Chapter 146: Player (Arc End)

Isn’t this just another version of Jian Yin?!

Nan Xu instinctively looked up at Yu Liuxue, only to see her wrinkle her nose and fall into serious thought. At the same time, her little mouth didn’t stop asking questions: “Tang Yu, did you confess to the teacher again this time, or did you invite the principal over to our house again?”

After a pause, she gritted her teeth and asked, “Or did you do both?!”

Tang Yu blinked guiltily and tried to defend herself with a pitiful tone, “Mommy, the teacher and the principal care about me so much. I just wanted to thank them, so I thought of inviting them to our house to play. I told them I’d give them lots and lots of snacks. Besides, Mommy, you’re all so amazing…”

Lu Ling chimed in at the right moment to explain, “The teacher heard about how Yu Yu has multiple mommies. This story has spread widely among the kids and parents at the kindergarten. The children firmly believe it and all went home to ask their own parents why they don’t have several mommies like Tang Yu. Then the dads got beaten up by the moms. The next day, they all came to school with bruised faces to ask the teacher what was going on.”

Nan Xu: “…” As expected of the child of Jian Yin and Tang Shiyu.

If Tang Yu were her own biological daughter, she might’ve dropped dead on the spot from sheer anger.

Over the years, Tang Shiyu had seen her fair share of chaos and was no stranger to storms. She stared sternly at her daughter. “Yu Yu.”

Whenever she got serious, Tang Yu would get scared. But now, with so many aunties around to back her up, she puffed up with false confidence and argued loudly, “Is it my fault that they only have one mommy? Isn’t it the world’s fault? Their parents should reflect on themselves instead of blaming others for their shortcomings!”

“Their parents aren’t as amazing as mine and can’t find more mommies for their kids. So why should they be calling my mommies in for a talk at school?” Tang Yu put her little hands on her hips and gave a haughty snort. “Fools torment themselves.”

Nan Xu: “!!!”

She felt like she’d never been this shocked in her entire life. For a moment, she didn’t even know what to say. That logic was airtight—absolutely flawless.

After hearing Tang Yu’s words, both Tang Shiyu and Mi Rou turned their chilly gazes toward Yu Liuxue. As the direct victim in this situation, Tang Shiyu didn’t need to say anything. Mi Rou, though she had no plans to date or get married, still found it jarring to be suddenly saddled with a daughter. Even though Tang Yu’s presence had helped her fend off a bunch of annoying suitors and made her parents gradually give up on forcing her into blind dates.

She still remembered the look of utter disappointment on her parents’ faces when they said, “You won’t take a perfectly good girl, but you’re rushing to be someone else’s child’s mother? We don’t have a daughter as rebellious as you!”

Mi Rou couldn’t have explained herself even with a hundred mouths, so she simply stopped trying. And so, the whole world came to know about it.

Back when Tang Yu couldn’t speak very well, perhaps under Jian Yin’s deliberate coaching, one day when Mi Rou suddenly showed up, Tang Yu, who was in Tang Shiyu’s arms, flailed her limbs excitedly and blurted out, “Mommy!” Tang Shiyu’s face turned pitch black on the spot.

Ever since then, Tang Shiyu would take shots at Mi Rou from time to time.

The System stepped forward with a suspicious tone. “Host, are you afraid the melodrama would die out, so you deliberately gave birth to a clone to keep the soap opera going?”

Yu Liuxue’s face was blank. “Do I look like someone that bored to you?”

The System nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

She spat at it fiercely, then grabbed Tang Yu and began lecturing her earnestly. “Yu Yu, what does Mommy always teach you? Mommy said, some thoughts are fine to keep to yourself. There’s no need to say them out loud. Otherwise, you’ll end up like now—getting a good beating from me.”

Tang Yu immediately turned and ran, so fast that even Yu Liuxue couldn’t catch her.

As she ran, she shouted loudly, “Mommy, I get it! I swear I’ll never say it out loud again!”

Tang Shiyu, Nan Xu, and Mi Rou all went dark in the face. This was bad. If she was this bold as a child, what would she be like when she got older and sneakier? Who knew what tricks she might pull then? Could they, a bunch of old aunties, really handle that kind of chaos? In an instant, three icy gazes locked onto Yu Liuxue again. Yu Liuxue blinked and cautiously ducked behind Lu Ling. “Sister-in-law, they’re bullying me.”

Lu Ling immediately frowned. “You three, don’t gang up on her.”

Nan Xu’s red lips parted in disbelief. “???” Three years away, and even Sister Ling has become this unreasonable?

Is this the classic case of being influenced by the company you keep?

Suddenly, Nan Xu felt like maybe she could stay in Africa for another ten or even fifty years.

Nan Xu’s return to the country put Tang Shiyu on high alert. She was constantly on guard against Nan Xu and Jian Yin rekindling their relationship, terrified that the two of them would end up like last time—drinking together and waking up in the same bed. She especially regretted what had happened back then. If only she had put work aside and returned to the hotel room earlier, maybe Jian Yin wouldn’t have ended up with Nan Xu. Maybe Nan Xu wouldn’t have misunderstood and thought Jian Yin was carrying her child, leading her to give up on liking Tang Shiyu and instead compete with her for Jian Yin.

The twists and turns in this drama were more outrageous than anything on TV, and Tang Shiyu couldn’t even tell where it had all gone wrong.

Even though she and Jian Yin were now happily married and had a mischievous little one, Tang Shiyu still felt no sense of security. The only thing that gave her any peace of mind was holding Jian Yin tightly in her arms at night. That day, Tang Shiyu started getting handsy again. Yu Liuxue, baffled, asked the System, “She does this every day. Doesn’t she get tired?”

The System countered, “But Host, isn’t this exactly the kind of Tang Shiyu you like?”

Yu Liuxue was silent for a moment, then weakly argued, “I do like her, but I’m just worried about her health.”

The System quietly activated Do Not Disturb mode. “A true artisan is filled with love. So no matter how exhausting or difficult the task, they have the drive to keep going. Besides, Host, you’re always out flirting and making Tang Shiyu feel extremely insecure.”

Physical intimacy is undoubtedly the most direct way for lovers to feel secure in a relationship.

For a moment, the System couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental. Back in the beginning, the one with the least sense of security in this relationship was the client—Jian Yin. But ever since the Host arrived, the one who lacked security had become Tang Shiyu. And Tang Shiyu had been reborn. Because of her deep guilt toward Jian Yin, she let the Host do whatever she wanted, never daring to speak harshly to her. Maybe she knew that if she treated the Host badly even once, the Host could divorce her on the spot and run off with another woman.

Nan Xu aside, Mi Rou and Lu Ling—who had gotten back together with Tang Xiuyi—were, in Tang Shiyu’s eyes, all ranked higher in the Host’s heart than she was. Not to mention the women who were drawn to the Host’s charm, who found her even more alluring after marriage and motherhood, throwing themselves at her for her beauty or her wealth. They were driving Tang Shiyu absolutely mad.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were married, Tang Shiyu might have seen the woman by the Host’s side change several times a day. In the Host’s own words: waking up, eating, having afternoon tea, shopping, clubbing, and sleeping all required different partners—each bringing a different feeling.

The problem was, the Host was a shameless flirt, and there was nothing Tang Shiyu could do to stop her.

This time, it was Tang Shiyu who stepped in to handle Tang Yu’s situation. After arriving at school, Tang Yu unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to hop out with her little backpack when Tang Shiyu suddenly called out, “Yuyu, wait a moment.”

Tang Yu turned back with a confused look. “Mom?”

Tang Shiyu took a deep breath, steeling herself. She forced a smile. “Yuyu, how about we make a deal?”

Tang Yu immediately started calculating in her head. After a moment, she gave a sweet smile. “You go first, Mom. Yuyu is still young and not very capable. I’m afraid I might disappoint you.”

Tang Shiyu couldn’t help but smile faintly. “No, you can definitely do it.”

Tang Yu shivered inexplicably. Something about her mom felt off today. She nodded. “Go ahead, Mom. I’m listening.”

“As long as you help me get rid of all the random women around your mom, no matter what mistakes you make in the future, no matter what trouble you get into, I’ll cover for you. How about it?” Tang Shiyu said slowly. Perhaps because she saw this as a negotiation, she casually rolled up her sleeves. “If you can make all those women around your mom disappear completely, I swear, as long as I’m alive, I’ll always protect you and help you with anything you can’t handle.”

Tang Yu started weighing her options again. Would it be more cost-effective to get beaten to death by Yu Liuxue, or to live recklessly under Tang Shiyu’s protection?

Two minutes later, Tang Yu gave a sweet smile. Her bright, watery eyes were full of joy. “Making Mom happy is something Yuyu should do, right? If my moms are in harmony, Yuyu will also feel very satisfied.”

After the two of them reached an agreement in the car, they linked pinkies with a smile. “No backing out.”

Half a month later, Tang Yu sat across from Tang Shiyu, frowning and complaining, “Why are there always endless women around Mom? How did you even tolerate her juggling over a dozen relationships?!”

“To help you, my grades dropped by a full two points! Now she’s going to lecture me again! She said if I don’t do well in school, no one will even bother with me when I grow up to be a heartbreaker!”

Tang Shiyu reflexively asked, “The standards for being a heartbreaker are that high now?”

Then she snapped back to reality, realizing that wasn’t the point. Her face darkened. “And you’re one to talk! Telling the principal every day that you like her? She almost called the police! Do you even know that’s called harassment?”

Tang Yu pouted. “But Mom said the bar is really high in every field now. If I don’t start practicing hard from a young age, I’ll be eliminated when I grow up.”

Tang Shiyu nearly passed out on the spot. What kind of nonsense had Jian Yin been teaching their child?

Tang Yu held out her hand and began counting on her fingers. “Mom said, if I play the piano well, then just sitting in front of it will make countless pretty girls look at me. I won’t have to lift a finger to get everything I want.”

“She also said, the more skills I have, the better. If I master more than other kids, I’ll leave them in the dust when I grow up. Especially girls who can dance—she said they’re the most popular. But when she said that, her expression was really weird. Yuyu didn’t quite understand.”

Tang Shiyu: “…”

Your mom only said that to trick you into studying.

She rubbed her forehead and gave up trying to fix anything. “Yuyu, your mom’s right.” After a pause, she straightened up and said seriously, “But there’s one thing your mom didn’t teach you—telling people you like them every day isn’t right. Love and affection are warm and weighty feelings. They’re subtle. Sometimes, they don’t need to be shouted out so recklessly.”

Tang Yu blinked. “Like you, right? You clearly like Mom a lot, but you still let her cheat on you?”

Tang Shiyu was so furious she stood up and walked off. She refused to acknowledge this daughter.

Tang Yu panicked. “Mom! You still haven’t told me why there are always so many women around Mom!”

“I used to tell them I liked them and they’d run away scared. But now, they just smile at me and say, ‘Sure!’ They even say they’ll wait for me to grow up…”

Tang Shiyu nearly twisted her ankle. She turned back in fury. “How many women have you said that to?!”

“Not many. Just about a hundred or so,” Tang Yu replied obediently.

Tang Shiyu died on the spot: “!!!” In less than half a month, her wife had cycled through that many women? And not only that, her daughter had used the opportunity to recruit over a hundred potential daughters-in-law?!

Another reborn soul, dead from rage.

Just then, Yu Liuxue came home carrying a bag. She vaguely heard something about “over a hundred” and asked while changing her shoes, “What are you two talking about?”

Tang Shiyu immediately put on a different face and hugged her with a smile. “Today is our anniversary. I’ve already booked a hotel and prepared your favorite steak. And didn’t you say you liked that new LV handbag? I didn’t know which style you’d prefer, so I bought them all. Also, Little Swan just released new necklaces and bracelets…”

Tang Yu watched her mom fawning over the other with wide eyes. “…” So this is what Mom meant by the color of forgiveness?

Adult love is really complicated.

After the mission was mostly complete, Yu Liuxue had planned to leave. But the System whispered slyly, “Host, don’t you want to see what your daughter will be like when she grows up?”

Yu Liuxue thought for a moment, then decided to stay.

Twenty years later—

Tang Yu had become a renowned young lady of high society. She was well-educated, refined, and skilled in piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her personality was gentle, and her face always carried a sweet and serene smile, like a harmless little white rabbit. She inherited Tang Shiyu’s brilliant mind and Yu Liuxue’s flawless beauty. When she sat quietly at the piano, everyone passing by would hold their breath, afraid to disturb the scene of a fairy playing music.

Before the piece was finished, someone suddenly burst in, shouting, “Where’s Tang Yu? Give me back my girlfriend!”

Tang Yu stopped playing and stood up in a panic. The man quickly spotted her and charged over. “If you have the guts to steal my girlfriend, you better have the guts to fight me one-on-one!”

The crowd immediately stirred. Tang Yu’s eyes reddened, and she looked pitifully at the man in front of her. Her voice was as soft as a warbler’s song. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I still want to say I’m sorry.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking so delicate she seemed like she might topple over from a light breeze. “I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you and your girlfriend have, but everyone loves beautiful things, don’t they?”

“Liking pretty girls isn’t your girlfriend’s fault—it’s the world’s fault. Maybe you should sit down and talk it out with her.” Tang Yu lowered her gaze with a gentle smile. “You’re handsome and dignified. I’m sure you’re a gentleman too…”

Suddenly, the man interrupted her. “How about this—you be my girlfriend instead? Whatever you like, I’ll buy it for you! My family just demolished a few properties. My card’s loaded with cash!”

Tang Shiyu and Yu Liuxue, along with Mi Rou, Nan Xu, and the others, had just rushed over upon hearing the news. They were all speechless.

Tang Yu gently shook her head. “Money is just something external, after all.” She gave a weak smile. “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well. Please excuse me.”

Once she was out of the man’s sight, Tang Yu cheerfully lifted her skirt and threw herself into Yu Liuxue’s arms, exclaiming loudly, “Mom, I finally got my black belt in taekwondo¹! Guys like that one just now? I could take down ten of them with one hand!”

Nan Xu silently took a step back.

Tang Yu spotted her immediately and let go of Yu Liuxue to pounce on her, but Mi Rou stepped in and blocked her path. Tang Yu looked at Nan Xu with a pitiful expression. “Sister Xu, didn’t you promise to wait until I grew up? I’m already twenty-three now, legally old enough to get married. Are you really going to abandon me?”

Nan Xu had been tormented by Tang Yu for years. Without even thinking, she replied, “My heart belongs only to Xiao Yin.”

Tang Yu’s eyes dimmed instantly. “It’s okay. I’m willing to be Mom’s substitute. I’ll fake a marriage with you. I’ll be your stand-in lover.”

Tang Shiyu: “…” Why did that line sound so familiar?

Nan Xu was moved, then decisively rejected her, silently stepping behind Mi Rou. Tang Yu blinked her big eyes. “Sister Mi, then how about I—”

Mi Rou, cold as steel: “No.”

Seeing her daughter crash and burn so spectacularly, Yu Liuxue was finally satisfied. So it wasn’t her fault she couldn’t win over Mi Rou—it was the world’s fault.

Suddenly, Tang Shiyu gripped her hand tightly, a trace of nervousness in her eyes. Yu Liuxue turned to her with a smile. “Weren’t we going to celebrate Yu Yu’s twenty-third birthday?”

Tang Shiyu finally smiled, then discreetly slipped Tang Yu a small gift while she wasn’t paying attention. “You’re more important than our daughter.”

Tang Yu, sharp and observant thanks to Yu Liuxue’s training, caught the whole exchange. Her heart instantly ached. I really was just the bonus that came with Mom’s phone plan². Unwilling to be outdone, she ran to Yu Liuxue’s side. “Mom, this is the prize money I won from the piano competition. I used it all to buy you a handbag.”

“And this, and this—this is the prize money from my calligraphy competition, my first paycheck from my part-time job, and my streaming income… I’m giving it all to you.”

Tang Shiyu refused to be outshone. “Yinyin, the company made a profit last quarter. Do you want a house, a car, or…”

Tang Yu interrupted her with a gentle smile. “Mom, I want to take care of you for the rest of my life!”

Tang Shiyu: “Yinyin, if you never leave me, I’ll never abandon you. I’ll always be by your side and give you whatever you want… Tang Yu, are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?”

Tang Yu looked completely innocent. “Mom, in the future, I’ll take care of you together with my girlfriend. How can you say that? Haven’t we always competed with our own skills to win your favor? Are you just mad because you lost?”

System: “???”

Yu Liuxue paid no attention to their bickering. Her left hand was held by Tang Shiyu, her right arm wrapped around her daughter. Her eyes curved into a smile, her face glowing with joy. “Daughters really are the best. From now on, I’ll have two people taking care of me.”

Tang Shiyu: “…”

That night, Tang Shiyu held her tightly. “Yinyin, after all these years, are you still not going to forgive me?”

She no longer knew what to do. She had gradually stopped hoping to hear any words of affection from Yu Liuxue. So she buried herself in work, doing everything she could to please her. But then, Yu Liuxue suddenly hugged her and kissed the corner of her lips. “Tang Shiyu, actually, I do like you quite a bit.”

“So if you’re okay with me being with other women too, I’ll stay with you for the rest of my life.”

Tang Shiyu’s eyelid twitched violently. Ignoring Yu Liuxue’s words, she responded enthusiastically, “I’ll make sure your eyes can only see me.”

Other women? Don’t even think about it. Jian Yin belongs to her alone.

Translator’s Notes