Epilogue

When Shang Aixi was five years old, she didn’t understand why her father was so clingy to her mother. Her mother was very kind, but her father was almost always by her mother’s side.

Sometimes she would feel jealous, thinking that her father didn’t love her at all and that his eyes were always on her mother.

When she started kindergarten, it was always her father who picked her up. Her mother had never picked her up, not because her mother didn’t want to, but because her father wouldn’t allow it, saying it was on his way home from work.

Shang Aixi knew the real reason her father didn’t want her mother to come—there was a handsome male teacher at the kindergarten, and her father didn’t want her mother to be charmed by another man. So he didn’t let her mother come.

Shang Aixi sighed deeply. Her father was indeed a clingy little demon, a description her mother often used. It seemed that what her mother said was true.

Recently, Shang Aixi had been troubled. Although her mother was safe, her father was still being pursued by a female teacher.

Though this female teacher was very discreet and cautious in her inquiries, Shang Aixi understood everything and could see through her intentions immediately.

One day, the female teacher came by again. The female teacher was quite attractive and had a great figure, but even so, she couldn’t compare to her mother.

“Xiao Aixi, what are you thinking about?” The female teacher asked, seeing her staring out the window.

Shang Aixi glanced at the teacher. “I was thinking about my name.”

“Your name?” The teacher repeated, puzzled. Shang Aixi was very intelligent and was already handling second and third-grade subjects with ease, although she hadn’t tried fourth or fifth-grade subjects yet. She found her kindergarten classmates quite childish and unworthy of conversation.

“Yes, my name. Do you know what my name means?” Shang Aixi confirmed that the teacher hadn’t heard wrong.

The female teacher was taken aback. “Shang Aixi? How could I not know your name?” She smiled, trying to pat Shang Aixi’s head, but Shang Aixi subtly avoided her.

“Do you know the origin of this name?” Shang Aixi asked again.

The teacher awkwardly withdrew her hand and guessed, “Is it that your father will always love Aixi? Is that the meaning?”

Shang Aixi looked at the teacher with her glassy eyes. “My mother’s name is Yuexi, and my father’s surname is Shang.” The answer was obvious.

The female teacher’s expression turned very difficult. After a moment of silence, she believed that with her beauty, she should be able to win Mr. Shang’s heart.

Seeing that the teacher wasn’t giving up, Shang Aixi turned her head towards the setting sun. “People are always unwilling to listen to advice.”

Her mature words made the teacher both amused and helpless. This child was really hard to deceive.

When the class ended and it was time for parents to pick up their children, Shang Yao’s tall figure walked up, taking Shang Aixi’s hand. Shang Aixi, like her father, had a blank expression.

After nodding slightly at the teacher, Shang Yao led Shang Aixi out of the school gate. The female teacher, seeing this, hurried to say something.

“Hello, Mr. Shang…” The female teacher tried to stop Shang Yao but was blocked by Secretary Fang.

“Sorry, if you have something to say, you can tell me. I will inform the president,” Secretary Fang said, clearly understanding the teacher’s intentions.

Seeing Shang Yao and Shang Aixi leave, the female teacher was in a bad mood. She looked Secretary Fang up and down.

“May I ask why Shang Aixi’s mother never picks her up?” The female teacher wanted to press further.

“Because the president doesn’t allow it,” Secretary Fang replied straightforwardly.

The female teacher was secretly pleased, thinking this was a good opportunity. “But this could be detrimental to the child’s development. As a mother, one should care more about her child.”

Secretary Fang wasn’t swayed by the teacher’s urgent demeanor. “There’s nothing we can do. The president protects his wife very well because she’s too beautiful.” Secretary Fang dropped a piece of gossip.

The female teacher didn’t expect such an answer and was left speechless. She then wondered if she was prettier than Shang Aixi’s mother.

She was confident she was more beautiful than Shang Aixi’s mother. “That may be true, but since the child is about to graduate from kindergarten, I hope the mother can attend tomorrow’s parent meeting.”

Secretary Fang said she would inform Shang Aixi’s parents and watched as the teacher left, deciding she would dress beautifully the next day.

The next day arrived quickly.

The kindergarten was particularly lively, with almost all the parents present. Only Shang Aixi’s family of three hadn’t arrived yet.

The female teacher was confidently waiting for them, determined to outshine Shang Aixi’s mother. The male teacher and the principal were also welcoming the parents.

In the spotlight, a Maybach stopped at the side of the road in front of the kindergarten. Shang Yao and Shang Aixi got out first.

Shang Yao reached into the car, and a delicate, fair hand was placed into his. The elegant, flawless legs of the person stepped out of the car first. With her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her attractive face with nearly perfect features and gentle eyes created a heavenly, otherworldly presence that stunned everyone.

Everyone had thought Shang Aixi’s mother was not good-looking since she never picked up her child from school.

Unexpectedly, she was so beautiful that it left everyone in awe.

The female teacher was stunned by Ruan Yuexi’s unparalleled beauty and couldn’t recover for a long time. She couldn’t believe what Secretary Fang had said was true—Ruan Yuexi was too beautiful.

Shang Yao was unhappy and coldly blocked Ruan Yuexi from the male teacher’s admiring gaze, feeling extremely jealous.

Shang Aixi sighed inwardly, knowing that her father would be jealous again. But her mother was indeed beautiful, like a fairy.

Shang Aixi pulled her father’s hand away and clung to Ruan Yuexi’s hand, raising her head high. This was her mother.

To Shang Aixi’s surprise, her mother was pregnant again. She saw her father’s expression turn very grim and then sit there sulking.

While her mother was comforting her father nearby, her father seemed very angry but still clung to her mother, not letting go. Shang Aixi looked away and continued to invade a scam website, bringing it down.

As for the arrival of a younger sibling, Shang Aixi didn’t mind much. However, she hoped for a younger brother, someone who could handle a few hits and fend off bullying. A younger sister would be delicate and soft, and she would have to pamper her, which Shang Aixi wasn’t keen on.

During these nine months, Shang Aixi felt like she was invisible. Her father became even more attached to her mother, constantly focused on her every move.

Fortunately, her grandparents cared for her, but Shang Aixi was speechless when a younger brother arrived—only for him to be a delicate and soft younger brother.

From a young age, her brother liked to follow her around, calling, “Sister, sister, hug me.”

But apart from her mother and grandparents, neither she nor her father showed much interest in the brother. Her father seemed quite indifferent to the brother, which led to her mother frequently scolding her father, not letting him return to their bedroom.

Whenever her father was sent out of the room, he would linger by the door, looking pitiful.

One night, while Shang Aixi was sleepily heading to the bathroom, she saw her mother let her father back in. Her father picked up her mother and closed the door behind them.

She suddenly recalled a saying: “Companionship is the longest confession of love. Waiting is the warmest harbor, and in this vast world, only each other’s eyes reflect their love.”

Shang Aixi understood the literal meaning but didn’t fully grasp the feelings behind it. However, she knew her parents had a true love that many people chased after.

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Ayalee: I want to thank my dear reader who has been reading and supporting TGTSCDTML from the start until the end. Your support is very much appreciated. <3