Chapter 18: No “Bailian”

Song Qingtian woke up early and found her eyes swollen and red like a rabbit’s, with bright red marks on her neck that even a thick layer of powder couldn’t hide.

She gave a helpless little smirk and had no choice but to grab a silk scarf from the closet and tie it around her neck.

At breakfast, Nuonuo curiously asked, “Mommy, why are you wearing sunglasses at home?”

Song Qingtian said in a hoarse voice, “Because sand got into Mommy’s eyes and they’re inflamed—I don’t want to scare Nuonuo.”

“Nuonuo isn’t scared,” she replied.

“But Mommy doesn’t want to scare her little treasure,” Song Qingtian insisted.

“Then why are you wearing a scarf on such a hot day, Mommy?” Nuonuo pressed.

“Because Mommy’s body is weak and I’m sensitive to the cold…”

At the dinner table, Ling Qingyun and Liu Shuping exchanged a glance—a look only they understood—and both smiled contentedly.

“Aunt Chen, hurry up and bring the soup I stewed over for the young mistress to drink!” Liu Shuping called out.

“Of course, Madam,” Aunt Chen replied.

Song Qingtian knew they’d misunderstood. “Thanks, Mom, but I really can’t drink it.”

She was so angry at that dog, Ling Hanyu, that she still hadn’t calmed down.

“It’s okay—let me have Aunt Chen warm it up for you. You can drink it whenever you feel hungry,” Liu Shuping said.

Liu Shuping thought her daughter-in-law was far too frail and needed proper nourishment.

“By the way, Sweetie, I told your dad we’d take Nuonuo to the amusement park. Would you like to come along?”

Song Qingtian looked at her daughter’s eager little eyes and said, “Of course! It’s not often Dad and Mom get to come back, so I definitely want you to see all the sights.”

“Yay, Long live Mommy!” Ling Nuonuo jumped for joy.

After lunch, Song Qingtian, Ling Qingyun, and their couple took Nuonuo to the amusement park.

As soon as Ling Nuonuo arrived, she was like a wild little colt, bursting with energy.

“Mommy, I want to ride the carousel!” Ling Nuonuo tugged on Song Qingtian, excitedly pulling her toward the carousel.

Soon enough, mother and daughter were seated on the carousel, while Ling Qingyun and Liu Shuping sat on another horse behind them.

For the first time ever, so many people were accompanying her at the amusement park, and Ling Nuonuo was overjoyed, dancing and jumping with glee, her little face beaming from ear to ear.

Time flew by quickly; they only managed to try a few rides that were suitable for kids.

As soon as the fun was over, it was already noon.

“Mommy, I’m hungry!” Ling Nuonuo was tired from playing—and hungry, too.

They quickly found a restaurant, and when they walked in, it turned out to be an awkward coincidence.

Ling Qingyun and Liu Shuping saw Song Yinyin sitting across from their son, and instantly felt a surge of anger.

That scoundrel had abandoned his wife and daughter just to flirt with another woman—how despicable!

“Sweetie, let’s sit over here,” Liu Shuping said, determined not to pay any attention to the two of them.

No sooner had Song Qingtian settled down with her daughter than she heard Song Yinyin softly ask from behind:

“Jiefu, is Sister still mad at me for bringing Mr. Zheng back last time?”

The moment Ling Hanyu caught sight of Song Qingtian, he was suddenly reminded of last night and drifted off into thought, completely missing what Song Yinyin had said.

“Jiefu? Jiefu?” Song Yinyin called out again.

“What did you just say?” Ling Hanyu asked.

“I said that Mr. Zheng Baiheng is said to be Sister’s friend, and that they’re very close. I really didn’t mean to do it on purpose.”

Song Qingtian finally understood: this female lead was nothing but a scheming, hypocritical “white lotus.”

Even if that man was arranged by her own hand, or even if it wasn’t her fault, if she had to apologize, shouldn’t she at least apologize to the person directly involved—namely, herself? Instead, she was crying and apologizing to her husband—what kind of logic was that? And she even chose to do it when Ling Hanyu’s parents were present, clearly trying to tell Ling Hanyu’s parents that she led an immoral life!

Just as Song Qingtian was about to explain herself, Liu Shuping turned to Ling Qingyun and asked, “Honey, did you happen to see a huge white lotus?”

Ling Qingyun pretended to be surprised: “What white lotus? I didn’t see any white ones—instead, I spotted a green one!”

Liu Shuping sneered, “That’s because some people don’t want the white lotus, so you only see the green one!”

Song Yinyin’s expression turned extremely sour. Although Liu Shuping didn’t name anyone specifically, everyone knew she was mocking her.

Why could Song Qingtian marry Hanyu and win the approval of Ling Qingyun and his wife, while another girl from the same Song family had to work hard for others, always having to watch other people’s moods?

Song Yinyin clenched her fingernails into her flesh, seething with resentment. She hated Ling Qingyun and his wife for not giving her a chance. Even more, she resented Song Qingtian for being shameless—designing a scheme to climb into Hanyu’s bed and even giving birth to a little brat.

Though Song Yinyin appeared innocent on the outside, her malicious intentions were impossible to hide.

Suddenly, Ling Nuonuo burst into tears—the child is very sensitive to the emotions of adults.

End of Chapter 18: No “Bailian”