Chapter 66 – She Likes You Too, Baby.
Yin Sijue only saw his mother’s messages and missed call after getting off the treadmill.
Mom: [I brought a few students to the riverside to sketch. It’s very close to you.]
Mom: [I left the students with your dad. I stopped by to see you. It’s been a while.]
Mom: [I got lost.]
Mom: [(Missed call)]
Mom: [You’re so unreliable. Luckily, there’s a cute boy showing me the way.]
Yin Sijue laughed, turned off his running watch, draped a towel around his neck, and went downstairs to open the door.
The moment he did, he saw his mother standing at the entrance to the base, holding an umbrella. Beside her stood Ji Wei, his fingers gripping a large plastic bag so tightly that his fingertips had turned white and the bag was nearly deformed.
Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Mom, is that the guy you met?”
Mother Yin folded her umbrella and said, “What are you doing? You didn’t reply to my messages. Luckily, Xiao Ji showed me the way.”
Xiao Ji? Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow at the name. “We were just working out. You two already know each other?”
“Yes.” Mother Yin walked in, changed her shoes with practiced familiarity, and sat down on the sofa. “It’s really hot outside. Are you the only two here at the base?”
“The others haven’t gotten up yet.” Yin Sijue glanced at the bag in Ji Wei’s hand. “Did you carry that for Auntie?”
“Yeah…” Ji Wei, holding a bag full of lively shrimp, stood awkwardly between mother and son—no matter how you looked at him, he seemed out of place.
“I’ll take that to Auntie. You two can chat!”
Mother Yin watched the direction Ji Wei had hurried off in, and a thought formed in her mind. Smiling, she asked, “Is that the boyfriend you told me about last time?”
Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow. “How did you guess?”
“Very cute,” Mother Yin teased. “He looks exactly like the type my son would like.”
Yin Sijue chuckled and nodded in agreement.
He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. “I’m going to take a shower first. I’ll be down in a bit. He might get a little nervous being alone with you—don’t bully him.”
Mother Yin laughed. “Go on, I’m not a cannibal.”
After handing the fresh produce to Auntie, Ji Wei paced back and forth in the kitchen for a long time before finally daring to go to the living room.
He brought out a cup of freshly filled hot water.
“Auntie, please sit down and have some water.”
He looked around but couldn’t find Yin Sijue anywhere. Left alone with Mother Yin in the spacious living room, he suddenly felt small and uneasy.
“Thank you, Xiao Ji.” Mother Yin took the cup, set it on the coffee table, and smiled. “Are you looking for Sijue? He went upstairs to take a shower.”
“Oh, okay…”
Ji Wei kept his expression calm, but inside he was a bundle of nerves. “Auntie, is there anything you’d like to eat? I can get it for you.”
“No, I just stopped by.” Mother Yin watched his stiff movements and suppressed a laugh. “Manager Xu said you’re going to Korea for a competition in a few days. I figured we won’t see each other for a while, so I took the chance to visit.”
“Don’t be so tense. Come, sit down.” She waved him over with a gentle smile.
Although Mother Yin was a teacher, she didn’t give off an awe-inspiring air. Instead, she exuded a strong sense of warmth and friendliness. Ji Wei sat obediently beside her, his apprehension gradually dissipating under her gentle smile.
“I heard you’re usually very busy with training. Did my visit disturb you?”
Ji Wei shook his head. “No, we usually start training at 2 p.m., and it’s not time yet.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
Mother Yin’s eyes widened slightly. “So young?”
“Yin Sijue, that bastard…”
“What?” Ji Wei didn’t catch it and turned to look at her.
“No, no,” Mother Yin quickly covered her mouth. “I was just wondering why my son’s been in the shower for so long.”
Ji Wei glanced at the clock. Only five minutes had passed since Yin Sijue went upstairs.
Click—
The sound of a bedroom door opening came from upstairs, but the person coming down wasn’t Yin Sijue, as Ji Wei had expected.
Xu Shaoqiu, having finished his work, spotted someone sitting in the living room. He exclaimed in surprise and quickened his pace. “Why are you here?”
Mother Yin stood up. “I happened to be nearby, so I dropped by. Long time no see.”
“Has Sijue been causing you any trouble lately?”
“Of course not. The team can’t do without him.” Xu Shaoqiu smiled. “It’s lunchtime, too. Would you like to stay for a meal? I’ll have Auntie make some extra.”
“No, I’m out with my students. I just came to take a look and will be leaving soon.”
The midday sun hung high in the sky, and the aroma of food gradually drifted from the kitchen. Ji Wei kept glancing upstairs for a long time before finally seeing Yin Sijue come down, fresh from his shower.
Also emerging was another familiar face—Da Shu, who had just woken up.
Da Shu noticed Yin Sijue’s half-dried hair and yawned. “You’re up so early again?”
He rolled his eyes, stretched, and went downstairs. “What’s wrong with you two? You train until the end of the day, but you’re up so early. You’re curling—”
“Oh… oh…” Da Shu froze when he saw the woman in the living room, smiling warmly, and behind her, Ji Wei, whose soul looked like it had left his body. “Auntie, have you been sitting here this whole time?”
Ji Wei: “…”
Mother Yin: “Yes. Xiao Cheng, long time no see.”
Da Shu: “…Long time no see, Auntie.”
He didn’t dare meet Ji Wei’s dagger-like gaze from behind him, and after a moment of despair, he fled to the kitchen for shelter.
Seeing that his boyfriend looked half out of his wits, Yin Sijue smiled as he walked down the stairs and squeezed Ji Wei’s hand reassuringly—only for Ji Wei to pull away.
Ji Wei glared at him, his eyes clearly saying: ‘Your mother’s still here—be mindful of the impact!’
Mother Yin noticed their little exchange and chuckled but didn’t call them out. “Alright, I’ve seen enough. I still have things to do, so I’ll head back first. Sijue, see me off.”
That signaled a private conversation. Ji Wei bit his lower lip and watched them leave.
The temperature outside was still scorching. Yin Sijue paused in the hallway without opening the door. “How about I call you a car first? I’ll let the security guard know so he can drive in.”
Mother Yin nodded. “That’s fine.”
She looked her son up and down, then sighed. “Ji is only eighteen, and you’re really ruthless.”
Yin Sijue raised an eyebrow. “I’ve known him since I was seventeen. It’s already honest enough to only start dating him now, isn’t it?”
Mother Yin: “…”
She gave him a look of disbelief. “How did I end up giving birth to a son like you?” She pressed her fingers to her forehead and sighed. “He seems quite well-behaved. You’ve bullied him a lot, haven’t you?”
“Not really.”
“How could I not know what kind of person you are?” Mother Yin shot him a glance. Her son had always looked composed, but in reality, he was full of mischief.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask—what do Xiao Ji’s parents do?”
Yin Sijue paused for a moment, then said, “His family situation is complicated. He’s no longer in contact with them. Don’t bring it up with him again.”
“How could that be…” Mother Yin said in surprise. “He’s so young.”
The car soon arrived. Before leaving, Mother Yin, still looking dazed, pulled Yin Sijue aside and reminded him, “You have to treat him well.”
“Your father hasn’t met him yet. If Xiao Ji has nowhere to go during the New Year, bring him home.”
Yin Sijue smiled. “Okay.”
…
When Yin Sijue returned from the door, Ji Wei nervously pulled him aside.
“What happened? Did Auntie find out about us? Da Shu spoke so fast I didn’t have time to stop him.”
Yin Sijue looked at him with amusement. “My mom noticed the moment she walked in.”
“Huh?” Ji Wei was stunned.
“That Weibo incident was a big deal, so I told her about our relationship.”
“I know that. I was right there when they called.” Ji Wei asked anxiously, “But how did Auntie know you were dating… me?”
Yin Sijue replied lazily, “She guessed. She said she thought I’d like you the moment she saw you.”
Ji Wei was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth for a long time. “…So what did she say?”
“She told me to be nice to you.” Yin Sijue reached out, supporting Ji Wei’s chin to gently close his mouth. “She also told me to take you home.”
Yin Sijue gazed into Ji Wei’s bright eyes, his fingertips brushing over Ji Wei’s fair cheeks, leaving behind a quiet warmth.
“She knows I like you very much, so she likes you too, baby.”
“I…” Ji Wei was speechless, his heart surging with emotion.
He blinked twice, and after a long pause, murmured, “Your mother is so kind.”
Loving your child—and then loving everything connected to them—makes you cherish everything they love.
How wonderful.
Yin Sijue smiled and smoothed down Ji Wei’s sleep-tousled hair. “Well, I’ll be your mother in the future.”
…
Mother Yin arrived and left just as quickly, as if today’s visit were nothing more than a small incident. The team members soon returned to their scheduled training.
But for some reason, Ji Wei couldn’t help thinking about her from time to time.
He had never seen such a gentle and tolerant mother figure before, let alone experienced it himself.
It was late at night when training ended. Yin Sijue walked Ji Wei to the door and gently kissed him on the brow.
“Would you like to sleep with me tonight?”
“What…” Ji Wei looked at him blankly, confused as to why his boyfriend had suddenly made such an invitation.
Yin Sijue lowered his gaze and said softly, “I just thought you weren’t as talkative as usual while we were gaming today.”
Ji Wei stared at him in surprise, speechless. He hadn’t expected such a small change in his mood to be noticed.
“I—I just…” Ji Wei stammered, not knowing how to explain.
“Are you missing Mom?”
His little thought was exposed, and his nose burned with the threat of tears. He nodded slightly.
“Hm…”
A warm embrace enveloped him. Ji Wei buried his head in Yin Sijue’s chest, breathing in the faint scent of his shower gel.
He had thought he had forgotten everything about his recent encounter with his mother in Taipei.
But Ji Wei realized that some things simply couldn’t be let go.
After lingering in Yin Sijue’s arms for a while, Ji Wei looked up and said softly, “I’d better sleep alone tonight. I don’t want to bother you.”
Some emotions needed to be digested alone, and he didn’t want to bring his heaviness to Yin Sijue.
Yin Sijue stroked his hair. “It’s okay. I’ll leave the door unlocked. You can come find me anytime.”
“Don’t be sad. I’ll be sad too,” he said, looking at Ji Wei gently.
Ji Wei felt a warmth rise in his throat. “Okay.”
After returning to his room, Ji Wei lay down on the bed, burying his face in the pillow for a moment.
A strong feeling of suffocation gripped him, and at the last second, he rolled over, gasping for air as he stared up at the ceiling.
The night was windless, and unlike usual, there were no cicadas chirping. The window seemed like a vast black hole, the silence almost unbearable.
Mother Yin’s smiling face lingered in his mind. Sometimes Ji Wei remembered the woman holding an umbrella for him at noon; other times, he recalled his own mother and his so-called biological brother—meeting him on the street like strangers.
Ji Wei stared blankly into space.
His boyfriend truly had wonderful parents.
And yet…
He tossed and turned in bed a few times, then picked up his phone and sent a message to Ji Lin.
Weiwei Dounan: [Brother, are you asleep?]
Ji Wei leaned sideways as he typed.
Weiwei Dounan: [I ran into my mother in Taipei a few days ago.]
The phone buzzed. The person on the other end had just seen the message and immediately called.
Ji Lin’s tone was anxious, and he fired off questions one after another. “You ran into Auntie? When? Why didn’t you tell me? She didn’t say anything mean, did she?”
Ji Wei replied softly, “It wasn’t a big deal. We didn’t say much.”
“So… was she alone when you saw her?”
Ji Wei hesitated, sensing something. “No. Do you know something?”
There was a long silence on the other end before Ji Lin finally spoke. “My mom told me they had another child not long after you disappeared.”
“…”
Ji Wei’s heartbeat stuttered. He blinked slowly. “Is that so.”
“No wonder I saw that kid the other day. He was pretty young,” Ji Lin said with a strained laugh. “I thought my mom was cheating on my dad.”
The two fell silent. The air was so still that Ji Wei could hear Ji Lin’s breathing through the receiver.
After a pause, Ji Lin spoke again. “Actually… there’s something else about your parents. I just heard about it these past couple of days, and I’ve been debating whether to tell you.”
“But I’m afraid that if I don’t, it’ll be worse if you hear it from someone else.”
Ji Wei instinctively tightened his grip on the phone. “What is it?”
“Uncle Ji seems to have run into some trouble at work, and Auntie might be implicated. She sent your brother to Grandma’s house overnight.”
“I don’t know the details, but I heard Uncle Ji was taken away by the Disciplinary Committee during a meeting two days ago.”