Hating Her, While Still Having to Address Her as Mother - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Bad Child and The Good Child

Chapter Summary: They can coexist.

Just as she had declared, Su Zhixi began playing the “good child” the very next day.

First, she woke up earlier than usual and busied herself at the stove. When Shen Manci got up and went to the kitchen after freshening up, the first thing she saw was the tragic, mangled state of a fried egg; the second was Su Zhixi attempting a fake smile.

“This is…?” The corpse of an egg?

Out of politeness, Shen Manci left the second half of the sentence unsaid. She waited for Su Zhixi to offer a reasonable defense.

“It’s a fried egg. Well, I made breakfast.”

Upon hearing it was breakfast made by Su Zhixi, Shen Manci slowly took her seat. Under Su Zhixi’s expectant gaze, she took a bite of the “fried egg.”

Shen Manci flashed a satisfied smile and said, “Not bad. You should try it.”

Su Zhixi sat down and took a skeptical bite, only to immediately grab a tissue and spit it out. “You really can lie without blinking. To trick me into eating that, you truly went through a lot of trouble.”

Shen Manci took a second bite and said, “I honestly think it’s alright. But next time, you could try making soft-boiled eggs; those are easier.”

Shen Manci didn’t just say it; she actually finished the egg on the plate. However, even for the socially adroit Shen Manci, she couldn’t manage a fake smile as she rose to leave after that meal.

Su Zhixi knew the breakfast was indeed hard to swallow. It seemed gaining the “good child” affirmation would require more effort.

“Ah Xi, come find me at the office for lunch today. Work is a bit tight, and I have a mission this afternoon, so I might not make it home to cook. The office cafeteria food is actually quite good; you should like it,” Shen Manci instructed before heading out.

Su Zhixi gave a muffled “Mm” and went to school.

At this point, Shen Manci didn’t realize the gravity of the situation. She cycled to work as usual. When her morning tasks were wrapped up, she glanced at her watch—exactly 12:20 PM.

Su Zhixi walked into the department with stiff, formal steps, greeting every single colleague with exaggerated politeness.

“Good day, Uncle.” “Good afternoon, Auntie.” “Hello, Sister.”

She bowed nearly ten times for every step she took. It was a preposterously dramatic entrance that made every colleague look up. Curious onlookers whispered to each other, wondering whose child was so incredibly well-behaved.

Su Zhixi then walked gracefully toward Shen Manci and called out affectionately, “Mama, I’ve come to have lunch with you.”

Shen Manci’s smile froze. Before she even stepped out of the newsroom doors, she could hear the colleagues buzzing.

Reporters are the ultimate gossip. While they appear professional and distant on the surface, they will dig three feet underground to find out how many people are in your family and what their names are. Shen Manci had never deliberately mentioned her private life precisely to avoid this situation; in Jizhou, walls have ears, and a rumor started at one end of the street reaches the other by morning.

“Now that I think about it, I remember Sister Shen is married, but how is her kid that big?” a colleague whispered quite loudly.

A nearby colleague held up two fingers, and the first responded “quietly”: “Second wife?” The second colleague then held up three fingers. “Mistress?”

Shen Manci nearly pressed her hand to her forehead in a bitter laugh. Should she just turn around and announce grandly to everyone, “Yes, I have a child”?

Ultimately, she said nothing. She put on her down jacket and led Su Zhixi toward the cafeteria by hand. As soon as they were out of earshot, the chatter exploded.

“Haven’t you heard? Shen Manci married a divorced man. That kid is probably the stepdaughter he dragged along.” “No way! Shen Manci married a divorcee? With her looks and qualifications? Just how rich is this guy?” “Stop talking nonsense. When did Sister Shen even get married?”

A few veteran staff members clucked their tongues. “What do you youngsters know? Keep out of it.”

Several interns mentored by Shen Manci stood up indignantly. “Sister Shen wouldn’t do that. She came from Qinhai; with her talent, she could never settle for a second-hand marriage. She had much better options.”

The old-timers just smirked and nudged each other. “Xiao Chen, you’re still too young. There’s a lot you have yet to learn about marriage.”

Chen Nian, the intern, was fuming. Being low on the totem pole, she could only leave the office to find peace in ignorance.

…

By the time Shen Manci led Su Zhixi out of the department, she had already guessed that the idle employees would be using her life as an appetizer for their lunch. To her, this was routine. Living in Jizhou meant getting used to the climate, the food, and the local culture of scrutiny.

If not for an accident, Shen Manci would never have returned to this place in her lifetime.

Su Zhixi observed Shen Manci silently. She had heard the gossip. In fact, this was her goal: to appear publicly so everyone would know Shen Manci had a child of this age, sparking rumors about her home life.

Su Zhixi’s goal as a “good child” was to get the Park Vouchers and experience the “perfect mother” again. But fundamentally, she still loathed Shen Manci. She didn’t want her to have an easy time. Using Shen Manci as a stand-in and refusing to acknowledge her as a real mother were not contradictory in her mind.

The good child and the bad child were like two apples on the same tree; a rotten one could easily coexist with a perfect one.

However, even though Su Zhixi had been quite excessive, she didn’t see a single trace of anger in Shen Manci’s expression. Shen Manci just held her hand and asked if she was cold. Even when Su Zhixi said she wasn’t, Shen Manci tucked the girl’s small hand into her own pocket, rubbing the back of it with her thumb.

Su Zhixi looked down and said nothing more.

At the cafeteria, Shen Manci got the food. Su Zhixi uncharacteristically went to get the chopsticks for both of them and even proactively fetched the soup. She served the first bowl to Shen Manci and the second to herself.

“Let’s eat,” Shen Manci said, and Su Zhixi sat down.

The cafeteria was a small contracted shop; anyone from the unit could eat there for free. Consequently, most of the diners were colleagues from the newsroom. Before eating, Shen Manci placed an extra meatball into Su Zhixi’s bowl. Su Zhixi frowned and immediately returned the favor by giving Shen Manci a piece of rib.

Shen Manci raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by the girl’s childishness.

Su Zhixi said righteously, “A good child. I said I’d be a good child starting today.”

Shen Manci pondered the weight of those words. “Then, in your opinion, which parts of your behavior today qualify as being a ‘good child’?” Her tone was like that of a preschool teacher, guiding her students step-by-step.

“I made breakfast this morning, I came to have lunch with you on time, and I just got the soup,” Su Zhixi replied seriously, even holding up her fingers to count her good deeds. She looked so earnest that Shen Manci had to pretend to be very focused on a piece of taro just to hide her smile.

After the report, Shen Manci’s snow-bright eyes landed on Su Zhixi. “So, do you think I should praise you today?”

Su Zhixi couldn’t tell if this was a genuine question or sarcasm. But, confident as ever, she crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, striking a pose that said: You may begin praising me now.

Shen Manci finally lost the battle and laughed. She was baffled by Su Zhixi’s innate, mysterious confidence—a confidence that only seemed to appear in front of her.

Afraid Shen Manci didn’t get the hint, Su Zhixi added, “You can start.”

Shen Manci rested her chin on one hand, holding her chopsticks casually with the other. “Start what?”

Su Zhixi grew confused and slightly less confident. “Start praising me! I performed so well.”

Unfortunately, before she could claim her reward, the moment was interrupted. Chen Nian, the intern, walked into the cafeteria and spotted them.

“Sister Shen!” Chen Nian called out enthusiastically.

“Sister Shen, can I sit with you guys?”

“Go ahead.”

Su Zhixi was displeased. She was seconds away from her praise, and now an outsider had ruined it. She poked at her rice irritably.

“What’s wrong? Does the cafeteria food not suit you, little sister?” Chen Nian asked.

Shen Manci smiled. “My kid is a bit of a picky eater. Don’t mind her.”

“Oh, I see!” Chen Nian paused, then asked, “Sister Shen, so she is your…?”

“Yes, it’s what you think.”

“Oh my god, Sister Shen. You…”

“What about me?” Shen Manci asked.

“After you left the office, those old employees started talking about you.” Chen Nian repeated everything they had said.

Shen Manci gave a thin smile, appearing unsurprised. “This is the first thing you need to learn before becoming a reporter,” she said in a casual tone.

“As media, when we present a story to the public, the copy focuses on the center: the person, time, place, process, and the highlight. In news work, you inevitably dig to the bottom of everything. By the same token, this gossip is a professional hazard. If the media chooses to report on others, they must be prepared to be scrutinized by others one day.”

Shen Manci set down her utensils and pulled a pack of tissues from her bag, giving one to Su Zhixi and one to Chen Nian. “Xiao Chen, as a reporter, if you’re going to point your lens and your pen at others, you must be ready for the day others do the same to you.”

“Okay…”

Su Zhixi drank her soup in silence. Shen Manci handled things with seamless, airtight precision.

Suddenly, Shen Manci’s pager went off. She checked it, her brow furrowing slightly before smoothing out again. “Speak of the devil. Director Zheng is looking for us; there must be a mission.”

She turned to Su Zhixi. “I have an assignment. Can you go back to school on your own, Ah Xi?”

“We don’t have classes this afternoon, just community service. Can I go with you?”

Shen Manci considered it. Today’s task was likely a small event—no formal occasion, no high-ranking leaders. She could probably bring the girl along.

“I don’t have a problem with it. Xiao Chen, do you mind if I bring my little one along?”

Chen Nian nodded vigorously. “Why would I mind? Sister Shen’s child is my child! Wait, that sounds wrong. Anyway, I don’t mind at all!”

Su Zhixi watched their interaction without a word and continued her soup. This would be the first time she would see Shen Manci’s work up close.