Mrs. Zhou held the sleeping Nian'en in her arms, her eyes filled with maternal affection.
After a while, the child woke up and cried incessantly.
Mrs. Zhou suddenly snapped back to reality and handed the child back to Qiao En.
Her face regained its usual cold indifference, and she walked briskly toward the outside.
The door opened, and Zhou Jin'an stood anxiously outside.
"Mom."
Zhou Jin'an called out.
Mrs. Zhou did not respond; her icy gaze swept over Zhou Jin'an and then she looked away.
"Thank you for washing off the filth from me," he said.
Zhou Jin'an was slightly stunned.
That didn't sound like something a mother would say.
He turned to look at Mrs. Zhou, who was once again taking heavy steps farther away from him.
It was as if the distance between mother and son had never been bridged.