Chapter 31: MAMA-31

MAMA-31: I Could Adopt Mi Shanxin.

“Really?” Sui Yuqian rested her face in her hands, observing Mi Shanxin. The new outfit she wore really suited her aura. Standing next to Jian Wanji, she was indeed much smaller, but few would immediately think of a mother-daughter relationship.

Jian Wanji and ‘mother’ shared nothing in common.

Existing until now, she still tried to cast off the mark Grandmother had branded on her, the one tied to her mother.

She was the most dissimilar relic. Even though she had been forced to transfer to her mother’s alma mater, wear the same school uniform, and keep her major consistent, she still broke free from this invisible, imitative net.

Despite her desperate struggles to save herself, she was still incurably permeated by something beyond a mother-daughter bond, a shadow that clung no matter what.

Zeng Baian had said, based on the photos, Mi Shanxin didn’t look that much like her anyway. In terms of aura… a little bit, but Auntie Wan was clearly more lively.

This Student Shanxin seemed far too unlike someone her age.

“Fake.” Mi Shanxin sat to the side. She rarely had such dining opportunities. Perhaps it was difficult for her to build healthy relationships with peers in her life circle. When facing older authority figures, she kept male teachers at a respectful distance and held female teachers in admiration, yet always observed them secretly.

In the eyes of female teachers, her timidity was fitful. She was like a program that always needed loading on a teaching computer, requiring pauses for the lag.

Perhaps because she had lost her parents’ doting love too young, and her grandparents hadn’t cared for her with full diligence, Mi Shanxin received considerable compassion from her teachers during her school years. Her grades were fairly good.

The obscure stirrings of her adolescence were suppressed by her time and again. Unlike the fear and unease of her peers, because no one paid her any mind, there were no tumultuous waves.

She understood very early that this kind of feeling was rooted in admiration, laced with envy, even jealousy towards the teachers’ children, envying that they received such gentle care without needing to do anything.

On the other hand, she dodged her classmates’ questions about adolescent crushes, never joining such conversations. When asked, she’d just lift her head with a blank look, managing to fool them.

Affection has many factors, mostly superficial.

Her appearance was wrapped in shabby, outdated clothes, like dust on a pearl without even a beautiful golden case. No one passing by would spare a second glance.

Even if someone accidentally discovered the lustrous pearl, most would just want to sell it for a good price, never asking what kind of person this pearl wished to be found by.

Now, the pearl had safely passed through its most difficult period, only for Jian Wanji to suddenly descend upon it.

It was then that Mi Shanxin realized: perhaps she shouldn’t be waiting to be found. She should be seeking her golden case.

She wanted to be encased, nourished, and she wanted this case to be able to hold only her.

“I want…” Mi Shanxin stared into the juice in her cup, then at the cup beside it, Jian Wanji’s, still stained with her lipstick.

Only Sui Yuqian was here. Jian Wanji had said they’d known each other longer than Mi Shanxin’s age. Mi Shanxin didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“I want to sleep with her. Not just…” The girl hesitated for a few seconds. Finally, she picked up the cup Jian Wanji had used, touching her lips to the lipstick print as if enacting the kiss she had imagined countless times.

In that narrow bedroom of hers, she had wished countless times for Jian Wanji to stay, yet because she craved good sleep, she could never pull herself from the dream.

Every time she woke, it felt like a deep, satisfying dream. But Jian Wanji always left something behind.

Whether it was a space heater, a new scarf, or a brand new door lock—or a robotic vacuum, utterly useless for her household.

“Not just sleeping.”

Watching her actions, Sui Yuqian revealed a highly interested smile. “I support you.”

Uncharacteristically, Mi Shanxin asked, “Why?”

“Because you’re the one who leaves her most helpless.” She knew about Jian Wanji’s contract. Thinking of it made her laugh with malicious glee. She gave Mi Shanxin a thumbs-up. “She’s notoriously difficult to deal with. It’s not like no one has tried to corner her before.”

“There were those who didn’t want her for work, just wanted to be with her.” The woman drank her wine alone, then remembered Mi Shanxin drinking from Jian Wanji’s glass moments ago and clicked her tongue. “Are you sure drinking is okay? Jian Wanji will scold me when she gets back.”

Mi Shanxin shook her head. “Making me sleep is her job.”

Sui Yuqian laughed so hard she nearly choked on her wine. “Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

Unlike Jian Wanji, who unconsciously put her arm around people’s shoulders, Sui Yuqian wasn’t so approachable. It was probably because of Jian Wanji that she regarded Mi Shanxin with special attention.

Mi Shanxin shook her head. “I’m not tall.”

“Standing next to her, I have to lift my head just to see clearly.”

“I meant your methods,” Sui Yuqian said. “If Jian Wanji hadn’t found you, how would you have solved your problem?”

“I don’t know.” Mi Shanxin didn’t overthink. “She was the one who said it could only be me.”

As if the subtext was: because Jian Wanji chose her, therefore Mi Shanxin would also accept only her.

It sounded like a naive quid pro quo. But Sui Yuqian knew that some sincerity is age-limited. Few people maintain their original heart, and it’s hard to stay in that exact moment.

Jian Wanji hadn’t experienced the kind of profound, puberty-deep feelings that she and Zeng Baian had. She described herself as having inexplicably reached thirty-nine and likely to continue inexplicably reaching ninety-nine.

“Maybe she won’t live that long.” Zeng Baian, who was with them at the time, had said this, then added a harsh line: “You need to find someone to reach ninety-nine with you, not hang yourself alone, too weak to even make it to ninety-nine.”

Jian Wanji had asked, “Must I find someone just to hang myself too?”

She could now face the word “hang” calmly. It wasn’t like her student days during their first meeting, when Sui Yuqian passed by the crowded choir room and saw the already very tall Jian Wanji lifting a girl down.

The school uniform was tied into a knot. People nearby said that classmate didn’t do well on an exam and wanted to hang herself.

Then why did the one who carried her down look so deathly pale, standing aside and trembling uncontrollably?

Later, Sui Yuqian learned Jian Wanji was a famous figure from the old tales.

A certain page in the city newspaper featured ordinary people’s stories, romanticizing her parents’ deep love and devotion, even painting their death as a romantic vow fulfilled.

It completely overlooked what it felt like for the daughter who came home from school, pushed the door open, and saw her hanged father.

Although Zeng Baian tried to empathize, she couldn’t even watch horror movies, saying it was too terrifying.

Family members… it must be even harder to come to terms with.

Whether Jian Wanji had ever truly gotten past it, Sui Yuqian had asked her directly, speculated about behind her back, and even observed her across numerous occasions, yet still reached no conclusion.

Even when the other party said: “That’s ancient history. Old news.”

Now, Jian Wanji could attend horror-themed LARP team-building events, and without a flicker of expression, accept mentions of the love between her parents that was once glorified.

If the dead represent an era, then Wan Qingqing was still alive—that era hadn’t completely ended yet.

Some appearances are less visible to those too familiar. In front of friends, one must keep certain reserves, but another kind of relationship has the privilege of glimpsing deeper.

Sui Yuqian stared at Mi Shanxin, swirling her wine glass. “Want to clink glasses with me, then?”

“Then I’ll help you.”

Mi Shanxin, however, shook her head. “You can’t help me.”

She was a uniquely distinctive girl at first glance—not lively, not proactive. On the surface, her ambition was practically zero. Everything layering her now was what Jian Wanji gave her.

But lacking shine didn’t mean her surface was spotless. Sui Yuqian could see her unique stubbornness.

Just like when Zeng Baian recounted the scene that day, saying Jian Wanji was too cruel, saying such things to a young girl. “I was about to call the cops.”

Mi Shanxin wasn’t stupid at all. She clearly understood the chasm between what she desired and what she could have. Because she was too sensible, it became a different kind of yielding to advance, making her relationship with Jian Wanji even more special.

“Emotionally, of course I can’t help. Otherwise, the people I’ve introduced over the years would have succeeded long ago.” The woman held her wine glass, her nails beautifully manicured without any adornment, just like her difference from the maximalist Jian Wanji. Her only decoration was the bangle on her wrist.

“You don’t need my help anyway. Didn’t she say it could only be you?” Sui Yuqian laughed for a long time. “All those people before were using the wrong approach. They should have tried being her mother first to become her wife, huh.”

“As for other things, if you have something you want to know, you can ask me.” Sui Yuqian put down her wine glass. The girl, however, picked up Jian Wanji’s glass and clinked it against hers, downing it in one gulp like a seasoned adult. “Thanks.”

When Jian Wanji returned in a different outfit, the two seemed to be chatting quite well.

The perpetually stone-faced Mi Shanxin actually seemed to have a lot to talk about with Sui Yuqian, occasionally smiling—a much higher frequency than when she was with Jian Wanji.

Jian Wanji considered herself quite skilled at telling jokes. The hired little actress playing her mother had a very high threshold for laughter, which left her deeply frustrated.

“What are you two talking about? Teacher Shanxin is grinning from ear to ear.” Jian Wanji squeezed in next to Mi Shanxin, only to discover her own cup was empty. Her smile froze. “Where’s my wine?”

Mi Shanxin looked at her. “I drank it.”

Her expression seemed to say: What are you going to do about it?

Jian Wanji nearly jumped up. “You’re not sleeping tonight? You forgot what the doctor said?”

Mi Shanxin hadn’t even put on foundation, despite changing her clothes. Qingqing had said her skin was naturally good, lacking a matching shade of foundation, and just lightly drew her eyebrows. The lipstick was applied with a lip brush and had mostly faded after blotting during the meal.

“That’s your job.”

Right now, her complexion rivaled those particular moments. That content she shouldn’t really savor surfaced in Jian Wanji’s mind again.

She didn’t know what to say. Sui Yuqian, eating her dessert, asked Mi Shanxin, “How’s Jian Wanji’s job performance?”

It sounded very proper. No one passing by would imagine the nature of the topic.

Mi Shanxin even seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, “It’s okay.”

Sui Yuqian, having previously told Mi Shanxin she currently had a female partner, murmured, “Room for improvement, then.”

“Are you an expert? Who asked for your commentary?” Jian Wanji sneered, glancing at the reddened corners of Mi Shanxin’s eyes, still somewhat worried. “Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?”

Mi Shanxin shook her head. “I’m not drunk. There were only two sips left in the bottom of your cup.”

Sui Yuqian chimed in, “This wine is basically juice. Did you think everyone’s as lightweight as you?”

“I am very fragile, okay? You go get half your stomach cut out and see.” Jian Wanji wasn’t very polite with friends. Some words could only be heard in such settings. Mi Shanxin didn’t speak, just listening made her very happy.

“I won’t. Half my life was gone just removing my appendix.” Sui Yuqian pushed the milk pudding toward Mi Shanxin. “You were lucky. They found it early. Otherwise, dying young from gastric cancer, the company would be mine.”

Neither of them had married. Compared to Sui Yuqian, who still had both parents and siblings, Jian Wanji was completely alone. Her uncle’s side had children, but she wasn’t close to them.

“I won’t let you benefit,” Jian Wanji drawled, leaning crookedly to one side, pointing at the girl slowly eating her pudding. “I could adopt Mi Shanxin and leave all my assets to her.”

Even Mi Shanxin was stunned, a rare look of surprise crossing her face.

A few seconds later, Sui Yuqian’s brain caught up. “What are you thinking? Not possible.”

“Her parents are still alive.”

Jian Wanji shrugged. “That’s a pity, then. My millions in assets, with no one to inherit them.”

Mi Shanxin suddenly asked, “What if we get married? Could I inherit then?”