One late afternoon, as the workers packed up, Aiden lingered. Li Yueran approached gently, careful not to crowd him.
"I know you don't trust me yet," she said, her voice soft, almost a caress. "But I want you to know… I am here for you. Always."
Aiden's chest tightened. He didn't respond, but the words stirred something buried deep—an echo of longing for care he had never received.
Meilin, watching from a distance, felt a pang of both admiration and envy. Her mother's gentle obsession was intoxicating, magnetic, almost frightening.