Chapter 60: Do you want to swap kids and raise another?

The boy kept muttering "inhuman" under his breath, and whenever he said that, he'd sneak a glance at Pei Muyin, hoping she would, as before, kindly speak up and prompt him for the next line.

However, ten seconds, thirty seconds, a whole minute passed, and he didn't get it.

The air was still and quiet.

Shu Lingchen gripped his textbook tightly, yet he didn't flip open that page to look back.

He put on an act, half-heartedly complaining: "Tsk, I can't recite it again, it's awkward and hard, sigh, if only someone—"

Before he could finish, Pei Muyin looked up.

Shu Lingchen immediately followed her gaze, his dark eyes brightening.

Was she finally going to pay attention to him?

Then Shu Lingchen saw Pei Muyin stand up, her voice soft: "Did I disturb your studying? Sorry, I'll go do my homework elsewhere."

"Ah, it's not me—"

Without waiting for Shu Lingchen to speak, Pei Muyin piled her notebook and schoolbag together, clutched them to her chest, and hurried away, looking as if she feared she'd delayed him.

The house had more than one study; there was also a closed-off study.

Shu Lingchen sat with his back turned, hearing Shu Shu and Pei Muyin's voices as they went into that study.

The boy flung his textbook away, frustratedly scratching his head until his hair stood on end.

Damn mouth!

Why did you say that at noon in the cafeteria? And why didn't you speak faster just now to say you didn't feel she was disturbing your studying?

Ahhh!

(╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻!

Then, footsteps sounded from behind.

Shu Lingchen turned his head.

It was Shu Shu leaning against the wooden bookshelf, arms crossed, her peach-blossom eyes slightly narrowed, looking as if she saw through everything, and she said to Shu Lingchen: "Want to talk?"

…

The 1600-room area totals over six hundred square meters; when the two rooms were knocked into one large flat, they simultaneously designed an approximately eighteen-meter-long runway-style balcony, from which one can overlook An Shi's most beautiful and prosperous night view.

The night breeze blew gently, dispersing the day's heat.

At that moment, all the floor-to-ceiling glass doors were drawn shut, ensuring outside noise couldn't reach the superbly soundproofed interior.

Shu Shu and Shu Lingchen sat facing each other on a white lounge chair.

"What's going on between you and Muyin?" Shu Shu asked.

"..." Shu Lingchen uttered three words without much inflection: "Nothing."

Shu Shu raised an eyebrow and cut straight to the chase: "Your face practically says 'I'm having a falling-out with Muyin,' Shu Lingchen—do you think you can hide it?"

"..."

Having been seen through, Shu Lingchen couldn't keep up the act; moreover, he'd been holding this in his heart all day and night, feeling awful.

"I won't hide it anymore, so Mom, you shouldn't hide things from me either."

Shu Shu: "Oh? What have I kept from you?"

"..."

Shu Lingchen exhaled, the regret and guilt he'd just felt toward Pei Muyin gone from his face; the boy's dark eyes were stubborn, he let out a deep breath, gathered his courage, and laid it all out to Shu Shu:

"Do you want to swap kids and raise another?"

"???" Shu Shu: "What?"

Having said it once, saying it again was easier; Shu Lingchen said: "I mean, do you want to swap kids and raise another—raise Pei Muyin and stop raising me?"

"I know Pei Muyin has good grades, a sweet personality, and most importantly, you get along with her; you like her and want to raise her. As for me, my grades are poor, my personality and ability—nothing worth showing off; you dislike me."

"So you don't want me anymore, right?"

These words were mostly spoken in spite, like a child feigning hurt, saying harsh things without feeling safe, wanting the other to comfort him, then telling him these aren't really true—he does care about him.

However, Shu Lingchen stared eagerly at his mother and saw her really nod, saying: "Mm, I do want to raise Muyin."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Shu Lingchen's pupils shook; he sprang up from the lounge chair, his face full of disbelief.

"... I actually guessed right—you really think that?!"

"No wonder, no wonder you let her move from upstairs to live at home, gave her a snack cabinet, installed it right next to your Moutai wall, labeled her 'Muyin baby,' had me swap seats with her so you two could be desk mates."

Hearing the word "note," Shu Shu finally realized this brat had started acting odd after seeing that note on her phone yesterday when he contacted the visiting technician, and had been overthinking.

Shu Shu pressed her lips and said: "Xiao Chen, what I'm about to say might seem unbelievable to you; brace yourself and listen slowly—"

"I don't want to listen."

Shu Lingchen, apparently afraid to hear more "cruel" words from his mother, interrupted, accusing: "How could you do this?"

"I've cut my hair off, yet your note for me still says 'little turkey,' even though you just said the other day that you'd always back me up for my mistakes, that you'd always shield me and keep me unafraid."

"You've forgotten all that after just a few days?"

Actually, Shu Lingchen isn't stingy; he also treats Pei Muyin as a friend.

Since she's a friend, he certainly can't ignore her lonely situation; he's happy to see Pei Muyin eat with them, go to and from school together, not live alone, then move in and do homework together.

He doesn't begrudge his mother dividing her attention and care toward Pei Muyin.

But the premise is that it's a share, not a complete tilt.

Only after seeing those two starkly different notes did Shu Lingchen's mind involuntarily recall certain details from the past couple days.

It wasn't Mom holding Pei Muyin's hand at the supermarket for fear she'd get lost, nor Mom giving Pei Muyin priority when dishing food, nor Mom greeting Pei Muyin in the morning to ask if she slept well.

But rather, in Mom's gaze toward Pei Muyin, there was a tenderness and pity beyond words.

Just like how she looks at him.

No, it's even worse than when looking at him.

The initial symptom of the security sense crisis is that the heart begins to feel severely unbalanced.

The boy's fists clenched at his sides, his face bruised, his eye sockets red, feeling utterly wronged.

"You've only known Pei Muyin for a few days, and you already want to keep her?"

"She..." Shu Lingchen took a deep breath, couldn't help saying harshly: "Just a month ago, she and we were complete strangers, and yet you like her this much?"

Shu Shu nodded: "Like."

Shu Lingchen felt as if an arrow had pierced his chest, hurting even more; just as he was about to speak, he heard Shu Shu say: "Because, she is my daughter."

"At the same time, she is also your sister, a blood sister who shares the same blood as little Chen."

Shu Lingchen's head buzzed from shock, suspecting he had misheard—