Several days passed in a flash.
Lu Yiyi left, and my official school term began.
Early in the morning, I went downstairs and was surprised to see my mom waiting in her car outside the residential complex.
Since moving here, Mom had never come to visit me. Out of timidity and frustration, I hadn't gone home either. After half a month apart, seeing her again filled me with a mix of joy and grievance—a jumble of emotions I couldn't quite put into words.
I walked over to the car, smiled, and asked, "Mom, what brings you here?"
"It's the first day of school, and your senior year has a pledge rally. I came to cheer you on."
I forced a bitter smile. "Didn't you and Dad attend the pledge rally last year? There's no need to come again this year."
Mom glanced at me. "Get in the car."
I obediently took the passenger seat. The car started, and in no time, we arrived at school.
The senior students gathered on the school playground, dressed in neat, uniform school attire, wearing headbands, their faces painted with colorful designs. Organized by class, they formed square formations, with red banners stretched out in front, bearing various slogans of victory. Their shouts thundered across the field.
Lower-grade students lined up around the playground to cheer us on, while parents in the support group held up banners and signs, encouraging us.
I had seen this scene last year. Back then, I was also filled with fervor, eager to throw myself wholeheartedly into the sprint for the college entrance exam. But soon after, I found myself entangled in endless trivial worries.
This year, I must give it my all!
By the time the pledge rally ended, it was almost noon. After school, Mom and I went to our usual restaurant for lunch.
I wanted to express my determination to Mom but didn't know how to begin. I could only lower my head and eat in silence, the atmosphere growing awkward.
After a long silence, Mom took out her phone, flipped through some photos, and said, "I took these. Take a look."
I took the phone and glanced at the picture. It showed me in the formation, straining my neck, raising my hand, and shouting—my expression fierce and exhilarated.
"How does it feel?" Mom asked.
"Um... very motivated." I felt a bit guilty saying that.
Mom looked at me and spoke earnestly, "When someone is deeply focused, they temporarily forget the trivial matters around them. What you lack right now is precisely this kind of focus."
"Mhm."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Of course, I knew what she meant. I nodded vigorously.
Mom smiled and said, "You need to channel all your energy into your studies now. You'll get into a good university, find a good job, and then marry Yiyi and start a family. Your future will be very bright."
Following Mom's description, that beautiful picture seemed as if it would appear tomorrow—my future truly looked promising. Yet, at this moment, my feelings were complicated, and I couldn't shake a sense of unease.
"Mom, what about you in the future? Do you plan to spend the rest of your life alone?"
Mom lowered her head, resting her left cheek on her hand while idly playing with a fork in her right. She said softly, "There's nothing wrong with being alone."
"I... I want..."
Mom looked up at me, waiting for me to continue. When I didn't, she asked, "What do you want?"
I had originally wanted to say that I wouldn't get married either—that I wanted to stay with Mom for the rest of my life. But I stopped myself, realizing how inappropriate that would be. Saying such a thing would only make things harder for Mom and disappoint her even more.
"I think... I'd like a little more."
After lunch, I followed Mom out of the restaurant. Just as we were about to exit, a family of three walked in, chatting and laughing. When I took a closer look, it turned out to be Dad, Annuo, and a middle-aged woman I didn't recognize.
They seemed quite happy. Dad turned his head and said to Annuo and the woman with a smile, "This restaurant has excellent food. You'll know once you try it. I often come here to eat." After saying that, he turned back and saw Mom and me standing not far away, and he couldn't help but freeze.
Mom's expression was complicated, her lips trembling slightly. Dad looked somewhat awkward, and the two of them stared at each other. Annuo and the woman stood there watching us without saying a word.
I quietly observed them. The woman looked older than Mom and wasn't as pretty, but she was still decent-looking. I had never seen her before in my memory.
Hmm… Could this be Dad's new partner for remarriage?
It had been over half a year since my parents divorced, and this was the first time we had seen each other.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment without saying a word. Seeing the atmosphere was too awkward, I quickly smiled and tried to ease the tension: "Dad, you're here to eat too? Mom and I just finished."
"Oh," Dad nodded with a strange expression, wanting to introduce the people beside him but not knowing how to start.
Mom spoke first, saying to me, "Don't disturb them. Let's go."
As we passed by Dad, I saw him open his mouth and raise his right hand slightly, as if he wanted to stop us, but in the end, he didn't take any action. I looked back at Annuo, and she was also looking at me. Her fair, cute little face showed no expression, and I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Mom remained as calm as ever, her expression unchanged, but knowing her as I did, it was impossible for her to be unaffected inside.
I wanted to say something to comfort Mom, but I was afraid of making things worse or upsetting her, so I could only obediently follow behind her.
When we reached the parking lot, Mom hurried toward the car but ended up colliding with an older woman, stumbling backward a few steps and nearly falling. Luckily, I reacted quickly and caught her from behind.
"Are you blind when you walk? Like a crab, barging around like that?" the woman yelled loudly.
"Sorry, sorry," Mom apologized repeatedly.
Feeling indignant, I stepped in front of Mom, raised my head, and said, "You weren't looking either! You were playing with your phone with your head down. It's lucky you bumped into a person—if a car had been backing out, you'd have been sent to the hospital already. How could you still be yelling here?"
"How dare you talk like that, kid?" the woman snapped angrily.
I wanted to keep arguing with her, but Mom pulled me behind her and apologized to the woman repeatedly, saying many kind words until the woman finally grumbled and left.
I complained, "Why did you apologize to her? You shouldn't have stopped me. I would've left her speechless."
"Why bother arguing with her? If it escalates, you'll be late for class."
Mom seemed distracted, and it was clear the turmoil in her heart was greater than I had imagined.
I thought about it all afternoon. With Mom's wisdom, she must have guessed the relationship between that woman and Dad. She must be feeling really upset inside right now.
Although I had been told not to come home, I still decided to go back and check on my mom. Her current state was really a bit worrying.
After school, I went back to my mom's place. I hesitated for a long time before finally taking out the key and opening the door. The house was quiet. It was already 7:30 p.m., and for some reason, Beibei hadn't returned yet.
There was no sign of cooking in the kitchen, so it seemed my mom hadn't made dinner. I walked to her bedroom door and knocked gently. After a while, her voice came from inside, "Beibei?"
"Mom, it's me."
After a moment of silence, she asked unhappily, "Why are you back? Didn't I tell you not to come back unless it's necessary?"
"I came to see how you're doing."
"What's there to see? Hurry up and go back."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
I waited for a long time but got no response. After thinking for a moment, I turned and went to the kitchen. I cooked porridge and stir-fried some dishes, busy for about half an hour before finally setting dinner on the table.
I went back to my mom's bedroom door, knocked again, and said softly, "Mom, I've made dinner. Come out and eat something."
Still no response. I sighed, "Mom, I'll leave now. Remember to come out and eat. Your stomach isn't good—don't let yourself go hungry."
After waiting a bit longer, I turned to leave. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and my mom came out, looking exhausted. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Eat before you go."
Happily, I served her a bowl of hot porridge and placed it in front of her. My mom picked up the spoon, took a sip, and scoffed, "Your grades haven't improved, but your cooking skills are getting better and better."
Sitting across from her, I smiled bitterly. "Living alone, if I didn't know how to cook, wouldn't that be too hard on myself?"
My mom looked up at me. "Didn't I tell you to eat at the school cafeteria? Coming home and cooking for yourself just wastes time."
"Is the school food even fit for humans? I'd rather waste a little time cooking for myself than eat cafeteria food."
"Then why don't you order takeout?"
I muttered quietly, "Takeout isn't as good as home-cooked food. Besides, it's not clean." I had hoped to appeal to her sympathy—even if she didn't let me come home to eat, it would be great if she could send me some meals.
But she didn't take the bait. She snorted coldly, "You're just full of excuses. Tomorrow, I'll go confiscate your kitchen utensils so you can't cook for yourself anymore."
I smiled helplessly. "You're really something, Mom."
My mom lowered her head, stirring the hot porridge with her spoon, and said softly, "In the past, I wasn't strict enough, and that's why you turned out the way you are now."
"Mom, what do you mean? In your eyes, what exactly have I become?"
She glanced at me sideways, snorted twice, and didn't answer. But even if she didn't say it, I knew it had something to do with being "abnormal."
I started eating in silence. After a long while, my mom suddenly asked, "Did your dad tell you everything?"
"Huh? Tell me what?" I didn't catch on right away.
"About the woman he had lunch with today. You didn't seem surprised at all."
I gave her a thumbs-up and praised, "Mom, I'm not just flattering you—you're really good at reading people. Yes, Dad told me in advance and asked me not to tell you yet."
"What did your dad say to you?"
I hesitated for a moment. Since Mom was already asking, it seemed she already knew.
There was no point in covering for Dad now, so I just came out with it: "Dad said he's getting married. Probably to that woman from today."
Mom was shocked: "Your dad is getting married?"
"Huh?" I was taken aback. "So you didn't know?"
Mom threw the soup spoon into the bowl with force, angrily saying, "I knew it."
"What? What did you know?"
Mom shot me a glance, irritated. "You! Me! We've both been played like fools by that little brat."
Of course, I knew I had been played by that girl, An Nuo. She appeared out of nowhere and really caught me off guard, leaving me in a mess.
Mom fumed, "That girl schemed to break our family apart. I always suspected she was helping her mother. I never expected her to move so fast—in less than half a year, she already got your dad and her mom together."
"An Nuo's mom? But isn't her mom dea—" Halfway through the sentence, it suddenly hit me, and I was stunned. "That woman is An Nuo's mom?"
Mom glared at me. "So you didn't know?"
"She told me her mom died of breast cancer."
"You believe everything she says? How can you be so naive?"
"When she told me, I didn't know she was such a liar. Besides, who jokes about their own mother's life and death?"
I had always wondered: why did An Nuo go to such lengths to tear our family apart?
Was it just to get revenge on Dad?
Today, I finally understood. She wanted to drive us away to make room for her mother to step in, so the three of them could be a happy family.
To win my sympathy, she lied and said her mother was dead. To win our family's sympathy, she deliberately injured her leg.
That girl... she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Seeing Mom lost in thought, I tentatively asked, "Mom, what are you planning to do?" Mom snorted coldly. "What can I do? Besides wishing your dad well, what else is there?"
I knew Mom was probably just venting, but hearing this, I couldn't help feeling a little secretly pleased.
Still, I pretended to be upset and angry on the surface. "An Nuo is so young—she couldn't have planned all this so meticulously. It must be her mother behind it. That mother-daughter pair is truly despicable. Mom, we can't just give up so easily. We have to fight back."
"Don't go looking for trouble." Mom gave me a look of exasperation, glaring fiercely.
"Right now, besides preparing for the college entrance exams, don't think about all that messy stuff."
"But aren't you being treated unfairly? Do you really plan to let them have their way?"
"Who your dad marries has nothing to do with me. Why should I be the one to 'let them have their way'?"
Even though I knew it was wrong to think this way, I was really happy—overjoyed, in fact.
Honestly, even though I still hated An Nuo, part of me was also a little grateful to her.
After dinner, I rushed to clear the dishes and, as if serving the Goddess of Mercy, escorted Mom to the sofa in the living room.
I had originally planned to stay a bit longer to chat with Mom, but she seemed impatient and kept urging me to go home.
Just as I was about to leave, Beibei happened to return. Seeing me, she couldn't hide her surprise and joy, asking, "Oh! Why are you back?"
"This is my home. Why can't I come back?"
Beibei put her hands on her hips, tilted her head, and widened her eyes to glare at me. "I was just saying hello. Can't you talk properly?"
I pulled her aside and lowered my voice to say, "Mom's in a bad mood. Don't provoke her."
Beibei looked past me toward Mom and, noticing her cold expression, whispered, "What's going on? Why is she angry again for no reason?" I replied mysteriously, "Mom's upset because you don't study properly and spend all your time playing outside. You'd better not bother her now. Hurry back to your room and study." Clearly, Beibei was only half-convinced by my words, but since Mom did look displeased, she didn't dare test the waters even if she doubted me.
She hurriedly changed into her slippers and, without a word, slipped back to her room with her head down.
…
Two days later, because I followed Mom's instructions and had dinner at the school cafeteria, I returned home a bit late.
As I stepped out of the elevator and was digging my keys out of my pocket, I unexpectedly found Annuo squatting beside our door, her bag slung across her shoulder and a large bag of fresh vegetables in her hand.
I looked down at her, and she looked up at me. I inserted the key into the lock, turned it to open the door, paused for a moment, then turned to her and said, "Come in. I actually have something to talk to you about." Annuo quickly stood up and followed me into the room with a smile.
While changing my shoes, I asked her, "How long have you been waiting?"
"Since school ended."
"Have you eaten?"
"No."
I grinned at her. "Well, I have."
Annuo rolled her eyes, looking speechless. After a while, she lifted the bag in her hand and said with a smile, "I can cook for myself. You can have some more."
"No need. You'd better explain your situation first."
"What situation?"
I turned to look at her. "Who was that woman with you and Dad at the restaurant that afternoon?"
"My mom," Annuo admitted openly.
"Didn't you say your mom died of cancer?"
"I lied to you," Annuo said with a giggle.
Her straightforward admission left me unsure how to continue. Instead, she eagerly asked, "Aren't you going to ask why I lied to you?"
"To make me feel sorry for you, of course."
Annuo leaned her fair, delicate face close to mine and asked with a smile, "So, do you feel sorry for me?"
I replied with a bitter smile, "If I didn't feel sorry for you, would I have let you play me for a fool? Now I'm a child from a single-parent family. Do you feel sorry for me?"
"I can make it up to you."
"How?"
"With myself."
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