"Mommy, do you really like them that much?" Seeing the joy in her mother's eyes, Anna asked curiously. In her mind, "liking" was something that should only be reserved for one person—just like how her favorite toy could only belong to her alone.
Her question caught Chu Lian a little off guard. After thinking for a moment, she nodded earnestly and replied, "Yes, I do. I like them very much—just like Mommy likes Anna."
"But Anna doesn't want Mommy to share her love! Only give it to Anna, okay?" Anna pouted stubbornly. In her mind, affection was something exclusive—if it was given to too many people, it stopped being real affection.
"Hmm... how should I put it? There are different kinds of liking. Some are the kind between friends, some between confidants, some are just pure fondness, and some are..." She trailed off, her cheeks turning slightly red. Quickly changing the topic, she said, "Anyway, there are all sorts of liking. Mommy's love for Anna is the kind between a mother and her daughter—it's different from the others."
Stare~
However, Anna didn't respond. She simply stared silently at Chu Lian, making her even more embarrassed—thankfully, Inori's voice came just in time: "Lian, Aunt Mingxue is calling..."
"Mother's calling?" Chu Lian immediately seized the chance to escape Anna's gaze. Turning around, she hopped off the balcony, set Anna aside, and took the phone Inori handed her. With a sweet, almost syrupy tone, she greeted, "Mom, I missed you so much~"
"Oh, Lian'er! How long has it been since I last heard your voice? I missed you to death!" On the other end, Li Mingxue's voice was filled with warmth and excitement, bringing a tender smile to Chu Lian's face. Her mother really did care deeply for her.
"It hasn't been that long, not even a week. I'll be back soon—you'll see me then."
"Yes, I know that. But don't think you can avoid this topic! Tell me, what's with that daughter of yours? Who's the father? You tell me where that man is, and I'll chop him up myself! How dare he abandon my Lian'er and leave behind such an adorable little girl—so irresponsible!"
"Pfft—Mom! How could I possibly have a child with a man? Anna's already ten years old! Do you really think I could have..." She paused mid-sentence. Wait—her mother knew her age perfectly well. That meant Li Mingxue already understood Anna wasn't her biological daughter?
"Mom, don't tease me like that!" she pouted softly, her voice playful. On the other end, Li Mingxue was already laughing uncontrollably, her voice breaking between giggles. "Ahahaha! Lian'er, you're still as slow to react as ever! It's been so long, yet you only just realized I was joking."
"You're getting worse, you know that? When I come home, if you don't make something delicious for me, I'll ignore you forever!" Chu Lian smiled faintly, warmth blooming in her heart. Her mother was teasing her again—but she knew it was just her way of easing the tension.
"Alright, alright. When you get back, Mommy will make the best food for you. And that little girl—bring her back with you. She's so adorable! If possible, I'd love to make her my granddaughter." Li Mingxue finally managed to sound serious for a moment before teasing again.
"Mom! If you keep talking like that, I'll get mad!" Chu Lian's smile grew brighter. Clearly, her mother had been truly worried about her—and this was her way of checking whether she was still shaken.
"I know, I know. Lian'er... as long as you're safe, that's all that matters. You don't know how worried I was when I heard the news. I didn't know what to do—part of me just wanted to fly to America myself and bring you home. But... some things held me back. Still, it's fine now. As long as you're okay, I can finally breathe easy."
After a brief silence, Li Mingxue's voice trembled slightly—she had truly been terrified. If anything had happened to Chu Lian, it would have been unbearable.
"Mom, aren't you worried about Chu Chu too?" Hearing her mother's choked voice, Chu Lian fell silent for a moment, then asked softly.
"Chu Chu? I'm not worried about her. She's far more clever than you think. As long as you're safe, she'll be fine too."
"After all, I personally taught Chu Chu since she was little. If she can't even handle something like this, then all my teaching would've been for nothing," Li Mingxue said. Her words left Chu Lian a little unsure how to respond. She didn't fully understand the depth of their relationship, but somehow, it still felt unfair to Chu Chu.
"Don't think it's unfair. I gave that girl something to protect her life. It's an item only I can remove. If she's ever in mortal danger, it will activate automatically and alert me. Since I haven't felt anything from it, I'm not worried about her," Li Mingxue explained.
That explanation eased Chu Lian's heart considerably. If that was the case, then there really was nothing to fear.
In fact, compared to Chu Chu—who had a protective charm—she was probably the one who had been left unguarded. So her mother's worry for her was only natural.
Her mother wasn't even hiding her true strength anymore, probably because she already knew about everything Chu Lian had done overseas. There was no need for secrecy now.
But still... why did her chest ache so suddenly? Why did it feel so unfair? Why did she feel this strange sense of being left out?
"Lian'er, it's not that I didn't want to prepare something for you, but..." Li Mingxue seemed to realize how her words might have sounded and quickly added an explanation. "Your body rejects all external forms of energy. Even objects infused with the faintest trace of energy can't come into contact with you. That's why I couldn't give you anything."
Her words stunned Chu Lian. Her body rejected all external energy? Why hadn't she known that?
"It's because of your physical state before your incarnation. The original girl named Chu Lian had a unique constitution—any external energy that touched her would be absorbed into her body. But there's a limit. Once it surpasses the Spirit-tier, her body can't handle it anymore. I don't know exactly why, but it probably has to do with her origins," Ayase's voice echoed in her mind, and Chu Lian suddenly understood.
"So you must've tested it while I was asleep, huh? I don't remember any of that." Now that she knew the reason, Chu Lian's mood lightened again, and she continued chatting leisurely with Li Mingxue.
Meanwhile, Chu Chu sat nearby, quietly listening to the conversation between her mother and sister. Her face was tense, and when she saw that moment when Chu Lian almost started crying, her heart clenched painfully. Thankfully, their mother's explanation came in time—otherwise, she might have broken down herself.
"Sister Inori, who is Mommy's mommy?" Anna, who had been standing by Chu Lian's side listening, looked utterly puzzled by their conversation. She couldn't quite grasp the concept.
Chu Lian was her mommy—so then, who was her mommy's mommy? Did Mommy also have a mommy? The little girl, who lacked much basic common sense, was completely tangled in confusion and had no choice but to ask Inori.
"Hmm, it's like this—Lian is Anna's mommy, and Lian also has her own mommy. That person would be your grandma. I think that's how it works," Inori replied hesitantly. Unfortunately for Anna, she had asked the wrong person.
Although Inori's answer was technically correct, the uncertainty in her tone didn't inspire much confidence.
After all, as an artificial human, Inori had no parents or family. Even if she was a clone of Mana, that didn't make them blood-related. The concept of family ties was foreign to her.
"I see... Grandma, huh?" Anna muttered softly, lowering her head as she tried to piece together the relationships. Now that she had an answer, she didn't bother Inori further.
Not that she wanted to ask her in the first place—if Mommy hadn't ignored her earlier, she wouldn't have needed to! Hmph.
Inori, unaware of the little girl's sulking, had fallen deep into thought. If she didn't have any relatives... then who was the closest person to her?
Her mind flashed with Chu Lian's image—but a moment later, two other figures surfaced: a boy in a black school uniform with chestnut hair, and a man with long golden hair. Her head throbbed painfully.
Ugh... She clutched her head, crouching down as the three faces alternated rapidly in her mind, faster and faster. At last, the golden-haired man vanished, leaving only the chestnut-haired boy and Chu Lian's smiling face.
Their figures grew clearer... then blurred again... until finally, the boy disappeared entirely. Standing alone in her mind was Chu Lian, smiling gently as she walked toward her—embracing her, humming softly beside her ear.
"Lian..." Inori raised her head and stood upright, her gaze falling on Chu Lian's back. The calm in her eyes vanished, replaced by a deep, gentle warmth. Yes—she finally understood. Chu Lian was the most important person in her life.
The past was already gone.
The chain that had bound her for so long shattered completely, scattering into countless fragments. Within those fragments were scenes of her former life—faces she had once known, people she had once cherished. Yet now, all of them faded away, leaving only those who were here with her now—leaving only Chu Lian.
At that moment, the silver thread linking her to Chu Lian suddenly burst into radiant light. Though no one in this world could see it, in another realm, it shone brilliantly—so bright it illuminated the entire sky.
Sensing something, Chu Lian paused her conversation with Li Mingxue and turned around. Her eyes softened with an affection and tenderness that had never surfaced before.
"Something's changed between them... hasn't it?" Liu Yanran murmured. Though she and the others couldn't see what had truly happened, the resonance between two linked souls had subtly shifted the air around them, tinting it with an otherworldly brilliance. Both Chu Lian and Inori seemed... transformed.
Beep~ The electronic door lock clicked open, and Li Xiu'er stepped inside. She also sensed the faint, inexplicable change in the atmosphere but didn't dwell on it. After a brief pause, she said, "The teacher says everyone's almost gathered. If we're all done here, we should go join the others. We'll reach England tomorrow, so we'll need extra time to prepare."
"Alright, Mom, let's stop here for now. We'll talk more when I'm home. Oh, and you haven't been keeping a proper schedule while I've been gone, have you? If I see you looking all tired when I get back, you'll be in trouble!" Chu Lian playfully "threatened" Li Mingxue, laughing as her mother's exaggerated pleas came through the receiver before hanging up.
Stretching lazily, she gazed down at the city below and whispered softly, "I'll come back. Even if you don't need me anymore, I'll still make it up to you. When danger comes for you again... I'll be there."
Then, turning around, she lightly tapped Anna on the forehead. Meeting the little girl's teary, glistening eyes, she said, "When you ask people questions, be polite. And when they answer you, remember to say thank you, okay?"
"Got it..." Anna rubbed her forehead, answering in a small, pitiful voice.
"Inori, take the others downstairs first. I'll come after I help Anna change clothes." Chu Lian squeezed Inori's small hand gently, rubbing her fingers over it as she spoke softly.
"Okay, Lian. We'll wait for you," Inori replied, brushing her fingers teasingly across Chu Lian's palm before letting go and following the girls to gather their things.
Left alone, Chu Lian turned once more toward the distant, tranquil sea. Her eyes shimmered faintly with a trace of confusion—lost in thoughts only she could understand.