Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Don’t tell your mom.

At night.

Meng Zhengyue rested her hand on her chin, her gaze fixed on Yun Zhixue. Yun Zhixue had always thought that she wouldn’t be able to sleep under such high pressure.

But she was obsessed with this feeling of being consumed by his gaze. Every inch of her skin was exposed to the scorching gaze. Her body unconsciously curled up, and she tasted a secret pleasure in the painful squeezing.

It was so comfortable, she loved it.

Mommy is looking at me, only at me.

After she fell asleep, Meng Zhengyue got up from the sofa. She lifted the blanket slightly. Yun Zhixue was hugging the purple nightgown tightly.

Meng Zhengyue frowned.

Tests came one after another, almost every day. The difficulty of the tests was not high. It was meant to boost the students’ confidence, but it was not friendly to Yun Zhixue. Her essays were always a mess, and the Chinese teacher commented: “Like a machine.”

The report card was sent to Yun Jing every time. Yun Jing was tired of the gentle games they had with each other. She had ways to deal with her, and she had her secretary tell her: “If you don’t do well, go to another country.”

Yun Zhixue’s fingers slipped on the screen several times before she deleted the message. The thought of leaving Meng Zhengyue made it difficult for her to breathe.

Yun Jing would do what she said.

She ran to the dorm, panting, locked the door, and buried her face in the pillow.

Every time Meng Zhengyue came, she would clean up her small room, and she would also hand-wash the sofa cushions and lay out a clean, thin blanket.

Sometimes, when she was tidying up, she would find a few of Meng Zhengyue’s hairs, and she couldn’t help but put them in a small box… and put them in the interlayer of her notebook.

Hand-washing things was time-consuming, and she wasn’t good at housework, so her fingers would get red every time she scrubbed.

When Meng Zhengyue came to see her, she was a little confused and asked, “Don’t you have a washing machine?”

Yun Zhixue said, “This way, I can sleep more comfortably.” She wanted Mommy to sleep on the sheets she had washed. It was like her own hands were holding Meng Zhengyue tightly.

Meng Zhengyue went to a hospital for a consultation. The doctor said that due to the high pressure of the college entrance exam and the breakdown of her relationship with her mother, she was experiencing anxiety and that the family should be more patient.

Meng Zhengyue lit a cigarette in the bathroom.

On the tree-lined path in June, amid the cheers from the third-year high school building, there were always a few suppressed sobs. Meng Zhengyue looked at her own little girl, who was even more heartbreaking than those who were crying out loud.

The cigarette in her fingers flickered on and off, casting a white haze on her face. Meng Zhengyue, feeling agitated, pinched it out without taking a puff.

On the day of leaving school, the secretary came to help her pack.

Yun Zhixue stood in front of her small room, watching as her sheets, utensils, clothes, and shoes were all packed up. Her arm trembled, and her body tensed. Her small room was being dismantled. The scents, the intimacy, everything, was gone.

Her hand was pressed against her pants pocket.

It was filled with her small box.

At this moment, Meng Zhengyue’s hand blocked her eyes. “Don’t be nervous. In the future, there will be many more small rooms like this.”

Her long, thin eyelashes brushed against her palm.

Yun Zhixue blinked. “Really? In the future, it’ll just be the two of us, in a small place. You’ll always be there with me, not going anywhere. I’ll always be able to see you.”

Meng Zhengyue noticed her unease and gave her the answer. “Really.”

…

Yun Zhixue didn’t go with the school for the college entrance exam. The family arranged for her to stay at a nearby hotel.

She went in the morning and visited the test site in the afternoon. Meng Zhengyue came for a visit but left immediately because of some business.

After visiting the test site, the secretary called her and told her to call Yun Jing back. Yun Zhixue bit her lip. “Don’t mention it.”

The secretary mentioned Yun Jing again. She first spoke in a low voice, then she shouted, “I told you not to mention it!”

“Ms. Yun…”

“Is she very good? She’s not as smart as me, is she? She’s an idiot!”

She knew she couldn’t control herself, so she started to take out the door lock again and started drawing. This time, she wasn’t drawing the lock. She started drawing houses.

The door was pushed open. Yun Zhixue knew who it was and sneered, “Hmph, you’re an idiot too.”

After she finished venting, Meng Zhengyue knocked on the door and asked, “…Am I an idiot too? Smarty-pants.”

Yun Zhixue paused.

Meng Zhengyue walked to her side and glanced at the physics problem she was working on. This little girl was cursing at people while doing her homework.

“You left just now, you just left. I thought… You’re not an idiot. I was talking about someone else.”

“Then I’m mad too.” Meng Zhengyue pinched her chin. The pressure from her fingertips made her skin slightly indent. When she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes cast a shadow. “Wasn’t I going to come back?”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Mommy.” Yun Zhixue looked up at her, like a fledgling bird soaked in the rain, anxious to stick to her.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, Mommy. I’m much better now.”

“You’re lying.”

Meng Zhengyue placed the black bag she was holding on the table. She had gone out of her way to buy it. The little girl hadn’t been in good spirits recently, and the weight she had gained was gone again.

Meng Zhengyue spread out her fingers. There were teeth marks on her knuckles. She opened the bag and said, “Look, which one do you like?”

Inside were a pacifier and some teething sticks. Yun Zhixue shook her head hard. “I don’t like any of them.”

“Hmm? You don’t like any of them?”

Yun Zhixue said, “They’re useless… I don’t like these things.”

Meng Zhengyue looked directly into Yun Zhixue’s evasive eyes. Her gaze was sharp like a knife, as if she knew everything. She asked slowly, “Then tell me, what do you like to bite?”

Yun Zhixue panicked.

What was she asking? Fingers? Or lips?

She had nowhere to hide. She looked at Meng Zhengyue again and said tentatively, “I’ve bitten… Yun, Yun Jing’s finger.”

“Huh?”

Meng Zhengyue narrowed her eyes. She scrutinized Yun Zhixue, her eyes full of disbelief. She even dared to bite Yun Jing, so why wouldn’t she dare to bite herself?

“Just your mom?”

Yun Zhixue shook her head in a panic. Meng Zhengyue sentenced her to death with one sentence. “Don’t lie.”

“She, she wouldn’t let me bite… I, I just…” Her voice got softer and softer. Yun Zhixue wanted to shrink away. “I bit you lightly too… but I let go right away…”

“When?” Meng Zhengyue was only testing her about biting clothes. This surprised her too.

“That day, in the small room. You were sleeping. I just touched it and let go.”

Meng Zhengyue recalled it. No wonder she was in such a panic that day.

“Oral fixation.”

Meng Zhengyue frowned, unable to understand. “Do you still like to bite other people’s fingers?”

Yun Zhixue was almost curled up. “I’m sorry.”

Meng Zhengyue stared at her fingertips for a few seconds, frowning. Her expression was a little hard to accept. She couldn’t imagine the little girl biting her finger.

Yun Zhixue clenched her red knuckles tightly.

Why did she tell the truth? Why was she being a good kid? Fear surged over her like a tide.

“Don’t go abroad.”

Why was it like this?

She regretted her honesty at that moment. She couldn’t deny that she was being arrogant and secretly hoping that Meng Zhengyue would condone her ridiculous behavior.

Meng Zhengyue’s gaze was like a god’s pity, and also like an executioner’s sharp blade hanging from a neck. It could give her supreme happiness, and it could also easily push her into hell.

Tears fell.

“I only bit it once.”

Meng Zhengyue pulled her finger back and asked her, “What do you want to do now?”

“I don’t. I’m fine now.”

She was like a stray dog that had been taken in by Meng Zhengyue, enjoying her owner’s love, but in the process of being tamed, she still maintained her wildness and wanted to pounce on her. At this moment, she wanted so much to pounce into Meng Zhengyue’s arms, bury her face in that soft spot, and wrap herself in her scent.

Meng Zhengyue sat quietly on the sofa behind her. In the pale halo of the overhead light, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her profile was cold. Yun Zhixue’s breathing became careful. Every time she inhaled, it felt like a piece of broken glass was scratching her lungs.

Yun Zhixue controlled herself not to pick up the pen and not to draw houses.

After a long time, Meng Zhengyue got up and walked to the door. She held the doorknob and said, “Go see if there’s anything in the hotel drawer. If there is, bring it to me.”

Yun Zhixue wiped away her tears and hurried to the bed to pull out the drawer. She saw a blue box and a pink box. She held them up to Meng Zhengyue.

“You’re lucky,” Meng Zhengyue said as she returned. “Open the pink box.”

Yun Zhixue’s vision was blurred by tears, so she couldn’t see very clearly. She wiped her tears and continued to tear the packaging. She saw the words on it: “LES Playful Fingertips.”

Meng Zhengyue leaned forward slightly, her long, thin index finger suspended in front of Yun Zhixue’s eyes.

“Honey.” She looked into the girl’s panicked eyes. Every word was like a hot iron. “You only have this one chance.” If she hesitated any longer, she would regret it too.

Even the slow-witted Yun Zhixue understood. She was extremely excited. She pinched the small ring and put it on her finger. The cool, thin sleeve slid down the knuckle, straightened, tightened, and finally fit perfectly at the base.

She did a very good job the first time.

“What did you say you wanted just now?” Meng Zhengyue looked at her. “Say it again.”

“I want to hug you.”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

Yun Zhixue reached out and hugged her. She buried herself in Meng Zhengyue’s arms, trembling as she sat on Meng Zhengyue’s lap.

Meng Zhengyue put her hand on Yun Zhixue’s lips and narrowed her eyes. She was still a little… unable to accept it.

She had done this before. At that time, she was biting a soft teething stick.

Yun Zhixue slowly and proactively opened her mouth.

She had brushed her teeth. There was a faint lemon scent. Her teeth were very white and straight.

At this moment, Meng Zhengyue actually felt a sense of relief. She even felt that it was okay to bite her own finger. If she bit Yun Jing’s… where would she find one for her, and would Yun Jing even agree?

She met Yun Zhixue’s eyes.

They were very clean, very beautiful, and very thirsty.

Meng Zhengyue curled her finger and flicked her lips. It should have hurt, but her lips were wet, and her saliva was making her finger moist.

Meng Zhengyue said, “Bite it yourself.”

Yun Zhixue’s whole body was in pain. That kind of growing pain was tearing at her body again.

Her lips sucked on her finger.

Yun Zhixue bit it twice and frowned. Meng Zhengyue asked her what was wrong. She pulled her finger out. Yun Zhixue said softly, “It tastes funny. It’s oily…”

The hotel near the test site was not a five-star hotel. The quality of the finger cots they provided was also mediocre and not suitable for consumption.

Yun Zhixue opened her mouth. “It’s okay, Mommy…”

“It’s okay what?” Meng Zhengyue pulled the cot off her finger, slowly revealing her finger.

Yun Zhixue’s eyes seemed to be saying, “Mommy, please hurry. I’m going to die.”

Meng Zhengyue unhurriedly wiped her finger with a tissue and placed it back on Yun Zhixue’s lips, which had a little bit of moisture from her mouth. “Lick it. Taste it.”

Yun Zhixue opened her mouth and her tongue touched it.

Afterward, her fingertip pressed on her lips. Her breath was warm. Her voice fell into her ear. Meng Zhengyue had prepared herself mentally. She said very softly and lowly, “Don’t tell your mom.”

She parted her lips, and her finger went in.