Chapter 54: Yun Hua

The middle-aged man was Lady Yun’s youngest son, named Yun Mingsheng. Seeing Lady Yun clutching “Pei Qiaonian” and calling her “Zhuozhuo,” his face changed drastically with fright. He hurried to stop his mother’s behavior, saying, “Mom, Mom, she’s not Yun Zhuo, she’s the president of the Pei Corporation.”

But Lady Yun refused to listen, holding onto Xu Yunzhuo tightly. “She is Zhuozhuo. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Grandma will take you home.”

Xu Yunzhuo shrank in her embrace. Fortunately, she was tall now, her arms large enough to accommodate the little old lady.

Looking down at her, she saw that despite the silver hair and the deep wrinkles, her eyes were still bright, her smile warmly glowing—a warmth Xu Yunzhuo had never experienced in two lifetimes.

Unable to help herself, she gently returned the embrace, greedily savoring this soft warmth.

Madam Xu hurried forward, pulling Xu Muning along. “Mom, let go of President Pei. She’s not someone you can touch. Don’t dirty President Pei’s clothes.”

Madam Xu tried to pull Lady Yun away, but Lady Yun flung her aside, her gaze wary and hostile. “Go away! You’re not my daughter. Go away, don’t touch me, you’re a bad woman.”

Madam Xu’s smile stiffened, her voice awkward. “Mingsheng, Mom’s ill again. Quickly take her inside, don’t offend our honored guest.”

Yun Mingsheng felt overwhelmed, half coaxing and half dragging. “Mom, she’s your elder daughter Yun Hua, she’s your child, not a bad woman.”

Lady Yun clung stubbornly to Xu Yunzhuo, shaking her head vehemently. “No, no, she’s a bad woman. My daughter was killed by her. She’s a bad woman. Zhuozhuo, Zhuozhuo, it was a bad woman who hurt Zhuozhuo. Wuwuwu.”

Yun Mingsheng felt his head splitting.

He looked at Madam Xu helplessly. “Sis, you take…” He glanced at Xu Muning, still puzzled why his sister always brought her adopted daughter around, while Xu Yunzhuo was nowhere to be seen. Yet, after all, his sister had finally returned after so many years to visit their mother, so he said nothing.

He softened his tone. “You take Ningning inside first. I’ll try to calm Mom down. She’s sick, sometimes confused, probably mistaking you for her old rival, alas.”

Madam Xu pressed her lips together; staying any longer would only deepen the awkwardness. Her expression wounded, she said, “I don’t blame Mom. It’s all my fault for not coming to see her more often. She must blame me. Ningning, let’s go inside.”

Xu Muning’s eyes stayed fixed on Xu Yunzhuo, reluctant to miss this opportunity.

Though the one she truly liked was Pei Jin, Madam Xu was right: she couldn’t put all her hopes on someone so unattainable. She had to seize the moment, especially given her sensitive standing in the Xu family. She feared her relatives might one day dislike her, just as they had driven Xu Yunzhuo away.

She hesitated, biting her lip. “But Mom…”

Madam Xu forcefully pulled her along. “President Pei will come in later.”

A trace of resentment welled up in Xu Muning’s heart.

Why did this old woman have to lose her mind now, of all times? What if Pei Qiaonian felt offended and left? This was her hard-won chance.

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Old as she was, she might as well be buried sooner, always troubling others!

It wasn’t until Madam Xu left that Lady Yun, still anxious, gripped Yun Mingsheng’s hand. “Dear, drive that bad woman out. Don’t let her live in our house. Don’t let her use Hua’s things. She’s so awful.”

Yun Mingsheng smiled awkwardly at Xu Yunzhuo. “Sorry, President Pei. Please forgive my mother’s antics.”

Then he turned to Lady Yun, explaining, “Mom, I’m not Dad. He’s already passed away. I’m your youngest son, Yun Mingsheng.”

Lady Yun looked dazed. “My husband is dead? What about Ruisheng? Where did Ruisheng go?”

Yun Mingsheng’s eyes reddened; Yun Ruisheng was his elder brother, killed in a car accident ten years ago.

He forced a smile. “Mom, big brother… he’s gone too. He passed away ten years ago.”

“Gone too?”

Lady Yun shook her head, her body wavering. Xu Yunzhuo instinctively reached out to steady her.

Though her position didn’t allow her much contact with the Yun family, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Lady Yun.

Lady Yun’s withered hand clung to Yun Mingsheng. “Impossible! I sent Ruisheng to find Hua and bring her home. Hua was killed. He promised to bring her back. Why is that bad woman still here? My Hua, my Hua…”

Her words dissolved into tears.

Yun Mingsheng was helpless.

Lady Yun had only fallen ill after Lord Yun’s death.

Then Xu Yunzhuo was abducted, and Lady Yun couldn’t bear it, collapsing in grief. When she awoke, her mind was muddled.

Her memory grew chaotic.

The doctor called it senile dementia.

Three months after Xu Yunzhuo vanished, Madam Xu returned to the Yun house, only to be chased out by Lady Yun wielding a broom, cursing her as a bad woman, not her daughter Hua. At the time, Yun Ruisheng was still alive and asked to investigate.

Their sister stood right before them, what was there to investigate?

But Yun Ruisheng, wanting to comfort their mother, agreed to look into it.

---

Since then, Madam Xu never returned to the Yun house, even threatening to sever ties with them.

This was the first time in so long she’d come back.

Yun Mingsheng hadn’t expected Lady Yun’s reaction to remain so intense.

She wouldn’t let Madam Xu live in the house, nor let her near Hua’s old room.

So Yun Mingsheng arranged for Madam Xu and Xu Muning to stay at a hotel.

Today, since Xu Yunzhuo was said to be coming home, Madam Xu was allowed inside.

But before Xu Yunzhuo arrived, Yun Mingsheng received a distinguished guest.

Yun Mingsheng wasn’t a fool; he understood instantly.

Word had it Xu Yunzhuo was rejected by the Pei family, and Madam Xu likely knew Pei Qiaonian would visit the Yun house. She’d arrived a day early, bringing the fake heiress Xu Muning.

He sighed inwardly.

His daughter had been lost for thirteen years before she was found. He understood her alienation.

But it had been five years. No matter what, she was his flesh and blood. Yet his sister insisted on bringing the adopted daughter everywhere. He remembered how she used to dote on her own child, pampering her like a little princess, never letting her suffer.

He recalled how his sister had cried herself nearly to death the day Xu Yunzhuo disappeared, but not long after, she adopted a little girl. He assumed it was because she was heartbroken.

“Zhuozhuo, come inside with Grandma. I’ll get you some pastries I made in secret,” Lady Yun’s words interrupted Yun Mingsheng’s thoughts.

He hesitated, but Xu Yunzhuo had already nodded. “All right.”

Yun Mingsheng glanced at Xu Yunzhuo in surprise. He’d heard this Pei family figure was notoriously difficult and eccentric, but she was surprisingly amiable—the rumors must have been wrong.

As long as she wasn’t irritated by Lady Yun, Yun Mingsheng felt relieved, leading them inside.

As they walked, he scolded Lady Yun, “Mom, you really need to eat fewer pastries. The doctor said your blood sugar is too high.”

Lady Yun nodded absentmindedly, guiltily hiding behind Xu Yunzhuo and muttering, “I don’t eat them myself. I save them for Zhuozhuo. She loved the pastries I made when she was little.”