How Did Aunt Ruxue Respond to the Special Gift

Everyone present, including Lin Yu, was stunned by Maomao's words.

The most shocked among them was naturally Du Ruxue!

Though when Maomao mentioned buying gifts for everyone, Du Ruxue had briefly wondered…

Since gifts were bought for those around her, might there be one for her too?

But as Maomao took them out one by one, the total amount matched exactly.

The anticipation in Du Ruxue’s heart faded along with it.

It made sense, after all.

The person who would live with Maomao in the future wasn’t Du Ruxue.

It was the other girls present here.

Preparing gifts for them was only natural.

Yet no one expected…

Maomao had deliberately kept one last surprise!

And it was bought with her own money—meaning…

This gift had nothing to do with the test itself!

Lin Yu stood to the side, watching Maomao with pride.

Even the gloom from receiving a razor earlier vanished completely.

Who said Maomao lacked emotional intelligence?

It all depended on who she was dealing with!

When it came to Auntie Ruxue, her emotional intelligence was more than enough.

Precisely because she was guileless, Maomao’s gift—given outside the test—felt all the more precious.

An ordinary person could never have achieved such an effect with a simple gift.

For a moment,

Lin Yu grew intensely curious about what Maomao had prepared to give Auntie Ruxue in front of everyone.

Chen Qimeng walked over to Du Ruxue and pulled the "aloof" woman up from the couch.

"When accepting a gift, you should look a little happier."

"Go on, see what Maomao has for you."

Chen Qimeng spoke gently from the side, offering Du Ruxue and Maomao a chance to bond emotionally.

Over the past two days,

she had heard Xiaoxue share many things about her relationship with Maomao.

And she had noticed the issues between them.

In Xiaoxue’s heart, Maomao had always been the little child who needed her support.

This preconception had firmly trapped Maomao in a narrow world.

Now, at twenty, Maomao’s heart was gradually yearning to explore the world beyond.

But Du Ruxue felt an unprecedented sense of unease.

This time,

letting Maomao come to Pingchuan alone and stay with Xia Xiashan…

Rather than giving Maomao a chance to go out, it was more like giving Du Ruxue herself a chance.

Chen Qimeng really wanted to tell Du Ruxue:

Her own life experiences shouldn’t dictate the younger generation’s path.

Crossing this hurdle wasn’t as hard as it seemed.

But words alone, spoken plainly, lacked persuasive power.

Now,

Maomao’s gesture of giving a gift was undoubtedly the perfect moment to pry open Du Ruxue’s heart.

Du Ruxue listened to Chen Qimeng and returned to stand before Maomao.

This time,

Maomao didn’t ask Xia Xiashan to fetch the gift for her.

Instead, she went to the box herself and took out the gift meant solely for Auntie Ruxue.

When everyone saw what Maomao had prepared…

Du Ruxue: "!!!"

Everyone else: "???"

What Maomao held wasn’t anything extravagant.

Just a small plush teddy bear—the kind usually given to children!

Hardly something one would give to an adult!

Judging by the gifts Maomao had given the others,

they were mostly practical items she thought the recipients needed.

Lin Yu, noticing the slight tremble in Auntie Ruxue’s eyes, understood the weight of this gift.

Perhaps,

this plush bear held some special meaning between the two of them.

Just as Lin Yu suspected,

Du Ruxue stood frozen in shock at the sight of the gift.

Exactly the same…

This seemingly ordinary plush bear…

was identical to the very first gift Du Ruxue had given Maomao when she brought her home!

Over the years they lived together, Du Ruxue had given Maomao countless gifts.

Only now did she realize…

In Maomao’s heart, that first warmth had always been treasured most of all.

"Auntie Ruxue, this gift…"

"I didn’t buy it today. I got it on my first day in Pingchuan."

"There’s so much I wanted to say to you, but now it feels like…"

Du Ruxue: "!!!"

Maomao couldn’t finish her words—tears blurred her vision first.

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

Since moving into the apartment, no one had ever seen Maomao lose control of her emotions.

In fact, it was hard to imagine what she’d look like if she did.

Only now did the girls realize that Maomao wasn’t as indifferent as she seemed.

She, too, had a deeply emotional side!

Xia Yiwei quickly stepped forward, standing behind Maomao.

She placed her hands on Maomao’s shoulders and patted gently:

"Don’t panic, don’t panic. Take a deep breath first…"

"The most important words should be spoken calmly."

"This is your first time, and the most crucial one!"

Xia Yiwei’s soothing words helped a little.

Maomao wiped her tears and walked straight up to Du Ruxue.

Holding the plush bear out with both hands,

she gazed at her with clear, moved eyes and said:

"There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time."

"Thank you… for taking me home, for raising me."

"Mom…"

The moment she called her "Mom," Maomao’s tears burst forth uncontrollably.

Xia Xiashan turned away, hiding her face from the others.

Xia Yiwei, less concerned about appearances, smiled as she wiped her own tears.

But it wasn’t just the Xia sisters, who knew the mother-daughter pair’s history, who were moved.

Auntie Qimeng’s eyes reddened as well, bowing her head in shared happiness.

The girls who had just received their gifts murmured in awe:

Mao Ruirui: "This is so touching. Maomao really gave Auntie Ruxue something special!"

Chi Qingchi: "Yeah… Maomao put so much thought into this. So today was really about—Huh? Sis, are you crying?"

Chi Qingshui: "W-what crying? This is their family matter, why would I cry? You’re seeing things!"

Mo Shangying: "Auntie Ruxue still hasn’t accepted the gift yet."

For a moment,

everyone turned their eyes back to Du Ruxue.

After Maomao called her "Mom," Du Ruxue stood frozen, unable to respond.

This time, no one could step in to push her.

How she chose to react was entirely up to her.

…

(First update today! There will be an extra update tonight. Hope everyone can show their support—thank you all!)