Cecilia Gu carried some food into her mother's room, only to find Helen Gu sitting on the bed, lost in thought.
"Mom..." Cecilia put the food down on the table. "Are you hungry? I bought some snacks, I didn't eat well this afternoon either..."
"Cecilia, tell me, did something happen?" Helen Gu asked sensitively, noticing something was off.
Cecilia had been acting strange since this afternoon.
Even though Cecilia hadn't said anything, Helen Gu already sensed that something troublesome had happened.
"Mom, let's not talk about it yet. Eat something first, it's already so late. Why didn't you order room service? Didn't I tell you the hotel can deliver food?" Cecilia avoided her mother's question, changing the subject. "I want to sleep with you tonight. Mom, it's been so long since I slept with you."
"Charles..." Helen Gu hesitated.
"He agreed! After I got married, I couldn't come home as often as before, so he supports me sleeping with you tonight." Cecilia forced a smile. "Dad called me earlier and said Grandma suddenly asked him to go back, so he won't be staying here tonight!"
Even though Cecilia didn't know where her dad had gone, it turned out to be a lucky coincidence this time.
Hearing that her husband wouldn't be here tonight, Helen Gu couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.
Ever since Cecilia got married, Helen Gu had a nagging feeling her husband was hiding something from her!
He never used to care much about his appearance, but lately he's been paying attention to how he looks all the time.
He leaves all the housework to her and always finds an excuse to go out.
Still, Helen Gu didn't want Cecilia to worry about these things.
Cecilia was newly married and pregnant; Helen didn't want her daughter to be troubled.
"Of course. Let's have a good talk." Helen Gu gently held Cecilia's hand, turning it over and seeing her daughter's soft, fair skin. She knew Cecilia hadn't lied; she really was living a pampered life.
Both mother and daughter had their own worries, yet they put on a brave face, pretending everything was fine to comfort each other.
Elsewhere, Jenny Gu pestered Sun Yang from the village to give her a ride to the county town. Once there, she started dressing herself up, trying to look as flashy as possible.
Especially after hearing that Charles Yin himself was coming to pick her up, Jenny was absolutely thrilled!
She'd always wanted to be alone with Charles Yin, but he'd never given her the chance!
Now that she heard Charles Yin was coming to pick her up, how could she not be excited?
She imagined Charles Yin falling for her at first sight, taking her out for a fancy dinner, then shopping together, and finally rolling around with her in a hotel room... Hehehe, by then, Cecilia wouldn't matter at all!
Jenny Gu was so lost in her wonderful daydreams, she didn't even notice someone approaching her.
"Are you Jenny Gu?" The man sounded impatient. He'd called her three times, but this woman just kept giggling like an idiot and wouldn't answer.
Startled by the man's sharp voice, Jenny snapped out of her daze and saw a guy with a pointy face, skinny cheeks, and a few scraggly goat hairs on his chin he couldn't be bothered to shave.
"Who are you?" Jenny immediately eyed him warily.
Jenny Gu wasn't someone just anyone could chat up!
She was going to marry Charles Yin one day!
Seeing Jenny's wary look, the man understood her attitude right away and replied gruffly, "Someone paid me to drive here and pick you up! If you don't believe me, you can call to confirm right now!"
"Who told you to pick me up?" Jenny snapped back sharply. "Don't make things up. My brother-in-law... he's coming to get me himself!"
"Your brother-in-law?" The man scoffed at Jenny. "I've already been paid for the ride. If you don't want to take my car, call them and let them know. I'm leaving!"
Seeing the man about to leave, Jenny got a little flustered.
Could it really be Charles Yin who sent this guy to pick her up?
That can't be right!
"Wait, what does... that person look like?" Jenny hesitated and asked.
The man didn't waste words. He pulled out his phone, found a photo, and handed it to Cecilia, saying, "He's the one who told me to pick you up!"
Jenny looked down and saw—it was Alex, Charles Yin's assistant!
Alex was only twenty-five, but with his baby face, he looked like he was barely twenty.
Jenny, on the other hand, had been hustling in society for years, and with her heavy makeup, she looked at least thirty.
So when Jenny claimed the person was her brother-in-law, the driver just sneered.
When Jenny saw that Alex had paid someone to pick her up instead of coming himself, she was furious: That clueless assistant must be defying Charles Yin's orders! Charles probably told Alex to come himself, but Alex looked down on her and sent someone random instead! Hmph, just wait! Once I push Cecilia out and take her place, I'll make him pay!
Jenny didn't know which hotel Charles Yin was staying at, so she didn't dare let the driver leave. Reluctantly, she got in the car and asked him to take her to Charles's hotel.
As soon as Jenny arrived at the hotel, someone handed her a room card and led her to her room.
But when Jenny started asking questions, no one could answer any of them!
Jenny was nowhere near satisfied.
The only reason she came was to see Charles Yin and to seduce him while Cecilia was pregnant and inconvenient!
How could she seduce him if she couldn't see him?
Jenny looked around the huge hotel room, gritting her teeth.
How was she supposed to know which room Charles Yin was staying in?
She couldn't just go knocking on every door, could she?
Jenny was dumped in her room and left alone!
Getting her to the hotel was already more than enough!
Meanwhile, Cecilia quietly ate dinner with her mother.
Cecilia kept searching for the right topic in her mind, but just couldn't find a good opening.
But Helen spoke up first: "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you're all grown up! I remember when I first brought you home, you were this tiny!"
Helen gestured, comparing sizes with Cecilia. "It's been twenty-three years. You're all grown up now—a real adult!"
"Mom..." Cecilia felt her eyes grow hot, not knowing what to say next.
Her mother rarely talked about herself, always avoiding the subject.
Why did she suddenly bring it up today?
"Cecilia, there's something I've always wanted to ask you, but I was afraid it would hurt you." Helen said hesitantly, "You're grown up now. Have you ever thought about looking for your biological parents?"
"Mom! What are you saying? When I was abandoned, they didn't care about my feelings at all—why would I want to find them? In my heart, I only have one mom, and that's you!" Cecilia answered firmly.
She didn't want her mother to feel hurt over something like this.
Helen shook her head. "Let me finish, sweetheart."
Cecilia silently looked at her mother.
"I used to worry that if you found your birth parents, you'd leave us behind. But now I don't think that way. You've married into a wealthy family, and your dad and I can only embarrass you, not help you." Helen said softly, "Actually, I've kept something from you. You weren't abandoned on purpose. There was a car accident, and you were thrown out of the window, landing in a tree. You were lucky to survive. When I found you, you were barely breathing."
"So what? They still never came looking for me, did they? If they really cared, they would've tried to find me. Since they've already given up, I'm only your daughter, Mom! Enough, don't overthink it. I don't need some fancy family background to support me."
Her marriage to Charles Yin was just a contract; it was practically meaningless. Maybe when the child was older, she'd leave the Yin family for good.
Family background meant nothing to her.
Helen wanted to keep talking about it, but Cecilia changed the subject: "By the way, Mom, all these years you've never been able to have children. Why haven't you gone to the hospital for a checkup?"
Cecilia clearly remembered that all these years, her mother had never once mentioned going to the hospital for a checkup.
Even when Grandma called her a hen that couldn't lay eggs, her mother never considered it.
Helen gave a bitter smile. "What's the point of a checkup? There's nothing wrong with me. I'm perfectly healthy."
Cecilia's eyes widened. "What?"
"Actually, the one who can't have children in our family isn't me—it's your father! But Cecilia, you must never tell anyone. Your father is a man, the pillar of our family. If people found out he couldn't have children, they'd look down on him! Only you and I know this, no one else does—not even your grandma. If they knew your father was infertile, they'd be heartbroken!" Helen quickly warned.
The news hit Cecilia like a bolt from the blue—she was stunned!
What? The one who was actually infertile was her father!
Yet her father kept going on endless blind dates, just to have a biological child of his own...
How ironic!
No, maybe this was karma.
Cecilia felt a mix of emotions, but deep down, there was a sense of revenge.
Grandma had insulted her for years—if she found out the truth, what would her face look like?