It was half an hour later by the time Lin Jinran had soothed her mother's emotions.
Xiang Yanhua stroked Lin Jinran's head, her eyes filled with pity. "Jinran, you're so amazing! You got first place in the grade. Keep it up!"
The uneasiness in Lin Jinran's heart grew stronger. She looked up at her mother, hoping to cheer her up even more. "Mom, I'm definitely going to get into the university you once attended when I go to college."
Her mother had graduated from Qingbei University, the best university in the country.
Lin Jinran knew it would be extremely difficult to get in, and her primary - school grades didn't really count for much. But precisely because she was still young, she had plenty of time in the future to prepare for the entrance exams to Qingbei University.
Her mother would surely be extremely happy to see that day.
The young Lin Jinran's eyes sparkled like stars in the sky. She clenched her fists to show her determination.
Xiang Yanhua's face stiffened. Looking at her daughter, who held infinite hope for the future, her eyes welled up with tears again. She quickly wiped them away, then squatted down, holding her daughter's thin shoulders with both hands, and looked directly into Lin Jinran's eyes. "Yes, you're the best. Mom believes in you."
It's just that...
Xiang Yanhua lowered her head. Her dark eyes were full of despair, a stark contrast to her vibrant daughter in front of her.
She was like a mayfly at sunset, with nowhere to turn.
But her daughter, still young and innocent, had endless possibilities in the future.
"Mom... could you please stop arguing with Dad? I... I don't want you two to fight anymore."
Lin Jinran gently wiped away the new tears welling up at the corner of her mother's eyes, her voice muffled.
She hung her head, staring at the ground, with a dejected little face.
Xiang Yanhua was taken aback, then a faint, almost transparent smile appeared on her face. She replied, "Okay, okay. Mom won't argue with Dad anymore."
"Mom, you're the best!"
Hearing the answer she wanted, the little girl happily rushed into her mother's arms and rubbed her face against her like a cat.
After that, Lin Jinran never heard her parents arguing again.
Because she never had the chance to.
...
"Jinran, you must take good care of yourself and be a good girl."
The dream was a chaotic mess. Lin Jinran was running desperately in the endless darkness, trying to catch up with the person who was speaking.
"No, no, Mom, no, no..."
She suddenly woke up, covered in sweat and pale - faced.
After having a long heart - to - heart talk with her mother, she had gone back to her room for a lunch break.
The dream was so strange. Lin Jinran's heart was pounding non - stop, as if the uneasiness deep in her heart was surging like a turbulent sea.
It was impossible to dream of her mother for no reason.
Without hesitation, Lin Jinran threw off the quilt and trotted out. She knocked on her mother's door.
"Knock, knock, knock... knock, knock, knock... knock, knock, knock..."
She knocked a dozen times, but there was no response.
Lin Jinran bit her lip and shouted loudly, "Mom, Mom, are you in there, Mom...?"
Still, there was no response.
She decided to go all out. Lin Jinran directly pushed open the door. What greeted her was an empty room.
There was no one there.
Lin Jinran rushed to the railing on the second floor and shouted down to the first - floor hall, but still no one answered her.
The large house was like a pool of stagnant water, without a single ripple.
The uneasiness was like a surging undercurrent, silently corroding Lin Jinran's heart and preventing her from calming down.
Her mind was in a complete mess. Lin Jinran opened the doors of the rooms on the second floor one by one.
No one, no one, no one, still no one.
Where on earth could she be?
There was no one on the first floor either.
Lin Jinran accidentally glanced out of the window at the beautiful sunny day and suddenly realized.
Oh right, the weather was so nice outside. Maybe Mom had just gone out to soak up the sun.
It was impossible to hear the sounds inside the house from outside.
Lin Jinran immediately rushed downstairs and ran outside.
The bright sunlight outside stung her eyes, and she quickly closed them.
After getting used to it a little, Lin Jinran slightly opened her eyes and peeked out through the gaps between her fingers bit by bit.
Just this one look would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Lin Jinran saw her mother, whom she had been looking for for so long, falling from the building. She fluttered in the air like a dancing butterfly, and the bright sunlight shone on her, gilding her body.
It was deathly silent all around. The scene of her mother falling from the building seemed to be playing in slow - motion, frame by frame.
Lin Jinran's whole body was trembling violently. A chill rose from the soles of her feet, and her blood seemed to freeze.
The sunlight that had been spreading freely in the world around her was gone. The whole world had fallen into chaos.
Her mother was about to hit the ground right in front of her eyes. Lin Jinran's legs felt like they were filled with lead, and she couldn't move a step.
With a "thud", her mother hit the ground, and large amounts of bright red blood immediately flowed out.
The bright red blood stimulated Lin Jinran. Her field of vision was filled with a sea of red.
Her body was shaking even more violently. Overwhelming panic swept over her. Unable to hold herself up anymore, she knelt down straight, looking at the scene in front of her with a face full of grief.
"Mom, Mom, Mom..." she murmured softly, hoping that through these repeated calls, her mother sleeping quietly in the pool of blood would wake up.
But it was no use.
Scalding tears fell one by one, like broken beads, hitting the back of her hand, her legs, and the lawn.
Why had it turned out like this? Why?
Lin Jinran didn't understand. She was still young. Suddenly facing such a tragedy and losing her biological mother, she was scared, shocked, confused, and panicked.
This was a nightmare that Lin Jinran couldn't accept.
The shock made her faint.
When she woke up again, it was already a day later.
There was good news from the hospital. They said that Xiang Yanhua hadn't died on the spot but had become a vegetable instead.
Her father, Lin Cheng, just came to take a look and then left.
Two of her childhood friends, Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi, heard about this and begged their parents. Then they rushed over in a hurry.
"Jinran, Auntie will surely get better," the little Xu Jiaxin said as she reached out with some difficulty to touch Lin Jinran.
Lin Jinran didn't say a word. She just stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Jinran, you still have us. We'll always stand behind you," Shen Tingsi promised solemnly, his eyes firm.
He had heard about what had happened to the Lin family. It was the Lin family's driver who first noticed something was wrong and then sent Xiang Yanhua and Lin Jinran to the hospital.
Lin Jinran's eyes flickered slightly, but she still didn't say a word.
Shen Tingsi noticed this small detail and exchanged a look with Xu Jiaxin.
"No matter what, Jinran, we'll always be by your side," Xu Jiaxin said softly, feeling extremely heart - broken.
Really?
Forever?
Lin Jinran didn't believe it. Her mother had also told her that she wouldn't argue with Dad anymore.
But in the end, her mother had chosen such a decisive and tragic way to fulfill her promise.
Is there really an eternity?
It was all just self - deception.
Lin Jinran didn't want to listen to them anymore. She pulled the quilt up to cover her face.
Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi were slightly stunned. They looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
All they could do was to come and accompany Lin Jinran more often.
Later, they noticed something was wrong.
Lin Jinran was listless all day long. The light in her eyes was gone, and she had no interest or energy in anything.
No matter what they said, Lin Jinran just didn't respond to them.
Later on, they found that there were a lot of papers in the trash can for no apparent reason, and there were a few more wounds on Lin Jinran's arms out of the blue.
Xu Jiaxin and Shen Tingsi found a small knife behind her pillow. They were extremely shocked.
After an examination, it was confirmed that Lin Jinran had depression.
At that time, Lin Jinran's father, Lin Cheng, still didn't care about her at all. He just hired a nurse to take care of her.
When they found another wound on Lin Jinran's body for the third time, Shen Tingsi was extremely angry. He stepped on a small stool and shouted at Lin Jinran.
"Lin Jinran, are you being fair to your mother?"
Lin Jinran turned over and covered her ears.
Shen Tingsi was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He pulled the quilt off Lin Jinran and dragged her out of bed.
"What are you doing!" This was the first thing Lin Jinran had said to them in so many days.
"What am I doing?" Shen Tingsi sneered. "You'll know soon enough."
He still dragged Lin Jinran along.
Lin Jinran had been lying in bed for a long time and had eaten very little. She had lost a lot of weight. She didn't have the strength to resist Shen Tingsi, so she was dragged out all the way.
Xu Jiaxin followed beside Lin Jinran, carefully protecting her.
Lin Jinran was dragged by Shen Tingsi to the ICU. Inside, lying on the bed, was Xiang Yanhua.
"Lin Jinran, your mother isn't dead yet. She's still alive. Do you think she wants to see you in this state when she wakes up?"
Lin Jinran's eyes flickered slightly. She didn't say a word and turned around to leave.
Seeing this, Shen Tingsi grabbed her and said in frustration, "Are you really going to leave? Just walk away?"
Lin Jinran stood still, with her back to him.
"I don't want to care about you anymore!" Shen Tingsi let go. After all, he was still young and impatient. He quickly lost his patience.
Lin Jinran took a step back.
Shen Tingsi was really angry. Without thinking, he shouted, "If you really leave, just wait. Wait until your father marries a new woman and kicks you and your mother out of the house!"
What?
Lin Jinran suddenly turned to look at Shen Tingsi, her eyes filled with tears.
"Stop talking, stop talking," Xu Jiaxin didn't expect Shen Tingsi to say it directly. She quickly gave him a look, not to stimulate Lin Jinran.
Shen Tingsi continued on his own, "You don't know this yet, do you? Your father has a new lover, and they even have a child, just one or two years younger than you!"
All the mysteries were cleared up. Lin Jinran instantly understood a lot of things.
No wonder, no wonder, no wonder.
She laughed and cried at the same time, dancing around, just wanting to vent her emotions at that moment.
Shen Tingsi realized that he had gone too far. Feeling guilty, he rushed over and patted Lin Jinran on the shoulder to apologize.
Xu Jiaxin hugged Lin Jinran and comforted her, saying that it would get better soon, that they were still there for her.
After that, Lin Jinran was cured and discharged from the hospital, but her mother still remained in the hospital.
After ensuring the medical expenses for her mother, Lin Cheng divorced Xiang Yanhua, married his new lover, and brought his illegitimate daughter into the house.
...