“Mom, Mom, it’s all my fault. Don’t be sad. Aren’t I back now? I’ll stay by your side and never leave again,” Xi Xianya could only appease her mother helplessly.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. The dishes are ready. Let’s eat together.” Her mother gestured to Ai Yifeng, saying, “Yifeng, you eat with us too.”
As she said this, she went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes, leaving only Ai Yifeng and Xi Xianya in the living room. For a moment, neither knew what to say.
It was Ai Yifeng who spoke first, saying, “You can stay here temporarily. It’ll be good for you to look out for each other…”
“My mother and I won’t stay too long. I’ll go out to find a place tomorrow,” Xi Xianya avoided looking at him, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Ai Yifeng advised, “Don’t rush to find a place. Wait until your case goes to court and the final verdict is given. If you still have to go to jail, I’ll take care of your mother…”
“No need. I’ll make arrangements for my mother. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Her mother came out from the kitchen with dishes, smiling and saying, “What are you two talking about? Come quickly.”
Xi Xianya avoided Ai Yifeng’s hurt gaze and sat at the dining table first.
During the meal, her mother was the one chatting and laughing with Ai Yifeng. Xi Xianya didn’t have much appetite and didn’t eat much. She put down her chopsticks and said she was going to take a bath and change her clothes.
Her mother wanted her to stay longer, but she went directly to the bathroom.
“This child was spoiled by her father and me since she was little. She has no manners. Don’t be angry with her,” her mother said with a smile, serving Ai Yifeng.
Ai Yifeng also ate without relish, just going through the motions, knowing that feelings couldn’t be forced.
He had no ulterior motives towards Xi Xianya; he simply couldn’t bear to see her suffer and wanted to help her.
But she no longer hid her dislike for him and didn’t appreciate his help at all. Although he repeatedly told himself not to care about her attitude, his heart still felt as if it were being pricked by needles.
Later that night, Xi Xianya slept in the same room as her mother, while Ai Yifeng slept on the sofa in the living room.
Lying in bed with her mother, Xi Xianya couldn’t sleep due to her distress. The person she liked was right in front of her, yet she couldn’t tell him how much she loved him or how much she longed to be embraced by his warmth…
Her mother sensed that she was also awake and whispered, “Such a good boyfriend, why are you still so indifferent to him?”
“Mom, I already told you he’s not my boyfriend…”
“I’ve been through it too. Do you think I’m blind?” her mother said. “You clearly like him, so why are you arguing with him? My silly daughter, this is very hurtful, you know?”
Tears welled up in Xi Xianya’s eyes, but she held back and said, “Mom, you’ve misunderstood. I don’t like him at all. I don’t want to be indebted to him. We should move out as soon as possible.”
Her mother didn’t say anything more, only agreeing, “Okay, Mom will listen to you. You must have your reasons for doing whatever you decide.”
Xi Xianya turned and hugged her mother. Her mother’s understanding made her feel a little better.
Now she knew why her father’s company went bankrupt and why he committed suicide. Even though she had already killed Zhao Jianhua, she still had to clear her father’s name and reveal the truth to the public. She couldn’t let her father die in such an unclear manner.
She didn’t want to burden Ai Yifeng, partly because she didn’t want him to be in danger, and partly because she felt he might love her now.
But if she and her family’s troubles were to drag him down, how long could such love last? Over time, he would still grow tired of her. It would be better if they didn’t have any expectations from the beginning.
Her mother gently held her hand, patting the back of her hand and saying, “Don’t think too much. You’re finally back from your trip, get some sleep early.”
She leaned against her mother’s back and hummed, closing her eyes. She hadn’t slept soundly in a long time.
After an unknown amount of time, Xi Xianya was woken by a wave of nausea and sat up abruptly from the bed, rushing to the bathroom.
Her sudden movement woke both her mother and Ai Yifeng.
They both rushed to the bathroom door, Ai Yifeng looking worriedly at the closed door.
Her mother knocked on the door and asked, “Xiaoya, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Xi Xianya, squatting by the toilet, vomited uncontrollably and couldn’t answer her mother’s question.
Hearing her retching from outside, her mother became more worried and said, “Open the door quickly, let me see what’s wrong!”
Ai Yifeng, finding it inconvenient to stand by the door any longer, retreated to the living room sofa.
He thought that with her mother there, it wasn’t his place to worry about her.
After she finished vomiting, Xi Xianya felt a little better and replied, “Mom, I’m fine. Maybe I ate too much last night and my stomach is upset.”
“You didn’t eat much last night,” her mother said strangely through the door. “Open the door quickly, please.”
Xi Xianya stood up, washed her face at the sink, and then opened the bathroom door, smiling and saying, “Mom, see? I’m perfectly fine.”
Her mother looked at her and, seeing how pale she was, said worriedly, “This isn’t right. You should go to the hospital. Come on, let’s go to the hospital now.”
“Mom, no need. I just got tired from the business trip. I’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest,” Xi Xianya said, trying to cover it up.
Her mother didn’t believe it was just fatigue. She grabbed her hand and insisted on taking her to the hospital, saying, “No, your health is the most important thing. You must go to the hospital. Now that your father is gone, you’re my only family. You can’t have anything happen to you!”