From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

”What did you say? Am I an idiot?” Wu Sheng heard Su Li’s whisper and shot back in disbelief.

”Well, it’s not like you’re a genius,” Su Li said, shaking her head.

Wu Sheng couldn’t help but flash a toothy grin. ”Smarter than you. But how’d you know I was behind you?”

”Just a guess.”

Wu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh. ”And what if you’d guessed wrong?”

”Then I would’ve been wrong.” Su Li glanced at Wu Sheng. ”How did you know today was my birthday?”

”I saw your ID card before.” Wu Sheng rubbed his nose. ”It is your birthday today, right?”

’I really hope I didn’t get this completely wrong.’

Su Li nodded. ”It is. Thank you for the gift.”

Wu Sheng’s eyes lit up. ”Do you like it?”

Su Li nodded, then asked Wu Sheng, ”Why give me a gift in secret? If I hadn’t guessed it was you, wouldn’t you have lost out?”

”As long as you like the gift and it makes you happy, that’s all that matters. It’s not about losing out or not. And as for why I did it in secret...”

Wu Sheng blinked. ”You’re the one who told me not to see you.”

He sounded a little hurt.

Su Li pressed her lips together. ”I’m sorry...”

Seeing the look on his face, she didn’t press the point and changed the subject. ”Where did you get those books?”

”I dug them out at home. You like them, don’t you?”

Su Li hesitated. ”They’re just... they’re too precious...”

”Stop.” Wu Sheng cut her off. ”Don’t say anything that’s going to spoil the mood. Just tell me—do you like them or not?”

Of course Su Li liked them.

”Then that’s all that matters.” Wu Sheng nodded. ”Since I gave you such a great gift, don’t you think you should thank me with a little reward?”

Su Li nodded. ”What kind of reward do you want?”

Wu Sheng let out a low chuckle. ”A kiss or a hug,” he murmured. ”Take your pick. I’m good with either.”

He sounded incredibly accommodating.

His serious act didn’t last a second. Su Li rolled her eyes at him.

Wu Sheng rubbed his nose, trying to bargain. ”Or maybe you could hold my little hand?”

Su Li glanced at Wu Sheng’s ”little hand” and huffed, a popular meme phrase slipping out.

”The user has rejected your message and rolled their eyes at you!”

Wu Sheng snorted with laughter.

”And may I ask why the user rejected the message?”

Su Li said scornfully, ”Because your hands are huge! They’re not ’little’ at all!”

Wu Sheng was dying of laughter.

”Okay, let me rephrase. How about you hold my big hand?”

This time, Su Li simply turned her back on him, perfectly reenacting the ”The user has rejected your message and is showing you their back” meme.

After walking a few steps, Su Li stopped and glanced back.

Wu Sheng was trailing a few steps behind. Seeing her look back, he smiled and jogged to her side.

”Are you sure your foot’s okay?” he asked, looking down at it.

He had a feeling she’d actually twisted it. Her gait was a little off, too.

Su Li’s steps faltered. ”It’s nothing, it was just for a second...”

”It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt,” Su Li said, waving her hand dismissively.

”You’re...” Wu Sheng’s expression darkened. ”You idiot!”

He crouched down, lifted her pant leg, and took a look. ”It’s already a little red.”

After a quick glance, he wordlessly helped Su Li to a nearby photo studio, borrowed a chair from the owner, and had her sit down.

”You sit here and don’t move. Wait for me.”

With that, Wu Sheng took off running.

”Where are you going? It’s really fine, it doesn’t hurt at all!” Su Li called out anxiously.

”Don’t move! Sit down and wait for me, okay?” Wu Sheng called back without turning his head, as if he had eyes in the back of it.

Su Li sat down awkwardly, feeling a pang of regret.

’My acting wasn’t convincing enough, and I ended up actually twisting my ankle a little while I was faking it...’

’That was humiliating enough, but what I regretted even more was caving and telling Wu Sheng the truth.’

’I hadn’t even noticed anything unusual about my walk, but when he asked with that puzzled look, I met his eyes and just couldn’t help but tell the truth.’

”I must be possessed!” Su Li slapped her forehead.

”I haven’t had a birthday or received a gift in two lifetimes, and the one time I do, it turns my brain to mush!”

’This is so humiliating!’

As Su Li was stewing in her vexation, Wu Sheng ran back with a bottle of safflower oil in his hand.

”It’s really fine,” Su Li said, wanting to cry.

”With you, everything is always ’fine’.” Wu Sheng, uncharacteristically breathless from running, crouched down and started to untie her shoelaces.

”I can do it myself...” Su Li had just started to speak when Wu Sheng tutted.

”Don’t move.” Wu Sheng finished untying the laces and helped her take off her shoe and sock.

Su Li watched as Wu Sheng placed her foot on his lap and carefully applied the ointment. ”Yell if it hurts.”

”It doesn’t hurt,” Su Li said quickly.

”Do you know how to say anything besides ’it doesn’t hurt’?” Wu Sheng glanced at her and sighed.

”I’m just going to massage it a little.” Being careful not to touch her more than necessary, Wu Sheng gently rubbed her ankle.

The sky was growing dark, and the street was nearly empty. The lights inside the photo studio were on. Silhouetted against them, Su Li watched Wu Sheng’s earnest, careful expression under the faint yellow light. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

’When she’d first met Wu Sheng, she had fallen into one of their traps and sprained her ankle then, too. It had been much worse than this, but she hadn’t paid it any mind.’

’This little twist was nothing in comparison, so she had planned to just ignore it and let it heal on its own.’

’And yet...’

Looking at Wu Sheng, Su Li, for the first time in her life, understood what it felt like to be treasured.

”All done.” Wu Sheng’s voice broke through Su Li’s thoughts. She let out a reflexive, ”Oh.”

”What are you thinking about? Does it still hurt?” Wu Sheng asked, looking at her. ”Try moving it.”

”It doesn’t hurt. Really, it doesn’t.” Su Li quickly retracted her foot and pulled her sock and shoe back on herself.

”’It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt’...” Wu Sheng stood up. ”All you ever say is ’it doesn’t hurt.’ What are you, some kind of tough guy?”

He gently tapped her head with the back of his hand. ”It’s okay for a girl to be a little more delicate, you know. If it hurts, it’s okay to admit it.”

Wu Sheng asked the shop owner for some water to wash his hands, then handed the safflower oil to Su Li.

”Take this. Put some more on tonight after you’ve washed up, and remember to apply it again tomorrow.”

As Su Li reached for it, her eyes fell on his hands. ”Your injuries from last time... are they all healed?”

”Healed up a long time ago.”

Wu Sheng returned the chair to the owner, then turned to Su Li. ”Be careful.”

”Mhm,” Su Li stressed again. ”It’s really nothing.”

Wu Sheng looked down at Su Li, his expression serious. ”From now on, if you want to see me, just call for me. I definitely won’t hide. Don’t do something foolish like this again.”

Su Li stared blankly. ”I thought you wouldn’t show up...”

”What were you thinking? The only reason I was hiding today was because of what you said before. If you want to see me, I’d be thrilled. Why would I ever hide then?”

Wu Sheng sighed. ”I don’t even know what to do with you sometimes.”

Su Li mumbled, ”...I think my brain stopped working.”

She had just wanted to test him, to see if he was really there.

Wu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh. ”Wow, you really don’t pull any punches, even with yourself.”

He glanced at the sky. ”If I’d known you were going to see me, I would’ve ordered a birthday cake. It’s probably too late now.”

”It’s okay! It’s fine without a cake,” Su Li said, waving her hands frantically.

”There’s no cake, but I can at least treat you to a nice meal, right?” Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow. ”In honor of your birthday, how about we make an exception?”

On her birthday, all he really wanted was to be by her side.