Chapter 26: Giving her a cold shoulder

After watching the movie, the five of them went to the nearby crepe shops while chatting happily about the movie. Although Chen Ruolan and Li Chunhua were the ones who did most of the talking, Zhou Ya also gave her opinion a few times, while Li Caiyi and Feng Nian rarely uttered a word. Soon after that, they parted ways. Until the end, Li Caiyi didn't have a chance to talk to Feng Nian again.

"Xiaoyi, what do you think about the movie?" Li Chunhua asked Li Caiyi after they had separated from the others.

Li Caiyi couldn't respond immediately, because honestly, she couldn't understand what the movie was about. She vaguely understood it as a movie about a man who lived alone and was stalked by a creepy girl. Later, the movie revealed that the man was actually the girl's long-lost sister who changed her gender into a man due to the shock of her miscarriage, but then lost in the sea during an accident and had amnesia.

The story was too messed up. As a person who didn't watch movies that much, the hurdle was just too high. The scriptwriter must have run out of an idea and thrown a few cliche tropes into one. In the end, they added some kind of plot twist to shock the viewer but failed miserably.

Forget about the moral value and exciting scene, Li Caiyi didn't even remember how she managed to watch that until the end.

"I don't understand a thing about that movie."

Li Chunhua laughed. "Honestly, me neither."

"But you chatted so happily with Chen Ruolan about it earlier."

"Although we don't understand it, we should at least try to keep our friend entertained. She enjoyed the movie so much, and it would be rude if we dampened the mood just because we didn't understand it."

"I-I see." Li Caiyi fell into deep thought. She tried to recall if she accidentally made Chen Ruolan bored with her inexperienced and casual comment and couldn't tell if she did a good job or not entertaining her friend.

"People who kept complaining and criticizing everything always dampened the mood. Like that Feng Nian girl."

"Ah? I didn't hear her complaining or anything."

"Can't you see the frown on that girl's face throughout the day? It's like she was dissatisfied with everything, even though everyone was having fun. You said I ruined the mood for everyone, but Feng Nian was the one at fault from the way I see it. Just what did she try to achieve by showing an unhappy face?"

Li Caiyi remembered Feng Nian's sharp words earlier and couldn't refute Li Chunhua's words. She indeed looked like she was in a bad mood from start to finish.

"Chen Ruolan and Zhao Ya are nice, but I don't think Feng Nian is a good friend. Chen Ruolan kindly invited her, but she didn't even try to understand what the movie was about. She's very rude and unfriendly!"

"You are too harsh on her. I don't think Feng Nian is that kind of person."

"Xiaoyi, you are too biased! Can't you see the way Feng Nian looks at us? She's clearly showing hostility to us. You can't trust people so easily."

Li Caiyi didn't want to argue with Li Chunhua anymore, so she kept silent and stopped the first taxi that was passing by.

***

"We're home!"

Su Suyin immediately got up from the sofa and ran over after hearing a familiar voice.

"Xiaohua, there you are!" Her expression was a mixture of relief and worry. Su Suyin touched Li Chunhua's face, shoulder, arms, and everything to ensure she was okay before she scolded her lovingly. "Where have you been? Why aren't you answering my call and text?"

Li Chunhua was surprised, and then she pulled out her phone. "Ah, I forgot I turned my phone off before the movie. I'm sorry, Mom."

Su Suyin was upset when Li Chunhua came back late, and she didn't even inform her beforehand about it. She was distraught that something might happen to her youngest daughter and was ready to call the police if she still hadn't returned within the next hour.

"How many times do I have to tell you to contact me first if you want to go somewhere else besides home? If you suddenly collapsed with no one knowing where you are, what should we do, then?" She reprimanded her with a stern but restrained tone.

Li Chunhua lowered her head guiltily. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging. I just forgot to turn my phone on again after the movie ended."

Su Suyin, who became calmer after venting her frustration, finally registered the crucial information in Li Chunhua's words. "Movie? What movie?"

"I went to the cinema with Xiaoyi and her friends today. It looks fun, so I ask them if I can tag along," Li Chunhua said while smiling innocently.

Su Suyin's expression darkened when she heard that. She coldly shifted her gaze to Li Caiyi, who had stood behind Li Chunhua since earlier. "So you are always with Xiaohua all these times? Why didn't you call me first? You know Xiaohua was frail, but you brought her to a chilly place like that?"

Her tone was full of accusation and reprimand. Li Caiyi had expected this to happen ever since she found out Li Chunhua had forgotten to inform Su Suyin, so she had prepared an answer.

"Mother, I also didn't know that Xiaohua would tag along. I thought it would be fine since her body had gotten better, and I will be by her side too throughout the movie—"

"Don't make any excuses! No matter what, you should have informed me first before bringing your sister anywhere. What if something happens to her?! Who are you to decide if her body condition is well or not? You are not a doctor! It will be too late if you wait until something really happens! How could you be so careless?!"

Li Caiyi bit her lips while swallowing the words she wanted to say. When Su Suyin was in this state, talking back would only aggravate the situation. She has always been worried about Li Chunhua, but she never asked what Li Caiyi was doing, even if she came back late. For her, Li Chunhua's wellbeing always came first above anything, and those who said otherwise were cold-hearted and unreasonable.

"Mom, please don't scold her! I was the one who insisted on coming with her." Li Chunhua tried to reason with Su Suyin by pulling on her arm, but Su Suyin only gently shook it off with a weak smile. "Xiaohua, you enter first. Mom needs to talk with your sister."

Li Chunhua glanced at Li Caiyi and Su Suyin alternately, feeling guilty and unwilling to leave. "I can't. Mom, I'm not a child anymore. Xiaoyi allowed me to go with her because she knew I would feel bored and lonely. It was my fault for forgetting to turn on my phone, so please don't scold her."

"You don't have to say all that. Mom knows Xiaoyi didn't do it on purpose. You enter and eat first. Mom will only talk with your sister. Go on." Su Suyin stroked Li Chunhua's head with an indulgent smile, but her voice was firm with no room for objection.

Li Chunhua was still unwilling, but she reluctantly walked into the house after repeated reassurance. She looked back a few times worriedly, but she could do nothing under her mother's watch.

After she was gone, Su Suyin coldly swept over Li Caiyi's figure. She was very indignant and dissatisfied with this daughter of hers, but she held herself back from yelling at her. She didn't want Li Chunhua to blame herself for scolding Li Caiyi.

"Let's talk in my room." Su Suyin didn't wait for Li Caiyi to answer and walked away first.

Li Caiyi stared at her mother's back sadly. She had reverted to her old self, but in the end, she was still stuck in the same predicament. How often did Li Caiyi hope for her mother to look back at her, even once?

However, even when Li Caiyi was crying and begging for her mother to believe her in her previous life, Su Suyin only gave her the cold shoulder. When that hope was shattered for good, so was Li Caiyi's will of life.

Li Caiyi clenched her skirt and obediently followed her mother with a lowered head.