{“I kind of miss living in Ohio.” 1}

Cheng Shuangyi finally had no choice but to accept this terrifying reality.

She led her children back to the Cheng family home.

The two children who were not staying in the Shen Qi family’s house, unable to constantly remind Shen Qi of their past, had become completely useless children. What was even more ridiculous was that she didn’t understand why her daughter seemed to be possessed or cursed, as she handed her a large cardboard box and said it contained the first gift from her mother, so it was especially precious—

Precious enough to warrant carrying it with her own hands?

There had just been a moving company earlier, but unfortunately, Shen Qiyue remained silent. Now, as they were about to leave, an entire cardboard box had appeared. This wouldn’t move Cheng Shuangyi to tears or make her feel deeply touched by an unknown connection; it would only increase her burden.

Perhaps it hadn’t been long since the first meeting between mother and daughter, so Cheng Shuangyi couldn’t bring herself to turn her face and deny her entirely.

Cheng Shuangyi could only hold her patience and say, “Baby, Mommy might not be strong enough. Why don’t you ask Daddy for help?”

She wanted to go with the flow, or perhaps take advantage of this rare opportunity to get involved in an ambiguous relationship with Shen Qi again.

But at that moment, Shen Qi had already walked away.

Seeing this, Shen Qiyue couldn’t understand why her mother didn’t want to lift the precious box that clearly held great significance for her, and she couldn’t fathom how, with their relationship being so bad, her mother still thought her father would help her carry something.

However, she didn’t want to blame her mother. She believed her mother was simply too eager to repair things with her father.

Out of nowhere, she suddenly remembered a time when she had said something she shouldn’t have said in Ohio. Her father had flown into a rage, but then Xun Xu had come downstairs, quickly smoothed things over, and soon the two of them were laughing as they went upstairs. Her father had stopped giving her the cold shoulder.

Despite repeatedly denying the falsehoods of the past, there seemed to be a hidden warmth among all that painful deception.

Shen Qiyue’s movements in handling the box noticeably slowed.

Cheng Shuangyi didn’t notice how hard it was for her little daughter to handle a cardboard box but instead urged, “Stop dawdling. If you can’t carry it, just leave it.”

She was already in a bad mood, and the thought of having to live with two annoying children in the future made her head ache just thinking about it.

—

At the Cheng family home.

“Yi Yi, why did you bring these two children back?” Cheng Shuangyi’s mother, who had been accompanying her father on a business trip, was now at home. Cheng Shuangyi didn’t know how her mother could bear to leave her father’s side. She was repeating the same old phrases as always, “This is not America. Bringing two unfamiliar children back, people will definitely talk.”

This time, Cheng Shuangyi couldn’t stand it anymore: “I believe they will learn to keep quiet.”

Her mother smiled but didn’t bring up the issue of advising her to break up earlier. Now she was pushing the mess onto Cheng Shuangyi without hesitation: “Seems like you have a lot of confidence in Shen Qi. I hope that’s the case.”

Cheng Shuangyi’s mother was clearly calculating something, though Cheng Shuangyi couldn’t tell what exactly. She had always been keen on her position in the family business, tied closely to her father’s company and the annual year-end bonus. But when it came to her daughter’s life, aside from Shen Qi, it seemed she had little interest.

Her mother deliberately gave her advice, tidied up the clutter on the coffee table, and glanced briefly at the ashtray before sitting down and calmly saying:

“Listen, I don’t know what kind of conflict has occurred between you two, but Shen Qi is allowing you to bring the children back.”

“But remember, daughter, since the children are in your care, they are a bridge for communication between you and your husband. You need to handle this well.”

Cheng Shuangyi had originally thought the same, but she always felt that things weren’t as simple as she had imagined. Shen Qi didn’t seem like someone who would be willing to meet her again for the sake of the children.

In some ways, he was frighteningly cold, like a monster without any emotions.

She truly hadn’t wanted to participate in the variety show. After all, she had her own independent life and didn’t want to lower her value for a fee that wasn’t even that generous. But now, she was resolutely determined to join.

Not for anything else, but simply to make her presence known in front of Shen Qi. Appearing on a variety show seemed to her the best way to do so.

Participating in this variety show had become her only opportunity for a comeback. If she appeared frequently with the children in the media, she believed that, even if Shen Qi was indifferent, he wouldn’t be able to completely forget about her and the children.

Cheng Shuangyi leaned back on the sofa, one ear in, one ear out, saying, “Anyway, don’t worry about it. I can handle it myself. I’ll figure it out.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Cheng Shuangyi’s mother walked over in her old-fashioned high heels, passed by the heater, and turned off the power. “You know the situation at home. If you can save, save. Since there’s air conditioning in the house, don’t keep the fireplace on all the time.”

“I know, Mom.”