Chapter 1213: Mom Comes Home
The moment the two women stepped inside, Big Yellow, with the energy of a caffeinated toddler, caught sight of Gu Zi and immediately lost its mind. It barked in joyful spurtsââAwuu! Awuu!ââtail wagging like a metronome gone wild. It had clearly missed her terribly.
As Gu Zi approached, the dog began leaping up and down with unabashed glee, practically doing somersaults in excitement. She couldnât bear to walk past it. Instead, she bent down with a soft smile, her fingers sinking into its fur as she lovingly patted its head.
âThere, there,â she murmured, soothing it for a long moment as if calming an old friend whoâd waited years for her return.
Meanwhile, Su Jing had already hauled all the luggage into the spacious living room. At first glance, the exterior of the house seemed modest and a little worn, but the interiorâoh, the interiorâwas a different story entirely. It was elegant, tastefully appointed, and incredibly warm.
Su Jing wasnât the least bit surprised. Wherever Gu Zi went, she brought the sense of home with her. Aesthetic sensibilities, it seemed, came effortlessly to her.
No wonder her brother was so besotted.
Su Jing looked around. The house was quietâtoo quiet. No children squealing, no man lounging on the couch in socks. She turned toward Gu Zi, raising a perfectly sculpted brow.
âSis, where are my brother and the kids? Itâs Saturday, right? Surely theyâre not still in school?â
Gu Zi, now seated gracefully on the ivory-toned sectional, poured herself a glass of water and took a small sip. Her eyes swept the tidy, sunlit room. Everything was in its place, sparkling clean and orderly. The sense of calm made her heart ache with homesicknessâfor the children, for Su Shen. They were so well-behaved, so easy to love. They never gave her any trouble, never required her to be anything but herself. How could she not miss them?
She set the glass down gently. âSu Shenâs probably swamped with work,â she said with a soft chuckle. âHe likely brought them with him to the office.â
Then, as if deciding now was as good a time as any, she leaned forward slightly and her tone shifted into something more serious.
âSu Jing, your brother and I wanted to wait until you got here to talk about this. Itâs about the Xu family. Xu Shengâs father, Xu Fanâis not the childrenâs biological father. Heâs their uncle. Xu Ye was the eldest son of the Xu family, and⊠your brotherâs investigation found that Xu Ye died about a year ago during a drug enforcement operation. It was an undercover mission.â
She paused, watching Su Jingâs face carefully before continuing.
âInitially, your brother and I were determined to confront them, to seek justice. But when we discovered Xu Ye was already dead, we both felt there was no point in reopening those wounds. The children are still young. Why burden them with ghosts from the past? If the Xu family doesnât come looking for trouble, weâve decided to let it go. To live as if they donât exist.â
The serene weight of Gu Ziâs words hung in the room like incense smoke. Su Jing, who had been listening in a composed silence, suddenly tensed. Her brows furrowed, her jaw tightened, and a storm surged in her eyes. Her voice rose sharply, trembling with disbelief and fury.
âWhat do you meanâjust let it go? Just because that scumbag is dead, everythingâs resolved? The pain he caused my sisterâdoes that vanish too? Does his death give us back a healthy, happy Su Mo?â
Her voice cracked. Her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. Tears spilled down her cheeks, uninvited but unstoppable. For so long, she had been the younger sister who took and tookâfrom her brother and her sisterânever really giving back. And yet, Su Mo had never once shown resentment. Never once pushed her away.
Now, all she wanted was to do somethingâanythingâfor the sister who had loved her unconditionally. Confronting the Xu family, demanding justiceâthat was the one thing she could still do.
Gu Zi watched her quietly, her own heart aching. She understood. This wasnât just righteous angerâit was remorse. Su Jing was trying to reclaim lost time, to redeem herself for all the missed moments, the unsaid words, the absence that had once stretched too long. Maybeâjust maybeâif sheâd stayed closer to Su Mo, things wouldnât have spiraled so horribly. Maybe Su Mo wouldnât have become so extreme, so broken.
She reached out gently. âCalm down. This isnât a decision we made behind your back. We waited for you to come home, remember? If this is what you want to do, neither your brother nor I will stop you. All we ask is that you let us know beforehand.â
Then, with a reassuring smile, she added, âBut youâve just arrived. Have a good meal first, get some sleep, and take a proper rest. The Xu family isnât going anywhere.â
Su Jing blinked, realizing how hysterical she must have seemed. She hastily wiped her tears away, voice quieter now, sheepish. âSorry, sis. I didnât mean to yell at you. Iâm justâGod, every time I think about Xu Ye, I want to scream.â
Gu Zi handed her a tissue, and Su Jing took it with a sniff, dabbing at her face and composing herself.
Just then, the front door swung open with a clatter. And there they wereâSu Shen and the children, bursting into the room like sunshine through a storm cloud.
Gu Ziâs eyes lit up, a tender smile breaking across her face. The children froze for half a second in surprise, then pure delight washed over them.
Su Li was the first to react, bounding toward her with the explosive joy only a child can summon. âMommy! Youâre back!â he squealed. âMommy, my exam results came out yesterdayâI got ninety in math! Itâs my first ninety ever! And Daddy took us to the Childrenâs Palace today!â
Su Shen followed behind with the other two children, his calm presence grounding the chaos. Gu Ziâs gaze softened. So thatâs where theyâd been. Su Shen had actually taken them out for a little adventure. âProgress,â she thought fondly.
Su Li refused to let go of her hand, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Gu Zi gave him an affectionate smile. âOur Su Li is getting more and more amazing.â
Then Su Bing quietly stepped forward, standing shyly beside her. âMommy,â he said, âmy results are out too. Still full marks.â
He said it almost bashfully, a blush rising to his cheeks as he looked up at her with hopeful eyes.
Gu Zi reached out and brushed his hair back gently. âOur Su Bing is just as amazing. Always consistent, always steady.â
Just then, Su Le came barreling over and, with expert precision, shoved Su Li aside to stake her own claim to their mother. Her eyes dropped to Gu Ziâs belly, and in a sweet, almost solemn voice, she said, âBaby, Mommy took a long train ride to come home. Donât kick, okay? Let Mommy rest for a while.â
Su Jing stood to the side, watching the entire reunion unfold like a scene out of a touching dramaâand not a single child had even noticed her. With exaggerated sorrow, she sighed and declared theatrically, âWow. I came all this way bearing gifts and goodies for everyone, and so far, not one of you has even said hello to me!â
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