She could already feel that her mother was about to misunderstand something, but before she could even say more, Yan Laojin’s expression had already shifted. Hearing that Bai Li had been injured while saving her daughter, Yan Laojin’s eyes widened, and for a brief second she looked stunned. Then, very quickly, the surprise turned into a smile, and that smile kept growing, as if she had just realized something interesting.

"Dear... do you perhaps like her? Is she your girlfriend?"

Yan Cijin was still holding the little dumpling in her arms, and when she heard her mother ask that, her calm face almost cracked on the spot. Her expression had been composed just a moment earlier, but now it began to fall apart in an instant. Her cheeks turned red so fast it was almost impossible to hide, and even though she tried to stay calm, there was already a bit of shyness in her voice when she answered.

"Mom... don’t misunderstand. I am just helping her because she helped me come home to you guys alive. Besides, we are both girls so it’s not a problem."

Yan Laojin looked at her daughter’s face and immediately saw through the awkward denial. She did not seem convinced at all. In fact, the more Yan Cijin tried to explain, the more her mother looked like she had already made up her mind. With a teasing smile and a little laughter in her voice, Yan Laojin spoke again, this time sounding even more certain.

"Dear... It’s okay if you like her as long as she is a good girl. Besides, I think you seem to have forgotten, but you are a lesbian, so the fact that you two are both girls is exactly what makes me think that. And honestly, it’s good that you finally found a girl you like. I was worried that you would stay single forever with your cold personality."

That was the kind of thing that made Yan Cijin freeze for a second. She had not been expecting her mother to say all of that so directly, and the embarrassment hit her so hard that her face turned an even deeper red. Still, because she had lived for hundreds of years across many lifetimes, her actual reaction was not as wild as an ordinary person’s might have been. Deep inside, she still felt the shock and the awkwardness, but the outside expression stayed a little more controlled, a little more muted. Even so, the heat in her face did not go away. The whole thing made her feel like she wanted to disappear into the floor for a second, and yet at the same time, she also knew her mother was only saying those words because she cared and because she was happy to see her daughter maybe having someone special in her life.

Yan Cijin turned her head away, not knowing how to keep listening to all of that, and said softly, almost in surrender.

"Okay, okay, stop talking. I am going."

Even after saying that, she still felt her face burning. The whole discussion had made her feel shy and flustered, and the more her mother teased her, the more she wanted to escape before she had to hear anything else. Still holding the little one, she bounced the child gently in her arms one more time and then lowered her voice into a soft coaxing tone.

"Lili, how about going to play with Grandma? Mommy will come back to play with you later."

The little dumpling was very obedient, as always. The child immediately said yes and held out those tiny hands toward Yan Laojin, clearly ready to be taken. Yan Laojin’s eyes softened at once. She reached out and took Lili into her arms, while quietly smiling to herself in secret. At the same time, she looked toward her daughter with a gentle expression, feeling warm and amused all over. She could not help but think that maybe she should really get to know that Bai girl properly and see for herself what kind of person she was. After all, if her daughter was going to help her like this and keep worrying about her like this, then clearly she must be someone important. Yan Laojin held the little dumpling securely and watched her daughter with a thoughtful, affectionate look, already imagining how she might learn more about the girl next door and whether she truly was as good as she seemed.

On the other side, Bai Li entered her apartment, shut the door behind her, and walked straight toward the couch in the living room before dropping herself down onto it. The moment she sat, the stiffness in her shoulders hit her all over again. Her body was covered in sweat, blood, dust, and that sticky kind of tiredness that only comes after a day where every second felt like it might be the last. Even though the battle was over for now, she still had that heavy, worn out feeling clinging to her skin. She lifted a hand and wiped it across her face, then glanced down at the black smear on her sleeve and let out a small breath. She really wanted to take a bath right away. Her whole body felt like it had been dragged through mud and then left out in the sun. But then she remembered what Yan Cijin had said before, and she paused. They had already agreed that it had not been half an hour yet, so Bai Li decided to wait a little longer. She had to admit, doing the medicine change alone would be annoying, and if she rushed into the bathroom now and got the wound wet by mistake, then it would just become a whole extra mess. Still, the urge to clean herself was strong enough that she leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to settle her breathing and calm her mind. After all the chaos of the outside world, even this quiet room felt strange at first, like her body had to remember how to relax again. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

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TO BE CONTINUED.