MTMIO Chapter 103

Chapter 103: A Corner of the Truth

Recently, discussions about them had been rampant. When Yue Shao went online, she must have seen them.

Lu You felt a bit uneasy, unsure if Yue Shao wanted to talk about it, or what her attitude towards it might be. She didn’t immediately agree, instinctively looking to her side.

Yue Yunxi took a half-step, subtly shielding her, and asked softly, “Can’t I come along?”

Yue Shao chuckled, “What are you doing? Lu You practically grew up under my watch, like a goddaughter. What could I possibly do to her? Call and ask the bodyguards to come over, and tell the aunt to bring back what’s outside.”

Assigning Yue Yunxi a task, Yue Shao pulled Lu You over without explanation, hooking her arm and leading her forward, gently patting her arm as if to reassure her not to be nervous.

Lu You turned her head to look at Yue Yunxi, fluttering her eyelashes twice to signal her to relax too.

Yue Yunxi tucked her hands into her pockets, exhaled slowly, and watched their backs as they entered the room that had once been cleared out for her to practice piano.

It was a small room, with a black walnut tea table and chairs by the window taking up most of the space.

In a slender glass vase on the table were climbing roses, their branches drooping down to the floor. A tea kettle sat on an electric stove, and an octagonal tray held various tea bags. A set of tea utensils was neatly arranged on a wooden tray.

Lu You remembered that the Lu family used to have a tea room like this, much larger, with a grand piano that Zhang Wenyin had bought for her.

In Lu You’s memory, the vases, the types of flowers, and the arrangements would change every few days.

When learning piano, other children would say that their least favorite room was the practice room. Only she said that the practice room was her favorite.

Because she always looked forward to seeing her mother’s flower arrangements.

Hearing Yue Shao call her by her nickname, Lu You snapped back to reality.

Yue Shao sat in the chair opposite her, gesturing to the chair closer to her, “Come, sit.”

Lu You obediently sat down, placing the cup in her hand on the table. It was still half-full of lukewarm buckwheat tea.

“This used to be Jiaojiao’s practice room.” Yue Shao glanced at her cup and turned on the electric stove to boil the water in the kettle. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s have black tea.”

Lu You nodded, taking another look around the room.

There was no piano bench, no music stand, no trace of a practice room at all.

“Later, Jiaojiao went to study abroad and came back less and less often. The room was basically empty, so I turned it into a tea room.” Yue Shao stroked the Jin Jun Mei tea packaging in her hand, pausing for a while before saying, “Modeled after your mother’s old tea room.”

Lu You was taken aback, her gaze shifting from the room to Yue Shao.

“Your mother was a very good person, considerate, kind, and sincere. It’s just a pity she had the wrong friends.”

Lu You’s heart skipped a beat, and she murmured, repeating, “The wrong friends?”

“Yes, that friend was in love with her first love when she was young, but they broke up because the man’s family didn’t approve.

She returned to her hometown, went on blind dates, and got married, marrying the wrong person.

Her husband was a gambling addict who froze to death in the snow while drunk. He left cleanly, but left his wife and daughter with a mountain of debt.”

“She had to work several jobs every day, so busy she couldn’t catch her breath. Fortunately, she had a very sensible daughter. When she was just this big,” Yue Shao gestured with her hand near the edge of the chair cushion, smiling, “she would come home from school and stand on a small stool to wash vegetables and cook. The spatula was bigger than her hand.”

The image of little Yue Yunxi was adorable.

But Lu You felt incredibly sad.

“The daughter basically took over all the housework.”

For Yue Shao, those days were like a snail crawling, every second congealed in mucus.

She still remembered that unlucky day very well. The company’s orders had problems, and everyone had to work overtime. She didn’t dare to say she had other things to do, and didn’t get home until very late. She was soaked in the rain all the way, and as she was entering the complex, a passing car splashed her with dirty water.

When she got home, the living room was lit with a soft, warm orange light. Her five- or six-year-old daughter obediently called her “Mama,” brought her a towel, told her to take a bath and change, and said that she had learned origami at the nursery today and that the teacher had praised her for being smart, but didn’t say how long she had waited for her mother or how hungry she was.

So, when Yue Shao heard Yue Yunxi’s stomach growl, she almost broke down.

She cooked a bowl of noodles, staring at the blooming blue flames on the stove, and didn’t turn it off. She gave Yue Yunxi the noodles and went to sleep on the sofa in the living room.

When Yue Yunxi finished the noodles and took the bowl to the kitchen, she carried a small stool, stood on it, turned off the stove, and opened the window.

Hearing the noise, she went to the bathroom and finally couldn’t help but cry.

She didn’t know how long she cried for. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw her daughter waiting outside the door. She didn’t know when she had dragged the chair over, stood on it, and hugged her.

“Mama works so hard. Jiaojiao will cook noodles from now on. Jiaojiao can cook noodles and make eggs too.”

Later, when she got home, she would see Yue Yunxi standing on a stool washing vegetables, from the simplest noodles to more complicated dishes, taking over all the housework.

…

In the sound of the boiling water in the kettle, Yue Shao’s wandering thoughts returned. She opened the tea bag and said, “But she was really too busy to take care of her daughter. She only found out that her daughter was being bullied at school after she was injured.

She transferred her daughter to two different schools, but as long as she was in that place, no matter which school it was, her daughter would be bullied.”

Lu You’s clenched hand tightened involuntarily.

“After paying back the money to the neighbors, she took her daughter to another city and met her first love again.”

“The man paid off all her debts, took her to the city where he lived, and transferred the house to her name to make her feel at ease living with him. But even after she moved in with her daughter, she still felt like an outsider.” Yue Shao poured tea as she spoke, “Because in the man’s heart, the house was bought by him, and he never let go of his superior position.”

Lu You suddenly remembered playing in the puddles by the door when she was little.

She ran into Yue Yunxi arguing with Yue Shao about wanting to live at school, and she even got involved, trying to persuade Yue Shao to agree.

She used herself as an example, telling Yue Shao that Yue Yunxi didn’t feel like she belonged in the Tao family.

But she didn’t know that Yue Shao felt the same way.

The reason she was so unwilling for Yue Yunxi to live at school was probably because if Yue Yunxi left, she would be isolated and helpless in that house.

“Then she met your mother. It was the first time in her life that she made the kind of friends you read about in books, sworn sisters, bosom buddies. Your mother would often advise her not to be a creeper or a canary, that men are unreliable.” Yue Shao slowly scraped the foam off the tea with the lid of the cup, “But she was blinded by greed and insisted on treating the man who saved her from the fire as her sky and her earth.

She treated the man’s daughter better than her own.

She…”

The lid tapped the edge of the cup, and her voice suddenly stopped.

Lu You frowned, following her train of thought and pressing, “What happened to her?”

After a long silence, Yue Shao took a deep breath, “She heard the man tell his friend’s ex-husband, who was fighting for custody of their child, that as long as he hid the child and didn’t let the woman find her, he could get custody.”

Lu You’s breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened.

A corner of the truth was suddenly torn open, and the light that shone through was particularly glaring, making her eyes involuntarily moist.

“She knew how much her good friend wanted custody of her daughter, but she didn’t… didn’t warn her.”

Lu You couldn’t fully process Yue Shao’s words, feeling a chaotic mess in her heart, suffocating her, making it difficult to breathe.

She reached for the glass of water beside her with a trembling hand and drank the cold buckwheat tea, barely regaining some composure, “That friend, is that you?”

Yue Shao filtered the tea from the gaiwan into the fairness cup, unable to directly admit it, only responding with silence, implying consent.

Lu You slowly exhaled.

She couldn’t stand on moral high ground and accuse the elder in front of her of being love-struck back then, ruining the happy childhood she could have had.

For adults, admitting their mistakes in front of younger generations, exposing their past embarrassments, took a lot of courage.

Especially since the other person was Yue Yunxi’s mother.

Yue Shao poured the filtered tea into a tasting cup, “Actually, at first, I didn’t approve of you two being together. On the one hand, because your relationship is too… complicated, I’m not very accepting of it.”

Lu You pursed her lips, masking her cynicism with a hint of indifference, “On the other hand, it’s because you feel guilty, right?”

“I do feel guilty, so guilty that I haven’t dared to contact your mother for so many years.

But more than guilt, I’m afraid that the truth will eventually come out, and you’ll find out about this and harbor resentment, taking it out on Jiaojiao, breaking up with her and making her sad.

It’s better not to start at all.”

Yue Shao held the cup of tea with both hands and handed it to her.

Lu You’s fingers tightened in her palm, and she didn’t take it.

“Auntie knows that this idea is very selfish.” Yue Shao stood up, leaned forward, and placed the teacup in front of her, “Hearing what you said to Tao Xin, I was very touched.

I thought I should do something to make up for my mistakes, so that I can feel at ease.”

Lu You remained silent.

Outside the door, there was the sound of boxes scraping against the floor. The nanny was asking Yue Yunxi, “There are two more boxes outside. Should I put them in the living room for Tao Xin to sort out herself, or what?”

Yue Yunxi replied, “Leave it for Tao Xin to handle.”

Both of their voices were soft, making the room seem even quieter.

Lu You’s gaze fell on the rising steam in front of her, “…Does she know, that you treat her like this?”

She was asking about Zhang Wenyin.

“She knows.” Yue Shao said, “Jiaojiao bought me a house next door to your mother and Zhong Shuyun’s house. The second night after I moved in, I confessed to her.”

“What did she say?” Lu You asked.

After asking, Lu You remembered that just a while ago, Yue Shao and Tao Mingyuan were confronting each other, listening to Zhang Wenyin and Zhong Shuyun’s instructions through a real-time phone call.

Obviously, Zhang Wenyin had already forgiven Yue Shao for not telling her.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling, feeling that it was reasonable, but she couldn’t help but feel wronged.

Losing custody of her was not Zhang Wenyin’s obsession after all, which was why she could forgive so readily.

If it were her, she wouldn’t want to forgive Yue Shao.

“She said she didn’t want to forgive me.” Yue Shao’s voice sounded almost at the same time as her thoughts.

Lu You suddenly looked up.

“But she wants me not to make things difficult for you, to hold this guilt and treat you as usual, even if I don’t approve of you being together, even if you break up in the future, I have to be good to you.” Yue Shao slowly took a sip of tea, “Actually, I didn’t have to tell you this.”

“I said it, on the one hand, hoping that after listening to these, you can calmly sit down and listen to your mother’s difficulties.

On the other hand, I hope that my sincere confession can earn your sincere treatment of Jiaojiao.”

Lu You’s tense shoulders slumped down as she sighed, picked up the cup in front of her, took a sip of the bitter tea, and finally opened her mouth, “Yue Yunxi is an independent individual, and I won’t take my anger out on her because of your mistakes.”

Yue Shao was relieved.

“Auntie, if there’s nothing else,” Lu You stood up, ready to leave.

“Wait.” Yue Shao also stood up, walked in front of her, and reached into her coat pocket, “Other people give family heirlooms or something, but I don’t have any. I sold them all to pay off debts. So, I’ll give you something practical.”

She took out a red envelope and handed it over.

Lu You was stunned, not moving.

Seeing that she didn’t take it, Yue Shao directly stuffed it into her pocket, took a breath, composed herself, opened the door, and said, “Let’s go.”

Even after getting into Yue Yunxi’s car, Lu You hadn’t recovered from the series of emotional shocks that Yue Shao had given her.

“What did you talk about?” Yue Yunxi asked caringly, “Your face looked bad when you came out of the room.”

Lu You tilted her head, watching the bleak scenery outside the car window rushing past, and sighed softly, “Your mom gave me some money.”

“…” Yue Yunxi raised an eyebrow slightly, “As far as I know, we shouldn’t be considered a young mistress and a poor little flower.”

Lu You pursed her lips to hold back a laugh, her eyebrows relaxing, and the haze on her face instantly dissipated. She took out the red envelope that Yue Shao had given her from her pocket, “I’m not lying to you, she really gave it to me.”

Yue Yunxi, who was driving, glanced at the red envelope in her hand, and asked quietly, “How much did she give you?”

“I don’t know.” Lu You opened the red envelope, pulled out a stack of bills, and counted them, “Ten thousand.”

Hearing this, Yue Yunxi’s hand casually resting on the steering wheel moved slightly, her fingertips turning slightly red in the sunlight.

“There should be more.”

“Huh?” Lu You pinched the sides of the red envelope, squeezed the envelope to make it bulge, and peered inside.

There was indeed more.

She flipped her left wrist, poured a coin out into her right palm, “One yuan.”

10001 yuan.

“In our hometown, when young people get married, elders will give a red envelope of ten thousand and one yuan.”

The light turned red ahead, and Yue Yunxi stopped the car.

Lu You turned her head, meeting her gaze.

“It means, one in ten thousand.”