The person was right there, yet Shen Qi suddenly stopped in her tracks, standing there, crying with abandon and grievance.
Like a traveler nearing home growing timid.
Shen Qi suddenly felt afraid.
Last time at her father's grave, she had mistaken her aunt for her mother.
That time, Shen Qi had gone from hope to deep disappointment.
This time, how could she not be afraid?
What if she wasn't her mother?
What then?
How many more times could she endure hope and disappointment?
Through her blurry vision, the figure's silhouette and features grew clearer.
Shen Qi only felt more wronged.
She didn't even know what she was wronged about, but she just wanted to cry.
As if all the grievances she had stored up over the years had finally erupted in this moment.
Xu Yunxi and Liu Yi caught up, immediately spotting Shen Qi standing barefoot on the grass, clutching a photo and crying her heart out.
Xu Yunxi saw the distant figure approaching and couldn't help calling out, "Ziyao..."
Shen Ziyao walked over slowly, her gaze landing on Shen Qi.
This child, why was she crying like this?
For some reason, seeing the other person weeping so miserably, Shen Ziyao felt a pang of heartache.
"Why are you crying?" Shen Ziyao's voice was soft, sweet, and gentle.
Though the Shen family was from the northeast, Shen Ziyao was delicate and graceful.
She lacked the boldness of northern women but had the softness and refinement of a Jiangnan lady.
Xu Yunxi sighed and said, "Ask her yourself. Xiaoyi, let's take a walk nearby."
Xu Yunxi dragged Liu Yi away, who kept looking back worriedly at Shen Qi.
Seeing Shen Qi crying so pitifully, Shen Ziyao pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
Shen Qi took it, wiped her face haphazardly, and held up the photo in her palm to Shen Ziyao, sobbing, "How... how do you have this photo of Dad?"
"Your dad?" Shen Ziyao's gaze fell on the photo in Shen Qi's hand.
The next second, Shen Ziyao's expression drastically changed!
She snatched the photo, abruptly looking up at Shen Qi, her face filled with shock.
"You are..." Shen Ziyao suddenly paused, unable to finish the sentence.
Shen Qi's tears burst forth again as she choked out, "I'm Xiao Qi! My name is Shen Qi, also Lin Qi!"
Shen Ziyao's face shifted again, the basket in her hand dropping to the ground as if struck by lightning!
Xiao Qi... Shen Qi... Lin Qi!
"Xiao Qi..." Shen Ziyao's lips trembled as she uttered the name, "You're Xiao Qi..."
Shen Qi nodded vigorously.
Shen Ziyao's eyes instantly reddened.
She had never imagined that upon returning home, her daughter would appear before her like this.
Her face was full of shock, but also pain.
Daughter...
Her daughter...
"Mom..." Shen Qi bit her lip and finally called out the name she had dreamed of countless times, "I'm Xiao Qi!"
Shen Ziyao stepped forward and pulled Shen Qi into a tight embrace: "I'm sorry, Xiao Qi, I'm sorry! I'm sorry..."
Shen Ziyao immediately began to cry too: "Mom has failed you! Xiao Qi, my daughter, my child... you've suffered!"
Shen Qi hugged Shen Ziyao back, gently shaking her head.
"It was all my fault back then, all my fault." Shen Ziyao kept blaming herself, "If I hadn't been deceived by others, this wouldn't have happened."
Shen Qi looked up gently, wiping her tears fiercely: "Mom, what really happened back then?"
Shen Ziyao pulled Shen Qi to sit on the ground, lightly wiping away her tears, and said, "It's a long story about what happened back then. It's my own fault too. I grew up sheltered by my father and brothers, never imagining how treacherous people could be. From meeting your father to falling in love, marrying, and starting a family, everything went smoothly without any setbacks. But when I was pregnant with you, whispers started reaching me that your father might be involved with someone else."
"I didn't believe it at first, until two days before I gave birth. Someone told me they'd caught your father with one of my dowry maids. That night, I went into labor and had you. Right after you were born, I was exhausted and handed you over to a nanny." Shen Ziyao choked up, "But then, someone brought a divorce agreement, saying Lin Yuxiang wanted to divorce me. At that moment, I really..."
"I refused to sign, but they threatened me with your life. They held you up and said if I didn't sign, they'd dash you to the ground!" Shen Ziyao broke down in tears, "You were so small, hadn't even called me 'Mom' yet. How could I let you get hurt? So I signed without hesitation, agreeing to the divorce."
"I was too weak after childbirth and was secretly moved away. I begged them to let me see you, but they refused. I was so desperate back then! Why had everyone around me betrayed me? I hated myself so much—why didn't I have my brothers and sisters-in-law with me during labor? If the Shen family had been there, would I have been bullied like this?"
"I always thought that if I persisted, I could see you. But I was wrong again. Not long after I finished my postpartum confinement, your father remarried—to that maid who betrayed me. At that moment, my heart turned to ash."
"The Lin family announced to the outside world that I had left the divorce agreement after giving birth and chosen to go far away. In reality, I was under house arrest, unable to contact anyone." Shen Ziyao continued, "One day, they said they'd take me to see you. I went happily, but the next second, they knocked me out. When I woke up, I was abroad. They threatened me that if I dared to return to China without permission, they would kill you and your brother."
"I compromised again. For you and Xiao Liu, I gritted my teeth and endured. In a small town abroad, I lived under an assumed name, not even daring to contact your grandmother. Even when my father passed away, I could only kneel there and cry alone. They sent me updates on you every month, warning me not to act rashly. I didn't dare take the risk. I knew nothing. China is too big; finding out information was too hard."
"The Shen family was essentially just a local wealthy clan, without the power to uncover the truth. Besides, I had married far away back then, and the Shen family couldn't reach me. They had no idea what happened to me. I endured all this time, until recently, when I didn't receive any updates from the Shen family for two months. I had someone investigate and found out the Shen family had gone bankrupt. Only then did I dare to return." Shen Ziyao sobbed uncontrollably.
"Those days abroad felt like years. I didn't dare admit my identity to anyone, not even sign my own name on my creative works. Even with my friends, I couldn't confess any of this. I just said I liked life abroad and didn't want to come back." Shen Ziyao went on, "I was terrified that my carelessness would bring disaster to you and Xiao Liu. By the way, Xiao Qi, where's your brother? Where is he?"
Shen Qi looked at Shen Ziyao's hopeful eyes but couldn't say a word.
Shen Gang had lied to her after all!
He had said her mother left willingly!
She had always felt something was off.
Even if her mother didn't care about her, how could she truly ignore her brother?
Even if her mother hated her father, she wouldn't hate her brother and her!
Why had there been no word from her mother all these years?
After so many years, any hatred her mother had should have faded.
Why was there still no news?
Why couldn't anyone find out about her mother?
Why had her mother hidden herself so completely?
So this was the reason behind it all!
Seeing Shen Qi's expression turn grim, Shen Ziyao panicked and grabbed her wrist: "Xiao Qi, your brother... he..."
Shen Qi saw Shen Ziyao's face turn terrifyingly pale and quickly snapped back to reality, explaining urgently, "Mom, don't worry, listen to me. Brother is fine, he's just sick and getting better soon! And I've also gotten in touch with Grandma and the others. Mom, we can go home! No one can threaten us anymore, no one can hurt us anymore!"
"What happened?" Shen Ziyao asked anxiously, "During the time I was threatened, what happened to you?"
Shen Qi sighed. It was time for her mother to know those things.
It couldn't be hidden forever.
So Shen Qi recounted the key points of what she knew to Shen Ziyao.
As Shen Qi spoke, Shen Ziyao cried.
By the end, mother and daughter were sobbing in each other's arms.
When Xu Yunxi and Liu Yi returned from their walk, this was what they saw.
Earlier, seeing Shen Qi cry so miserably had surprised them, but now seeing Shen Ziyao crying too was shocking.
Xu Yunxi and Liu Yi exchanged glances, both utterly confused about what terrible thing had happened.
Seeing them return, Shen Qi quickly wiped her tears and said, "We're fine."
Shen Ziyao also stood up and said, "Come on, let's not talk outside. Let's go back."
With that, Shen Ziyao took Shen Qi's hand and led her back to the sanctuary.
"What's going on?" Xu Yunxi couldn't help asking.
She was always impatient.
Faced with this, she had to get to the bottom of it.
Shen Ziyao had already washed her and Shen Qi's faces and said to Xu Yunxi and Liu Yi, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
Once Xu Yunxi and Liu Yi sat down, Shen Ziyao began, "First, I need to apologize to you. I'm sorry for hiding my true identity from you all these years. I've been abroad not because I liked it there, but because I had no choice. Only today did I realize how foolish I was, being deceived for over twenty years."