Chapter 70: I’ll Accompany You (Part 2)
Chapter 70: I’ll Accompany You (Part 2)
Mom spared me a glance with her beautiful eyes. "If you’re really that unhappy, why don’t you just take Teacher Chu Ning as your mother instead?"
I crouched by her side, tightly hugging her soft, slender calves. "That won’t do. My mom is the best in the world. I wouldn’t trade her for anyone."
Her legs felt so comfortable to hold... I wanted to stay like this forever.
"Teacher Chu is so beautiful; she’d make a fine mother for you..."
I cut her off immediately. "Not as beautiful as you. Mom is the most beautiful person in the world."
Mom wore a look of feigned disgust. "How cheesy. I wonder which girl taught you to be so glib."
"You can’t just wrong me like that for no reason."
"I’d wrong anyone before I’d wrong you." Mom gave her leg a little shake. "Let go."
I reluctantly released her legs, stealing one last lingering look at the high-end custom stilettos on her beautiful feet—I didn't even know the brand. "I’ve admitted my mistake. Can you eat now?"
"Not yet."
Mom’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, her sharp gaze piercing right through me. "Be honest. What is the relationship between you and Chu Ning?"
My heart jolted, but I remained calm. "What relationship could there be? Just teacher and student."
"Is it really that simple?"
"Mom, you worry too much every day." I draped an arm around her fragrant shoulders with feigned nonchalance. "Teacher Chu is beautiful, and your son is handsome, but you can’t go doubting our pure teacher-student relationship!"
The corner of Mom’s mouth quirked up; she clearly didn't believe me. "Do you think I’m a fool? If there’s nothing between you, why did you look so upset when you saw her husband?"
She was so sharp...
I forced myself to stay composed. "Mom, to be honest, Teacher Chu is very beautiful, and everyone has a heart for beauty. I’m a teenage boy; isn’t it normal to have a tiny bit of... that kind of thought? Everyone feels possessive toward beautiful things."
"But don’t worry, Mom. Even if I had a passing thought like that, there is absolutely nothing else between your son and Chu Ning."
Mom looked suspicious, her expression unreadable. She probably hadn't expected me to be so "candid," which made her unsure of my true motives.
I tightened my arm, pulling her upper body close. "Besides, no matter how beautiful Teacher Chu is, she’s not as beautiful as you. And she’s so much older than me—how could I possibly like her?"
As I said this, I silently apologized to Teacher Chu. While she was a fraction less stunning than Mom, she was still a rare, exquisite beauty. If I had to rate the world's beauties, and Mom was a perfect ten, Teacher Chu would be a 9.99.
Mom’s expression softened at the first half of my sentence, but it shifted slightly at the second.
My heart sank. Did she think I was calling her old? After all, Mom was older than Chu Ning.
Mom’s expression flickered for nearly half a minute before she said stiffly, "You should be focusing entirely on your studies right now. Don’t think about things you shouldn’t. From now on, pull yourself together and prepare for the college entrance exams. Understood?"
"Understood." I placed the food in front of her. "Can you eat now?"
"Mm." Mom patted my arm. "Stop hugging me. You’re wrinkling my clothes."
I smiled and let go of her shoulders. "When I make a lot of money in the future, I’ll buy you a villa just to store your clothes."
Mom didn’t respond, simply taking a quiet sip of the Red Bean Glutinous Rice Ball Porridge.
"How does it taste?"
Mom nodded slightly. "It’s fine."
"Just fine?"
Mom fell silent again.
I stared at her flawless face, an "auntie smile" creeping onto my lips. "Mom, look at you. Why are you as hard to coax as a little girl?"
Mom asked calmly, "Is that so? Which 'little girls' have I been as difficult as?"
I chuckled, hearing the probe in her voice. "Harder than you, of course."
Mom looked confused. "What do you mean?"
I leaned in close to her ear, whispering as if sharing a secret, my warm breath brushing against her fair, delicate face. "In my eyes, Mom is a girl. So, coaxing you is just as hard as coaxing any girl."
I was incredibly nervous saying this, my heart thumping like a trapped deer. On the surface, I was just trying to make her happy, but in my heart, I was declaring my feelings. It was practically a "love confession."
I stood beside her, watching her reaction closely, trying to see if I could read anything from her response.
Mom froze for a moment, then set down her spoon and sighed softly. "Mom is almost forty. How could I be like a girl?"
My heart sank. Damn it, she really did take that comment about Chu Ning's age to heart.
I rushed forward. In my panic, I lost my sense of propriety. I reached out and cupped her face with both hands, staring directly into her phoenix eyes with absolute sincerity. "In my heart, Mom will always be a girl. Forever young and beautiful."
Mom looked up at me, dazed. Our gazes locked and intertwined. In that moment of eye contact, a subtle resonance ignited between us.
No sound, no movement. The gaze between mother and son became an invisible current, reaching the deepest parts of each other's hearts.
We stared into each other's eyes for a long, long time. Finally, Mom looked away unnaturally, a faint blush creeping onto her pale cheeks and refusing to fade.
Coming back to my senses and seeing her silent state, the love I felt for her nearly overflowed like a flood. I suppressed the urge to confess and broke the silence. "Mom, have some more porridge."
Mom shook her head slowly. "Forget it. I really have no appetite."
Seeing her lost in thought, with a trace of unspeakable sorrow between her brows, I felt a wave of regret. I hated myself for my careless words.