Cheng Yi never imagined that Yan Xuemei would suddenly appear before her, and with a thermos of chicken soup in hand.
"Ms Cheng, there's a middle-aged lady insisting on seeing you," the receptionist said nervously.
Ye Minglang and Zhu Mandi had followed her out. Neither had ever heard of Cheng Yi having friends of such an age, but her stunned reaction made it clear she knew the woman.
"Yi, is this lady a relative of yours?"
Minglang asked cautiously, thinking that if she turned out to be a relative, he might have another place to enjoy delicious homemade Chinese food.
Zhu Mandy had spent enough time navigating social circles to instinctively assess the middle-aged woman before her, starting with the way she dressed and carried herself. Judging people wasn't hard—what mattered most were the eyes. After all, the eyes were the window to the soul. And what she saw in this woman's eyes unsettled her: a glint of calculation, the sharp gleam of opportunism. Definitely not someone to be underestimated.
Cheng Yi's reaction only confirmed Zhu Mandy's instincts. She took an involuntary step back, a flicker of fear crossing her face, her expression faltering, as if caught off guard, unsure how to respond.
"Au- Aunt Mei," Cheng Yi said, voice trembling with unease.
Yan Xuemei, however, pretended not to notice and smiled warmly, almost too warmly.
"Yi, I heard you're working here, so I came specially to see you. I hope I'm not disturbing anything?"
Zhu Mandi almost laughed. If she really cared about disturbing anyone, why not call ahead? Who just shows up unannounced during work hours? She clearly didn't care whether Cheng Yi wanted to see her or not—she was determined to be seen. Even the way she spoke carried a quiet note of insistence. No wonder the receptionist had said she wouldn't leave without seeing someone. She was spot on.
"What... what's the matter?"
"It's been so many years. I just wanted to see how you're doing."
Cheng Yi pressed her lips together, saying nothing, simply standing there with her head down, like a child caught doing something wrong.
Ye Minglang watched her, confused. He had no idea what was going on but could tell something wasn't right.
"Yi, this is..."
"This is Aunt Mei—Mr. Fang's mother," Cheng Yi gave a brief introduction, her voice drained of strength.
Zhu Mandy took it as her cue to politely send the woman off, and from Ye Minglang's expression, she knew he felt the same.
"Aunt Mei, such a pity," Zhu Mandy said with professional politeness. "We're just about to head into an urgent meeting. It wouldn't be right to keep you waiting—may we have your contact details and arrange something another time? We truly appreciate your understanding."
Her tone, cool and formal, left Yan Xuemei with no room to linger. This was a workplace, after all, and pushing further would only be inappropriate. Though clearly disappointed, Yan Xuemei forced a smile, retrieved a business card and the thermos from her handbag, then handed them to Cheng Yi.
"Yi, here's my card. Make sure you call me as soon as you get off work. I brought this chicken soup for you—it'll help nourish your body, so be sure to drink it."
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In the break room, Cheng Yi sat in a daze, staring at the thermos of chicken soup as if lost in memories. Zhu Mandy glanced at the name card, let out a cold snort, then tossed it into the trash with disdain before casually calling out to Ye Minglang.
"Lucky you, Minglang. Looks like you've got yourself some chicken soup. Boosts your manhood."
Ye Minglang frowned, clearly unimpressed.
"I don't care what it boosts. I'm not drinking anything connected to that guy. For all I know, it could be poison."
Cheng Yi stared at the soup container, emotions surging beneath her calm exterior. After a long, loaded silence, she suddenly opened the lid, lifted the thermos with both hands, and drank deeply, almost desperately.
She was determined to finish every last drop.
Six years ago, she would have given anything for this soup.
But in the end, it was something she couldn't afford to enjoy.
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That long-delayed chicken soup? Cheng Yi threw it all up.
Furious, Ye Minglang smashed the thermos on the spot. The Big Boss immediately sent her home to rest. As soon as Yang Li got Ye Minglang's call, she grabbed some medicine and rushed to Cheng Yi's apartment.
"Feeling any better?"
"With you, my personal nurse, I'll live."
"The nerve of that woman, showing up like that. Like mother, like son."
"Technically, she's still my adoptive mother."
That only made Yang Li angrier.
"First of all, she's someone else's real mother."
"I know."
"Yi, between a foster daughter and her own son's future, who do you think she'll pick? You should have seen this coming a long time ago."
Cheng Yi wasn't ungrateful; after all, Yan Xuemei had taken her in when she was alone and helpless. She hadn't forgotten that debt of gratitude, which is why she still held some respect for her.
But of course, there were some words Cheng Yi would never forget.
"Cheng Yi, your parents helped us for years. Taking you in makes us even."
"It took years for Zhiyuan and me to get our visa. If we add you now, we'll have to start the whole thing all over again."
"You two should just break things off. Zhiyuan is too soft, I'll say what he won't. You'd better behave."
"If you try to guilt him into staying, I'll make sure you regret it."
In the end, she had become nothing more than an obstacle in someone else's pursuit of success, without even realizing it.
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"Yi, Zhiyuan's in the hospital."
"You know his stomach's always been bad. And lately... he's been drinking a lot, He passed out from the pain at the bar, and the staff took him straight to the ER."
"He kept calling your name. Please... just come see him."
Late last night, after getting a call from Xie Yufan, Cheng Yi hadn't been able to sleep. He's a grown man, she thought. He has friends around, what difference would one more person make? And really, what could she possibly do? The more she thought about it, the more detached she felt.
"Yufan, I can't come right now."
Xie Yufan was furious, shocked by how cold and unfeeling Cheng Yi had become, compared to the soft-hearted girl she used to be.
"You loved each other once, and now you're just cutting him off, like it meant nothing?"
"So why bother coming back at all? You should've just let him keep thinking you were dead."
He was right.
In some ways, Cheng Yi had always felt that she had died long ago.
Six years ago, to be exact.