Chapter 29

As soon as I ran outside, my dad looked at me suspiciously and asked, “What happened to your face?”

My heart trembled with fear. I tried to steady my breathing. “An allergy.”

“Allergic to dust?” My dad wanted all the details.

I felt like I was about to pass out. “Maybe.”

Just then, my mom came back.

“What are you two standing here for?” My mom was carrying bags and bags of groceries, as if she had emptied out the whole market. “Aren’t you coming over to help?”

“Coming!” I thanked my mom for saving me from the fire and hurried over to help her.

My mom was startled and muttered, “Out of 365 days in a year, it’s rare to see you being so diligent. Just how big of a mistake did you make? Tell me first.”

I’m not that lazy.

“Did you lose money in stocks?”

“No.” While picking vegetables, I endured my mom’s merciless interrogation.

“Did you dump Ryan Chen?”

“I was never even with him.” I was speechless.

While cooking, my mom looked at me suspiciously and was silent for a long time before saying, “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

Me: …

“Mom, did you forget I don’t even have a boyfriend?” I truly admired her imagination.

“Mom knows, but you young people these days are much more open than we were.” My mom said tactfully, “If you really are pregnant, I can help you raise the baby, but don’t ever go to a small clinic, it’s not safe.”

I was utterly speechless.

But compared to this, I suddenly felt that my own issue wasn’t even that serious.

“Mom, I have a friend.”

“Hmm? Which friend?”

“Um… the one I was closest with in elementary school.” I made it up on the spot. “She found herself a boyfriend much younger than her, and doesn’t know what to do.”

“Her? Even she managed to find a younger boyfriend, and you haven’t? Ella Thompson, have you ever seriously reflected on yourself?”

I froze. I was overthinking. My mom’s way of thinking really was different from everyone else’s.

“She’s struggling with what to do, Mom. You have so much experience, what do you think?”

My mom pondered for a moment, then glanced furtively at my dad outside the kitchen. She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered in my ear, “Rationally, I don’t approve. But, if I were twenty years younger, I’d want a younger boyfriend too–so sweet, so romantic. Not like your dad…”

Me: … Why did my dad get dragged into this for no reason?

“My dad treats you so well, and you still–”

“You don’t understand. Your dad is good, that’s why I’m living well with him now. But when you’re young, don’t set so many limits for yourself. Otherwise, you’ll have regrets when you’re old.”

I was truly shocked by my mom’s words. She never fails to surprise me.

Looks like this whole thing isn’t my fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s my mom’s strong genes. She’s the reason I ended up with someone younger than me.

Thinking this way, I finally felt a lot better inside.