Lily grabbed Shen Qingqing's hand, her words tumbling out in her excitement. "You've grown so much. I did try to find you later, but I couldn't find any trace, so..."
Shen Qingqing had always suspected that Shen Zhizhong was behind it. He had taken so many things from her mother, and he wouldn't have let her mother's old friend find her.
"Were you and my mother good friends?"
"Yes." Lily's eyes held a nostalgic glint. "We actually became friends after an initial disagreement. We competed for the same project back then, but we discovered we hit it off and became friends..."
Her expression grew somber as she spoke.
Shen Qingqing found it a little strange. "Why are you regretting this?"
"For your mother." Lily was not one to beat around the bush; she preferred to be direct. "When I learned your mother was with Shen Zhizhong, I always felt it wasn't right. Those two were completely mismatched, but your mother wouldn't listen to me."
Moreover, given her own position, her words might not have carried much weight.
Shen Qingqing felt a peculiar tone in Lily's voice, a subtle hint of jealousy, that didn't sound like a friendship between sisters, but more like...
Unrequited love.
She was startled by her own thought, but looking at Lily, who was dressed in a neutral style and wouldn't be recognizable as a woman if she weren't speaking, Shen Qingqing felt that perhaps her guess wasn't entirely unfounded.
Lily quickly composed herself, shaking off the sadness. "Let's not dwell on the past. I just want to see you now. You're as beautiful as your mother, but your personalities are completely different."
Xiao Qing was more gentle, outwardly soft but inwardly strong.
Shen Qingqing, on the other hand, was the opposite. Her appearance was naturally striking, and her inner strength was even greater. The decisiveness and ruthlessness in her earlier punch showed that she couldn't be like her mother.
"Very good. You've grown well, child. To protect yourself, you need to be capable." Lily was very pleased. She didn't have to worry about this child becoming another Xiao Qing.
Shen Qingqing smiled faintly, her smile carrying a hint of boldness. "Of course. I won't let anyone hurt me again."
Lily's satisfaction deepened. "Well said."
Shen Qingqing smiled with self-possession, remaining calm even when praised. Lily found this very rare.
"Child, you didn't come here today just to catch up with your mother's friend, did you?"
"Yes and no." She hadn't come with that intention, but now that she knew Lily's identity, she did. Shen Qingqing's answer was flawless.
Lily chuckled. "You came for your mother's belongings, didn't you?"
"So it is with you."
When Shen Qingqing arrived, she had been somewhat skeptical. Her mother had never mentioned Lily before, and her investigations revealed that Lily, despite being a woman, ran a successful bar here, indicating she was no ordinary person.
Lily smiled slightly and walked over to the safe. "What you're looking for is in here."
"It's certainly safe here." Who would have thought that Xiao Qing would entrust her will to a woman who seemed so unrelated to her?
"I'll get it for you."
Lily made no attempt to hide anything. She took a key from a drawer and opened the safe in front of Shen Qingqing.
However, Shen Qingqing had no intention of looking at whatever valuables were inside. The moment the door opened, she turned away decisively.
Seeing this, Lily smiled, took an envelope from the safe, and closed the door.
Hearing the click of the lock, Shen Qingqing turned back, her gaze falling unerringly on the envelope in Lily's hand. The envelope had words written on it.
—For Qingqing's eyes only.
Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Shen Qingqing's eyes suddenly felt hot. She blinked back tears and said calmly, "Please give it to me."
Lily handed her the envelope. "This is the only thing your mother left with me. I was so afraid it would be stolen that I kept it in the safe. For all these years, I haven't dared to open it and read it."
Because this letter was a reminder that Xiao Qing was no longer alive.
Shen Qingqing took a deep breath, opened the envelope, and read word by word.
—Qingqing, when you read this letter, it will likely be many years from now. That means I will probably no longer be here. I was a negligent mother, unable to stay with you as you grew up. I don't know what kind of person you've become, but I imagine Qingqing must be a beautiful and wonderful girl.
Your mother doesn't have high expectations for you. You don't need to be exceptionally outstanding; just be happy and content. What I've left for you isn't much, just some material possessions. But I hope that even when I'm gone, you can take good care of yourself and never make me worry.
Also, Mom loves you, always.
Besides the letter, there was also a notarized document stating that all her assets were to be left to her only daughter, Shen Qingqing.
As she read this, a tear traced a path down her cheek.
Seeing it was about to fall onto the letter, she quickly covered it with her hand. The tear, still warm, landed on the back of her hand like her heart felt at that moment.
Burning, warm, joyful, and at the same time, mournful.
"If Mom were still here, she would have treated me very well," she murmured.
"Of course," Lily said gently. "The person your mother loved most was you."
Shen Qingqing slowly closed her eyes, calming the turmoil within her heart. Then, she carefully examined all the properties listed in the letter: some shops and real estate.
But she discovered that many of them had been swallowed up by Shen Zhizhong.
Her expression grew colder. "Shen Zhizhong, he's truly greedy."
Lily looked on, furious. "That bastard, how dare he! Qingqing, don't worry, I'll help you with this. I'll teach him a lesson."
Shen Qingqing glanced at her and didn't refuse. "Then I'll trouble you, Aunt Lily."
"What did you call me?"
"Auntie."
Lily looked at Shen Qingqing's eyebrows, so reminiscent of Xiao Qing, and in that moment, it was as if she saw her standing before her again, smiling and saying, "My child will call you Auntie too. Next time, I'll bring her over to meet you. You'll love her."
"I do love her, Ah Qing," Lily murmured.
...
In the evening, Shen Zhizhong was on his way home from work. His driver had taken the day off, so he was driving himself. As he got out of the car at his doorstep, a group of people who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere ambushed him, shoving a sack over his head.
Before he could react, he was pushed to the ground and rained down with punches and kicks.
He could only curl up, protecting his vital areas. He didn't know how long he was beaten, and only when the group left did he manage to struggle out of the sack.
By then, his face was bruised and swollen, and his body ached all over.
Upon returning home, Chen Xiang was horrified. "Oh my goodness, what happened to you?"
Shen Zhizhong couldn't be bothered to answer. The pain made him disinclined to speak. With a dark expression, he went back to his room. The next day at work, he wasn't careful, and his condition was photographed.
The photos were then posted online.