CHAPTER 829: CHAPTER 829: RECOLLECTION

Although the beautiful woman appeared somewhat difficult to approach at first glance, she was actually the softest at heart. Seeing her own son suffering made her feel heartbroken, and she never expected to encounter a little girl who seemed even younger than her son in the garden.

The beautiful woman had long wanted a daughter, and upon seeing Yu Xia nestled like a little kitten in the wheelchair, her heart overflowed with motherly love. She felt fondness for this delicate-featured young girl as well as compassion for someone sharing her son’s fate, and she couldn’t help but start a conversation.

"Is this your sister?" the beautiful woman asked Lin Mengyao.

Lin Mengyao didn’t expect the other person to start a conversation, and for a moment was taken aback. She paused before nodding in response.

"Your sister looks quite young, is she an adult yet?" the beautiful woman asked with a loving gaze at Yu Xia.

"She’s already an adult. She’ll be taking the college entrance exam next year," Lin Mengyao replied.

"So she’s a year older than my son. My son is only 17 this year and won’t be an adult until next year," the beautiful woman said.

"What’s happened to your son?" Lin Mengyao couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and asked.

Perhaps because Lin Mengyao seemed similar to herself, or maybe due to her fondness for Yu Xia, the beautiful woman wasn’t angry at the question and instead replied, "Don’t ask. We ran into a family of lunatics. They got drunk late at night and drove, hitting my son and leaving him in this state. They think they can just throw money at the problem, as if that’s impressive. Hmph!" the beautiful woman said indignantly.

"From your attire, you don’t look like someone short on money," Lin Mengyao asked in some confusion.

The beautiful woman gave Lin Mengyao a look of approval before speaking, "Exactly, they think we’re poor and easily impressed with a little money? As if they’d understand how precious children are. My son is far better than theirs. Why should their son get away with it by paying money while my son suffers here?" As she spoke, the beautiful woman grew more agitated.

Lin Mengyao wasn’t fond of people who thought they could resolve wrongdoing with money either, so she nodded, agreeing with the beautiful woman’s viewpoint. The beautiful woman felt a greater warmth toward Lin Mengyao.

"I think you’re right, sister. Why should those who make mistakes face no responsibility, thinking they can just pay some money as if nothing happened, and continue their wrongdoing outside? If everyone thought like this, wouldn’t society fall apart?" Lin Mengyao concurred.

"You’re right, sister. That’s how I feel too, but what can we do? The kid who hit my son is the brother-in-law of Wei Lai, and of course, Wei Lai is going to protect him. Even though we hate it, our family can only accept it," although the beautiful woman was unwilling, she had to bow to reality. However, she felt a connection with Lin Mengyao, who was filled with a sense of justice.

Upon hearing the beautiful woman’s words, Lin Mengyao inadvertently showed a shocked expression, which the beautiful woman noticed, "Why do you look so surprised, sister? Do you know Wei Lai?" The beautiful woman’s expression turned slightly cold as she mentioned Wei Lai, her eyes filled with suppressed anger.

Seeing the misunderstanding, Lin Mengyao quickly waved her hands, "Not exactly. My family also had conflicts with his. My sister ended up like this because of their son and wife." As she spoke, Lin Mengyao adjusted Yu Xia’s blanket.

Once she learned that Lin Mengyao also had grievances against them, and that Yu Xia was a victim too, the beautiful woman’s expression softened, looking at Yu Xia with even more pity, and a sense of alliance and shared grievances grew within her.

"Their family, relying on being in office for a few days, commits such evil deeds without fear of being caught and discharged from their position. And they dared to lay a hand on someone as lovely as your sister; it’s truly outrageous," the beautiful woman said, her eyes burning with anger.

The middle-aged man, seeing that his wife seemed eager to engage deeply in conversation with Lin Mengyao, coughed twice to signal his wife to stop.

Under normal circumstances, the beautiful woman might have complied, but today, everything had piled up, compounded by the fact that the middle-aged man had accepted the settlement agreement. Although she knew rationally that it was unavoidable, emotionally, she couldn’t and wouldn’t accept it. So she chose to ignore her husband’s reminder, instead feeling rebellious and insisted on conversing with Lin Mengyao.

The middle-aged man was about to say more, but his son patted his arm, "Mom probably feels troubled right now, and finding someone to chat with and vent her frustrations is better than keeping it bottled up and making herself sick. Besides, the sisters don’t seem like the deceitful kind," the boy softly comforted his father.

Yu Xia, who had been smiling at Lin Mengyao but also keeping an eye on the family, immediately noticed the quiet conversation between father and son. The boy noticed Yu Xia’s gaze and looked in her direction. Their eyes met briefly, and they exchanged a smile before turning their gazes away.

By then, the beautiful woman had already taken Lin Mengyao’s hand to sit to the side. As they reached more emotional parts of the conversation, tears shimmered in the beautiful woman’s eyes, and Lin Mengyao found her to be an utterly endearing person.

Despite the age difference, the two felt like old friends upon meeting and quickly grew warm and familiar, looking like a family as they chatted, leaving the middle-aged man momentarily unsure of how to react.

Fortunately, as darkness fell quickly and it got a bit cold outside, the two women didn’t chat for too long and soon parted ways.

When Lin Mengyao pushed Yu Xia back to the ward, they saw Xu Ke had returned at some point, with two large lunchboxes on the table. He was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, and upon hearing them return, he turned and flashed a smile at them.

"When did you get here? Why didn’t you call me?" Lin Mengyao, while speaking with a hint of a complaint, couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes. Xu Ke’s arrival indeed made her much happier.

"I just got here not long ago. When I saw the ward was empty, I figured you two must have gone out. If you’d come back much later, I really would have called. I brought this from home, it’s highly nutritious. You two hurry over and have some," Xu Ke said.