Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 23.2

Chapter 23.2: Proposing to the “Stepmom”

She hadn’t gone out to play these past few days. Instead, she had participated in a school charity sale, where she sold her notes and lab reports from her three years of high school.

Meng Zhengyue had given her a necklace, and she also wanted to use her own money to buy something for Meng Zhengyue.

The weather was hot and sunny. Chi Ruishou sometimes couldn’t sit still and would go to a bubble tea shop, but Yun Zhixue wanted to earn more, so she stayed at her small stall. She would turn on the video she had gotten from Yun Jing and put on her headphones, turning the volume all the way up. Even though the surveillance footage was silent, it was as if she could hear Meng Zhengyue’s breathing, gently falling into her ears. She loved it so much.

She also wanted to see Meng Zhengyue’s happy expression when she received her gift.

Meng Zhengyue had been rushing to finish all her work these past few days. The rest could be handled through video conferences. She planned to first take Yun Zhixue to buy some beautiful clothes.

She drove her to a nearby mall. They shopped up and down, first buying her some dresses. Meng Zhengyue sat in a chair, watching her try on clothes, going in and out of the dressing room.

Meng Zhengyue would make a circle with her finger in the air, and Yun Zhixue would turn around for her to see. White, green, pink… they all looked great on Yun Zhixue.

Meng Zhengyue took out her card. “I’ll take them all.”

Yun Zhixue took a deep breath, holding the bags. She was so happy.

Because this was the first time she had ever gone shopping like this.

She really wanted to say something to Meng Zhengyue. Her heart was pounding. When they were going down the escalator, she looked at her back and softly called, “Mommy.”

It was crowded in the evening, so Meng Zhengyue didn’t hear her.

They went and bought three hats. One of them, a little rabbit hat, was very cute. After she put it on, Meng Zhengyue wouldn’t let her take it off.

After putting everything in the trunk, Meng Zhengyue drove to a beauty salon to give Yun Zhixue a skin treatment.

They returned home with their hands full of shopping bags. Yun Jing’s secretary was sitting on the sofa. Meng Zhengyue was carrying a few heavy packages. The shopping bags were in Yun Zhixue’s hands, and she lifted her chin a little, feeling proud.

Meng Zhengyue took a pair of scissors and took a machine out of a package. She said, “Go get that egg.”

Yun Zhixue brought the bird egg downstairs and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“This is an incubator. Let’s take a gamble. We’ll see if this egg can hatch. If it hatches, you’ll have a little bird.”

Yun Zhixue’s eyes lit up. Meng Zhengyue said, “If it gets your scent on it, it’ll become your little bird.”

Yun Zhixue carefully placed the egg on it and asked, “Then, Mommy, how long will it take to hatch?”

“It’ll probably be more than seven days. But you have to be mentally prepared, after all…” Meng Zhengyue reminded her. “Maybe it’s just not fertilized, so the mommy bird flew away.”

“Okay.” Despite this, Yun Zhixue was still very hopeful. She went and got a pen and a notebook to start recording.

After Meng Zhengyue finished her work, she poured herself a glass of water and took a sip. She looked up and asked the secretary, “Alright, what’s up?”

The secretary took a file bag out of her own bag. “I have some good news for you. President Yun already got the call. Miss Zhixue did very well on her exam this time.”

“Really?” Meng Zhengyue was very happy. She smiled and asked, “Are the results out yet? What was her score?”

When someone does very well, you don’t have to wait for the results to come out. The phone calls will come in.

Yun Zhixue’s Chinese score didn’t hold her back. She got an all-time high score. They were being secretive about the exact score. But Yun Jing thought about it deeply and suspected that Yun Zhixue might become the top scorer. If she was the top scorer, it would be a sure thing for Yun Zhixue to get into the lab.

“So, your trip will have to be postponed,” the secretary said.

This news was like a bolt from the blue. The expressions of the two people who were just smiling instantly turned cold. Especially Yun Zhixue. Her face turned dark, and she looked at the secretary with hostility. The shopping bags at her feet fell to the ground because of her movement.

Meng Zhengyue frowned. “What do you mean? It’s not right to bring good news and then suddenly drop a bombshell like this, is it?”

The secretary tried to maintain her smile. “This is also good news. Since she did so well, she can go directly to the summer camp. After that, she won’t have to go through any other high-intensity studying. And, after the summer camp, Miss Zhixue will have a lot of time to play.”

Meng Zhengyue looked at the secretary with some anger. She hated it when people interrupted her plans. “Why didn’t you say something beforehand? She did well. She should at least be rewarded first.”

The secretary said, “Of course. President Yun has already prepared a gift for you to thank you for your recent efforts.”

Meng Zhengyue felt like the secretary didn’t understand her. “What about the child?”

“The same. It’s also a gift for her.”

Meng Zhengyue was still annoyed. She had already booked the hotel and flights. “Why didn’t she say anything before?”

The secretary’s tone was natural. “Because she wasn’t sure if she could get into the lab.”

When Meng Zhengyue turned to look at Yun Zhixue, the light in the child’s eyes instantly dimmed. She silently turned around and squatted by the incubator. Her fingers were tightly clasped together, and her knuckles turned white.

After all, Yun Jing was her biological mother. She had the right to arrange the most suitable path for her daughter. Meng Zhengyue asked, “Does your President Yun treat her as a tool?”

The secretary said against her will, “Isn’t she? Otherwise, who would have a daughter at eighteen?” Of course, she couldn’t say it like that.

She said, “This is for her own good. You can play anytime. If you delay this plan, you’ll only regret it.”

Soon, her words took a turn. “After that, you’ll have a special privilege.”

Meng Zhengyue was confused. “What privilege?”

The secretary didn’t go into detail. She was being a bit roundabout.

“You’ll know soon.”

Meng Zhengyue’s tone became a little heavier. “At least, she’s her daughter. She should be respected.”

The secretary didn’t comment but knew the reason why Yun Jing hadn’t shown up and had sent her instead. Everything had been packed, and now Yun Jing was suddenly calling it off. She was definitely full of anger with nowhere to vent. She was ready to be yelled at.

The evening heat was still rising. The returning birds were chirping non-stop in the trees outside.

Meng Zhengyue looked out at the yard.

Under the light, she recalled Yun Zhixue sitting on the tripod.

Her fingers felt slightly itchy. She turned to look. Her hand was gently pulled twice. Yun Zhixue looked up at her and softly comforted her, “It’s okay, Mommy. Don’t be sad. I’ll be back in a week.”

Meng Zhengyue’s hand fell on the back of her head and gently massaged it. “Mm. And you too. When you come back from studying, we’ll go play.”

The little girl was so sad herself, yet she was comforting her. Meng Zhengyue’s heart ached. She half-squatted and pinched Yun Zhixue’s cheek, her tone a little sour. “Honey…”

Yun Zhixue adjusted her posture, slightly tilted her head, and let her pinch her.

Meng Zhengyue didn’t have the heart to bully her like she used to. She reached out and hugged her, letting her lean on her shoulder.

The expected scolding didn’t come. The secretary watched this heartwarming scene and suddenly understood why Yun Jing had done that.

The summer camp was very fast. It was decided that day, and she would leave the next day. The secretary came over again to tell Yun Zhixue the specific process.

Yun Zhixue was packing her things in her room. The secretary asked, “Miss Zhixue, if you have any questions, please communicate with me in time.”

Meng Zhengyue came over and folded two of her clothes. She said, “I understand. After all this talking, it’s just two things.”

Meng Zhengyue intended to get rid of the secretary. She was more worried about Yun Zhixue’s oral stage. The place she was going was far from the villa. She wanted to ease it for her before Yun Zhixue left.

The secretary didn’t seem to have this awareness. Yun Jing had given her a strict order to keep an eye on these two, afraid that Meng Zhengyue would run away with Yun Zhixue. She just stood at the door, watching.

Meng Zhengyue’s character was indeed capable of doing such a thing. She had thought about it. Meng Zhengyue folded the clothes she had bought for her and put them in the suitcase. “Take these to wear first. When you come back from studying, I’ll buy you new ones.”

“Thank you, Mommy,” Yun Zhixue said in a muffled voice.

The secretary went to hold Yun Zhixue’s hand, but Yun Zhixue pulled away. The secretary said awkwardly, “Let’s go, Miss.”

There were two suitcases. Meng Zhengyue helped carry one and saw the child into the car.

Yun Zhixue waved at her, her eyes filled with tears. “Mommy, wait for me to come back.”

“Okay.”

Yun Zhixue really wanted to go up and hug Meng Zhengyue, but the secretary was right there, so she couldn’t. The car took her away.

Yun Zhixue sat in the back seat sullenly, playing with her fingers. At that moment, the car slowed down. She was first confused and looked ahead, then she slowly turned her head. Meng Zhengyue was following on a hoverboard.

She wasn’t fast. She slowly approached. Meng Zhengyue was next to the car window, her hands in her pockets. She said softly, “I’m sending you off.”

Yun Zhixue lowered the car window and looked at Meng Zhengyue, who was leaning on the car. Her reluctant look was like that of a little kitten. Meng Zhengyue smiled back and reached out to stroke her hair.

Yun Zhixue wanted to cry even more.

When they got to the main road, the car had to speed up. Meng Zhengyue stood on the hoverboard and waved at Yun Zhixue. “I’ll come see you when I’m not busy.”

“Okay.”

When the car left, Meng Zhengyue was still thinking that she wasn’t busy right now. She could just take her to her destination. Then she thought that this was a good opportunity to let Yun Zhixue quit her habit. They couldn’t be doing it like lovers every night.

But why was she also feeling a little sad?

The car drove for an hour and arrived at its destination.

Yun Zhixue made a video call to Meng Zhengyue. Meng Zhengyue was in the recording studio, so it was a little noisy. She put on her headphones and watched her pack while she worked.

Yun Zhixue was quite independent and didn’t need to be worried about. She took out her mouthwash cup and skincare products and arranged them. Then she put the books she had brought on the desk.

Meng Zhengyue had bought her a lot of snacks. She put them next to her tablet. As she continued to pack, she avoided Meng Zhengyue’s camera and stuffed her pajamas into the bottom of the suitcase.

Meng Zhengyue asked her to send her location and immediately placed an order for a sun-protective jacket for her.

“What are you eating for lunch?”

“The hotel has a buffet.”

“Okay.”

“Mommy, you have to remember to eat too.”

“Okay.”

As she spoke, her eyes turned red again.

Meng Zhengyue’s heart was a little sore. The little girl was giving her separation anxiety. She was worried that she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

In the afternoon, she went to see the professor with the secretary. After that, she got her schedule and confirmed what classes she needed to listen to and what experiments she needed to do.

It was a busy and tiring day. She lay in bed and took out her phone to send a message to Meng Zhengyue.

Meng Zhengyue softly comforted her, saying it was okay and that they would go out to play in a week when she came back.

Yun Zhixue cried without restraint, hiding under the covers. Her eyes were wet. Holding Meng Zhengyue’s clothes, she felt that the scent was not enough. She really wanted to go back and see Meng Zhengyue. She typed a few words: “Mommy, I love you…”

She wanted to send it, but she was afraid that Yun Jing would see it. Yun Jing was still checking the surveillance footage. They had to be secretive. She held back her longing and silently deleted it.

She said goodnight to Meng Zhengyue, but she didn’t sleep. She opened the surveillance video and hid under the covers. This separation made her very anxious. She put her finger in her mouth, recalling Meng Zhengyue’s technique. She watched the surveillance footage and slowly did it…

She started class the next day, sitting in the auditorium and listening to the professor lecture.

During the day, Meng Zhengyue was at work and didn’t have time to reply to her messages. She chatted with Chi Ruishou.

Chi Ruishou sent her a transfer. Someone wanted to rent Yun Zhixue’s stall to sell books because of her reputation. Since she had good grades, parents loved to go to her stall to find books.

Chi Ruishou: “Yun Zhixue, why aren’t you at your own graduation party?”

Yun Zhixue replied: “Because they only wanted my grades. Yun Jing has always been like this.”

Chi Ruishou: “Forget it. Your mom is so annoying. If you’re not going back, should I still go?”

Yun Zhixue thought of Meng Zhengyue. She replied: “Can you help me take a few pictures of Meng Zhengyue?”

When she was with Meng Zhengyue, Meng Zhengyue was mostly awake. The last time they had dinner by the river, she had secretly taken a rushed picture, but she could only see her blurry side profile.

She missed her so much.

“I’m so annoyed. If I go, I’ll have to see my stepmom holding my dad’s hand. I’m so sad, friend. I’m really sad.”

Yun Zhixue replied: “I understand you.”

The two good friends comforted each other. Yun Zhixue was eating pumpkin porridge. It was sweet. The food here was mediocre. She was also in a bad mood, so she could only eat some porridge.

She took a picture of herself and sent it to Meng Zhengyue: “Mommy, I’m eating this.”

Meng Zhengyue hadn’t replied yet.

She took out the video again and stood it up on the table, as if Meng Zhengyue were with her.

She couldn’t remember how many times she had watched it, but she remembered at what minute and second Meng Zhengyue would look up, and at what minute and second she would drink water, and at what minute and second she would look at her phone.

Yun Jing didn’t know why she was smiling… she knew. At that time, she was sending a message to Meng Zhengyue, calling her “Mommy.”

Doing two things at once.

Yun Zhixue took a lot of notes. She was the youngest among them. The content was a little hard at first, but she was a fast learner and quickly digested it.

Several professors and teaching assistants took turns. The class lasted all day. Yun Zhixue even drank water with force. In between, she secretly took out her phone and looked at it.

Chi Ruishou’s phone calls blew up. She frowned, then unlocked her phone. More than a dozen messages from Chi Ruishou popped up.

Chi Ruishou: “F*** the graduation party, get back here! Your mom is going to propose to your stepmom!!!”