She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 25

“No, we will part ways sooner or later. Otherwise… would you stay with me forever?”

“Inheritance? Since when did you start obsessing over that?” Chi Yeyu let out a cold laugh, crossing her legs lazily and adding fuel to the fire. “I have no interest in marriage or children, and I don’t care much for taking over the family business. You can give it to whoever you want. Dad, if you want me to take over the company, I can. If you want me to negotiate projects or manage teams, I can do that too. But raising a child is my private business, the two don’t conflict, and neither of you has a say in it.”

Chi Xin struggled to maintain the dignity expected of the Chi family matriarch, lifting her teacup and taking a small sip, her fingertips turning white from the grip. Chi Yeyu had been meticulously raised by her since childhood from table manners to social etiquette, everything had been modeled after the standards of a lady from a prestigious family. Back then, Chi Xin always thought her eldest daughter would grow up to be an elegant magnolia, embodying the family’s prestige, while a younger son could be born later for the father to train as the heir.

However, this daughter possessed an irrepressible spark in her bones. At a young age, she had secretly finalized several investments behind her mother’s back and could even offer unique insights into Chi Liting’s commercial financial reports. The business talent and ambition she displayed were like a stream breaking through ice in early spring, growing more turbulent with age.

In recent years, Chi Liting had been plagued by illness. Seeing that his daughter was indeed a prime candidate to inherit the family business, he abandoned the idea of having more children and focused entirely on paving her way. The vast Chi family estate would sooner or later be handed over to this only daughter.

Who would have thought that as soon as Chi Yeyu stepped through the gates of high school, she would break free from her predetermined path? She grew wildly in a direction they never anticipated not just mischievous and rebellious, but with a defiant streak in her eyes they had never taught her. Although they had been strict in their control years ago, they never expected it to trigger such a powerful backlash.

Chi Liting looked at his daughter’s stubborn face and remained silent for a long time before sighing. The reason Chi Yeyu dared to be so willful in front of him wasn’t just because she was an only child. He had ruined his health working hard in his early years, and his condition was deteriorating meanwhile, the collateral branches of the Chi family were watching like hawks. The irreplaceable talent and ability she had shown since childhood convinced him that she was the only one who could stabilize the family.

She had the capital to be reckless, but this willfulness came with a price. The family’s pressure was nothing more than an attempt to force her back to shoulder the responsibility. As long as she was willing to return and inherit the core business, there was room to negotiate on any other “deviant” behavior.

Chi Xin patted him gently. He didn’t argue further, turning instead to Shi Shuxue. “Child, if you need anything in the future, just tell the family.”

This attitude was a clear endorsement. Chi Yeyu, having gained the upper hand, grabbed Shi Shuxue’s hand and rested it on her own thigh, playing with her fingers one by one. She said with a beaming smile, “Did you hear that? If you need anything, just ask.”

Shi Shuxue’s nails were a pale pink, trimmed smooth and round. Her hand felt boneless, thin and soft, a sharp contrast to her cold, stubborn personality.

Chi Yeyu rubbed it without restraint, interlacing their fingers and then pulling them apart. Shi Shuxue pulled her hand back expressionlessly and nodded to the two elders in thanks.

Lunch was served in the dining room next to the living room. The rosewood table was covered with a cloth and laden with various delicacies. The bayberry crispy pigeon was a bright red, and the fermented rice ball soup was steaming. Chi Yeyu made a point of pulling Shi Shuxue down to sit beside her, serving her a bowl of matsutake chicken broth before she even picked up her own chopsticks.

Chi Xin had never seen her daughter take care of someone like this. Usually, at home, Chi Yeyu would do the exact opposite of the table manners she had been taught, eating in whatever way was most disrespectful just to spite them. Now, she was so gentle she seemed like a stranger wearing Chi Yeyu’s skin. The only memory Chi Xin had of her being this meticulous was back in primary school over a decade ago.

Chi Xin stopped chewing, swallowed her food, and glared at Chi Yeyu.

Chi Yeyu was in a great mood. She praised the soup for being clear and fragrant and the greens for being crisp and refreshing. She was skilled at finding topics, occasionally asking about the couple’s recent lives or chatting about company matters. The rule of “no talking while eating” was treated as a mere decoration by her.

Chi Liting knew she had been playing in a band for the past few years and wasn’t focusing enough on the company, but after chatting, he realized she hadn’t lost her ambition. He noted that while drive is good for young people, he didn’t forget to remind her where the Chi family’s roots lay.

He also asked a few questions about Shi Shuxue, standard small talk for an unfamiliar junior, like her age, where she went to high school, and her grades. Shi Shuxue answered them one by one, and Chi Yeyu followed up with non-stop praise, saying the girl was extraordinary a genius, not a commoner.

She praised her so volubly and eloquently that Shi Shuxue’s neck turned red halfway through. Shi Shuxue gritted her teeth and kicked Chi Yeyu’s shin under the table.

Chi Liting and Chi Xin actually began to believe her, thinking this child was a prodigy who could prove the Riemann Hypothesis in the modern age or be a “Literary Star” descended from heaven in ancient times.

“Shuxue has a steady personality. You should learn from her,” Chi Xin said softly, sipping her soup.

Chi Yeyu replied earnestly, “You’re right. I really should learn from Xiao Xue.”

Shi Shuxue buried her head in the pigeon leg meat Chi Yeyu had served her, her long bangs hiding her embarrassment.

After lunch, the servants cleared the table, and everyone retired to rest. Chi Liting leaned back on the sofa to nap while someone massaged his shoulders. Chi Xin went upstairs to the piano room, she had a habit of practicing in the afternoon. Before leaving, Chi Xin told Chi Yeyu to show Shi Shuxue around the house but warned them not to go out into the cold courtyard.

Chi Yeyu nodded vigorously and happily led Shi Shuxue back to her bedroom. She hadn’t lived here since graduating high school, only returning for necessary occasions. The room was clean but lacked any sense of being lived in.

The afternoon light filtered through the French windows onto the floor. Outside was a private balcony with a wide view. The room’s theme was pale pink: cherry blossom pink walls, pearlescent pink bed curtains, and a pink and white wardrobe that took up an entire wall.

Entering the room, Shi Shuxue didn’t know where to look. It was too much like a meticulously crafted princess room. It was beautiful, but it clashed completely with Chi Yeyu’s personality.

“Do you like this style?” Chi Yeyu saw her looking around and thought she liked it. “I can redecorate your room like this later.”

“No,” Shi Shuxue stopped her immediately. She was a minimalist, having flashy things cluttering her life was an eyesore.

The walnut bookshelf was tiered, neatly displaying titles like History of Classical European Music, Standards of Etiquette, The Story of Philosophy, and a full set of Zizhi Tongjian in modern Chinese. On the inconspicuous bottom shelf, however, were some messy manga and novels, their spines worn from repeated reading.

Chi Yeyu leaned down, picked a book at random, and handed it to her. The cover featured a boy in green. Shi Shuxue took it and flipped through; it was a manga.

“Actually, a person’s interests are set by the time they’re thirteen or fourteen. Just like the manga I liked as a kid. I’m in my twenties now, and I still love it.”

Shi Shuxue asked, “What is it about?”

“It’s an adventure story where the protagonist meets friends to form a party. A few side characters die along the way. Even though I knew the crisis would be resolved in the end, I still secretly cried back then.” Chi Yeyu summarized it briefly with a relaxed smile. Shi Shuxue couldn’t imagine her being moved to tears.

“You can cry?” she asked, not quite understanding.

Chi Yeyu said, “Of course I can cry. I’m human.”

Shi Shuxue knew Chi Yeyu was human, but she didn’t think everyone necessarily cried from being moved. Even she herself couldn’t remember the last time she had been moved to tears, maybe primary school or kindergarten.

However, Chi Yeyu admitting she could cry suggested that her younger self had a delicate, sensitive side.

Sitting on a cushion, Shi Shuxue curiously flipped through a few pages, guessing which character would die later. She looked up at Chi Yeyu. “So, what’s the ending of this book?”

Chi Yeyu leaned over. A sweet fragrance wafted over as her cheek almost brushed against Shi Shuxue’s. After holding the pose for a few seconds, she said, “It seems… there is no ending? The last few volumes were confiscated, so I didn’t see them. Tiangua told me the author stopped updating, but you can consider the ‘protagonists parting ways to walk their own paths’ as an open ending.”

She had been following the manga when she started high school. One day, she brought it to the living room after dinner, and Chi Liting caught her. The volumes in her hand were fed into the paper shredder. She silently added “reading manga in the living room” to her list of things she couldn’t do.

Later at school, she asked Tiangua. Tiangua laughed at her for a while before finally telling her what he knew.

She didn’t like that ending back then. She felt it betrayed their shared experiences. If they knew they would part ways, would they still have stayed together?

“It feels very realistic,” Shi Shuxue said from her left.

Chi Yeyu immediately asked, “How is it realistic?”

Shi Shuxue said calmly, “Because people part ways sooner or later, don’t they?”

“That’s too extreme. Setting aside life and death, there will always be people who can stay together.” Chi Yeyu smiled and poked Shi Shuxue’s soft cheek. “And sometimes, the process isn’t what’s important. What matters is the result, as long as they don’t part in the end, it’s enough.”

Shi Shuxue frowned for a long time, staring at the black and white characters in the book. “I disagree with you,” she said seriously.

“Oh? And what does student Shi Shuxue think?”

“In this manga, if they had never met in the beginning, there wouldn’t have been a series at all.” Shi Shuxue closed the book and tucked it back. “We will also part ways one day. Would you deny our ‘now’ because of that?”

Chi Yeyu blinked. “Of course not. Because we won’t part ways.”

Shi Shuxue’s voice remained flat as she argued, “No, we will.”

Chi Yeyu said, “We won’t.”

Shi Shuxue corrected, “We will.”

Chi Yeyu persisted, “We won’t.”

The two of them repeated the same dialogue like primary schoolers bickering until Chi Yeyu finally got “angry.” She grabbed Shi Shuxue’s head and rubbed her hair back and forth, shaking her gently. She asked through gritted teeth but with affection, “My dear little Shi Shuxue, why are you so obsessed with us parting? Do you actually hate me? Are you planning to cut ties the second you turn eighteen???”

“Otherwise… would you stay with me forever?” Shi Shuxue asked.

Chi Yeyu couldn’t think of any other answer. She asked back as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Why wouldn’t I?”