Chapter 120: Not My Biological Mother

After Mu Youyu and Jiang Liangjin arrived at their destination, they immediately spotted the two most eye-catching people at the cinema entrance.

Bai Yun wore a white dress, while Xia Chao Yi beside her wore sunglasses, and the two were talking about something.

"Little Yu!" Bai Yun saw Mu Youyu, immediately smiled and went up to greet her, her tone cheerful.

"Little Yun!" Mu Youyu also raised a smile.

Jiang Liangjin furrowed his brows and eyes, saying nothing.

"Alright, alright, it's hot outside, let's go inside first and talk later!" Xia Chao Yi took off his sunglasses, interrupting the two.

Mu Youyu nodded in response, then reached back and pulled Jiang Liangjin, who was behind her, forward a bit; her fingertips just touched his cool wrist, and she instinctively glanced back toward where they had come from.

Not far away, beneath the bus stop, a figure in a dark short-sleeved shirt flashed by; the figure wasn't tall, was somewhat slender, and that profile looked somewhat familiar.

Her heart gave a slight pause, her steps unconsciously slowed, and before she could continue thinking, Bai Yun linked her arm and pulled her inside.

"Come on, little Yu, come on, your cousin's new movie is about to start!"

Mu Youyu was pulled forward half a step, staggering; when she looked back again, there was no familiar person there.

…Perhaps I mistook someone, on such a hot day with people coming and going, it's inevitable to have similar looks.

"Be careful, don't pull so hard." Jiang Liangjin instinctively steadied her, his glance sweeping Bai Yun without a trace, and reminded her.

Bai Yun quickly loosened her grip, "Sorry, sorry!"

Only then did he withdraw his gaze and ask the person beside him, "What's wrong?"

Mu Youyu looked at him and said with a smile, "A Jin, it's fine, it's fine!"

She took the initiative to grab his hand, heading inside, her tone light: "Let's go."

Jiang Liangjin returned her grip, asked no more, and walked forward following her lead.

The bus stop diagonally opposite the cinema was just shaded by tree leaves, covering the entire stop and blocking most of the scorching sun.

A girl in a black short-sleeved shirt walked over and sat down on the bench at the stop.

It was Mo Song.

Her hair was tied in a simple ponytail, her face showed little expression, only a hint of complex emotion lurked in the depths of her eyes.

After a while, she dialed a number and said, "Where are you?"

The call connected immediately, a somewhat noisy female voice came from the receiver: "Come to the coffee shop next to the cinema, I'm waiting for you there."

"Mm." Mo Song only gave a light reply, with no extra words.

After hanging up, she stood up; the bus stop's shade just covered her face, making her expression unreadable, only the hand gripping her phone showed whitened knuckles from the tension.

She walked along the sidewalk, her steps steady.

One minute later, she arrived at the coffee shop.

Mo Song pushed open the glass door, walked a few steps inside, and at once saw Cheng Siqing seated in a spot toward the back.

The other wore a simple green long-sleeve, had an elegant bearing, with an untouched cup of coffee before her; seeing Mo Song enter, she lifted her eyes and smiled, "Have a seat."

At the sight of her, Mo Song's mind involuntarily conjured the scene of their first contact.

…It was mid-May, the day Mu Youyu first helped her.

That night, Cheng Siqing called her, got straight to the point, saying she knew about the bullying, and asked her to secretly record it next time it happened, not to make a fuss, and she would help resolve it.

Mo Song was just an ordinary student from Lan Lin; hearing this, she thought the other must either be a scammer or have some ulterior motive.

So she immediately hung up.

Later, because of a remark, the day after that she was bullied again by Leng Yueyue, and she did as instructed.

But she ran into Mu Youyu head-on, heard her say she would tell the teacher, and at that moment Mo Song ran away.

She thought she would be seen as trouble, never expecting that afterward Mu Youyu would continue to look after her to this day.

That afternoon, Cheng Siqing also took the initiative to find her, shoved a bank card into her hand, and said, "Take this 100,000 as a meeting gift."

Mo Song confirmed she had never met this person, so she didn't accept it; she never owed favors, let alone to a stranger.

Cheng Siqing did not insist.

At their first meeting, Mo Song only asked the question she had always wanted answered, and Cheng Siqing said they would discuss it later.

Afterwards, Leng Yueyue was expelled from school, and the two lost contact.

Until yesterday, Cheng Siqing finally got in touch with her again, planning to meet today, and she agreed.

…She came back to her senses.

Mo Song sat down opposite her, "Speak."

Her tone was calm, revealing little emotion.

Cheng Siqing stirred the coffee spoon, fell silent for a few seconds, lifted her eyes to her, and said, "Mo Song, your mother is not your biological mother."

Mo Song felt no expected shock, only as if hearing someone else's story; after all, Cheng Siqing had said this when she first contacted her.

This is also why she acted according to Cheng Siqing's suggestion—she wanted to know her origins.

Mo Song has known since childhood that she never fit in with that family.

Her mother always sided with outsiders; toward her she was perpetually harsh and cold, thinking of others first when there was something good, and when there was trouble, she was the first to try to push it onto her.

She had countless times doubted whether she wasn't good enough, or whether she was innately unlikable.

Now, Cheng Siqing's words once again gave her a reasonable explanation.

After that, Mo Song kept pressing for answers, but Cheng Siqing never volunteered them, and besides, after Leng Yueyue was expelled, the two lost contact.

She wanted to investigate further, but didn't know where to start.

Fortunately, Cheng Siqing has now contacted her; she simply looks across the table, waiting for what comes next.

Cheng Siqing's voice was steady, pulling her thoughts back: "Your biological mother died not long after you were born; your current mother is your mother's distant cousin, who took you in at the family's request back then."

"And my father?" Mo Song asked instinctively, her voice showing no emotion.

This is the parentage she has been wanting to know since April.

She wasn't asking about her mother, but her father—the man who had never appeared in her life.

Cheng Siqing shook her head, her tone apologetic: "About your father, I still can't tell you now; when the time comes, I will tell you everything."

After staring at the girl's downcast eyes for a while, she pushed over a document: "This is the evidence I had a lawyer organize, including the adoption certificate and information about your birth mother; you can look at it… I suggest you move out—this home holds no meaning for you now."

Mo Song lowered her eyes to look at the handwriting on the document, feeling no particular turbulence.

Indeed, it had no meaning.

Cheng Siqing said earnestly: "I can help you sue to confirm the adoption relationship, and also help you claim the inheritance you deserve…"

She added: "You don't need to worry; I will bear all the costs."

Mo Song lifted her gaze, her eyes wary: "Why exactly are you helping me?"

She didn't believe in gratuitous kindness.

Cheng Siqing met her gaze, tone candid, finally replied: "Forgot to mention, I owe you… your father a favor."

She didn't elaborate, merely adding: "You don't need to rush to reply; contact me when you've decided, but I still hope you can move out, away from that home."

Mo Song fell silent for a moment, gathered the documents, and said, "I'll consider it."

She stood up, saying, "Thank you for telling me this; as for the lawsuit, I need some time to think."

She had already been preparing to move out.

Cheng Siqing nodded, a gentle elder-like smile appearing on her face: "All right, I'll wait for your news; this is my private number—feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions."

She said this, pushing a card with the number written on it toward Mo Song.

Mo Song picked up the card, stacked it together with the documents, then turned and walked out of the coffee shop.

She walked to the gate of Lanlin Gaozhong, took out her phone, scrolled to the note that still hadn't been changed—it had always been labeled 'Mom'—her fingertip hovered for a long time, and finally she turned off the screen, slowly squatting down.

Even though she had known this all along, after confirming it again, the faint sting at the corners of her eyes rose up just as it had when she first found out, quietly spreading.

So, you're not my biological child?

No wonder……

From childhood onward, you have always favored others.

No wonder, no matter how well I do, I can never earn even a hint of your partiality.

In your heart, I will always be that superfluous person.