Chapter 576: Severing Mother‑Daughter Bond

Yesterday father went to the mine for a survey, and mother Yu Wanrong also went, but I didn't expect them to be back so quickly.

"Mom, when did you get back? Did you rush back overnight? Then you should go rest first; the office has nothing today, I'll just take care of the kids."

Lin Qingyan set the two children down, deliberately changing the subject, but Yu Wanrong was not that easy to fool.

"Don't change the subject; answer the question I just asked."

Lin Qingyan finally met her mother's gaze: "Yesterday the office had a leader inspection, we ate a meal together, and it was already very late, with heavy snow, so we stayed at the office Guesthouse."

Seeing her daughter's somewhat evasive look, Yu Wanrong felt it wasn't that simple and immediately looked at the children.

"Hanghang, tell me, where did you sleep last night?"

On the way, Lin Qingyan had already instructed that if Grandma asked, they couldn't say they went to see Uncle Lu Cheng.

Hanghang, wrapped like a dumpling, stood there round and plump.

"Grandma, we stayed at the Guesthouse."

Lin Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief; it was fortunate mother asked Hanghang. If she had asked Yao Yao, the little girl would have babbled nonstop, unable to hide anything, likely spilling everything at once.

Just as she was about to take the two children back inside, mother still sensed something was off.

"There's a difference between Guesthouses; Hanghang, did you stay at Mom's Guesthouse?"

This time Hanghang didn't know how to answer; his mouth opened to speak, but according to Mom's instructions, it seemed he still couldn't say.

The son has that temperament; Lin Qingyan didn't want to put him in a difficult spot, so she took over: "Mom, I…"

Yu Wanrong snatched the words: "Yan Yan, in front of the children, you as a mother can't set an example by letting them learn to lie; how old are they?"

Mother's single sentence blocked Lin Qingyan's words at the tip of her tongue; she has always valued the children's education, and letting them lie is indeed wrong.

"Mom, don't ask Hanghang; I took the children to see Lu Cheng."

Hearing her daughter's words, Yu Wanrong nodded, understanding that's how it was.

She regretted a bit that last time she hadn't kept a close eye on the two children, allowing them to sneak onto a train, and it turned out to be the very train Lu Cheng was on duty on.

Otherwise, the two children wouldn't have had a chance to meet Lu Cheng.

But regardless, the previous incident was an accident, whereas this time the daughter deliberately took the children to see Lu Cheng.

Yu Wanrong could not tolerate: "Yan Yan, how did you agree to this back then? You were…"

"Mom, if you insist on telling the two children something, I would welcome it."

Yu Wanrong realized something, and the two children began to slowly become sensible.

"Li Ma, bring the children into the house, make two cups of hot milk; look, my two grandsons are freezing, they'll just fuss around."

Li Ma hurried out and led the two children inside.

"Come, Hanghang, Yao Yao, quickly come in, are you cold…"

Lin Qingyan was about to follow inside, but Yu Wanrong stopped her: "The words from earlier aren't finished yet."

Lin Qingyan inhaled; the crisp air entered her lungs, and her chest felt icy.

"Mom, I know what you want to say, but what I want to say is that the children are growing up now; they can't lack a father's love, otherwise it's detrimental to their development."

"Who's to blame? Me? Who acted recklessly back then? Did you hear what I said?"

Lin Qingyan suddenly didn't know how to argue, but at that moment… they were two lives!

How could she watch them die right before her eyes?

"Mom, tell me honestly, do you actually like these two children?"

Hearing her daughter's words, Yu Wanrong was stunned for a moment.

What kind of question is that, the daughter asks!

Yes, at first she truly detested them, because the children's arrival was illegitimate and scandalous, a disgrace to the Lin Family.

At first everyone thought it was a single child, but when the hospital announced they were twins, even the then‑hard‑hearted her softened for a moment.

That slight hesitation caused a delay, and that delay meant she could no longer abort them; otherwise the daughter would have been in danger as well.

She had to compromise, but also made the daughter promise not to meet Lu Cheng again.

Actually, keeping the two children was also due to a selfish motive: the Lin Family has only Qing Yan as a daughter, no other offspring…

Even after the two children were born, she still couldn't accept them; she always couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart.

Each night the children's cries cut like knives in her heart, making her increasingly irritable.

Gradually the children learned to walk and babble, and the first word they shouted was "Grandma".

At that moment, looking at the two soft, mushy children, she finally accepted them in her heart and slowly began to like them.

Hanghang and Yao Yao are so cute; one is sensible, the other has an especially sweet mouth, often making her laugh heartily.

"Yan Yan, you shouldn't doubt my feelings toward the two children."

Lin Qingyan nodded: "Since you like these two children, even if it's for the children's sake, you should try to accept Lu Cheng…"

Mentioning that name is like striking Yu Wanrong's vulnerable spot.

"Impossible. Mom has met countless people; Lu Cheng is someone you can't see through, but I can. He's extremely manipulative; he wants to force me to comply with his tactics, and I'll only grow to despise him even more."

"Mom, he was drunk then, unconscious; it's not his fault—if anyone's to blame, it's me…"

The scene from that night remains a clear imprint in her mind.

Just like today, that night also snowed heavily; when they helped the completely drunk Lu Cheng into the house, hearing him repeatedly say sorry made her suffer to the extreme.

Now, Lin Qingyan, recalling that night's experience, still can't believe she was that bold.

That night the coal stove went out; she watched Lu Cheng shivering from the cold and made a daring decision…

She took off her clothes to warm Lu Cheng; perhaps that physical contact, after all they had shared a room before, even though the bed was separated by a curtain.

Lu Cheng felt the scorching body heat and suddenly, like a beast, pinned her beneath him…

She didn't know why—maybe she was frightened, or perhaps… she truly accepted Lu Cheng from the bottom of her heart.

In short, she offered no resistance, letting Lu Cheng vent on her body.

She doesn't regret; she has never regretted, the two children she gave birth to, so cute, and also so much like him.

When a snowflake drifts down gently and lands on the face, that snowflake immediately melts into water.

Looking at her daughter's sorrowful expression, Yu Wanrong felt a pang of compassion, but in the end still firmed up her inner resolve.

"Yan Yan, things have come to this point, I only hope you can keep the promise, you must not meet Lu Cheng again; these two children belong to the Lin Family, Jing Hang and Jing Yao also have the surname Lin, not Lu, otherwise, don't blame me for severing the mother‑daughter relationship…"

After Yu Wanrong finished speaking and went back inside, she didn't notice Jing Hang perched on the second‑floor railing.