Rebirth: Once Again With You

Li Caiyi went back to the Li family's household that day. Thankfully, Li Jirong wouldn't be around the house until late at night, so she could stay until dinner time.

Su Suyin was happy and prepared a sumptuous meal for her, but it pressured her even more, considering what she planned to tell her mother later.

The sun had set, and Li Caiyi was currently watching her mother pruning the flowers so she could put them into the vase.

Li Caiyi spent a lot of time thinking about the words she wanted to say to her and delayed her timing. The sky had turned dark in a blink of an eye, and she had to talk with her mother before Li Jirong came back.

Su Suyin sat and meticulously used the scissor to cut the thorn from the rose branch she held. Her mother had a serious expression on her face. The scene looked so serene that Li Caiyi didn't bear to ruin it with the bad news she had in hand.

Nevertheless, she would lose the time when the fruit was ripe if she dilly-dallied here. Hence, with a renewed resolve, she walked over to Su Suyin.

"Mother, do you have time?"

Su Suyin's movement halted as she raised her head. Her lips curved up into a smile, seeing Li Caiyi approach her first.

"Yes, what's wrong, Xiaoyi?"

Li Caiyi calmed herself down before replying, "I have something I need to tell you. This is important, so can we talk in private, please?"

Su Suyin's smile faded when she noticed how stiff and courteous Li Caiyi behaved. Her hunch told her that what her daughter wanted to say to her must be very serious, in a bad way.

A sense of anxiety hit her, and she suddenly had a terrible feeling about this.

"What is it, Xiaoyi? You sound so serious it scares me."

"Mother, let's have a talk first. Can we go to my or your room?"

Li Caiyi could sense her mother's apprehension, but she would have to know about this eventually.

Su Suyin bit her lips and reluctantly agreed. She stood up, and both of them changed their location to Su Suyin's room.

After closing the door, Li Caiyi took a deep breath before sitting beside her mother at the bedside. Her face was grim as she took out her phone from her pocket.

"Please don't be too surprised, Mother. First, please take a look at this, then let's talk about what we can do about it." Li Caiyi started carefully, trying her best so her mother wouldn't be startled too much.

Su Suyin looked down at the phone with a confused and reluctant gaze but still accepted it. She glanced at her daughter, and only after Li Caiyi nodded her head did she finally tap on the screen.

Li Caiyi observed her mother's reaction closely, without missing any subtle details. Her heart ached, watching how her mother's face color gradually became darker as time passed. She couldn't imagine how her mother would feel towards her father's betrayal after everything she sacrificed for him.

"T-this is…" Su Suyin muttered in a trembling voice. Actually, not only her voice but her whole body was shaking like a leaf. All blood seemed to be lost from her face as she gazed at Li Caiyi in a mixture of pain and disbelief.

"Mother," Li Caiyi touched her shoulder and rubbed it gently. "I know this is surprising, but this is the truth you have to accept."

"How do you know about this?"

Li Caiyi didn't plan to hide anything from her mother, so she told her everything. Starting from when she 'accidentally' eavesdropped on the scandalous action in Li Jirong's office and how she investigated her father after that, which eventually led to the current situation.

Su Suyin listened to her without saying anything. Her eyes which looked hurt earlier, gradually lost their light until they were replaced by a complete emptiness.

Li Caiyi knew that expression well. She once always looked at the same expression every morning when she looked in the mirror. A tired face that had already given up on everything and only resigned herself to fate.

Looking at her mother right now was like looking at her past self, which made her uncomfortable.

"Mother, please don't lose hope. This is the proof that Father is not staying true to your marriage and his family. But none of this is your fault." Li Caiyi carefully chose her words, but she felt like any kind of words would be useless. She, too, knew how it felt to be abandoned more than anyone else, and that experience made it a lot harder for her to offer words of comfort.

"Xiaoyi, what do you think of me now?"

"Ah?" Li Caiyi exclaimed in confusion at her mother's sudden question.

"Do you think that your mother is very pitiful? Because she dedicated herself to one man, only to be treated like nothing in the end?"

"Mother, there is a way to solve this. One that doesn't involve further pain for you. We can't let Father do as he pleases anymore." Li Caiyi clasped Su Suyin's hand in a firm grip.

"It took me a long time to muster my courage to break the news to you. Mother, I think it would be better if you divorce Father."

Su Suyin laughed in a self-deprecating manner. "Without your father, I'm just a nobody."

"No, that's not true!" Li Caiyi denied it immediately. She took hold of her mother's shoulders before forcing her to look her way.

"I used to think the same too about myself. Father kept telling me that I was useless and a disgrace to the family's name but didn't I manage to achieve something? Don't let what Father said get to you, Mother. He wants you to believe that, so he can take full control of your mind!"

"Xiaoyi, I don't know." Su Suyin shook her head while replying weakly. "I was shocked and hurt when I knew about your father's affair, but after a while, I can't help but think it's meaningless to even feel that way. Because your father had long since changed. He wasn't the man I used to know anymore."

"Mother, it's okay to cry if you feel sad. Don't hold it in." Li Caiyi squeezed her shoulders tighter as if she could transfer some of her energy to her mother that way.

Su Suyin shook her head before smiling faintly. "At this point, I couldn't even feel sad about it anymore. Right now, the only thing in my mind is, what will happen to my children if I give up on this marriage? I probably can't meet you anymore if your father found out about this."

"There's nothing to worry about!"

Li Caiyi's enthusiastic answer took Su Suyin aback. "How can it be? Divorce is not something that could be done just because a couple doesn't have any feelings toward each other anymore. There are a lot of things to be considered."

Li Caiyi felt reassured knowing that her mother wasn't actually against the divorce idea.

"Mother, you don't have to worry because we have prepared a plan for that."