"What kind of question is that, mom?" Chuckle, Chen Ziyi asked, with her gaze still on the video.
"Well, you used to-" Chen Rumin also fixed her gaze on the video but her attention seemed went to other things. She seemed to have something on her mind even though her her eyes was on the video.
"I used to---?"
"Nevermind." Hearing that, Chen Ziyi gave a soft chuckle.
"You..." Chen Rumin's hesitation to continue made Chen Ziyi finally stop focus on the video. Her finger pushed the pause button before turned her gaze on her mother.
"Why are you suddenly become like Lin Chao-xing today? More than that, since when you started hesitate with me, mom?" With a slightly raise at her eyebrow, Chen Ziyi's lip curved into a faint smirk as she was asking her mother.
Looking at her mother who had a confused expression on her face, Chen Ziyi continued.
"Lin Chao-xing also had a quite difficult time to come honest with me just now, but she's okay already. We are good. But the way you are right now exactly the same was she was."
"But it seems like you still not sorting your own thoughts that you hesitate to ask me?"
Confused. Confused.
Chen Rumin already forgot what was in her mind just now. She could not sort of the things she was going to ask. She was going to ask her daughter, considering that her daughter used to take 'extra' good care of her health just to spend more time with her father, whether her daughter would still do that now that she...
Chen Rumin had one thing in her mind that she could not figure out by herself. Although her daughter had decided to follow her to move to Province Y, and although her daughter seemed like she was not putting the Zheng's in her life much anymore recently, she could not figure what was on her daughter's mind.
Her daughter seemed different nowadays. She did not mention at all the 'dad', 'brother' or any of the 'Zheng's' in their daily conversation. Not that they talked to each other more often these few days. Her daughter still had the cold and quiet temperament, and still spend more time in her room like in the past. But, to compare to those previous days, their talk seemed harmony and no things that would lead to fights like in the past.
While Chen Rumin seemed like she was sorting her thoughts, Chen Ziyi touched back the puased the button to resume the video. There was still few minutes left for the video to end. She though by the time the video end, her mother for sure would have already her question that she want to throw up to her.
Chen Rumin did not missed the soft laugh and the little shake head from her daughter before the gaze turned back to the video.
It all began since that day. The day her daughter fainted at school and began to 'change'. Change but still the same. She was her daughter and she was her mother. Her daughter was still the same girl she know but there was difference that her intuition feel.
However, despite of the differences she felt, it was not bad thing. It was because she could felt that their relationship seemed improved and better. Yes. It's only been weeks and there still more days to go, but she could not be happier when their relationship seemed more in harmony and her daughter's complexion seems brighter. There was no sign of coercion on her daughter's expression so Chen Rumin was relieve for that.
She was going to ask her daughter whether she would instead loosening a bit in taking care of her health to the point that she might recklessly get sick now that she- let's just assume she have no reason to be too strict on herself as she not anymore want to have more time to spend time together with her father. This was the thing that Chen Rumin could not figure out.
She could not figure out what is the current status of her ex-husband and the Zheng's in her daughter's heart. Her daughter never said in-depth of what she personally felt and thought. She was aware of her daughter's hate and hostile feelings towards that Shuyu kid, but other than that, her daughter had not yet personally said something about her current feelings towards the other three.
By considering how her daughter acted these few days, how there's no any name of the Zheng's came out from her daughter's mouth, a rough idea crossed to her mind. Chen Rumin assumed that there might be something that caused her daughter to 'change' and to not even mention their names.
Unable to figure out the exact status of how her daughter currently felt towards the family her daughter once adorably treasure in the past, Chen Rumin was not sure how she should ask her the things that was on her mind.
Chen Rumin closed her eyes before taking a deep breathe before gave a long sigh.
"I forgot already ha-ha." Not sure how to properly started about the topic, she decided to forget about it. Let's just give her a space.
Chuckled, Chen Ziyi gave a soft laugh upon hearing that.
"So, mind to share what happened between you and Lin Chao-xing?" Chen Rumin asked.
"Nope. Mom, its' between me and her. Why should I tell you?"
"Heh~! In the past, whenever I asked you about your classmates, you used to answer few words just to answer my question and never go in depth. Now you have a secret that you don't want to share with me? Never I thought that one day you will have a secret belong to you and your 'friend' that you can't share with me. tch tch tch."
Chen Ziyi rolled her eyes as she listened to the sarcastic teasing from her mother.
"Sit properly. I want to take your picture from this angle and post it on my Wechat."
"Wait. Did you just click your tongue at me?"
"God. Mom. You want to take a picture of me or not? Or else I'll go to my room."
"Tch tch tch. Don't learn this from me." Chen Rumin said that as she was taking out her phone that she slipped in between the cushion just now.
Ka-chik. Chen Ziyi heard that sound few times from behind her. It means her mother took her picture more than once.
"My daughter has grown up. She frankly tell me it was a secret of her friend that she could not share with me. Tsk tsk. What more sad is, she did not even talk to me but pay attention on the video instead."
Chen Ziyi put her hand on her face as she listened to the caption that her mother obviously intentionally loudly said to tell her. Her body shook a little as she gave a soft chuckle.
Her mother seemed had her own good time afterwards.
"Your mom was a university senior that my aunt respected so much. When Aunt Chen divorce with your dad, my aunt was one of those who follow the case till the end. She even kept a full copy of the divorce and custody case paper at her home." Chen Ziyi recalled back when Lin Chao-xing continued back their conversation that was left hang before the 'fight' situation.
It seemed to her that Lin Chao-xing might feel bad or uncomfortable as Lin Chao-xing did not even look at her when she slowly revealed the things she tried to keep from Chen Ziyi. Lin Chao-xing even make sure to close the door before she started the 'honest talk'.
Chen Ziyi herself even almost forgot about the topic which eventually lead to the current situation as if the topic never came out in the first place. However, Lin Chao-xing was the one who began the topic again. She assumed that while Lin Chao-xing might feel uncomfortable to tell her the things she kept from her, she might also feel pressured for having to hold on the secret.
Lin Chao-xing was still a kid. Although they were already teenager and in another three years they will become adult, they were just girls. One wrong move, they already started to be pressured. Lin Chao-xing had unintentionally let one word out from her mouth, so she began to feel the pressure for having to choose either to keep silent or be honest.
Lin Chao-xing chose to be honest showed how she chose to trust her and Chen Ziyi was moved for that. As she was prepared to properly listen to Lin Chao-xing, and to keep the secret from anybody else if Lin Chao-xing asked her to, she was in daze when she heard the first thing that came from Lin Chao-xing's mouth.