And so, Fang Wenyuan—who had come with the utmost determination to comfort her daughter—ended up getting schooled in a heap of life lessons by her own girl instead!
After all, in front of Fang Wenyuan, Chi Yuliang had no desire to dwell on the matter any further!
As for the funeral expenses, while Little Bai’s compensation from her car accident in her previous life had covered a large portion, Chi Yuliang had been so caught up in her grief back then. All she wanted was to give Little Bai the highest-spec, most dignified resting place in the best tomb garden available.
So what if Little Bai hadn’t lived a lavish life before? Couldn’t she at least go out in style afterward?
That was precisely why Chi Yuliang had thrown in her four years of university scholarships, along with chunks of her living expenses.
She’d told her parents at the time that she’d invested the money in a research project, and they’d been thrilled.
It was just like you as a kid—asking for ten bucks to buy school supplies, only to turn around and splurge it on game cards.
Ahem… Of course, Chi Yuliang wasn’t buying game cards. She was giving Little Bai a proper resting place. The meaning behind it was profound!
Once the arrow was loosed from the bow, there was no turning back. Better to let sleeping dogs lie.
And so, Chi Yuliang had no choice but to play the part of the “strong” one.
“Ahem… Anyway, Mom, didn’t you just say it yourself? Since the funeral was already handled perfectly by some kind benefactor—whoever they were—we can put this whole thing behind us. Don’t worry, I won’t wallow in sorrow. Grief will be my fuel to keep moving forward.”
“Yuliang…”
Fang Wenyuan bought it.
As if she would!
She still remembered how, as a child, her ever-sensible Yuliang had gone to outrageous lengths to deliver things to that Ye family kid at the orphanage. Every time Fang Wenyuan forbade her from going back, Yuliang would bawl her eyes out and even sneak out of the house at any cost to visit anyway.
A child so deeply sentimental—could she really shrug off the death of her childhood playmate so casually?!
No.
Suddenly, it clicked for Fang Wenyuan. A few days earlier, during a lull at work, a colleague had brought up some intriguing psychology theory.
The colleague had explained that everyone had a limit to their psychological endurance. When something exceeded that limit, there were only two possible outcomes.
The first: You couldn’t take it, buckled under the pressure, burst into tears, and spent a long time unable to get back on your feet. That was the normal reaction for most people facing stress.
But there was a second kind.
You couldn’t take it either, but instead of giving up, your brain selectively avoided the facts. It kept telling you it was fine, that it was all fake—deceiving yourself and clinging to slivers of hope amid the mental torment just to stave off the pain.
This second type seemed tough on the surface, but it was actually more fragile than the first. The moment the brain could no longer lie to itself and reality set in, the collapse would be twice as devastating on top of the original agony!!
Oh no, oh no… Yuliang’s reaction matched the second type perfectly!
During this time, Chi Yuliang kept explaining to her mother that she was truly fine—no big deal, just a bit sad, but she’d push forward bravely anyway—to avoid any misunderstandings.
But as she spoke, she noticed her mother’s eyes growing more and more filled with fear and worry?!
Fang Wenyuan gripped Chi Yuliang’s hand tightly, hoping to lend her some strength while racking her brain for a solution.
“Hold on…
Yuliang, let Mama think for a minute.”
“Huh?! Mom, what are you thinking about?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just let me think!”
“Okay?!”
Right… That colleague had also said that people in this mental state weren’t beyond saving.
The solution? Don’t keep bringing up the buried pain. Listen to their wishes instead, help distract them, and let time slowly heal the wounds.
She’d been about to press her daughter for more feelings on the matter.
With that in mind, Fang Wenyuan shut down the topic immediately!
No more. Absolutely no more! She couldn’t risk dredging up that pain again.
Yuliang had finally managed to stop dwelling on it—what kind of mother would she be if she kept forcing those memories on her?
Yes… What she should do now was shower Yuliang with care and redirect her attention to something else.
“Mom? What’s going on? Did you scroll TikTok again and pick up some weird trivia from those shady influencers? I really am fine!”
“Mm… Mama knows. You’re definitely fine. No more talk of that. Yuliang, grad school starts in a couple months, and you’ll be swamped then. Before that, is there any gift you want? Or maybe a wish?”
“A wish…?”
“Yes, yes! Like new clothes… Er, knowing you, clothes probably don’t interest you. How about a trip? If you want to travel, your dad and I will request time off from work tomorrow, and the whole family can go on a road trip to unwind!”
“?!”
And she claimed she hadn’t been watching those influencers!
Chi Yuliang’s foster parents were both incredibly career-driven, and that drive had propelled them to mid-level management in their company—through nothing but hustle and internal competition, no connections involved.
Forget time off; Chi Yuliang had even tried talking them out of volunteering for overtime!
This was serious.
Over the next few minutes, Chi Yuliang listened intently to Fang Wenyuan’s thoughts and arrived at a conclusion.
—Oh, so Mom thinks I’ve been hit too hard by this and lost my mind.
Mom! Don’t buy into that mystical nonsense from your coworkers! If you listen to any more, I’ll probably end up actually going crazy!
Chi Yuliang gave a serious explanation on the matter, careful not to touch on the truth, but it eased Fang Wenyuan’s mind somewhat.
Chi Yuliang’s gentle, tolerant aura always had that effect, no matter the situation.
At least now Mom knows I’m not cracking up.
Still, it was clear Fang Wenyuan remained a bit worried.
Over the years, Chi Yuliang had come to understand her mother’s mind well enough.
To truly reassure her, she’d have to go along with her ideas.
For instance, Mom now thought she should voice some little wishes, right?
If she didn’t, Mom would assume the psychological pressure was still too much.
But if she did, it would lighten Mom’s load considerably.
With that settled, the path forward was clear.
“Yuliang…?”
“Mm, Mom, I’m listening. Didn’t you just say I could make a wish?”
“Yes! Any wish at all!”
Mm… This was trickier than expected.
Chi Yuliang had never asked her family for anything, not since she was little. While other kids clamored for toys or dolls, she’d never cared for such things.
Better to spend that money on tasty snacks to share with Little Bai!
Years later, she had even fewer desires.
Wait—no.
Didn’t she have a wish?
Inspiration struck. Chi Yuliang decided to play along and indulge in a bit of whimsy!
She cradled her long purple hair with one hand, slapped her thigh lightly with the other, and tilted her head with a grin.
“Then, Mom, could I invite a friend over to the house in a few days? She’s a girl I met recently—we get along great, and I’d love to have her over.”
“Of course! Absolutely! Yuliang, forget inviting a friend—even if you wanted to lead a pig home on a leash, your dad and I wouldn’t bat an eye!”
“……”
Mom, there’s no pig in the world as adorable as Little Bai.
Yes.
That was Chi Yuliang’s “wish.”
Simple. Pure.
This good-girl streak of hers had never once extended to inviting friends home—she always worried it’d trouble her parents.
But this time, why not be a little selfish?
She’d visited Little Bai’s home countless times already. Ye Family Manor was huge, and she felt perfectly at ease with Little Bai’s living environment.
But the reverse? Little Bai had never once set foot in her house.
That “never” held true for now… and for before.
Back then, inviting Little Bai over had been outright impossible.
Her parents wouldn’t let her have anything to do with the orphanage.
But now? Times had changed!
Little Bai… Sis is really looking forward to you coming over!
Always has been.
