Chu Yuheng looked embarrassed as he clenched his hands, as if he had made a decision.
"Dad, I understand," he said, unable to refuse his seriously ill father's request.
Old Master Chu nodded in satisfaction. "That's good. I don't have much time left, so I just want to see my family together."
"Don't worry, Dad. I know," Chu Yuheng assured him.
After the couple left Mr Chu's room, Meng Qingyan kept her head down the entire time, not daring to meet her husband's gaze.
"Yuheng…" Meng Qingyan hesitated to speak.
Chu Yuheng looked at her with a complicated expression. "Since Dad has already brought her back, let it be. We shouldn't do anything that might make him sad before he passes away."
Old Master Chu holds complete authority within the Chu family. Additionally, all of the family's assets are registered in his name, allowing him to distribute them as he wishes. At this stage, it would be unwise for anyone to do something that might upset him.
Currently, Chu Muping, the third brother, and his wife have moved back in, and even their sister plans to return to Tonghai City in a few days. Everyone is focused on securing the old man's inheritance. If Chu Yuheng fails to meet the old man's expectations now, it would essentially mean forfeiting the inheritance to others.
"Okay," Meng Qingyan said as she watched her husband head to the study.
Meng Qingyan turned and approached the door of Chu Ci's room, feeling uncertain about how to greet her. Just then, the door opened, and Chu Ci stepped out.
When Meng Qingyan saw Chu Ci, she found herself at a loss for words, and tears filled her eyes. This was Chu Ci—the very person she had been thinking about for so many years.
She had grown up. When they had last parted ways, she was just a small baby who couldn't even say "mom" yet. Now, her once delicate face and watery eyes were those of a young woman.
Time had passed, and she had grown up...
Chu Ci looked calmly at the elegant woman in front of her.
"Ah Ci, I... I am your mother..."
"Yeah," Chu Ci replied, his demeanour similar to when he first met Chu Han—cold, composed, and without any visible emotions.
Her reaction left Meng Qingyan speechless, unsure of how to begin. She had imagined countless scenarios of reuniting with Chu Ci, but none resembled the current situation.
Feeling a mix of frustration and sadness, Meng Qingyan said, "I'm your mother. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"No," Chu Ci answered succinctly.
Meng Qingyan's eyes revealed her hurt.
"Then... how have you been spending the past few days at the Chu family?" Meng Qingyan asked cautiously.
"Very well," Chu Ci replied, maintaining her indifferent and calm demeanour.
There was neither resentment nor longing in her expression—just the coldness of someone observing a stranger. In reality, to Chu Ci, Meng Qingyan was just that: a stranger. Aside from seeing Meng Qingyan in some documents, she had no memories of her. She had been only one or two months old when she was sent to the orphanage.
Meng Qingyan seemed to have a lot to say to Chu Ci, but faced with such a cold response, she found herself unable to speak.
Meng Qingyan felt incredibly wronged, and tears began to well up in her eyes. At that moment, Meng Yuxin approached her and asked, "Auntie, what's wrong? Please don't cry."
Gently, Meng Yuxin patted Meng Qingyan's back to comfort her.
"Yuxin..." Meng Qingyan turned to look at her caring niece.
After being forced to separate from her daughter, Meng Qingyan had taken her sister's daughter, Yuxin, to live with her. Fortunately, Yuxin was by her side during that difficult time, helping to fill the void left by the loss of her daughter.