Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Is Lin Xu Really Our Mother?

“I forgot, the file bag isn’t on the desk, I placed it inside the bookshelf.”

A deep voice pulled Ji Yuqiao back from her drifting thoughts.

Ji Tingyang walked in, took a file bag from the wall bookshelf.

Ji Yuqiao came back to her senses and hurriedly called out to Ji Tingyang, “Big brother, who’s the person in this photo?”

Ji Tingyang saw the photo in her hand and paused for a moment, “…It’s our family portrait.”

“So the woman in the photo is our mother, right? She resembles Lin Xu so much. And this man, he looks like Xie…”

“Resembles who?” Ji Tingyang suddenly turned cold, “That man doesn’t look like our father at all.”

Ji Yuqiao hadn’t finished her sentence when she was frightened into swallowing her words back down by Ji Tingyang.

“If you’re nearsighted, go get glasses instead of talking nonsense.” Ji Tingyang left the study room with a frown on his face.

Ji Yuqiao patted her trembling heart.

What was big brother’s temper about all of a sudden?

It clearly looked alike.

He should be the one to get a pair of glasses instead.

Ji Yuqiao scrutinized the photo for a long time before she finally placed it back into the drawer.

When she returned to the living room, the image of the photo was still on her mind.

Seeing the butler nearby, an idea struck Ji Yuqiao, and she immediately asked, “Uncle Butler, do you know when Lin Xu came to our house?”

The butler thought for a moment, “It seems it was half a year ago…”

“How did she come to us?” Ji Yuqiao asked.

“Hiss, I’m not too clear either, it seems like she just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Then, have you ever seen her child?”

“Child? Does Miss Lin have a child? I’ve never heard her mention one.”

“Ah, I see… maybe I misremembered…” Ji Yuqiao forced a few laughs.

Ji Zeqiu and Lin Xu had been out for quite a while, not returning until after it got dark, laden with large and small packages.

Ji Tingyang hurried over to greet them, taking the things from Lin Xu’s hands, “Why did you buy so much?”

“I saw lots of new clothing in the stores, and I bought them for you all,” Lin Xu said.

Ji Tingyang’s eyes suddenly brightened as he pulled out a shirt from the bag, a hint of pleasure in his expression, “Is this for me?”

Ji Zeqiu snatched the shirt back, “This is for me!”

Ji Tingyang surveyed the dozen or so bags on the ground as if trying to discern which one was his.

Ji Zeqiu pulled a small box from one of the bags, “Stop looking, only these cufflinks are yours, the rest are for me.”

He threw a glance at Ji Tingyang, his eyes brimming with a hint of triumph.

As if to say, mother bought me so many things, but for you, there’s only this one.

The person mother loves most is definitely me.

Ji Tingyang’s forehead vein throbbed, his face exceptionally unpleasant.

Lin Xu glared at Ji Zeqiu and quickly picked up a few bags to hand to Ji Tingyang, “Don’t listen to your brother’s nonsense, these are yours. There are also some for Lanyue, the amount I bought for everyone is the same.”

Ji Tingyang’s expression improved slightly, but his face still held a trace of grievance.

Lin Xu soothingly stroked his head.

Now it was Ji Tingyang’s turn to secretly throw a challenging glance at Ji Zeqiu.

Ji Zeqiu clenched his teeth and snorted coldly.

If this were the past, Ji Yuqiao would definitely be gloating at the side.

However, now she felt somewhat puzzled.

Why did both her big brother and second brother like Lin Xu so much?

She wasn’t unfamiliar with other relatives in the family, but Lanyue and Zeqiu always despised those relatives and never allowed her to interact with them much.

So why did they like Lin Xu, who had only appeared not long ago?

Perhaps it was because she cared about this matter that she noticed many things she hadn’t paid attention to before.

For instance, Lin Xu never talked about her children.

Yet from the things she had mentioned before, one could feel that she clearly loved her children, but she had never been seen calling them.

Another example was how Lanyue and Zeqiu always seemed to depend on Lin Xu.

When Lanyue was in a bad mood, he always liked to lean on Lin Xu’s shoulder.

Zeqiu, who obviously hated greens, used to refuse to eat them no matter how she and Lanyue persuaded him, but with just a look from Lin Xu, he would obediently eat them.

With too many thoughts on her mind, Ji Yuqiao lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

At that moment.

A hand reached out, pulling her into an embrace, the palm gently caressing her back.

“Can’t sleep?” Lin Xu’s voice was soft and subtle, like a gentle breeze slowly brushing over her restless chest.

Ji Yuqiao’s mood gradually calmed down, “Mmm.”

“Shall I tell you a bedtime story?”

“I am already so big…” Ji Yuqiao muttered under her breath, her face flushed with embarrassment in the darkness.

“No matter how old you are, you can still listen to stories,” said Lin Xu.

“Then go ahead,” Ji Yuqiao’s tone was a bit coy.

“Once there was a lioness and her cub, the mother took the little lion to climb the steep slopes…”

Lin Xu’s voice was tender, like a mountain stream flowing quietly, clear and melodious.

Ji Yuqiao, with her eyes closed, felt her mood smooth itself out, and her mind, previously wide awake, unknowingly began to grow heavy.

In a daze, she seemed to feel a warm kiss fall on her cheek.

The gentle voice at her ear carried a sad tinge of regret, “I realize that I never had the chance to lull you to sleep before…”

“But at least now the opportunity is here, and from now on, our family will always be together.”

Ji Yuqiao’s heartstrings were faintly touched.

That night, she had a dream.

She dreamed that her parents were still alive, and the family was having a joyous picnic in the countryside.

Her mother walked towards her with a sandwich, and when she looked up, she was greeted by the smiling face of Lin Xu, as beautiful as flowers.

The scene shifted, taking her back to the day she had first seen Lin Xu at the villa.

Lanyue and Zeqiu had both said that Lin Xu was their mother…

—-

Ji Zeqiu had stayed at home for a week, and after dinner that day, he went back to his room to pack clothes to take to the drama set.

Ji Yuqiao knocked on Ji Zeqiu’s bedroom door.

His packing was practiced and smooth. Seeing her enter, he didn’t look up, “Run out of spending money?”

Ji Yuqiao’s mouth twitched as if she only came to him for money, “No, it’s something else…”

“You could have something else?” Ji Zeqiu seemed somewhat intrigued as he glanced at her.

Ji Yuqiao rolled her eyes, not intending to argue with him.

The words she wanted to say had been fermenting in her heart for a long time, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her eyebrows almost knotting together, her eyes reflecting a mix of entanglement and hesitation.

“So what is it?” Seeing her silent for so long, Ji Zeqiu stopped his movements and looked at her.

Just as Ji Zeqiu was growing impatient, she spoke her mind.

“Is Lin Xu really our mother?”