Chapter 52: The Expectation in Her Eyes Gradually Faded

Lu Yixue watched as Mingzhu picked out gifts. Though it was embarrassing and frustrating, she truly had no idea what Pei Shijin would like.

Silver needles? Books? Kitchenware?

This little one wanted everything she saw—the sparkly hair clips, the cute plush dolls, the soft scarves…

Lu Yixue had to remind her. “Mingzhu, what gift are you picking for Mommy?”

“These are all for Mommy!” Lu Mingzhu pointed at the bags Lu Yixue was carrying. “Mommy wants them too, right? Mingzhu will buy them for Mommy too! With my New Year’s money!”

The child had her own New Year’s money, which Lu Yixue hadn’t kept for her.

“That’s not what Mommy means.” Lu Yixue didn’t know how to explain and could only accept the child’s gifts.

Lu Mingzhu picked out a garish watch for Lu Yixue. The dial was in dopamine colors, and the diamonds on the bezel weren’t even the same shade.

Perfect. Lu Yixue confirmed that Mingzhu’s gifts were all based on her own tastes.

But when the little one looked up and asked, “Mommy, do you like it?”

Lu Yixue smiled. “I like it. I like it very much.”

The style and colors weren’t her usual preference, but at that moment, the watch looked perfectly fine to her.

She put it on her wrist right then and there.

This must be what they meant by loving the house and its crow, Lu Yixue thought.

But Pei Shijin didn’t love her now. She might even hate the house and its crow.

Staring at Mingzhu’s fluffy hair whorl, Lu Yixue decided what gift to buy.

They had passed a crystal shop earlier where customers could DIY their own jewelry. All the polished beads were available for selection to make bracelets, necklaces, and the like.

“Mingzhu, Mommy wants to give Mommy a crystal bracelet. Will you help Mommy make it?” Lu Yixue asked.

“Yes! Yes! Mingzhu will help.” The little one, entrusted with an important task, puffed out her chest, determined to pick the prettiest crystals for Mommy and Mommy.

Would Pei Shijin refuse a gift handmade by both mother and daughter?

Pei Shijin spent the entire afternoon following Teacher Zheng around, observing the Lu Family medical team treat Dorothy.

She had never seen Lu Yixue’s treatment firsthand. Back then, Lu Yixue hadn’t been that weak.

Things had gone smoothly. Lu Yixue got pregnant quickly, followed by those agonizing days when she had to give Lu Yixue a temporary mark.

Pei Shijin thought she would forget, but even after four years, she could still clearly recall Lu Yixue’s furrowed brows and pained expression.

Through layers of glass, Pei Shijin saw Dorothy pass out from the pain.

The doctors injected her glands and brain region with a class of viruses named “Scavenger,” which first helped Dorothy clear out the rampant, replicating defective gene sequences.

Fate could be so wondrous sometimes. Pei Shijin had heard that Dorothy originally had a lover with perfect matching degree, but that person came from an enemy family, and their love wasn’t blessed.

There were even rumors that Dorothy’s lover had died in a car accident on the road while they were eloping.

Pei Shijin thought that her own differentiation into an Alpha to help Lu Yixue was already incredibly fortunate. She shouldn’t ask for more.

On the way to the cafeteria with her teacher, Pei Shijin silently listened as everyone discussed the development of integrated Chinese and Western medicine. The topic shifted from Dorothy to herself—her gland illness and genetic disease were both puzzles in modern medicine.

A simple gland illness could be managed with medication to maintain a healthy, non-symptomatic state, which counted as a cure.

But genetic diseases were hard to treat, especially this kind where partial gender traits manifested after differentiation. Embryonic genetic screening couldn’t detect it at all.

Pei Shijin kept a wooden expression as she responded to everyone’s consolations and sighs until they reached the cafeteria entrance. There, she saw one big and one small figure waiting.

The moment Lu Mingzhu spotted Pei Shijin, she ran toward her. “Mommy! Mommy!”

Pei Shijin’s face immediately broke into a grin. She bent down, picked up the little one, and bounced her gently.

Not any skinnier. Good.

“Teacher, this is my daughter, Mingzhu.” Pei Shijin introduced her to Zheng Aimei. She hadn’t prompted Mingzhu to greet anyone yet.

Mingzhu sweetly called out, “Pretty Grandma, hello! I’m Mingzhu~ Thank you for taking care of my mommy~”

Zheng Aimei’s face lit up with smiles. “Hello, Mingzhu, good girl. Come, Grandma has candy for you.”

She pulled a candy from her pocket—a lollipop shaped like a Christmas tree that looked quite tasty.

Pei Shijin was a bit surprised. Since when did her teacher buy such flashy candies?

“Thank you, Grandma! Mingzhu loves you~” The little one took the candy and made a big heart shape over Zheng Aimei’s head with her arms.

Seeing how adorable the child was, the others also dug into their pockets, earning little hearts from Mingzhu in return.

She gave small hearts to the others, but a big one to the teacher. Before leaving, Lu Mingzhu even whispered something in Zheng Aimei’s ear.

Zheng Aimei laughed so hard she could barely stop.

What a little treasure. Pei Shijin was so reserved, yet her daughter was so lively and cute.

The credit didn’t go to the other mother either—Lu Yixue wasn’t some sweet little cutie. It must be a genetic mutation.

With a pile of spoils, Little Mingzhu held her head high and pulled her mommy to find Mommy.

Under the sunset, Lu Yixue was bathed in a layer of soft glow. Her lips curved up, and fine laughter danced in her eyes.

So beautiful. Pei Shijin realized this smile was for her and Mingzhu.

Unable to help herself, Pei Shijin immersed herself in Lu Yixue’s smile. The gorgeous sunset in the sky seemed to lose its luster.

“Shall we have dinner together?” Lu Yixue asked, staring into Pei Shijin’s eyes.

“Together! Together!” Lu Mingzhu shook Pei Shijin’s finger coquettishly.

“Okay.” Pei Shijin bit the inside of her lower lip. The pain sobered her, and she soberly accepted Lu Yixue’s invitation.

With Little Mingzhu there, Pei Shijin truly couldn’t refuse.

“This way, please.” Lu Yixue gestured toward the path they had come from. They weren’t eating in the cafeteria.

It didn’t matter where. Pei Shijin followed Lu Yixue.

The three of them flanked Little Mingzhu, each holding one of her hands, walking side by side.

The sunset stretched their shadows long. When they turned a corner, Lu Yixue looked back. She tilted her head, and their shadows’ heads touched. Her lips curved even higher.

It wasn’t until they entered the hospital dormitory building that Pei Shijin felt something off. Was there a private restaurant in here?

When the three stopped in front of her dorm door, Pei Shijin realized Lu Yixue planned to eat in the dorm.

Both of them looked up at Pei Shijin. Little Mingzhu blinked her big round eyes. Seeing the two adults frozen, she asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Waiting for Mommy to open the door,” Lu Yixue said.

Pei Shijin met her gaze for several seconds before looking away first. She punched in the code on the lock.

“Verification successful. Welcome home.” The lock beeped. Pei Shijin hesitated a moment, then gripped the handle and opened the door. “Come in.”

“I only dropped the luggage here at noon. Haven’t unpacked yet.” Pei Shijin glanced at the suitcase in the living room, a flash of discomfort crossing her face.

Retrieving the luggage had gone smoothly—Lu Yixue hadn’t obstructed her again—but fearing obstruction, she’d yanked too hard the first time and stumbled forward.

Lu Yixue had instinctively grabbed her, resulting in both tumbling to the ground.

The sensation of fullness in her arms from that moment haunted Pei Shijin’s mind again, thanks to the culprit’s presence.

She strode over, shoved the suitcase into the bedroom, then turned back to the two. “What do you want to eat?”

“Mommy, we’ve already ordered! We got the lamb set from that old grandpa place.” The little one lifted her wrist to check her kids’ watch. “It’ll arrive in ten minutes~”

“It’s the lamb set especially for Mommy!”

“Wow, thank you, Mingzhu. Mommy loves you~” Pei Shijin squatted down and nuzzled the child.

“It was Mommy who ordered it! So Mommy should nuzzle Mommy~” Lu Mingzhu sneaked a glance at Lu Yixue. Is Mommy still scared of Mommy? It’s so hard to tell.

“Thank you.” Pei Shijin looked up at Lu Yixue.

“You’re welcome. It’s only right.” Lu Yixue set the bags she was carrying on the living room table.

Since it was a one-bedroom apartment, the living room doubled as the dining area. Besides the single sofa, there was a dining table with three chairs.

Lu Mingzhu suddenly remembered their carefully selected gifts and hurriedly pulled Pei Shijin over. “Mommy, Mommy, we got you a present!”

“This white bag is from Mommy. The rest are the ones Mingzhu picked.”

Only then did Pei Shijin notice them. She hadn’t had the mental energy to earlier.

Her heart felt numb, tingly, sour, and soft. Pei Shijin hugged Little Mingzhu and planted a big kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

She didn’t dare look at Lu Yixue. She lifted Little Mingzhu onto a chair, pulled up another for herself beside her, and started unwrapping the gifts. “Let me see what you got me.”

The expectation in Lu Yixue’s eyes gradually faded. It was within expectations.

She sat straight across from them, watching quietly.

“Wow, this hair clip is so pretty.” Pei Shijin clipped the hair clip into her hair. The flower-shaped diamond clip was very childish and didn’t match her temperament, but she still looked good smiling. “Does it look good on Mommy?”

“So pretty. So pretty.” Lu Mingzhu stood on her chair to adjust it for her mommy. “Even prettier now~”

Lu Yixue looked around, fetched the mirror from the entryway, and held it up as a human mirror stand.

Suddenly seeing herself in the mirror, Pei Shijin touched her irrepressible upturned lips and softly said, “Thank you.”

Lu Yixue replied, “You’re welcome.”

Both were very polite.

Pei Shijin unwrapped all of Little Mingzhu’s gifts and put them all on herself—even the fluffy thick scarf went around her neck. Soon, a layer of fine sweat beaded around her neck from the warmth.

Soon, only the gift from Lu Yixue remained on the table.

Pei Shijin was about to reach for it when Lu Yixue’s phone rang. She answered—it was the delivery person saying the food had arrived, but they couldn’t enter the dorm building, so someone had to go down.

Pei Shijin immediately let go of the bag and stood. “I’ll get it.”

“Okay, take off the scarf first.” Lu Yixue reached to help her undo it, but Pei Shijin instinctively dodged. “I can do it myself.”

With that, she headed to the door, unwrapping it as she went. By the door, she hung it neatly on the rack.

“Mommy, wait for me! Mingzhu’s going with you!” Lu Mingzhu jumped off the chair and pattered after her.

“Mommy, wait for us to come back~”

The two left hand in hand.

“Mm.” Lu Yixue withdrew her hand that had nowhere to go. Clenching it emptily, the hollow feeling didn’t sit well with her mood.

After sitting for a few seconds, she stood and walked out.

The elevator and a window were right outside the door. Lu Yixue stood by the window and looked down.

Before long, she spotted the big and small figures in her view. She could almost hear Pei Shijin’s clear, refreshing laughter.

Pei Shijin looked up and glanced around but found nothing. Yet she had the feeling of being watched.

She scratched her head. Since she couldn’t find the reason, she ignored it.

Pei Shijin was in a great mood. She hadn’t expected Lu Yixue to bring Mingzhu to find her for dinner together.

It had been so long since their family of three had sat down to eat together.

Back in the dorm, Pei Shijin set the takeout on the table.

Under Lu Yixue’s expectant gaze, Pei Shijin gathered the white gift bag with the already unwrapped packaging and carried it all into the bedroom.

That gaze felt scorching hot on her face, making her uncomfortable. She itched to open it right away and see what Lu Yixue had given her.

But Pei Shijin held firm. She placed the items on the bedroom table as if oblivious to Lu Yixue’s gaze, then came back out and casually said, “Table’s cleared.”