Chapter 56: Mom, I'm back

Chapter 56: Mom, I'm Home

Shen Ci shook her head, weeping uncontrollably. "It was my fault. I'm sorry, Mom. Can you forgive me?"

Shen Jingjing choked out, "A-Ci, it wasn't your fault. It was Mom's fault. I understand if you resent me."

Hearing this, Shen Ci reached up to gently wipe the tears from her mother's cheeks and said earnestly, "Mom, I don't resent you anymore. I stopped resenting you a long time ago. USTC is wonderful; I am very happy and satisfied there."

During the college entrance examination that year, Shen Ci had scored over 700 points, allowing her to apply for the Astronomy Department at her most desired aerospace university.

Unexpectedly, the admissions office of the University of Science and Technology traveled thousands of miles with immense sincerity to visit her personally in Shenzhen/Hong Kong to offer special recruitment, promising a twenty-yuan recruitment bonus.

At that time, twenty yuan was undoubtedly a steady guarantee for Shen Jingjing, who was raising three children single-handedly and wanted all three to attend university and become successful.

Two high schoolers, one college student, and a second daughter who wanted to take the arts exam—the energy and money required over many years were truly beyond Shen Jingjing's means, and those twenty yuan gave her a glimpse of hope for the future.

Back then, Shen Ci did not understand why her mother insisted she make such sacrifices, until many years later when she finally understood her mother's hardships and struggles.

One must experience growth to understand certain truths; her past obsession and selfishness had served no purpose other than bringing endless pain to her closest kin.

Thus, the current Shen Ci felt only gratitude. She was grateful that Heaven had given her another chance. This time, she had to tell her mother "I'm sorry" in person, tell her that she understood, and tell her that she was still very happy at USTC.

Shen Jingjing looked at her daughter and nodded with relief before realizing herself and pulling her daughter into the house. "You should have told Mom you were coming back in advance so I could prepare the things you like to eat. I'll go to the market first thing tomorrow morning to buy your favorite poached chicken."

Shen Ci smiled through her tears. "I wanted to give you a surprise."

With this smile, the knot in the hearts of the mother and daughter finally dissipated.

In the small home of less than eighty square meters, Shen Ci felt familiar with even the smallest corners. Sitting on the sofa, she felt as if she had drifted back to her childhood, when she would look forward to her mother bringing home sweet roasted sweet potatoes after work every day.

"Are you hungry? There are still some wontons Mom made in the fridge. Should I boil some for you?"

Shen Ci shook her head and patted the sofa. "I ate on the plane. Mom, sit down. I want to talk to you."

Hearing this, Shen Jingjing sat down close to her daughter. Having not seen her for a year, her daughter seemed a bit thinner, but her complexion was good, which allowed her to feel somewhat relieved.

"It's not a holiday or anything, why did you come back? Did you take leave from school?"

"Mm." Shen Ci nodded. "I took leave until the National Day holiday so I could stay home for a few more days."

Her daughter hadn't been home for a year, so Shen Jingjing was naturally happy that she could stay for a few extra days.

"Where is Xingxing? It's almost ten o'clock, and he's not back yet?" Shen Ci only then realized her brother wasn't home.

"He's at evening self-study. He should be back around this time." After saying this, Shen Jingjing let out an inadvertent sigh.

Shen Ci keenly captured her mother's abnormality and asked with a look of confusion, "What's wrong, Mom? Did something happen with Xingxing's studies?"

Since childhood, the three siblings had never caused their mother any significant worry regarding their studies, so she was surprised to see her mother sighing silently when mentioning Xingxing.

She herself had scored over 700 on the college entrance exam, so her academic ability was unquestionable.

Although her younger sister was an arts student, she had been excellent in both character and academics since childhood.

Her younger brother, Shen Xing, was even more outstanding than his two excellent sisters; he had been number one in his grade from elementary through high school, and even ranked first in the entire city during the high school entrance exam.

It was precisely because all three children were so excellent that Shen Jingjing had spared no effort to ensure they all became university students; she believed her children would all become successful in the future.

"Xingxing... lately... he's become obsessed with playing video games."

"What?" Shen Ci was shocked, practically bolting up from the sofa.

Seeing her daughter's intense reaction, Shen Jingjing quickly added, "But it hasn't had a huge impact on his studies. He still ranked second in the grade on the diagnostic exam at the start of the semester."

Second in the grade?

He had always been number one!

The reason Shen Ci was so agitated was that in her previous life, her brother had also ruined his life because of games. In college, he had neglected his studies to join an e-sports youth training camp, wanting to become a professional player.

But that had happened after he was admitted to a key university; she hadn't expected it to happen this early, at this critical juncture before his college entrance exams.

After composing herself, Shen Ci sat back down, gently took her mother's hand, and said, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll talk to Xingxing about this."

Shen Jingjing nodded hurriedly. "He has always listened to you most since he was little. Your advice will definitely work. He's in his adolescence now; I'm afraid if I speak too harshly, it will backfire. He might listen to you."

"You know, Mom never wanted you all to focus solely on your studies; a balance of work and rest is good. But he has less than a year left before the college entrance exams. This period is crucial!"

"I know. Don't worry, Mom. Leave this to me."

It wasn't until after midnight that the sound of a lock turning came from the door.

Shen Xing poked his head in sneakily. Only a desk lamp was lit in the living room, and Shen Ci sat in the shadows with a somber expression, looking as terrifying as a midnight specter.

"Ugh—ah!"

Shen Xing was startled, but once he saw her face, his shocked expression turned into excitement and joy. "Sis!"

Shen Ci, who had been full of anger, lost it instantly, but she still feigned displeasure and scolded, "You brat, do you know what time it is?"

Shen Xing acted as if he hadn't heard her, rushing forward to give her a hug. "Sis, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"

Having not seen him for a year, her brother had grown quite a bit taller; he looked nearly 1.8 meters.

Shen Ci feigned anger and pushed him away, asking coldly, "I'm asking you, where were you that you're coming back so late?"

Shen Xing pursed his lips and gave a sheepish grin, whispering timidly, "I went to the internet cafe to play games for a bit. Ow—that hurts!"

With a cry of pain, Shen Xing reached up to cover the head that his sister had just smacked, shrinking his neck in a pitiful manner. "I was wrong, Sis!"

"So you know you're wrong?" Shen Ci glared at him. "You wouldn't go to the internet cafe even when your classmates dragged you before, but now that the college entrance exams are right around the corner, you've suddenly become a regular! You certainly know how to pick your timing!"

"The pressure in senior year is too much, I just went to relax a bit. It won't affect my grades," Shen Xing said, pouting.

Shen Ci made a motion to raise her hand, scaring Shen Xing into curling up again, but she couldn't bring herself to hit him a second time.

"Mom is asleep now, I won't wake her. Come home on time after school tomorrow, and I'll have a proper talk with you."