Can I call you Mom?
Jiang Zimin followed Qiu Baiyu back to the room.
In Qiu Baiyu’s room, there was a large bay window with a small table set up; having a meal while enjoying the moonlight outside was quite a delightful experience.
Qiu Baiyu decided to find some interesting videos to enjoy during dinner.
As she was selecting on her tablet, she inadvertently glanced up and noticed the child sitting across from her displaying a hesitant look, as if she had something to say but was reluctant to speak.
Qiu Baiyu lowered her gaze and said calmly, “If you have something to say, just say it. You don’t need to be so cautious around me.”
Jiang Zimin was slightly taken aback, and only then did she curiously ask, “Auntie, what did you say to Dad? He looked really angry.”
Qiu Baiyu lightly waved her long fingers, saying, “I scolded him.”
Honesty was the name of the game.
“Oh, and that uncle too; I scolded him as well.”
Jiang Zimin blinked, not asking why, but instead said, “They laugh at you.”
Qiu Baiyu paused her actions and lifted her eyelids, responding, “Yes, because they mock me. This is also a form of attack; I feel offended, so I fought back.”
Jiang Zimin asked, “Isn’t he Dad’s friend? Why would he laugh at you?”
Qiu Baiyu replied, “Because he is rude.”
Jiang Zimin asked again, “Why doesn’t Dad stop him? Aren’t they friends?”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Baiyu suddenly felt a wave of emotion inside her.
The principles that a six-year-old could understand were completely ignored by Jiang Shen—a pitiful man.
But since this matter had been brought up, she had to take the time to advise the girl seriously.
Qiu Baiyu set down her tablet and looked earnestly into the girl’s eyes, saying, “Because he is also rude. He doesn’t understand how to respect me, and he doesn’t love me.”
“Someone who truly loves you wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
“He doesn’t love you? How can he not love you? You are his wife.”
“This matter… the world of adults is a bit complicated. Just because something seems reasonable doesn’t mean it will necessarily happen.”
“Is it just like how he doesn’t love me?”
Qiu Baiyu was taken aback by the question.
Jiang Zimin quietly gazed at the adult in front of her, her eyes filled with confusion.
She had always known that her father didn’t love her; she couldn’t feel any love from him, and it troubled her. She wanted to know why.
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Aren’t children supposed to receive love from their parents as soon as they are born?
Just like Liu Jianhui, who is so bad but still has such loving parents—why couldn’t she have that?
She had thought this was all “reasonable” and “something everyone has” until today, when an adult appeared who seemed to be in a situation similar to hers.
When Dad and Mom got married, and when Dad and Mom loved each other, wasn’t that also supposed to happen?
But Aunt Baiyu said that Dad doesn’t love her.
If Dad doesn’t love her, then he doesn’t love me either.
Dad is so strange.
Qiu Baiyu looked at her, as if she were seeing her younger self.
When she was little, she couldn’t feel the love from her parents.
Her dad wasn’t a good man; he ran away before she was even born.
Her mom, in her twenties and young, refused to accept reality and didn’t know how to raise a child, so as soon as she was born, she was handed over to her grandmother.
She had neither paternal love nor maternal love; she had never had it.
But she still grew up, becoming the Qiu Baiyu of now—strong enough inside to stand on her own two feet.
Now, as she looked at Jiang Zimin, she was also seeing her younger self.
“It’s okay,” she said to the child in front of her. “Without the love of your parents, you can still become a wonderful person and be the way you want to be.”
“Really?” Jiang Zimin asked, half-convinced.
Qiu Baiyu nodded firmly and even provided an example.
“Well… I know a friend who also didn’t have her parents with her since she was little. Her parents didn’t love her, and just like you, she was bullied while she was in school. Her living conditions were even worse than yours.
“But she still grew up, thriving under her grandmother’s protection. She grew very tall, became independent, earned her own living, and made many good friends.
“She really likes the person she has become.”
“So, it’s okay,” she said gently, looking at the child in front of her. “Although some love may be absent in life, which can be very sad, their absence doesn’t stop us from seeking other forms of love. It doesn’t stop us from pursuing our future or from striving to become better.”
In the script of the malicious supporting character, Jiang Zimin crumbled and turned dark because she was too obsessed with her father’s love and attention. So, Qiu Baiyu wanted to do her best to guide her.
Having love is good, but if not, then it’s okay.
The world is vast, and love is endless; it doesn’t have to come from just one person.
Jiang Zimin listened carefully as she spoke.
She absorbed a lot of what was said.
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Since she met Qiu Baiyu, this was the first time she had talked so much with her.
These words were warm, like two hearts close together, sincere and trustworthy, capable of sharing all their trust.
Even if she didn’t have her parents’ love, it was okay? She could still become the person she wanted to be?
She pondered seriously for a moment.
Gradually, her expression softened, as if she were slowly accepting this new concept.
After a moment, she furrowed her brows again. “But I don’t have a grandmother who loves me.”
Auntie’s friend had a grandmother who protected her as she grew up, but she didn’t have that.
Her grandparents didn’t love her either; they only wanted to get money from her through her father.
She tried so hard to please her dad to avoid being sent back to them.
“I don’t really love my grandmother…”
She softly repeated this phrase, feeling lonely like a rain shower pouring down on her.
The love around her was very scarce.
“But you have me.”
She suddenly heard Qiu Baiyu say this and looked up.
In the eyes of this adult, she saw a clear and determined strength.
“Now, you have me.”
When she was bullied back then, she didn’t dare to tell her grandmother, but when her grandmother found out, she stepped up decisively and protectively, like a giant standing in front of her.
Now it was her turn.
She was already an adult capable of standing on her own, and she could protect this child, saving the one who hadn’t yet been protected by her grandmother.
“Xiaomin, I will stay here with you. You just focus on growing up, doing what you love, and becoming the person you want to be.
“If the sky falls, Aunt Baiyu will hold it up for you.”
If someone bullied her, she would stand up for her;
If the system oppressed her, she would help her resist;
If the sky fell, she would do her utmost to support her—she was an adult who meant what she said.
The firm promise fell into Jiang Zimin’s ears like stars, gradually lighting up her eyes and dispelling the confusion in her heart.
The corners of the child’s lips lifted, rising higher and higher with happiness, and finally, she nodded heavily, “Mm!”
Qiu Baiyu smiled and patted her head.
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Then, she saw her get up and come toward her, and then she took the initiative to hug her.
“Thank you, Auntie…”
She leaned against Qiu Baiyu’s embrace, her expression gentle, as if she could smell her mother’s scent.
Unable to resist, she gently nuzzled against her a couple of times, and a title suddenly surged to her lips.
“Auntie.”
“Hmm?”
“Can I call you Mom?”
She raised her little head with anticipation, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Qiu Baiyu.
But she saw Qiu Baiyu suddenly adopt a serious expression: “No, you can’t.”
She refused.
