There was silence for a moment, and Bai Xiao heard footsteps. It must be Su Manrong getting up and walking to a corner, not wanting others to hear the call.
Bai Xiao clenched her phone tightly. Even though she had been mentally prepared, she still felt uncomfortable hearing Su Manrong's avoidance.
"Xiaoxiao, are you still there?" Su Manrong's slightly anxious voice sounded in the receiver.
Bai Xiao softly said "hmm".
"Xiaoxiao, why did you call me?" Su Manrong's heart was beating loudly, and she forgot to ask her how she knew her number.
Bai Xiao grabbed a tissue in her left hand. When her fingers curled up, the tissue was crumpled into shape. Listening to Su Manrong's voice, it felt like she had dreamed of her mother's voice countless times in her dreams. She didn't expect it to be real.
I heard it, but I was not as happy or excited as I imagined.
Bai Xiao went straight to the topic: "There is something I want to ask you."
"It just so happens that I also have something to tell you. Xiaoxiao, where do you live? I will pick you up."
"No need to bother, just call us."
When Su Manrong heard what she said, her voice became more and more urgent: "Xiaoxiao, my mother is begging you, can you please meet my mother?"
Mother……
When Su Manrong said this title, Bai Xiao's eyes turned red, but he still tried his best to control his emotions: "That's not necessary."
"As long as you come out, mom will tell you whatever you want to know."
There was a rapid sound of high-heeled shoes trotting through the receiver, as well as other people's voices saying hello, but Su Manrong was too tired to deal with it, and her focus was on Bai Xiao on the other end of the phone: "Xiao Xiao, things are not what you think...
"
"So what? Don't worry, I have no intention of destroying your peaceful life now, and I won't tell others that you have another daughter."
Bai Xiao hung up the phone without waiting for further explanation.
The cell phone ringtone then rang in the living room, over and over again.
Bai Xiao threw the phone aside, got up, went back to the bedroom, closed the door, and leaned on the back of the door, her nose sore and her eyes red.
She walked to the cabinet, took out a thick book from the bottom drawer, and pulled out a black and white photo.
Looking at the delicate and beautiful woman with braids in the photo, Bai Xiao felt suffocated. She had never been so resentful in her life.
Why do you still show up now that you're gone? Still showing up in this capacity?
The moment she saw Su Manrong, she didn't even dare to think more. When Yu Shaoting was about to tell her about her surrogacy, the fear in her heart couldn't be greater. Su Manrong was the wife of Yu Shaoting's eldest brother. If she was... then what should Jing Xi do?
What kind of existence is it?
Thinking of Yu Jingxi and the image of those fleshy little hands covering her face to keep her warm, Bai Xiao took a deep breath and returned to the living room. When her phone rang again, she picked it up and heard Su Manrong on the other end.
A voice of surprise and joy: "Xiaoxiao, are you willing to listen to me..."
"Address." Bai Xiao interrupted her.
Su Manrong was startled.
"Didn't you tell me everything I wanted to ask? Tell me your address and I'll go find you."
Bai Xiao didn't want to say another irrelevant word to her, so she named a coffee shop and put the phone down.
The sound of Su Manrong calling her "Xiao Xiao" seemed to still be lingering in her ears.
——————————
When Bai Xiao arrived at the coffee shop, Su Manrong was already at the booth and stood up immediately when he saw her.
"Xiao Xiao..." Su Manrong got up too quickly and accidentally bumped into the waiter who was passing by carrying a drink.
In a flurry, the drink spilled on Su Manrong's clothes, but she didn't know it and just looked eagerly at Bai Xiao who was walking over.
Bai Xiao opened her eyes and pretended not to see the tears in her eyes.
The waiter wiped Su Manrong's clothes: "Madam, would you like to go to the bathroom and scrub?"
Su Manrong shook her head and refused to take her eyes away from Bai Xiao, "No, please order two glasses of orange for me... Xiaoxiao, what do you like to drink?"
Bai Xiao said to the waiter: "A glass of boiling water, I'll leave right away."
Su Manrong's face flashed with disappointment, and her folded hands revealed her restless and confused mood at the moment.
"Sit down." Bai Xiao said calmly.
Su Manrong nodded quickly, wanted to sit down and then stood up, looking at Bai Xiao eagerly: "Xiao Xiao, there is sunshine over here, why don't you sit over here."
Bai Xiao looked at the self-centered woman opposite, unable to compare her with the image of an abandoned young girl. She ignored Su Manrong's attentiveness and sat down directly in the booth. Su Manrong followed him and sat down, and there was a silence between the two of them.
spread among them.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by the waiter who brought the drinks.
Su Manrong held the drink cup with both hands. Her fingers were almost turning white because she clenched them so tightly. She looked up at Bai Xiao and asked, "How have you been these past few years?"
It was a very unoriginal opening statement, but it didn't sound right to Bai Xiao's ears. She also wanted to ask herself how have she been doing these past few years?
Su Manrong wore a Korean-style sweater, black pencil pants, and a pair of cream-white wedges. Her long hair was neatly pulled up. Bai Xiao could not find a single white hair on her head, and her well-maintained face was close to hers.
You can see one or two fine lines at the corner of her eyes. She exudes the unique temperament of an artist. For such a gentle and elegant woman, it is difficult to imagine that she is the schizophrenic madwoman described by her grandmother.
If Su Manrong is a lunatic, then who else in this world is a normal person?
Su Manrong didn't miss the sarcasm in Bai Xiao's eyes, and became more and more nervous: "Xiao Xiao, are you blaming your mother?"
"Are you sure that I am your daughter without asking me anything?" Bai Xiao took a sip of boiled water to moisten her throat, but her voice was still a little hoarse.
Su Manrong was quite excited when he heard her speak in such a nonchalant manner: "You are my daughter, your name is Bai Xiao, Xiao of 'Youjuan pines on the path, moonrise and cold cicadas chirping'. How could I be wrong in giving my own name?"
?”
Bai Xiao turned her head and looked out the window in embarrassment, not looking at Su Manrong's loving eyes. Only she knew how much willpower it took to suppress the rolling emotions in her heart. She never knew that her name had such an origin.
.
"Xiaoxiao, how are your grandparents doing?"
"My grandpa passed away in a car accident when I was four years old. Since you still care about them, why don't you go and ask them yourself?"
Su Manrong's eyes suddenly turned red. She held the drink cup as if it was her only support. She opened her mouth and said with some difficulty: "I know you blame me for being indifferent to you all these years. I don't want to be like this either. There are many
Things are not as simple as you think..."
"That's your business and has nothing to do with me. I just want to get the answer I want from you."
Bai Xiao's cold words finally made Su Manrong shed tears: "Xiao Xiao, I really didn't mean to leave you alone."
"That's enough, I'm not interested in hearing these words. I just want to ask you, is my father Yu Zhengdong?"
Su Manrong looked at her suddenly, looking a little hasty: "Why do you ask?"
"Just tell me yes or no."
Seeing Bai Xiao's firm attitude, Su Manrong opened her mouth, but no sound came out, only tears kept pouring out.
Bai Xiao's heart sank, but she didn't give up: "I have the right to know who my biological father is."
"Do you have to know?"
Bai Xiao didn't answer, but looked straight at her.
Su Manrong wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a tissue, and spoke after a while: "I did have mental problems during the days when I took you back to Liyang. Later, I was in a car accident in Yunnan while wandering around, and I forgot about it when I woke up.
Everything happened, and I met Zhengdong there."
After saying that, Su Manrong paused and looked at Bai Xiao: "Zhengdong is the eldest son of the Yu family. He was serving in the army in Yunnan at that time."
"I didn't know at the time that he and I had known each other three years ago. He had been taking care of me during the days when I lost my memory and couldn't take care of myself. Later... I went back to Fengcheng with him, and he told his parents that I was from Yunnan, and my family
All my relatives passed away, and we got married half a year later, and then we had Yiwei."
Bai Xiao's fingers were holding the water glass, and her heart was not as calm as she looked.
"During the days when I was pregnant with Yiwei, I was in a very low mood and often had nightmares. Later, it became so severe that I needed to see a psychiatrist regularly. When I was eight months pregnant, I remembered the past." Su Manrong raised her head and looked at Bai Xiao's face.
Her eyes were filled with tears, as if it was a painful memory.
"After I gave birth to Yiwei, Zhengdong accompanied me to Liyang, but on the way...he died in the car trying to save me."
So...you think it was their relatives in Liyang who killed her husband, would you rather die than interact with each other?
If it hadn't been for the encounter last night, she would never have come to find him?
Bai Xiao's lips were a little pale because of the loss of blood. She looked at Su Manrong, and for some reason she felt that Su Manrong was hiding something.
"Xiao Xiao, I have been cowardly over the years and have not dared to face the past, which has also caused you to suffer a lot." Su Manrong reached out to hold Bai Xiao's hand, but Bai Xiao shrank back and avoided it.
Without her touch, Su Manrong looked at her anxiously: "Xiaoxiao, are you willing to go abroad with your mother?"
"How about you and your mother go to Ireland after Yiwei's engagement party is over? My mother will definitely take good care of you from now on."
Bai Xiao clenched the cup and asked her doubts, even if it was the acne in Su Manrong's heart: "What about my biological father? Who is he?"
Su Manrong's eyes dodge, obviously unwilling to answer this question.
"Is Yu Zhengdong my father?"
Seeing her escaping, Bai Xiao already knew what she was doing. He took the bag and stood up: "In this case, we have nothing to say."
Su Manrong grabbed her and said, "Xiaoxiao, go abroad with your mother to give her a chance to make amends."
"I'm living a good life now and don't need anyone's compensation. If possible, I just want you to go back and see grandma."
A call came in from Bai Xiao's mobile phone. She broke away from Su Manrong's hand and it was Yu Shaoting's number.
As soon as I picked up the phone, a child's pretentious voice came from the other side: "What are you doing?"
Bai Xiao could even imagine Yu Jingxi lying on his back on the sofa, dangling his short legs and his bulging belly.
The original indifference when talking to Su Manrong faded away, and Bai Xiao naturally softened his voice: "I have something to do outside, what about you?"
Yu Jingxi snorted twice and said in a somewhat unhappy tone: "I'm watching cartoons and there's still a lot of homework I haven't done yet."
"I'll teach you when you get back."
"But I'm in dad's company."
Bai Xiao: "I have finished my work and will pick you up on the way. Then I will go to Qinyuan to get my schoolbag."
The little guy was very satisfied with her arrangement and explained a few more words before hanging up the phone.
Bai Xiao put away her phone. Su Manrong was already staring at her and asking tentatively: "Is that voice on the phone just now Jing Xi?"
Bai Xiao did not deny it.
Su Manrong's expression suddenly changed, and she tightened her grip on Bai Xiao's hand: "Are you dating Shao Ting?"
"So what?" Bai Xiao said and turned around to leave, but Su Manrong said anxiously: "Xiao Xiao, you can't be with Shao Ting!"
"I like him, why can't I be with him?"
"Because your father is his..." Su Manrong suddenly fell silent, as if she realized she had said something wrong, and her face instantly turned pale.
Bai Xiao looked at her aggressively: "Who is my father from Yu Shaoting?"
Su Manrong took a step back, bumped into the dining table, and her whole body was shaking: "You will not be happy together."
As she said that, she took Bai Xiao's hand again, her eyes almost pleading: "Just think of it as mom begging you to live abroad with mom. You are still young. Tell mom what kind of boy you like. Mom knows many people in Ireland.
, I can introduce it to you.”
"I didn't even know that my sister-in-law was trying to pry me off behind my back."
Bai Xiao and Su Manrong turned their heads at the same time——
Yu Shaoting strode over, his suit straight and fierce, his thin lips pursed and his face unhappy.
Su Manrong looked ugly. Before she could recover from the shock, Yu Shaoting was already standing next to Bai Xiao.
Bai Xiao lowered her eyes. There was already a hand with clear joints on her shoulder. Yu Shaoting said nothing, hugged her and turned around to leave.
