She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 2

Is she an older sister? Or a mother?

What is she talking about?

Shi Shuxue’s mind went completely blank.

She was fifteen, a high school sophomore, and considered herself halfway to adulthood. Yet, this inexplicable person in front of her was talking to her like she was some kind of toddler.

Is there something wrong with her head?

“Let’s go, get in the car.” Chi Yeyu straightened up and jerked her chin toward the off-road vehicle, seemingly indifferent to Shi Shuxue’s cold attitude.

“My grandmother is still waiting for me to come home and give her medicine.” Shi Shuxue remained unmoved, staring directly at the woman’s face. She had to tilt her head slightly to see the other woman’s eyes pale brown, reflecting the twilight like crushed glass candy wrappers.

Right on cue, the streetlights flickered to life.

Chi Yeyu’s light colored pupils narrowed slightly as if she were suppressed a smile. She leaned down again, even closer than before.

This person had absolutely no sense of social distance; her nose nearly brushed Shi Shuxue’s forehead. Shi Shuxue could clearly see the tiny mole at the corner of her eye, looking like a stray drop of ink that hadn’t been wiped away.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Chi Yeyu said. “I went to your house this morning. I hired a 24 hour live-in caregiver specifically for your grandmother’s daily life and nursing needs. I also contacted a neurologist who provided a treatment plan. If you agree, we can give it a try.”

Shi Shuxue’s breath hitched. She hadn’t expected Chi Yeyu to do her homework, let alone specifically ask for her opinion.

“Are you very rich?” she asked.

Chi Yeyu ruffled her black hair. “Of course. The doctor I brought in is the best, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Shi Shuxue allowed her hair to be messed up, persistently asking, “That must cost a lot of money. Why are you helping me?”

Shi Xianyu had clearly not been wealthy. Life for her and her grandmother had been tight, and the inheritance left behind was a meager sum that could only sustain them for a short while. She couldn’t understand why Shi Xianyu would have such a wealthy friend.

And looking at her age, this woman was far too young compared to Shi Xianyu. Eighteen or nineteen? No, probably twenty? Definitely not over twenty-five.

No wonder the neighborhood committee hadn’t recognized her before. Even with Shi Xianyu’s designation, a woman who looked like she had just stepped out of girlhood didn’t seem to possess the qualifications for guardianship.

But she was rich and willing to spend money on her and her grandmother, whereas her aunt’s family, where she was originally supposed to go, was only looking for ways to snatch Shi Xianyu’s inheritance, completely indifferent to what happened to her and the old woman.

“Why help you? Ah… let me think. Probably” Considering the pride of a prickly teenager, Chi Yeyu actually took a moment to deliberate. “How are your grades?”

“Average,” Shi Shuxue said.

Chi Yeyu assumed “average” meant middle of the pack. She offered exaggerated encouragement: “That’s actually great! Isn’t your school a key high school? I think you have the potential to sprint for a top-tier university. You’re a worthy investment! As a businesswoman, why would I pass up a guaranteed profitable deal?”

Shi Shuxue kept a straight face and didn’t call her out, despite the fact that Chi Yeyu had just treated her like a kindergartener moments ago.

“Thank you. I won’t disappoint you,” Shi Shuxue said.

Chi Yeyu noticed the shift to the formal “you” (nin) and her restless eyebrows arched again. “Then you’ll have to repay me well in the future.”

She turned toward the SUV, pulled open the passenger door, and looked back, signaling for her to get in.

The twilight had deepened completely. The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow over the striking woman, stretching her shadow into a long silhouette.

Shi Shuxue pursed her lips and followed her into the car.

The interior was clean, devoid of unnecessary decorations, save for a small goldfish ornament on the center console.

Chi Yeyu followed her gaze and smiled. “Do you like it? I’ll give it to you if you want.”

“No thanks.” Shi Shuxue sat down. The leather seat was slightly cool but surprisingly comfortable.

Chi Yeyu walked around to the driver’s side. The moment the engine started, a burst of rapid drumbeats erupted from the car speakers, a rhythm so fast it felt like it was trying to break through something.

Shi Shuxue’s ears twitched involuntarily.

Chi Yeyu casually turned off the audio and glanced at her with curving eyes. “And we’re off.”

The SUV merged smoothly into the traffic, and the city scenery began to recede. At the bus stop, a shuttle covered in advertisements appeared at the end of the road, its lights blinking like two tired stars.

The space inside the car was too quiet. Chi Yeyu unexpectedly maintained silence for several minutes until they reached an intersection. Stopped by a red light, she tapped her knuckles against the steering wheel.

Subconsciously, Shi Shuxue straightened her back.

Sure enough, she spoke. “You’re the strangest kid I’ve ever met. You don’t ask where I’m taking you, you don’t ask my name, and you don’t ask what my relationship was with your mother. Did your mother never mention me? Surely not.”

Shi Shuxue asked, “Have you met many kids?”

Chi Yeyu was also the strangest adult she had ever met.

“Well, not really,” Chi Yeyu admitted. “You should ask me something. Anything. Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to peel back my mysterious veil?”

The moment she said that, the mystery vanished. Shi Shuxue complied by picking a question she was actually curious about: “What was your relationship with Shi Xianyu?”

“Now that’s a long story. I’ll start from the beginning.” Chi Yeyu’s chatterbox opened instantly. “My name is Chi Yeyu. My main job is a drummer in a band, and my side hustle is being the CEO of a somewhat unimportant venture capital firm. During my rebellious phase, I skipped class to go to your mom’s live shows. I was blown away by their style and became a backup hanger on for their band.”

“Actually, I wanted to be a guitarist because your mom’s guitar pick once flew off and hit me in the forehead. I thought it was fate. But she said their drummer was planning to quit to take the civil service exam, so I was trained as the replacement drummer.”

The light turned green, and Chi Yeyu started the car, her speaking speed picking up.

“I’m serious, Shi Xianyu was a terrible player back then, but she insisted it was ‘the sound of being alive.’ You’ve heard her perform, right? Don’t you agree?”

Looking at the enthusiastic Chi Yeyu, Shi Shuxue suspected she had been swindled by Shi Xianyu in her youth.

“It was quite noisy,” she replied.

In reality, she had never seen Shi Xianyu perform. Her only impression was of a dead-drunk Shi Xianyu coming home and howling at the top of her lungs, a noise so jarring it actually shocked the grandmother’s muddled brain into temporary clarity.

“Right? I thought so too. She was the worst teacher. She’d lecture everyone about grand theories, then just quit whenever she felt like it, abandoning the band.”

Chi Yeyu suddenly remembered she had bought two cups of milk tea. “Oh, I got you milk tea. Strawberry Daifuku and Matcha Chestnut. They’re on your left; pick one.”

She intentionally changed the subject. Shi Shuxue didn’t press further. She looked down at the bag; both were warm and ordered with full sugar.

“I can eat in your car?”

“Permission granted,” Chi Yeyu said.

Shi Shuxue didn’t drink it. She held it for a moment and then put it back.

Chi Yeyu thought she was being shy. “Don’t be so stiff. My car gets cleaned regularly.”

“I can’t really handle sweet things.” Shi Shuxue shook her head.

Chi Yeyu’s eyes widened. “How can a kid not like sweets??”

“I really don’t like them; they make me dizzy.” Shi Shuxue said solemnly, “And I’m not a kid.”

Chi Yeyu found it hard to believe. So there really were kids in this world who didn’t like sweets, didn’t chatter with endless questions, and maintained a cold, stoic face while talking like an old soul.

How had Shi Xianyu raised her?

The school dismissal time coincided with the evening rush hour, and they were soon stuck in the city’s most congested section.

At the third consecutive red light, Shi Shuxue sat upright, gazing out the window without a hint of impatience, neither speaking nor checking her phone.

Chi Yeyu glanced at her; the latter silently met her gaze, her pitch-black pupils devoid of emotion.

“Bored? Want to play a game?”

As she spoke, she made a motion to toss her phone to Shi Shuxue.

Shi Shuxue shook her head again. “No, thank you.”

Fine, Chi Yeyu thought. She’s also a kid who doesn’t like games.

“You’re in tenth grade?” she tried another topic.

“Eleventh. I’m almost sixteen,” Shi Shuxue answered.

So her birthday was coming up. Chi Yeyu said with interest, “In my memory, you were just a little sprout. I didn’t expect you to grow up so much so fast.”

“You’ve seen me before?”

“Of course. The first time was probably when you were five or six.” Chi Yeyu’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen, silenced it, and placed it face down, continuing her conversation with Shi Shuxue.

“One day she brought you backstage. I was shocked that Shi Xianyu could produce such a vibrant life, you could cry and throw tantrums, and you’d cover your ears and run away when the music was too loud. You were much cuter back then.”

The Shi Shuxue she described sounded like a sentient little animal.

Shi Shuxue offered no emotion. “Then how old are you?”

“Me? I was about the age you are now,” Chi Yeyu said.

Shi Shuxue calculated her current age, around twenty-four. For a high schooler’s guardian, she was indeed excessively young.

She said her main job was a drummer and her side hustle was a CEO, but compared to the rare profession of the former, the latter was clearly more noteworthy.

It wasn’t hard to guess that Chi Yeyu was usually very busy with her band and her work, yet she had still agreed to Shi Xianyu’s request to pick up a useless little “burden.”

“Why did you agree to her?” Shi Shuxue asked.

Chi Yeyu countered, “Why do you think she asked me, rather than me offering to help her?”

“Because that’s the kind of person Shi Xianyu was. She would make selfish requests without a second thought; even if you refused, she wouldn’t be particularly disappointed. And you and I aren’t close. You only saw me ten years ago, right?”

To Chi Yeyu, the identity of “Shi Xianyu’s daughter” was likely more important than Shi Shuxue herself.

Shi Shuxue’s gaze fell back on the little goldfish ornament. Its plastic fins shimmered under the streetlights.

“Truly not cute,” Chi Yeyu pouted.

Her phone vibrated twice more. This time she didn’t even look. Her fingers tapped out that same restless rhythm on the steering wheel.

Only when they reached their destination and the car stopped did she answer Shi Shuxue. “I think hanging out with kids is quite fun… besides, we made this agreement many years ago.”

Shi Shuxue automatically ignored the first half of the sentence, nodded, opened the door, and stepped out.

When Chi Yeyu had first looked at her, there was no surprise or pity in her eyes, only a sort of matter of fact scrutiny, as if she hadn’t come to pick up a child who had just lost her mother, but had come to collect an item she had preordered long ago.