While her relationship with her brother was clear-cut, Liu Zihan was hesitant in her interactions with her mother, as her feelings toward her were quite contradictory.
It couldn't be said that she didn't care for her mother; after all, what child doesn't feel some attachment to the person who raised them? Furthermore, Liu Zihan was aware that her mother only wanted what she thought was best for her. However, the problem was that her mother's vision of a fulfilling life did not align with her own, so whenever her mother began to offer guidance, Liu Zihan was far from having a pleasant time.
Of course, it hadn't always been this way. Even during the period when she was teased for not having a father, it never crossed her mind to blame her mother for their circumstances. To her, her mother was someone who was always right; therefore, she placed the blame on those who had abandoned her mother and on people who failed to appreciate the efforts of a single mother raising her children alone.
But after the incident revealing that their mother had actually been Liu Fengying's father's mistress for years and that she and her brother were his illegitimate children, her faith in her mother's sound judgment shattered. After all, what good advice could you receive from someone who resembled the villain of a book?
This also gave rise to feelings of hatred and contempt toward her. Setting aside the sordid way she and her brother were conceived, Liu Zihan could not understand how someone could be so shameless as to have no fear that their misdeeds would be exposed. Had Wang Xia not become the second wife of Liu Fengying's father, perhaps no one would have made the effort to dig up her past.
Yet, not only did she have no hesitation in putting herself in a position where she was easily compromised, but one could even say that this had been her dream. Moreover, it wouldn't have been a surprise if she had actually wanted the truth about her to come out.
On one hand, this made her children their father's rightful heirs, recognized by both the law and the city's high society; didn't this guarantee them a successful future? Especially for Liu Zihao, who stood a good chance of becoming his father's primary successor; after all, most men prefer their sons to carry on their mantle.
On the other hand, Wang Xia held the mindset that a woman's value is defined by her ability to capture a man's attention. Thus, Liu Zihan suspected her mother felt proud of having successfully stolen the husband of a woman as widely praised as Liu Fengying's mother. In that case, the more people knew about her feat, the better she felt.
But how could the young Liu Zihan—whose comfortable life in recent years had failed to fully heal her fear of being perceived negatively by others—be as unfazed as her mother when finding herself in such an infamous position? What upset her even more was the fact that she had done nothing to deserve any of this; it was entirely the fault of her parents.
Honestly, if she had been forced to choose in those moments between how things had unfolded and an alternative reality—one where she would have remained forever in an incomplete family—she would have chosen the latter without hesitation.
Or perhaps, in the end, she might have wavered; after all, only this way did she have the chance to meet Liu Fengying, who had become her best friend. Yet, Liu Fengying was also the reason why this wound could never fully heal. Ultimately, Fengying was the one who had suffered the most from the truth about the relationship between Zihan's mother and her own father. As a product of that affair, every time Zihan made eye contact with Liu Fengying, she felt like a sinner.
Of course, having no choice but to accept her situation, Liu Zihan tried to delude herself into thinking that things would mend with time; otherwise, it would have been a miracle if she had maintained her mental sanity. But the more she tried to appear normal, the guiltier she felt deep down. Trapped in this state, with one foot in heaven and one in hell, not only did she fail to rid herself of the hatred toward her mother, but her negative feelings grew even stronger.
Taking all this into account, it was no wonder that Liu Zihan had come to avoid spending time with her mother as much as possible. The fact that her mother now insisted they have dinner together couldn't help but stress her out; it meant she had to endure at least half an hour in her company.
Moreover, due to the news of Liu Fengying's recovery, her mother was almost certainly in a state of overexcitement, so Zihan expected her to come up with all sorts of "funny" ideas.
With her mind plagued by these thoughts, her efforts to calm herself were destined to fail. Thus, by the time she descended the stairs toward the living room where dinner was usually served, Liu Zihan wore an expression as if she were about to confront someone who owed her money.
Since Liu Zihan had been in no hurry to arrive, the food had already been served by the aunt in charge of cooking by the time she stepped into the living room. Both her mother and her brother were already there; in fact, the latter had already managed to take a few bites from the plate in front of him.
"Hanhan, I was afraid you wanted to skip dinner again. I'm aware you have a busy schedule with exams approaching, but I don't think you should jeopardize your health..." Wang Xia said the moment she laid eyes on her daughter, her face lighting up.
Appearing to be a kind and warm person was one of Wang Xia's greatest strengths; this was likely the main reason why Liu Fengying's father, who had a weakness for flattery, had remained in a relationship with her for more than twenty years.
Of course, the fact that she was a strikingly beautiful woman also contributed to this. Even now, in her forties, her facial features remained very delicate; her skin showed no trace of wrinkles, and her small lips were as full as ever.
If one were to compare how she looked now to twenty years ago, the only notable difference would probably be that she had gained about four or five kilograms. Fortunately for her, the weight had settled in all the right places, so it was not only unobtrusive but actually enhanced her sex appeal.
Adding to her curvaceous body a pair of upturned eyes—capable of capturing souls like those of a fox demon—every posture she struck was like a portrait of an inviting courtesan. She easily awakened in every man who laid eyes on her, and even in some women, the desire to ravish her for days on end without a break.
Due to these traits of hers, it was difficult for anyone to maintain a cold attitude toward her. Thus, the fact that Liu Zihan remained unaffected by her mother's high spirits, merely nodding with indifference, was a clear sign that something was wrong between them.
However, Wang Xia pretended not to notice. It wasn't that she didn't care about her daughter's feelings, but since Liu Zihan had been acting this way for some time, she had arguably grown used to it; in a way, she viewed it as a sort of tantrum. Furthermore, because Liu Zihan behaved similarly toward others, Wang Xia deluded herself into thinking it was nothing serious; perhaps, unlike her, her daughter was simply a colder person by nature.
"Well, even when your father is away on a business trip, it's nice for us all to sit at the table together once in a while..." she continued after a few moments, finding the atmosphere rather dull.
It wasn't just Liu Zihan who seemed lacking in enthusiasm; her brother was as well.
Firstly, almost every time he was in the company of both his mother and sister, the conversation inevitably turned toward his school performance. This was annoying enough on a regular day, but since he had skipped classes that day, the stress caused by the possibility of such a discussion was even greater.
Secondly, even though the main reason for this dinner was to discuss the impact of Liu Fengying's recovery, he couldn't get too excited about it because his mother would scold him for the radical measures he proposed against her.
To be precise, Wang Xia maintained a conciliatory attitude, often expressing regret over how the relationship between her and her stepdaughter had deteriorated. Of course, her ultimate stance remained unchanged: Liu Zihao had to be the future head of the family; after all, Liu Fengying would eventually marry and become part of another family. Still, Wang Xia seemed to have no objection to treating her like her own daughter—specifically, by ensuring she had enough money for any whim and supporting her in finding a wealthy husband.
Naturally, his mother's ideas made Liu Zihao roll his eyes: what was the point of fraternizing with the enemy? In his view, a lasting peace could only be achieved after the opposing side was completely destroyed.
Concluding that women were far too sentimental to be involved in power games, he told himself that such a discussion was merely a waste of time; it was better to finish eating as quickly as possible so he could play online games with his friends.
So, Liu Zihao hastily took a few more bites and then stood up from the table.
"I'm done. I already had a burger an hour ago, so I wasn't really hungry. I'm going to my room because I have a ton of homework to do, so don't disturb me..." he rushed to say, giving his mother no chance to find a reason to hold him back.
"......" Wang Xia sat there, watching her "filial" son head for the door; considering Liu Zihan's performance as well, she sighed bitterly at the thought that she was the only one in that house who appreciated family dinners.