Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Mother and Daughter’s Reconciliation
Sheng Yueyue saw that her mother remained unmoved, and that her grandfather was giving her a look of utter contempt.
Especially with Song Zijin looking so impatient he looked like he wanted to tear her apart, she quickly humbled herself and started spouting sweet nothings.
"You’re my real mother, the person I love most in this world. I can’t love you enough, so how could I ever be ashamed of you?"
But the more she said, the colder Ren Cuiping’s heart grew. ’Did she really think I don’t know what kind of person my own daughter is?’
Before, she had blindly sided with her daughter simply because she felt guilty that her biological child had been lost to her and suffered so much.
She had always played dumb, turning a blind eye, hoping that her love could soothe her daughter’s resentment toward them.
Who would have thought her daughter would treat her like this? How could she bear it? How could she not be heartbroken?
Sheng Yueyue saw her mother’s grief-stricken expression and instantly regretted telling the truth.
But she knew she couldn’t take back what she’d said, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep lying.
"Mom, you can’t just give up and abandon your daughter! If Ren Xiaofang hadn’t switched places with me when we were babies, would I have turned out like this?"
"You can’t just mope around. Ren Xiaofang is still trying to seduce Dad, you know. Let’s go settle the score with her together."
"Hmph," Ren Cuiping snorted. "You ungrateful girl. So now you’re blaming me?"
Seeing her mother starting to yield, Sheng Yueyue pressed on. "Mom, you need to pull yourself together. Try to win over Grandpa and my uncles. With them as your backup, you won’t have to worry about Dad refusing to remarry you."
What she didn’t say was that it wouldn’t matter even if her dad didn’t remarry her mom. Her father-in-law had told her that all she needed to do was get on the good side of her two uncles from the Ren family.
"Bah! Ren Cuiping, don’t you listen to another word of her nonsense!" Mr. Ren spat forcefully.
He turned, stomped upstairs into his room, and slammed the door hard. He wanted to throw his granddaughter out right then and there, but he knew his daughter wouldn’t stand for it.
His daughter was the type who wouldn’t give up until she’d hit a dead end, so Mr. Ren could only go with ’out of sight, out of mind.’
’Even looking at this fake, manipulative granddaughter for a second is an eyesore,’ he thought. ’Jiaojiao is so much easier on the eyes.’
When Sheng Yueyue saw the damn old man storm upstairs in a huff, she plopped onto the floor, hugged her knees, and started to sob pitifully.
"Mom, maybe I shouldn’t have come back... WAH... Why? Why doesn’t anyone love me?"
"Dad doesn’t like me, my three older brothers don’t like me, and now even you’re going to abandon me, Mom."
"Why is everyone treating me this way? Why... WAH... Grandpa, aren’t you willing to accept me either?"
At this, Sheng Yueyue wiped the lingering tears from her cheeks, slowly got to her feet, and walked over to Ren Cuiping.
She wrapped her arms gently around Ren Cuiping, rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, and began to cry softly.
"Mom, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so immature... I’ll change, I promise. I won’t let you down again, you can count on it... I’ll take good care of you from now on."
Seeing her daughter’s tear-streaked face, Ren Cuiping’s heart ached, and she gently patted her on the back.
She comforted her softly, "There, there, be good. Don’t be sad, it hurts Mommy to see you cry. As long as you’re obedient and don’t cause trouble, Grandpa and your uncles will come to love you too."
"Really? Thank you, Mom! It’s true what they say, a child with a mother is a treasure." Sheng Yueyue smiled through her tears.
"Your smile is so beautiful, Yueyue. Mom will pull herself together. When your father gets back, I’ll have a proper talk with him."
"Okay! And when my uncles get back, how about you go to the Song family’s house for dinner with them?"
"Invite your two uncles to the Song family’s house for dinner?" Ren Cuiping asked, unsure.
She’d forgotten that she had already been back at the family compound for two days, and neither her daughter nor her son-in-law had invited her for a meal.
"Mom," Song Zijin quickly interjected, "it was my father who asked Yueyue and me to invite you, Grandpa, and our two uncles to our house for dinner."
He breathed a huge sigh of relief seeing that Sheng Yueyue had finally won over his mother-in-law.
If he couldn’t secure an invitation for the two Ren uncles, he’d be in for a caning when he got home.
Just as mother and daughter were all smiles, the two Ren uncles and Ren Fangyu returned.
Seeing the scene, the elder of the two uncles couldn’t help but shake his head. ’Sigh, that niece of mine is playing the victim to get sympathy again.’
He hated that trick the most, so he ignored his sister and niece and went straight upstairs without a word.
Second Uncle Ren walked straight into the living room, looked at Ren Cuiping, and asked, "Where’s Dad? How come I don’t see him?"
Ren Cuiping frowned. "Dad said he was tired and went upstairs to rest. You and big brother should go to Zijin’s house for dinner later."
"I’m not going. I have to head back to Yun City right away. There’s a lot of work waiting for me at the office."
Second Uncle Ren had come this time mainly to see his father, and secondarily to have a talk with his brother-in-law.
But now that he knew his brother-in-law was away on business, he didn’t have time to wait. ’If my sister keeps getting tangled up with Sheng Yueyue,’ he thought, ’she’ll live to regret it one day.’
So he tried to reason with her patiently. "Cui Ping, you should come back to Yun City with me. Focus on your work. Some things..."
Sheng Yueyue immediately cut Second Uncle Ren off with a fresh wave of tears. "WAHHH... Second Uncle, don’t you like me?"
Second Uncle Ren thought, ’...Only a ghost would like you. Oh, wait, no. My sister likes her.’
"Second Uncle, Cousin Fang Yu, please just come have one meal at the Song family’s house before you go~"
"Yueyue, I’d love to have dinner at your house, but I really do have urgent business and must get back to Yun City."
With that, Second Uncle Ren beckoned to his driver and secretary to leave at once. Just then, Mr. Ren’s door opened and he came out.
"Dinner’s ready. You can eat before you go. And Zijin and Yueyue, you two can eat here as well!"
"Alright, Dad. You all go ahead and sit. I’m just going to wash my hands," Second Uncle Ren said before heading off to do so.
Ren Fangyu hadn’t said a word. He still had to stay in Qing City for three more days, and he had no idea how he was going to fend off his cousin’s future invitations.
Gu Jiaojiao drove the three members of the Ren family to their front gate and then headed home.
"Honey, why didn’t you invite the two Ren uncles and their cousin to our house for dinner?" Su Shuochi asked curiously.
"I helped detoxify him. I’ve done more than enough for them. Why do we need to have dinner? Isn’t it tiring enough for Mom to cook every day?"
"That’s true. Mom and Dad still have to run the liangpi stall every day. It really is hard work. Oh, right, honey, Geng Haoyi called. He said he’s already found a few courtyard houses for us to look at in the Imperial City."
"Okay. We can go pick out a good one and do some simple renovations. Old Sir Han also called me. He said an old comrade of his is having some health issues."
Gu Jiaojiao wanted to leave Su Shuochi behind in Qing City. She asked tentatively, "Are you done with all your work here?"
"Pretty much. I can leave whenever. I drew up two more blueprints based on the medical equipment in your pocket dimension. It should be enough to keep them busy studying for half a year."
"That’s good. Once I’m registered and settled in, I’ll perform your surgery," Gu Jiaojiao said apologetically.
"I’m not in a rush. We can do it after you’re done with your business, honey." Su Shuochi was actually in no hurry at all now. After all, he had already regained feeling in his legs a long time ago.
