{“I’ve seen you sticking to dad like glue…” 2}

Perhaps it was the first time seeing her aunt that had raised her expectations too high.

Children tend not to reject someone who resembles their mother, and back then, her aunt wore a lavender dress, making Yu Suye believe she would be a kind aunt.

Today, her aunt looked the same, but no amount of makeup could hide the signs of age on her face.

With countless beauty treatments, her entire face appeared excessively swollen.

Yu Suye wanted to ignore her and walked straight ahead.

But some people like to maintain their sense of superiority. After a moment of daze, Zou Nan finally remembered who she was. “Are you Suye?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Yu Suye answered, striving to suppress any emotional inflection.

She rarely stifled her inner screams like this, speaking as coldly as Bian Yuan.

“Oh, I heard you came to Beijing to study. What’s going on? You’ve been here so long and still don’t know to politely come greet your elders?”

Yu Suye smiled without warmth. “I probably don’t deserve that.”

The middle-aged woman didn’t find this answer ironic; instead, she seemed quite pleased, as if her sense of superiority was being validated. Affectedly, she said, “You little girl… forget it, I won’t argue with you.”

Yu Suye could still clearly see the large whites of her aunt’s eyes, reflecting the same bitterness and sharpness.

A woman proudly introduced, “Are you here to work in Mr. Bian’s project? Your uncle’s family lives near this villa. Yangyang is in third grade now, ranking in the top three of his class. But even if he doesn’t do well in school, it doesn’t matter; we have enough money to send him abroad…”

Everyone said it was the aunt who sacrificed for her mother and had to marry that not-so-reputable man, but Yu Suye always felt her aunt was quite content.

She wished she could clearly outline their family’s conditions and print a chart for her to see.

But her aunt wouldn’t care.

Her mother pursued love without harming anyone’s interests; if her aunt was happy, wasn’t that a fortunate turn of events?

“It’s just work. If you have no other business, I’ll take my leave and get back to it.”

But Zou Nan quickly stepped forward, grabbing her wrist so tightly that Yu Suye’s joints turned red. Reluctantly, she said, “Let go.”

“Hey, we’re still family,” her aunt insisted. “Your grandparents are visiting us today; why don’t you stop by and greet them?”

Yu Suye held no goodwill for those who abandoned their children for personal gain instead of fulfilling expectations through arranged marriages. Her parents’ unconditional love was what made her vibrant and cheerful.

Why should family be limited to blood ties?

She shook her head. “No need.”

“What a cold-hearted person,” her aunt said, with a tone suggesting she was doing Yu Suye a favor, “I’ll be calling your mother to tell her you passed by your grandparents’ place without even saying hello.”

This may not be a simple “sermon”, but more like a “threat”.

But deep down, Yu Suye was troubled; she didn’t want any bad news reaching her mother’s ears. After all, her mother had been trying to ease the conflicts between her and her biological family for years.

Eventually, Yu Suye was persuaded.

Seeing this, Zou Nan was even more excited, eagerly pulling Yu Suye toward her luxurious home. However, it was clear that while they were in the same villa area, the management wasn’t the same as in Mr. Bian’s project, so the facilities and lobby couldn’t compare in terms of grandeur or elegance.

In the past, Yu Suye might have felt out of place amidst their immense wealth, but now she viewed this place as merely ordinary.

And so, she stepped into her aunt’s husband’s home.

Then, she met an unfamiliar elderly couple.

The man sat in the center of the living room, hands resting on a shiny redwood cane, furrowing his brow as he asked her, “Are you mute? Can’t greet people?”

Yu Suye mustered her courage and replied, “I don’t know. I usually speak to people when I see them, and to ghosts when I see them. When I see someone who’s neither, I’m not sure how to talk.”

Honestly, she felt she was being quite rude; she hadn’t respected this family enough. But she had initially refused to come, and yet they insisted on inviting her without even offering tea or a friendly demeanor, let alone any warmth.

She felt disappointed in them.

At the same time, her heart ached more for her mother, who had spent twenty-two years in this family.

She hadn’t wanted her mother to feel uncomfortable because of her, leading to a complete severance of ties. However, with their condescending attitude, maintaining any relationship felt unnecessary.

“You ignorant little girl! Just like your mother, you’re shameless!”

“You can insult me, but you have no right to speak ill of my mom.”