Not long after, Tai Xun came down the stairs—shirtless, his damp hair dripping as he tossed a towel around his neck.
"Mum, I can't find my shirt," he said, visibly frustrated.
"Ew, put some clothes on!" Su Li exclaimed, walking past. He ignored her completely, eyes still on his mother, who looked like she desperately wanted to vanish into the floor.
"Mum," he called again.
Just then, the front door opened. Two young women walked in through the living room—one was his cousin, Chen Xi, who lived with them; the other, her best friend Zhu Ling. Both were tall, slender, and effortlessly model-like at 21.
Zhu Ling paused mid-step, clearly stunned by the sight before her. Her fingers barely clutched the ice cream cup in her hand.
"Oh my," she muttered under her breath, eyes locked on Tai Xun's torso. His faint abs, milky white skin, and the way droplets glided down his chest made her blink slower than usual.
Tai Xun, oblivious at first, caught his grandmother Mrs. Cheng giggling from the couch and glanced at her suspiciously.
"Grandma… seriously?" he asked.
"You want to leave like that? Go on," she said, barely holding in another laugh. "Half-naked. I'm sure the girls would love it."
"They sure will," Zhu Ling whispered, still lost in the view.
Chen Xi shook her head as she walked past them, muttering something under her breath before heading to the fridge for a drink.
Tai Xun sighed. "Dad, can I borrow a shirt?"
Without waiting for a reply, he started heading upstairs—only to flinch slightly when he caught Zhu Ling still staring at him like he was a slow-motion scene from a drama. He cleared his throat awkwardly and hurried off to his father's room.
"Take as many as you want!" Mr. Liang called after him.
Mrs. Cheng, however, wasn't pleased.
"Liang…"
"Mum, please," he said gently. "Let him be. If you keep this up, he won't want to come home anymore."
"Grandma," Xiao Mei said softly, tugging at Mrs. Cheng's hand as she sulked.
Suddenly, the front door creaked open again, and a woman stepped inside.
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned to look. Mr. Liang slowly rose to his feet, tension rippling through his calm expression.
"Ming Li," he said, his voice low—not angry, but firm, almost like a quiet warning. "What are you doing here?" He asked
"I'm here to see my son," she said calmly.
Mrs. Rou peeled off her apron and stepped forward. "Your son, What son?"
Mrs. Cheng also stood. "What do you mean what son? Isn't Tai Xun her son?"
"Mum," Mr. Liang said gently, trying to stop his mother from igniting the present situation
But Mrs. Rou stepped forward, turning to face Mrs. Cheng with a hard, unwavering stare.
"I thought we all agreed she wouldn't set foot in this house again," she said coldly.
Ming Li folded her arms, her voice rising just slightly as she snapped back:
"I wouldn't have—if any of you had just let my son come visit me. I heard he came by" she said "where is he?" she demanded
Mr. Liang stepped forward, voice low but firm.
"Ming Ju… We all had an agreement. Are you really trying to make what happened last time repeat itself?"
Before she could respond, Mrs. Cheng cut in, her voice sharp.
"What is there to repeat its self? Tai Xun lives on his own now, doesn't he?" She turned to Mrs. Rou, her gaze accusing.
"Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that why you had no issue with him living away from homd? So, since you can't have him to yourself, no one else can? Dont you think you are being too greedy?" she said as Su Li just rolled her eyes, she disliked her grand mother for always being like this towards her mother.
"Mother!" Mrs. Rou said, her voice low but warning.
"Did I lie?!" Mrs. Cheng's voice rang through the room, sharp and unrelenting.
Just then, footsteps echoed on the stairs.
Everyone turned.
Tai Xun descended slowly, now fully dressed in his signature casual style: a loose black graphic tee layered over a long-sleeved white shirt, paired with charcoal-gray jogger pants that tapered neatly at the ankles. His sneakers were sleek and clean—black with subtle red accents. His hair was slightly tousled from drying, giving him an effortless, modern look—cool but not flashy, laid-back but not immature.
He spoke without looking up, focused on adjusting his wristwatch.
"Mum, I dropped the note on your desk—beside your drawer."
He glanced up briefly, still distracted.
"You know… the stuff we talked about last time—"
"What 'stuff' you talked about?" Ming Li's voice cut through the room like a blade, causing Tai Xun to freeze mid-sentence.
He turned to her, surprised—he hadn't noticed her, and was'nt expecting to see her either
"What is this?" she continued bitterly, stepping forward. "Some secret mother-son code? 'Stuff'? Is that what we're doing now?"
"Mum Li…" Tai Xun said softly, unsure whether to explain or defend. But she didn't even look at him.
Her eyes were locked on Mrs. Rou, burning with pain.
"Just let me have my son!" she shouted, her voice cracking, tears welling in her eyes. "You have your kids now—just let me have mine!"
Her final words rang out, heavy and raw.
The room was still.
No one moved.
Only the sound of her shallow breathing filled the silence as her chest rose and fell with emotion.
Mrs. Ming Li was Mr. Liang's former lover—the mother of his son, Tai Xun. Not long after giving birth, she left the newborn in Mr. Liang's care, unable to raise the child due to financial hard ship and was not willing to stay with her patner
At the time, Mr. Liang's personal assistant, Mrs. Rou, stepped in to care for the baby in the absence of his biological mother. Her dedication to Tai Xun grew deeply rooted, and over time, she and Mr. Liang married. Together, they raised Tai Xun alongside their own children, building a stable and loving home.
Years later, Mrs. Ming Li returned—now financially secure—and demanded custody of Tai Xun. She claimed she had only given up the child out of desperation, believing he'd have a better life with his father. Now, she wanted her son back. But Mrs. Rou, who had become a true mother figure to Tai Xun, couldn't bear the thought of letting him go.
Thus began a bitter custody battle that dragged on for over five years. The two women clashed in court, each appeal and delay stretching the case further, neither willing to back down.
Eventually, the court ruled in favor of Mrs. Rou, granting her full parental rights and legally restricting Mrs. Ming Li from contacting the boy—citing concerns about her lifestyle and past choices.
But Ming Li refused to disappear. Instead of fighting through the courts, she began reaching out to Tai Xun emotionally, texting and calling him in secret. She played on his compassion, making it difficult for his legal parents to report her without putting him in the middle.
This had been going on for a long time—tension building, emotions simmering—until one day, it all boiled over.
The two women, Mrs. Rou and Ming Li, had a major fight in the house. It was loud, messy, and painful, and amidst the chaos, Tai Xun quietly slipped away. No one noticed he was gone at first.
By then, he was in his late teens—old enough to make his own decisions, and with enough money saved up to start fresh. He left for Beijing, far from the noise and the fighting, and rented an apartment where he began living alone.
From that point on, he only visited home occasionally—dropping by once in a while to see his family, including Mrs. Ming Li, his biological mother, whom he still loved deeply despite everything.