Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"Where are you?" Shi Tuo's voice on the phone wasn't particularly good. "Don't go back to Wangcheng alone. Wait for me a day, and I'll go back with you, okay?"

"Fair is fair. You hid things from me once, so I have to hide things from you once," An Ye's tone wasn't exactly angry, more like a business discussion. "You hid it from me for more than three weeks, right? Then for the next three weeks, don't contact me."

"…I didn't avoid you for more than three weeks!" His voice wasn’t loud, but he was already speaking in bursts, clearly panicked. "An Jiu Jiu, I won’t do this again. I will discuss everything with you first in the future."

An Ye paused, softening her tone slightly as she bargained. "One week will do. For this week, don’t contact me."

Shi Tuo: "…Why…? Then where do you plan to stay?"

"Don’t ask me," An Ye snorted.

"…An Jiu Jiu." He was in the law firm’s meeting room, surrounded by colleagues eavesdropping. The case involving Huan Zhou was vast, and the criminal defense lawyer sitting next to him was meeting him for the first time today.

He really didn’t want An Ye to become gossip material for them, so he sighed and lowered his voice, "You… don’t stay angry for too long."

An Ye's reaction, which he couldn’t fathom, made him uneasy inside.

It also made him start to reflect on himself—whether his tendency to not reveal anything would make An Ye feel similarly insecure about him.

He definitely wouldn’t do this again in the future.

"I won’t do it again," he pleaded.

"Then starting at noon today, send me a photo of every meal, three times a day," An Ye thought for a moment and added, "Also, take a photo before you go to bed at night."

Shi Tuo: "Okay."

When An Ye hung up the phone, her tone was cheerful, which slightly eased the tension in Shi Tuo’s heart.

Though he didn’t know exactly what she was planning.

During the meeting, Shi Tuo unusually couldn’t focus. His face, which rarely showed expression, looked even more unapproachable.

An Ye hung up the phone and pushed open the door to her home in Wangcheng.

It had taken a lot of effort for her to come back. The reporters were downstairs, and Qi Wei had made some noise to draw them away.

In the living room, there was an aunt who had been working here for more than two years. She was a distant relative of Wang Shanshan's family, and their relationship was far-reaching. Wang Shanshan hired her because she would share news about the family’s daily needs with relatives back home.

Everything Wang Shanshan did in her life seemed to be for the purpose of making her relatives back home say she was a capable woman.

"Oh, Miss An is back?" The aunt saw An Ye and immediately raised her voice.

"Mm." An Ye changed her shoes. "Where’s my mom?"

"She's in the room." The aunt nodded towards the door, lowering her voice. "Madam didn’t sleep all night yesterday. She said she had a headache all day today. She had a bit of breakfast and then went back to lie down."

An Ye didn’t say anything, but she felt a huge relief. At least her mother had eaten breakfast.

"Miss An, for lunch, do you want shrimp or chicken breast?" The aunt glanced towards the kitchen, hesitating.

She wasn’t good at making low-fat meals. Wang Shanshan always said to just boil them, but boiled food was so bland no one could eat it. Even the smell made her want to throw up.

But Wang Shanshan wouldn’t let An Ye eat anything else.The stars are pitiful, earning so much but still not getting enough to eat.

"I'll leave in a bit." An Ye pushed open Wang Shanshan's bedroom door. "No need to prepare lunch for me."

The aunt muttered a soft "oh" and secretly looked into the bedroom.

An Ye entered the bedroom but didn’t close the door. She quietly sat down on the edge of the bed.

The aunt clicked her tongue.

Honestly, if she had such a capable daughter, she would have spoiled her. How could she not let her eat well? Every time she comes back, she doesn’t even show her a good face. They argue after just a few words.

It's really cruel.

Wang Shanshan hadn’t slept, nor had she moved.

An Ye didn’t take the initiative either; she just sat there looking at her phone.

After a while, Wang Shanshan turned over.

An Ye glanced at her.

Wang Shanshan snorted coldly, "How filial, coming to see if I’m dead or not."

An Ye didn’t speak. She stood up, picked up the phone Wang Shanshan had placed next to her pillow, unlocked it, searched for contacts, found Zhang Rou’s number, and sent it to her own phone.

"What are you doing?" Wang Shanshan sat up and shouted angrily. "Still looking for evidence? Why don't you just find some evidence and have me arrested and shot?"

"Do you hate me that much?"

"What did I do for you to hate me like this?"

"We have no one to rely on. You can't get better from this illness. If it breaks you down because of mental problems, I have to prepare a way out for you. Otherwise, when you're young and have no income, how will you live the rest of your life? What haven’t I done for you? Am I wrong?"

"Am I wrong?"

"Do you need to hate me this much? Do you wish I would just die?"

"What did I do wrong?! You want to leave Huan Zhou, such a big company, and start your own studio. Can you really be a boss when all you do is act and fall asleep all the time? It's uncertain, I just want to make sure things are secure, what's wrong with taking the money out and investing it?"

"I sacrificed my work, sacrificed myself, raised you like this, and this is how you repay me?"

"I am your mother! You're a piece of flesh that fell from my body! Don't forget that! Everyone who approaches you has a reason, only I would never harm you!"

The last two sentences from Wang Shanshan were shouted out. Her somewhat swollen face was filled with intense fear and hatred.

So, Shi Tuo didn’t tell her about this.

Because, even Shi Tuo didn’t know how to face someone like Wang Shanshan, or what he should do.

"I just came to get a phone number." An Ye chose the escape she had avoided for ten years. "Nothing else, go back to sleep."

She stood up and was about to leave.

Wang Shanshan threw a pillow at her, hitting the back of An Ye’s head.

An Ye stood still.

Wang Shanshan, breathing heavily, didn’t move either.An Ye felt that over these past few months, she had truly transformed. She actually didn’t turn around and leave; she even thought about turning back to say a few words to her mother.

"Do we have any ice cream at home?" An Ye turned around and looked at Wang Shanshan.

Wang Shanshan, with disheveled hair and no makeup, still looked younger than her peers due to her well-maintained skin. For a moment, her angry expression froze, as An Ye’s words caught her off guard.

"I want to eat ice cream." An Ye looked at Wang Shanshan.

Wang Shanshan: "…"

Her facial muscles twitched, and she asked, "What?"

"I want to eat ice cream, want a burger, want some Coke." An Ye’s tone remained calm. "The pickled pork with mustard greens you used to make was really delicious, but I’ve never had it again."

"You’re my mother, but when I say I want ice cream, you’ve never once agreed."

"I’m a piece of flesh that fell from your body, but the umbilical cord is cut, I’m an independent person."

"I never wanted to lock you up."

"But you always want to tie me to the bed. You’re not thinking about what’s best for me, you just don’t want us to get poor."

Wang Shanshan glared at her. "What’s wrong with not wanting to get poor? You’re not incapable of making money. Isn’t it right for me to want you to earn more for a better future?"

"Mom." An Ye didn’t respond to Wang Shanshan’s question. She simply said, "I really want an ice cream. Will you buy it for me? Don’t make it a way to scold me while eating it."

Wang Shanshan’s lips trembled.

She felt that her daughter was having another episode, but that word "mom" from An Ye also made her heart twist in pain for a moment.

In her memory, her sensible and obedient daughter would never ask her for ice cream.

This realization made Wang Shanshan feel a bit scared. She thought An Ye was no longer the way she knew her, that she no longer understood her own daughter.

She couldn’t hold on anymore.

An Ye looked at Wang Shanshan, noticing the fleeting confusion on her face amidst the fear and anger.

"Shi Tuo is a child you’ve known since he was young..." An Ye’s face remained cold, but her tone softened. "He won’t harm you."

"Bullshit." Wang Shanshan suddenly, feeling guilty, was triggered by Shi Tuo’s name, and her anger flared again. "Only you, idiot, would believe someone you haven’t seen in ten years. If you weren’t a little rich and had some looks, do you think he’d come back and stick to you so easily?"

"Announcing a relationship to the public..." Wang Shanshan sneered. "Let me tell you, I’m just waiting for you to cry and come back to me! Open your eyes and look—does the world revolve around you? You can’t just do whatever you want. You don’t listen to a single word from your elders, and I’m telling you, there will be consequences!"

An Ye stared at Wang Shanshan, who was turning hostile again, and thought her moment of softness just now was somewhat laughable.

"What hardships could I possibly face?" An Ye muttered to herself, more self-mocking than anything, "It’s not like now, when I have to think about an ice cream for over ten years."

Wang Shanshan opened her mouth, the first time realizing that she had no words left to say to her daughter.

When did she get so far from her, so far that even speaking face-to-face felt like there were a thousand mountains between them?

An Ye’s trip back to her home in Wangcheng took less than forty minutes. Qi Wei had managed to shake off the reporters and hadn’t returned yet. Lan Yifang drove the car out of the underground parking garage and quietly picked An Ye up.

The next stop: Baigang Airport.

An Ye put on her headphones and sent a message to Shi Tuo.Little Goose: 【I want to eat ice cream.】

He must have been busy, as it took more than ten minutes for him to reply.

Shi Tuo: 【Image】

Shi Tuo: 【Which one do you want? The convenience store downstairs only has these, the fancier ones I might not have time to get today. I’ll get a runner to buy it for you.】

A wide variety of more than ten types.

Little Goose: 【The green crispy one with colorful chocolate beans on top. I don’t know the brand.】

Shi Tuo: 【It looks like we don’t have that one. I’ll try to find it. If I get it, I’ll put it in the fridge at home so you can have it when you come back tonight.】

Little Goose: 【I’m not coming back tonight~】

Shi Tuo: 【...Who are you trying to drive crazy with these wavy lines?】

Little Goose: 【~~~】

Little Goose: 【Just find it first, it’s not urgent. I’ll eat it when I come back.】

Shi Tuo: 【You really aren’t coming back?】

Little Goose: 【Anyway, you’ll be working overtime at the law firm today. You focus on your work for now, and I’ll come find you when I’m done.】

Shi Tuo: 【I won’t be able to sleep.】

Little Goose: 【You didn’t sleep last night either, even though I was there. You didn’t even get in bed, you just curled up on the couch~】

Shi Tuo: 【...Sorry】

Little Goose: 【I’ll forgive you in a couple of days. jpg】

Shi Tuo sent a crying emoji, and An Ye smiled but didn’t reply.

At lunch, Shi Tuo sent a picture of instant noodles, followed by a crying emoji. He said he only had one pair of convenient chopsticks—one for lunch and one for dinner.

He didn’t mention why the law firm only had instant noodles.

An Ye thought maybe it was because he didn’t want to eat with the others.

So, before dinner, An Ye ordered takeout to be delivered to their law firm. Besides the meals for the team members, she also packed one just for Shi Tuo and sent ten pairs of chopsticks. Shi Tuo called her, completely puzzled by her not being angry yet still refusing to come home.

An Ye stubbornly ignored him.

She couldn’t let Shi Tuo know she was going to Singapore. His way of expressing himself was problematic, and the things he said weren’t always what she actually saw with her own eyes.

She didn’t want to be dragged back into a mess.

Moreover, she should go meet Zhang Rou. She made such a big fuss in the country, abducted her son, and didn’t plan to give him back. An Ye felt she had to confront her face-to-face.

In fact, An Ye still felt a bit conflicted. The way he acted all clingy and coquettish on the phone was hard to reconcile with the behind-the-scenes mastermind who had caused such a storm in the media.

But it was also very attractive.

An Ye thought that perhaps after saying they would try, her feelings for Shi Tuo started to slowly change.

Up until now, she had only felt that sweet feeling of happiness after finishing a phone call with him.It felt so unfamiliar.

So, An Ye took a photo of her reflection in the window while waiting for her flight at the airport, and put it in her "Life" album.

The flight was around 10 PM.

Qi Wei had been chattering beside her: "This time, only Xiao Lan can accompany you. I can't get away from work."

"When you get there, there will be local guides and security from another company to meet you. You'll be using cars for all your transfers. I’ve arranged the accommodation for you. It’s a small detached house near Shi Tuo’s place. The key is in the small pocket of your bag. Make sure to wear a mask and a hat. Don’t think that just because you’re abroad, no one will recognize you. There are a lot of Chinese people in Singapore."

"You only have three days. I can’t cover it up for much longer. You know how Shi Tuo is, when he gets angry, I’m really scared."

An Ye’s baseball cap was pulled low, with a mask and large black-framed glasses on.

For this private trip, where she didn’t need to ask anyone to take photos of her at the airport, she dressed just like Shi Tuo—completely in black.

"By the way, how do you have Shi Tuo's address in Singapore? Didn’t you say you hadn’t been in contact for a long time?"

"He left it in the email." An Ye answered simply.

During those five years, Shi Tuo was afraid they’d really lose touch. He had left his Singapore address and phone number with his uncle’s noodle shop, and his Canadian address and tutor’s contact info.

There were clues everywhere; she just hadn’t noticed before.

Today, getting Zhang Rou’s phone number from Wang Shanshan practically pieced together Shi Tuo’s whereabouts over the past ten years.

"I’m going in," An Ye waved to Qi Wei at the customs entrance.

Qi Wei waved back at her.

Behind her was Lan Yifang, stumbling and awkwardly following.