Not Needed

"Aunt Xian."

The middle-aged woman standing by the railing of the spectator stands turned her head. When she saw Ye Shuang, she seemed slightly surprised before lowering her voice, "How did you know it was me?"

Aunt Xian was wearing sunglasses and a sunhat—under normal circumstances, even her own husband might not have recognized her from a distance.

And with so many people around, how had Ye Shuang managed it?

"Maybe my intuition is just sharper," Ye Shuang said, now standing beside Aunt Xian. He rested his hands on the railing, watching the two girls preparing for the three-legged race in the distance, and asked,

"Why not go over and say hello? Did you just arrive, Aunt Xian?"

"I got here yesterday afternoon, just as the school sports meet was ending…" Aunt Xian suddenly fell silent before adding, "Something came up and delayed me. Otherwise, I could’ve been here sooner."

"You’re always a little late," Ye Shuang remarked.

Aunt Xian: "…"

Struck by the blunt observation, Aunt Xian seemed momentarily speechless. She let out a self-deprecating chuckle before offering no further excuses. "You’re right. I’m not a good mother. I’ve failed Yu You."

"That’s not something you should say to me," Ye Shuang replied.

"I… I don’t dare face her anymore," Aunt Xian murmured, rubbing her arms before abruptly changing the subject. "About the engagement with Yu You—you still haven’t given me an answer."

She had asked before—if Ye Shuang wasn’t willing to get engaged to Yu You, then she would take her daughter back.

"I’ve already refused," Ye Shuang said.

"In that case, there’s no reason for her to stay with you," Aunt Xian countered. "What exactly are you trying to do, keeping her by your side without any formal ties?"

Ye Shuang’s expression remained unreadable.

"I’m not trying to do anything. Right now, I just want to take care of her until she can stand on her own."

"…"

"I don’t understand," Aunt Xian admitted. She couldn’t grasp why Ye Shuang cared so much about Yu You.

"Aunt Xian, your family still has a lot of unresolved issues, doesn’t it? With Uncle Zhou," Ye Shuang suddenly said.

Aunt Xian’s face stiffened. "Where did you hear that?"

She had been suspicious before—Ye Shuang seemed to know too much, even about matters that should have been kept confidential.

"A guess, based on Alice," Ye Shuang said. "I don’t want Yu You going back to that kind of environment. Neither she nor your family is ready for it yet."

"I want her to be happy every day, not thrown into an unfamiliar place, alone and helpless in Hong Kong," Ye Shuang said firmly.

"…"

"I’m her support."

"That’s not enough."

Aunt Xian wasn’t angry, just matter-of-fact. "Our Xu family won’t mistreat her."

"She doesn’t need you right now," Ye Shuang said.

"What do you mean by that?!" Aunt Xian’s tone sharpened. "I’m her birth mother!"

"Aunt Xian, you know what I mean. She has hobbies she loves here, friends she cares about, a life she enjoys…" Ye Shuang said. "And you know Yu You only sees you as a mother in name."

"Not needing you doesn’t mean she truly doesn’t need anything. I’m saying you can’t give her what she wants right now."

"Some things can’t be fixed with money. Relationships are one of them."

"I’ve tried to help you both reconnect, but you never followed through."

Aunt Xian had no rebuttal. Ye Shuang had indeed made efforts to mend their relationship—she was the one who hadn’t seized the opportunity.

But there had been reasons.

After a moment of thought, Aunt Xian suddenly said, "Those times I couldn’t come… it was because—"

BANG!

A starting pistol fired, cutting her off. Ye Shuang turned toward the track, where cheers erupted as Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke moved in perfect sync during the three-legged race.

They were fast—especially with the bouncing rhythm of their steps.

In no time, they surged to first place.

"One-two, one-two, one-two!" Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke held each other’s waists, their strides perfectly matched despite the slight height difference. Their coordination was unexpectedly flawless.

Behind them, several students nearly tripped from misaligned steps.

"Go for it!" Ye Shuang shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Yu You! Keke!!"

His booming voice startled Aunt Xian.

"They can’t hear you from this far," she said. With all the noise, it was impossible.

"Oh, they’ll hear," Ye Shuang said with a faint smile.

Aunt Xian was about to argue when she noticed Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke actually glancing their way.

"See?" Ye Shuang said.

"Just a coincidence," Aunt Xian muttered, unwilling to admit it defied common sense.

"Some things, you won’t know unless you try," Ye Shuang said. "Aunt Xian, there’s an apartment for rent in our building. Would you like to stay in Haizhu City for a while?"

Aunt Xian blinked, caught off guard by the invitation.

"I… I’ll think about it."

"Alright." Ye Shuang didn’t press further.

"They’ve crossed the line! First place goes to Business Class 1!"

As expected, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke took first. Ye Shuang had worried Keke might struggle, but after their last mishap, she’d been extra careful, putting in all her effort to avoid mistakes.

The two girls hugged, then waved excitedly in Ye Shuang’s direction.

He waved back.

Aunt Xian watched the scene, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, who’s the parent here?"

"Maybe me," Ye Shuang said lightly.

Just then, he noticed Aunt Xian turning as if to leave.

"Where are you going? Yu You and the others are coming over now."

"I…" Aunt Xian hesitated, adjusting her sunglasses. "There’s something I need to take care of…"

After a pause, she added,

"About that apartment—send me the contact details."

Ye Shuang chuckled softly. "Sure."

Aunt Xian had only been gone a short while when Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou came sprinting over, gold medals in hand!

"Ye Shuang!"

"Brother! Look, gold!"

The two proudly displayed their medals, the shiny prizes filling them with boundless confidence.

"Well done." Ye Shuang patted both girls’ heads.

Bai Yuyou suddenly glanced in the direction Aunt Xian had left, as if she wanted to ask something—but after a few seconds, she stayed silent, instead burying her face against Ye Shuang’s chest, seeking praise.

"Ye Shuang, head pats."

"Okay."

"More. For the gold medal."

…