Deeply Touched, the Tenderness in Auntie's Heart

At this very moment.

No one could be more nervous than Maomao.

After being adopted by Aunt Ruxue for so many years, she still hadn’t changed how she addressed her—still calling her "Aunt."

Her situation was different from Lin Yu’s.

When she first went home with Aunt Ruxue, she was just a child, her mind still immature.

After all these years of care, calling her "Mom" would have been completely reasonable.

But Aunt Ruxue had never asked her to.

Maomao knew very well that Aunt Ruxue was being considerate of her fragile pride.

Perhaps she didn’t particularly care about it either.

But Maomao cared deeply.

So much so that, even now, she felt it was a debt in her heart.

She really wanted the chance, in the right moment, to call her "Mom" out loud.

Today, in the apartment, Maomao wasn’t sure if it was the right time.

But she felt…

If she missed this opportunity, there might never be another.

No matter how Aunt Ruxue would respond, she had to be brave and try.

After a long silence.

Du Ruxue finally responded.

First, she took the plush teddy bear from Maomao’s hands, examining it carefully.

"Pink…"

"The one I gave you had pink in the ears, not red."

Maomao: "Yeah, I only realized after buying it that the actual color was different from the picture."

Du Ruxue: "Hmm, there’s no such thing as two exactly the same."

Maomao: "Yeah, that’s true."

Du Ruxue: "Mhm."

Everyone present: "……"

Lin Yu: "……"

What were these two even doing?

Was this really the time for small talk and nitpicking details?

Everyone was waiting for them to break down in tears and put on a touching mother-daughter reunion scene!

And this was it?

Was it over before it even began?

Then.

Du Ruxue patted Maomao’s head, speaking as if to her, yet also to herself:

"You’ve grown so tall without me noticing."

"You were still just a kid before. Did you eat well while you were in Pingchuan?"

Maomao’s eyes reddened as she nodded rapidly.

Du Ruxue held the teddy bear and continued:

"In front of others, keep calling me Aunt Ruxue."

Maomao’s expression dimmed for a moment.

But then—

Understanding the meaning behind Aunt Ruxue’s words, her eyes lit up again!

She nodded quickly once more.

Du Ruxue moved her hand from Maomao’s head, lowering it toward her back.

Maomao: "!!!"

A hug? Was this a hug?

After all these years living together, Aunt Ruxue had never hugged her before.

However.

Du Ruxue froze mid-motion.

After hesitating for a second—

She only gave Maomao’s back a light pat.

"Since I accepted your gift today, it’s hard for me to say anything unpleasant."

"You did well on the first test. Get some good rest tonight."

"Be downstairs at eight sharp tomorrow morning. I’ll tell you what the next challenge is."

With that.

Du Ruxue walked straight toward the staircase.

Before leaving, she turned to Aunt Qimeng:

"Dream, I’ve been staying up too late these past couple of days. I’m exhausted."

"I’m going up to sleep. You guys handle the cleanup."

Maomao watched Aunt Ruxue’s retreating figure.

She didn’t feel disappointed about the missed hug.

Instead, because of Aunt Ruxue’s response, she smiled in relief.

She’d done it…

She’d really done it!

She’d finally said what she’d always wanted to say, in front of everyone!

Seeing Aunt Ruxue leave.

Lin Yu immediately went to Aunt Qimeng’s side and said:

"It’s not good to let Aunt Ruxue be alone right now, is it?"

"Aunt Qimeng, you should go up and stay with her. Leave the cleanup to us!"

"Have a little faith in us young people once in a while."

[Ding!]

[Masterful move—the Saint and his Dao Companion’s mutual understanding has won her deep admiration!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]

Right now.

Chen Qimeng really did want to go upstairs and be with Xiaoxue.

On the surface, Xiaoxue seemed completely fine.

But she could tell—Maomao calling her "Mom" had shaken her to the core.

During that pause earlier, it wasn’t that Du Ruxue was debating whether to accept.

She must have been at a complete loss, unsure how to respond.

Even now, that feeling was probably still there!

But if Lin Yu hadn’t stepped in and said what he did.

No matter how urgently Chen Qimeng wanted to go upstairs, she would’ve stayed to clean up first.

She wouldn’t have dared to suggest leaving the mess to others.

Lin Yu’s timely intervention had perfectly resolved the situation.

Xia Yiwei chimed in right after:

"Yeah, yeah! It’s just washing dishes. There are so many of us here, Sister Qimeng, go on up!"

"If anything happens with Aunt Ruxue…"

"Just message me, okay?"

Only then did Chen Qimeng nod and say:

"Then I’ll leave the cleanup to you all."

"I’ll go unlock the door for Xiaoxue and keep her company!"

With that.

Chen Qimeng hurried off.

The girls in the apartment all gathered around Maomao, chatting about what had just happened.

It was clear Maomao was in high spirits.

No matter what they asked, she answered in meticulous detail.

Only when the topic turned to what Aunt Ruxue’s next test might be did Maomao’s expression shift to confusion.

Or rather—

"Anticipation" might have been the better word.

After tasting victory, people grow greedier.

Especially those who love a challenge—they yearn for the next trial to come even faster.

Lin Yu knew this was exactly how Maomao felt right now.

But what Maomao didn’t know was what Aunt Ruxue was doing at this very moment.

……

Fifteen minutes later.

Chen Qimeng tore open a new pack of tissues, pulling out two and pressing them into Du Ruxue’s hands.

"Alright, alright!"

"Xiaoxue, you… how much longer are you going to cry?"

"If your eyes get all puffy, how are you going to face Maomao tomorrow?"

When Chen Qimeng had first entered the room, Du Ruxue had seemed perfectly normal, just like any other day.

But then—

Chen Qimeng had only asked one question:

"Did it move you, hearing Maomao say that?"

Good grief!

Before Du Ruxue could even form a proper sentence, tears had started falling nonstop.

She’d known Xiaoxue was holding back her emotions, that she must have been deeply touched.

But she hadn’t expected her to be this overwhelmed!

No matter how Chen Qimeng tried to console her, the tears wouldn’t stop.

She’d gone through nearly half a box of tissues already!

Chen Qimeng was flustered, not knowing what to do.

Fortunately.

The warning about puffy eyes finally got through.

Du Ruxue took a deep breath, steadying her turbulent emotions.

She pulled out another tissue and wiped her nose:

"Whew…"

"You’re right, Dream. I really shouldn’t cry anymore."

"And also…"

"Don’t let anyone else know about this."

Chen Qimeng smiled and promised:

"Don’t worry. What happens here stays here."

……

(Today’s second chapter. There’ll be an extra update soon!)