Chapter 323: Rejecting Her
"What you’re saying has absolutely no logical connection. Xiao Yi being adopted has nothing to do with you abandoning him, does it? He met a good family purely because of luck, not because of anything you claim." Yun Shifei found this woman’s words absurd.
The woman, however, refused to relent, saying, "I don’t care! No matter what, I’m still his biological mother. Now that he has money, shouldn’t he give me some?"
As she spoke, the woman reached out to grab Si Kaiyi. "Xiao Yi, Mama is living a hard life right now. Can you really bear to let your mama suffer? You eat well, dress well—what about Mama? Look at this dress I’m wearing, it’s something I bought for twenty or thirty yuan from a street stall. I’ve been wearing it for ages."
Yun Shifei looked at Si Kaiyi. No matter what the woman said, in the end, the decision still had to be made by Si Kaiyi himself. But he was so young—she wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with this kind of situation.
Si Kaiyi’s small face was pale, his gaze fixed on his biological mother for a long moment before he spoke: "I don’t have a mother like you."
After saying that, he stopped looking at her and said to Yun Shifei, "Sister, let me take you back to school first."
Previously, Yun Shifei had declined his offer, but now, worried about his emotional state, she agreed.
"Xiao Yi, how can you say that? Xiao Yi! I’m your mother!"
Seeing them get into the car, the woman grew frantic, pounding on the car window repeatedly, but the vehicle drove away, disappearing into the distance.
As the car sped along the road, Yun Shifei stared out the window at the retreating scenery. It was early spring, and the tree branches had begun to bud, slowly growing into a fresh burst of life.
She turned to look at Si Kaiyi. In truth, he was just like those budding spring branches—this was the time he was bursting with vitality.
Day by day, seeing him grow more cheerful and outgoing warmed Yun Shifei’s heart.
He was becoming more like Cheng Lie, as if they were both improving together. They were all going to keep getting better and better.
But his biological mother... she would likely always be a hurdle for him.
Although Si Kaiyi had spoken such a cold and resolute statement earlier, Yun Shifei could tell he wasn’t happy. Unable to resist, she gently patted his head. "Xiao Yi, are you feeling sad?"
Upon hearing her words, Si Kaiyi turned his head to look at Yun Shifei. Her eyes were soft as water, fixed on him with a gentle gaze.
Si Kaiyi’s mood lifted considerably.
He knew it was this sister who had led him out of the darkness. He shook his head. "A little sad, but I also know she’s no longer my mama."
He had made up his mind not to recognize her as his mother anymore.
This child, in some ways, truly bore an astonishing resemblance to Cheng Lie.
Not indecisive—when they chose to sever ties, they did so completely. Perhaps children who grew up in environments like theirs were all like this. And perhaps it was for the best; at least, it wouldn’t hurt as much.
Yun Shifei felt an even greater sense of compassion for him and asked, "Shall we go to the zoo this weekend for a little outing?"
Si Kaiyi blinked at her. "Can we? I don’t know if Mama and Papa would agree."
"I’m sure they will. Everyone needs to relax once in a while."
Si Kaiyi nodded, his eyes once again gaining a radiant sparkle.
Yun Shifei couldn’t help but smile, too.
That evening, she asked Cheng Lie if he wanted to go to the zoo with Si Kaiyi over the weekend, since Si Kaiyi had mentioned missing his older brother.
However, this time, Cheng Lie replied, "I’ve got some things going on this weekend; I probably won’t have time. You take him and make sure he has fun."
It seemed to be the first time Cheng Lie had refused her request, and Yun Shifei couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed. Still, she smiled and said, "Alright. Are you very busy lately? I haven’t seen you in ages."
Listening to her soft, playful tone, Cheng Lie’s heart softened. He felt a twinge of guilt toward Yun Shifei but still explained, "The project’s on a tight deadline and needs to be ready by next month, so there’s not much time right now."
His work seemed to have suddenly turned much busier. Given the nature of his work, Yun Shifei felt it was best not to pry too much.
So she simply said, "That’s fine. Just make sure you eat on time and take care of yourself."
"I will."
After hanging up the phone, Yun Shifei sighed to herself. Being in love really seemed to be addictive.
She used to think she could live perfectly well on her own, but now that she had a boyfriend, she couldn’t help wanting to be with him all the time.
Even though they were in the same city, it felt like a long-distance relationship.
Yet she couldn’t let herself bother Cheng Lie either. She had a faint sense that Cheng Lie was facing some difficulties at work. Otherwise, he’d probably still be as carefree as before.
At a time like this, she needed to be careful not to disturb him or add to his burden.
Although he was destined to be a significant person someday, for now, he had nothing, relying on the Qin Family, and had even offended Qin Yumo because of her.
Thinking about the things Qin Yumo had said that day—that Cheng Lie was merely a henchman of the Qin Family—Yun Shifei felt both furious and deeply worried.
She feared her presence might negatively impact Cheng Lie’s future development. Hopefully, nothing like that would happen.
Cheng Lie had suffered so much before in the Cheng Family, and now he was finally close to seeing light at the end of the tunnel. She didn’t want anything to go wrong.
On the weekend, Yun Shifei took Si Kaiyi to the zoo to see some animals. She took a bus to the zoo’s entrance and waited for him there.
To her surprise, accompanying Si Kaiyi as he got out of the car was none other than Qin Yumo.
Seeing Yun Shifei, Qin Yumo’s peach blossom eyes shimmered brightly, filled with an alluring charm.
"Shi Fei, long time no see," he said.
She had been back at school for over half a month, and he hadn’t visited her. Honestly, it had been hard for him to restrain himself. When it came to someone he liked, he always wanted to see them every day.
However, he wasn’t in a hurry anymore. As long as he managed to force Cheng Lie out and make him disappear from Beijing, Yun Shifei would inevitably fall into his grasp.
Not wanting to cause a scene in front of Si Kaiyi, Yun Shifei greeted him coolly, nodding slightly as acknowledgment.
Si Kaiyi said to Yun Shifei, "Sister, this brother said he wanted to come with me. You don’t mind, do you?"
He remembered that Yun Shifei didn’t like Qin Yumo, but Qin Yumo had met him several times and got along well with his adoptive parents. He also treated him kindly.
Si Kaiyi thought perhaps Qin Yumo wasn’t a bad person.
When Qin Yumo had proposed coming along, Si Kaiyi had initially refused, but Qin Yumo acted as though he hadn’t noticed the rejection and boarded the car anyway.
Not wanting to make Si Kaiyi uncomfortable, Yun Shifei took his hand and said, "It’s fine. The more, the merrier. Come on, let’s go see some animals."
This era’s zoo facilities were rather basic, a far cry from modern wildlife parks where animals had expansive, well-designed areas for free movement.
At this zoo, the animals were kept in simple cages or surrounded by fences, with only small spaces for activity.