One word 'Mom' breaks sisters' defenses

The story was a bit melodramatic.

But…

Back in those days, it seemed pretty normal.

The Cao Family had once been well-off.

Later, they expanded their business to Zhonghai. Though the business wasn’t huge, they still had some assets—belonging to the earliest batch of those who got rich… albeit at the very bottom of that tier.

Father Cao received a good education, attending a prestigious high school and later university.

There, he met a naive junior—Aunt Ren.

Aunt Ren was a year below him.

Their romance was sweet.

The two were practically inseparable every day.

Hearing this,

Cao Cheng thought of a terrifying possibility.

"Wait."

"Am I… your and Aunt Ren’s illegitimate child?"

Father Cao shot him a glance. "In your dreams!"

Good.

Cao Cheng let out a sigh of relief.

Almost had a blood relation.

That would’ve been troublesome.

Thankfully, no.

…

Then came the melodramatic part.

Aunt Ren’s father was a wealthy man, a proper local tycoon.

Old Man Ren doted on his youngest daughter, allowing her to be reckless—but when it came to marriage, he wouldn’t let her have her way.

In short,

he looked down on the Cao Family’s meager assets and forcibly separated the couple. Back then, he summoned Father Cao—still in university—and talked to him at length. Father Cao was utterly crushed by Old Man Ren’s words.

But who was Father Cao?

Even in his youth, he had a shameless streak. After being crushed, he quickly bounced back, treating the old man’s words as nonsense and continuing his relationship with Aunt Ren.

Old Man Ren was furious. He confined Aunt Ren at home and set her up on blind dates with various elite young men.

Rumors slowly spread in their circles—the Ren Family looked down on the Cao Family.

Though the Ren Family never directly intervened, those who sought their favor privately suppressed the Cao Family’s business.

The business wasn’t big to begin with. One blow was enough to kill it.

The Cao Family’s patriarch fell gravely ill from anger. He didn’t die, but his health never recovered.

With their money gone, they were forced to return to their hometown.

Pulling some strings, Father Cao was sent to work in a textile factory.

That passionate love story became a textbook case of "unequal social status."

As the Cao Family patriarch’s health worsened, he kept insisting on wanting a grandson. Eventually, Father Cao married a female factory worker.

Not long after, Cao Cheng was born.

That was the gist of the story.

Father Cao skipped some details in between.

Over the next twenty years, the patriarch passed away, and the impoverished Cao Family faced the "state-owned enterprise reforms"—better known as the wave of layoffs.

Back then, Cao Cheng was still in elementary school.

His mother also fell seriously ill—a lung condition linked to the factory’s working environment.

Medical treatment drained their savings, and she never recovered. The family also ended up feuding with her relatives.

In short, they were poor. And getting poorer.

After that, it was just father and son relying on each other.

…

Cao Cheng never expected

to one day hear so much juicy gossip.

He’d never known any of this before.

He always thought Father Cao was loose-lipped, spilling everything.

Yet, these secrets had been kept hidden for so long.

Cao Cheng asked, "What about Old Man Ren now?"

"Dead."

Father Cao grinned, looking genuinely pleased. After glancing around to make sure no one was listening, he added, "Good riddance!"

"…"

The grudge between father-in-law and son-in-law had escalated to a feud beyond the grave.

The man was already dead, and you’re still gloating?

Show some respect for the departed, won’t you?

Disgusting!

"He wasted twenty years of my youth. Don’t you think he deserved it? Of course, I’ve let go of the hatred now. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, right? It’s not like I can dig up his grave. So, whatever. Your old man’s just that magnanimous." Father Cao boasted.

Cao Cheng didn’t know how to respond.

For a moment, he was speechless.

After all, it was all in the past.

And this was just Father Cao’s side of the story. Who knew what really happened?

But one thing was certain—

Father Cao and Aunt Ren’s relationship wasn’t just some fleeting fling.

They might’ve really grown old together.

This was completely different from what Cao Cheng had imagined.

"No wonder Aunt Ren took a liking to you. It’s all because of that first-love halo," Cao Cheng muttered.

Before, he couldn’t understand how a woman like her could ever fancy Father Cao.

Now, it all made sense.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Your old man’s not that bad, am I?"

"Pfft."

Cao Cheng smirked without another word.

…

Lunch was soon ready.

The whole family gathered, lively and cheerful.

Only Second Sister seemed off.

At the large dining table, Aunt Ren and Father Cao sat at opposite ends.

Aunt Ren raised her glass with a smile. "Now that we’re all here, the first toast is to welcome Xiao Cheng home."

Of course, Cao Cheng had to play along.

He raised his glass. "Thanks, Mom."

"…"

"…"

"…"

The sudden change in address nearly gave everyone whiplash.

After hearing the whole story, Cao Cheng knew things had shifted.

Again, they might’ve grown old together.

So, calling her "Mom" felt natural.

First, to give Father Cao some face.

Second…

It’d stir up plenty of reactions.

Sure enough—

That one word made Aunt Ren radiate joy—intense, doubled joy.

Father Cao was also touched. This kid knew how to show respect. Good. Very satisfying.

Eldest Sister’s reaction was the most subdued—just a faint smile, neither negative nor enthusiastic.

Third Sister was happy.

Fourth Sister seemed slightly displeased.

But the biggest reaction came from Second Sister, Ren Fanxing. The instant burst of negativity from her left Cao Cheng feeling stuffed.

Truly a master of critical hits.

Second Sister clenched her fists, looking like she wanted to storm off.

But Eldest Sister held her back, gripping her hand tightly under the table.

Then, Eldest Sister shook her head at Second Sister—silent, but the message was clear: Don’t embarrass Mom.

Second Sister finally stayed, downing her glass of wine in one gulp.

A true champion drinker!

…

Throughout the meal, Aunt Ren kept serving Cao Cheng dishes, beaming with delight.

Second Sister left midway, claiming she was "full."

In reality, she’d only had three glasses of wine and hadn’t touched a bite of food.

Eldest Sister soon excused herself too—probably to console Second Sister.

The rest of them ate, drank, and laughed like a proper family.

From this meal, Cao Cheng fully grasped the family dynamics.

With the system’s help, emotional feedback was like a "mind-reading" ability. He could sense everyone’s underlying feelings, no matter what face they put on.

In fact,

the trickiest person in the house wasn’t Second Sister.

It was Eldest Sister.

Second Sister wore her emotions on her sleeve—if she disliked you, she made it obvious.

But Eldest Sister’s thoughts ran too deep.

Whether during their earlier interaction or when he called Aunt Ren "Mom," Eldest Sister had only shown a gentle, smiling facade.

Yet, her subconscious emotions remained completely hidden.

There was no telling what she really felt.

But whatever.

With a century of life experience, Cao Cheng wasn’t about to be outplayed by a few young girls.

If anything, as long as Aunt Ren was happy, that was enough. This household clearly revolved around her.

And her fondness for him was genuine.

Whether it was love transferred from Father Cao…

or simply because he was handsome…

(Probably more the latter.)

Point is,

there was no two-faced hypocrisy here.

This also made Cao Cheng develop a favorable impression of Aunt Ren, providing her with positive emotions—otherwise, he wouldn’t have changed his address so quickly.

...

After the meal,

Aunt Ren also gave the "address-changing gift," handing Cao Cheng a key—a car key.

The car had been purchased recently, a brand-new vehicle specially prepared for Young Master Cao.

That "Mom" wasn’t called in vain.

Sigh.

If he’d known about the car earlier, he should’ve made his tone sweeter.

Thinking back,

that "Mom" just now lacked enough emotional intensity, and the progression of feelings felt a bit forced. The vocal delivery should’ve had more layers.

Ah...

Next time, he’d have to pay more attention.