Chapter 696 - 212: Estranged Mother and Daughter
But Lu Xiuting didn’t know the specific house number.
She wandered aimlessly around her neighborhood, hoping that she might run into Lu Sisi.
The neighborhood was vast, and the further in she went, the bigger and more luxurious the houses became.
After walking for a while, Lu Xiuting felt tired and found a bench by the artificial lake in the community to sit and rest.
Feeling a bit thirsty, she suddenly regretted not drinking that evening’s red date bird’s nest soup at home.
The sun was still a bit scorching, but its rays drove away the slight chill she felt.
Lu Xiuting stared blankly at the internal roads of the community for a while.
There was a reason she chose this spot to sit.
This place was at an intersection within the community, where three paths branched off not far from her.
She thought, maybe by waiting here, she would have a better chance of meeting her daughter.
Yet... Lu Xiuting didn’t quite know why she suddenly wanted to come and see her daughter.
Clearly... over the years, she had always been rather disdainful of her.
Logically, she should have wanted to see her son more.
Her son was her greatest reliance for establishing her status in the Yang Family!
From the moment he was born into this world, the son held the highest position in their small family, enjoying the best resources the family had to offer—be it food, clothing, necessities, or education.
Currently, he was attending a private international primary school where the annual tuition was over a hundred thousand.
But, in fact, the ironic thing was that despite receiving the most resources, the most affection, and the most investment in the family...
In truth, both Lu Xiuting and Yang Jiaming understood in their hearts, though they never said it out loud: this son was actually quite mediocre.
In all aspects, he was the ordinary kind.
Whether it was academics or hobbies and specialties, there was nothing remarkable.
Over the years, occasionally, a weird thought would cross Lu Xiuting’s mind.
Every time she faced her son’s lackluster grades, or listened to the skewed and jumbled tunes produced by the costly piano lessons, or saw him getting easily overshadowed by classmates and friends even in sports...
Lu Xiuting couldn’t help but think of her eldest daughter, Lu Sisi.
Lu Sisi was far smarter than her son.
From a young age, she was frail and prone to illnesses. During school years, she frequently got injured or fell sick, facing endless calamities, spending nearly half of each term either at home or in a hospital.
And during the remaining half where she was able to attend school, distractions and troubles were frequent.
She remembered one semester when Lu Sisi had a fractured arm, and it was her right hand, so she couldn’t write. Yet, she returned to school a week before the final exams—having missed half a semester—and managed to finish the exams with a hand that hurt just by holding a pen.
In the end, she still made it to the top ten in her class.
Whereas her son, during the same age, was constantly under advisement and attended lessons with three private family tutors weekly, yet continued to rank around thirtieth in his class.
Sometimes, Lu Xiuting couldn’t help but wonder: if her daughter didn’t have such a fate of constant misfortune... with her intelligence and kindness, not to mention how close daughters usually are to their mothers...
If she could have grown up properly and received proper nurturing, might it be possible that Lu Sisi could have been her greatest support in the Yang Family?
Actually... when she first gave birth to her, she must have loved her at some point, gone through a lot of hardship for her, and given her a lot of genuine affection, right?
Thinking to this point, Lu Xiuting suddenly understood!
She realized why she suddenly felt a compulsion to come and see her daughter today!
Because...
Lu Sisi has already lost everything in this family.
And it seems that right now, she is losing... too?
It felt like, deep down, only her daughter might be able to empathize with and understand the chaos and fear in her heart at this moment.
She could roughly guess where her husband, Yang Jiaming, had gone today.
Rumors had it that a young and beautiful intern had recently arrived at the company. She was initially interning in the marketing department, but immediately after her internship, she was inexplicably transferred to the headquarters as one of the executive assistants beside her husband, Yang Jiaming.
Yang Jiaming mentioned that he had to tour around the cities in Sunan, visit suppliers, and inspect supply factories...
Probably, this female assistant would accompany him too!
Ha!
It’s indeed a damn cycle.
She herself rose to her position as an intern, and now, there’s another female intern beside Yang Jiaming.
"Perhaps the voice in the jade years ago was right.
Using tricks to gain something that wasn’t meant to be yours will come with a price in the future."
Lu Xiuting felt a bit thirsty from the sun exposure.
At that moment, she saw Lu Sisi.
·
Lu Sisi was walking over from the direction of the main gate of the community.
She wore a white floral dress, exuding a fairy-like aura, with an overall light and graceful demeanor from head to toe.
Holding a shopping bag from the supermarket, she walked over with a gentle and peaceful smile on her face.
Lu Xiuting noticed that there was a skinny old man following behind her daughter.
The old man wore a coat that seemed ill-fitting, exuding a traditional vibe, carrying a shopping bag in each hand, trailing behind Lu Sisi, deliberately maintaining a respectful distance and slightly lowering his head.
Having seen the grandeur of prominent Port City families, Lu Xiuting instantly discerned that this old man’s role was likely that of a servant, housekeeper, or perhaps a retainer in the household.