Chyou was taken aback as she recognized the woman.
"Aunt Shuang."
Shuang blinked her eyes and yawned again. "Hm?" She looked at the two kids in front of her and her mouth opened in an O.
So it is true. Caihong and Xiaosi are here indeed.
She inwardly snorted.
Of course. How can Mom's information be wrong when it concerns Caihong?
"Yo, my niece. What's up? What's with all the crying?"
Siying was totally confused. Suddenly, the woman turned out to be someone who Chyou knew.
"And first a fall, please don't stick at the door like a sore thumb you two. Get inside. My sleep is already ruined," she murmured the last sentence.
"Aunt!"
Chyou rushed inside and came crying to her side. Siying nervously stood at his same place and fiddled with his fingers.
Aunt...so she is her aunt like Aunt Zizi is mine?
Shuang raised his brow at Siying who seemed awkward. "Yo, kid. Come here."
He got startled.
She rolled her eyes. "I am not a monster. I am not gonna eat you."
Siying took slow steps towards her and maintained a distance between him and Chyou.
Chyou sniffled. "A-Aunt, you are here too?" She spoke as she clutched her thighs. She was really happy to see her here.
"What can I say? I didn't want to be, but my annoying Mom played a sly card to make me come here."
Indeed, Shuang had no interest in coming to this cruise, but her company suddenly got an offer that Mu Constructions were offering her to build a game zone for children, young adults, and adults after their amusement park construction was completed.
Obviously, she knew that the offer came from An Meiying secretly, but a deal with their company would look awesome in her company's profile so she agreed.
Even though she got it from connections, she was not any saint to reject it.
An Meiying wanted Shuang to tarnish Caihong's image, but Shuang wasn't interested in such a farce.
Shuang sneered.
Well, I will just say to Mom that I tried my best to embarrass Caihong but I failed. As if she would know what is going on here.
All in all, An Meiying's efforts got wasted.
Back to the present, Shuang looked between the kids and scratched her chin.
"Alright, whatever the problem is, it better be something that I could resolve. I am good at creating fights, not putting them out."
Siying and Chyou trembled.
Her brow twitched. She always saw herself as someone who couldn't deal with kids.
So her way of expressing love and care towards Chyou was letting her play games that she created in her company before its launch.
"Hey, hey, can you please stop crying first?"
Chyou wiped her tears.
She pointed at Siying. "Well, you must have already understood who I am to Chyou. So...who are you?"
She knew Xinyi and Zhiyuan had a child, but they hadn't met in years so she had no idea how he looked or even his name.
"S-Siying…"
"Why are you crying?"
He bit his lip. "S-she is mean...she bullied me…" his eyes teared up once again.
She curiously looked at Chyou. "Bully and you? Really?"
Does my niece know how to bully people?
She paused.
I hope she didn't learn it from me…
Chyou averted her gaze and clenched her dress.
"Bully how?"
Then Siying quickly said what happened before Chyou said anything.
"A-and now also...she said not to tell Mama or Dada or she will hit me again."
Shuang squinted her gaze.
Caihong did that…
She knew her relationship with Chyou, and frankly she was surprised to know that she behaved that way to Siying.
But then again Caihong was never unreasonable to people that she didn't hate. At least, that's what she understood by living with her for so many years.
"Is that true, Chyou?"
She jolted. "T-that...he-he…"
Siying said, "Mama said it's not wrong to talk and play. E-even so...she bullied me…" he gasped and cried.
Shuang felt relieved.
Well, it's a simple enough problem.
"Alright. Soooo this whole fight can be solved quite easily only when you two know something."
Chyou and Siying blinked their eyes.
She looked at Chyou and lazily rested her cheek on her palm. "You know, Chyou. I understand how you feel, but do you think hitting Siying will solve your problem?"
Chyou didn't know how to respond.
"There is a solution to every problem, my niece, but you cannot achieve that by stopping other people from approaching your mother. Tell me. You warned this boy. Did anything change between your mother and you?"
Chyou sadly lowered her head.
"I take that answer as no. So what do you learn from this?"
Chyou's little brows furrowed together.
"I don't know…"
Shuang chuckled. "That you think of answers in a long-term way. By long term I mean... today it's this boy, tomorrow it might be someone else. The day after a third kid. Then fourth and fifth. Do you think you can keep telling others to back off for your entire life? Wouldn't you find it tiring?"
Chyou indeed felt that it wasn't a feasible solution.
"Your mother will get more unhappy too, and that will just make you go farther away from her."
She shivered slightly.
"There are," Shuang paused, "... reasons why Caihong is like that. She is trying her best to love you, but she is not able to."
"Why?"
She faintly smiled. "I wish I could tell you, but I cannot. Just don't give up on her, okay?"
Chyou dazedly nodded.
Shuang shifted her gaze at Siying. "Now the thing that you need to know. Siying. Does your Mama love you?"
His teary eyes brightened. "Yes! My Mama loves me very much! I love Mama too!"
"But her Mama doesn't love her," she pointed at Chyou.
Siying blinked his eyes. "Shoelace Aunty is really nice!"
Her mouth twitched.
S-Shoelace Aunty…
"She is nice to you, not to her. Tell me. Suppose your Mama didn't love you. She ignored and avoided you, but you saw her playing with another kid. What will you feel?"
Siying found it hard to imagine that scenario but he tried his best. He imagined his loving Mama not paying any attention to him but showing affection to someone else.
"I-I will feel sad…" his tone went downcast.
"And?"
He twiddled with his fingers. "I will not like that kid…"
"That is exactly how Chyou felt. You are not at fault, but you should know why she pushed you. She was simply jealous of you."
Hehe~~ isn't Shuang not so typical step-sister? ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ
Happy reading ❤️ Keep voting!