Chapter 14: Mom Will Stand Up for You

楼上,沈明收拾好行李.管家为她准备了一切,从衣柜到拖鞋.当她下楼时,她选择了一双完全没有高跟鞋的平底拖鞋.当她到达客厅时,大部分客人都已经离开了,只剩下苏宁和她的女儿苏玉燕.当她走下楼梯时,她意外地发现了一个她没想到的人——苏家的小公主顾风.顾峰坐在沙发上.听到脚步声,她抬头看到了沈明,眼眶红肿.显然,她一直在哭.苏宁还在安慰她.母女俩亲情的场面看着有些让人有些不舒服.沈明撩开她仍然湿漉漉的头发,选择无视客厅里正在进行的戏剧性事件.她走过去,开口了."苏小姐,我们什么时候吃晚饭?我快饿了.苏宁的手还在轻轻拍打着顾风的背.顾枫是苏宁和现任丈夫顾长松收养的女儿.这个最小的女儿总是听话,乖巧.苏宁万万没想到看到她如此心烦意乱,她很难不感到些许同情.这是可以理解的——这种事情对任何人来说都很难接受."凤峰,听你姑姑的话.Ming Ming 是我们家的新成员.你得跟她好好相处.顾风缓缓抬起头,嗅了嗅,看着沈明,声音轻柔."我会...我会和...我姐姐.沈明看着她,一股困惑占据了上风.她没想到顾枫此刻看起来如此天真无邪——完全不像她前世记忆中那个冷酷无情的人.前世,顾风一直心无情,企图毁掉沈明的一生,希望她消失.看到她哭泣,脸上还透着泪水,沈明内心深处激荡着某种黑暗的东西.她今天早些时候感到的所有挫败感似乎在那一刻都消失了.她忍不住淡淡一笑."妈妈,过来,我需要和你谈谈,"她喊道."妈妈"这个词的影响是立竿见影的.苏宁抬起头,表情复杂.不光是她,顾枫的脸色也随着她转头看去.沈明继续说道,仍然对顾枫说."小妹妹,你能给我点空间吗?"我需要单独和妈妈谈谈.顾风愣了一下,但最终还是犹豫地点了点头."不,不,我不介意."沈明领着苏宁来到阳台上,顾风缓缓跟在后面,站在玻璃窗边,凝视着外面.打完电话后,苏玉燕正要离开,这时注意到平时听话的小妹妹站在阳台上."顾风,天色不晚.我带你回家吧.She trembled slightly, turning to face her brother."Brother, Mom said dinner will be ready soon…"Su Yuyan gestured toward the balcony."Do you think you'll be able to eat?"Gu Feng's face turned pale at his words."I think I'll wait until after dinner to go back."Su Yuyan paused, silently processing for a moment. He didn't speak at first, but then Gu Feng couldn't help but ask."Brother, don't you think that ever since Shen Ming sister came back, Mom seems… happy?"Happy?Su Yuyan paused, recalling the recent events. His mother had been all over the place these past few days, busy arranging everything, even calling him back home. There was definitely a noticeable difference in her behavior compared to before."Maybe," he replied.Gu Feng's expression darkened again."You're really not going back? If not, I'll leave now," Su Yuyan added, his voice softer."Okay, I'll send you off, brother."Meanwhile, on the balcony, Shen Ming and Su Ning were talking alone.Su Ning, a woman who had dominated the business world, commanded respect. Shen Ming had to admit that, regardless of their family relationship, Su Ning's accomplishments were impressive."Let's get to it. Why did you choose to acknowledge me? You know I'm not really your daughter."Shen Ming crossed her arms and said coldly.Su Ning, standing behind her, was clearly shocked by the question."You want to know about your identity?" Su Ning asked, sounding surprised.Of course, Shen Ming knew what her identity was—she wasn't Su Ning's biological daughter. But she shared the same father as Su Yuyan. Su Ning had always wanted to hide her real identity, and Shen Ming suspected she had a reason for it.Before revealing the truth, she decided to play along."My identity? You're the one who abandoned me, then suddenly claimed me as your daughter. You're the head of the Su family. I find it hard to believe it's so difficult to find someone. If I'm really your daughter, why did it take so long for you to bring me back?"Ah, so it was about this issue.Su Ning sighed, feeling the weight of the question."Re Ming, you are our Su family's daughter. The identification report is still in the house. We didn't find you earlier because your father and I thought you were gone. When you were very young, we searched for you. The orphanage director said you had a high fever, a small illness that you didn't survive."Lies.Had Shen Ming not known the truth, she might have believed it."Since I'm your daughter, what's my name?""Su Mi. That's the name your grandfather gave you."Shen Ming didn't ask any further. If they had already given her a name, why had they abandoned her? There were too many holes in the story.Fighting back tears, she slowly turned away. Large teardrops fell down her face.She wasn't just crying to look pretty.Su Ning's breath caught in her throat."Re Ming…"It was rare to see Su Ning, who was usually so composed, look so vulnerable. Shen Ming could tell that Su Ning was genuinely feeling guilty.Su Ning stepped forward and gently embraced her. Shen Ming took advantage of the moment, resting her head on Su Ning's shoulder."How could you be so heartless? Do you know how much I've suffered all these years? You lived in a big house, eating well, while I was so poor I could barely pay rent.""Re Ming, I'm sorry. But now you're back, no one can bully you.""Really?"Su Ning patted her back gently, then gently pushed her away and asked."Re Ming, do you still have the jade pendant you've had since you were little? Can I see it?"Shen Ming sniffled, "Are you talking about the jade pendant with the rabbit carving on the back? A few days ago, I was swindled by a nasty person. That jade pendant…""The jade pendant was taken?""No, that person was trying to ruin my small company, and it was on the brink of bankruptcy. I didn't know what else to do, so I sold the jade pendant.""You sold it? How much did you get for it?"Shen Ming held back three zeros and said, "I got four zeros. Enough to cover my rent for a month."Su Ning was surprised and a bit disappointed. "Re Ming, you were scammed. That pendant could have sold for the price of a car. Never mind, I'll try to get it back," she said, since it was a family heirloom. "By the way, you mentioned someone was bullying you?""Oh, that nasty person."Shen Ming spoke with deliberate calmness."I heard it was the second son of the Ning family, the Ning Group."Su Ning frowned. She knew him."Ning Zhiqian?""No."Shen Ming shook her head."It's his girlfriend, a woman named Cheng Anyi."