Chapter 63: If Only She Could Always Be Like This

"Child, no matter how upset you are, you can't joke about your own marriage." Lin Hui felt both a little guilty and a surge of camaraderie with her daughter in their shared hardship. "You should hurry up and get divorced. You're right at the peak of your career. Haven't you seen how those celebrities are exposed as secretly married or having a child, and their careers take a huge hit?"

Since that dinner, Lin Hui and Jiang Sui's relationship had naturally grown closer.

Jiang Sui nodded, "I know, Mom, I definitely will divorce him, so you don't have to worry."

After all, sooner or later, her mother would find out she'd been married, so it was better to be honest now and avoid having to patch things up with lies in the future.

Lin Hui finally felt at ease.

She had only been notified about her daughter's marriage at the time; she didn't even know who her son-in-law was. Now that they were going to divorce, she decided not to ask any more questions.

"Sui Sui, how about... you don't enter the entertainment industry? You're still young, Mom can pay for you to study abroad," Lin Hui asked carefully.

In truth, she didn't want her daughter to struggle in show business. Their family wasn't short on money, and Sui Sui was young—dropping out of university to enter the entertainment world had been such a pity. The industry was chaotic, and she worried about her daughter facing trouble alone.

Jiang Sui smiled, "Mom, it's my career, my choice. Since I've chosen this path, I want to walk it properly.

Besides, your daughter is so beautiful—isn't it a shame not to let more people see her?"

That tone, that playful manner—from experience, no elder could resist it.

She always struck the perfect balance.

Her last words were cute and mischievous, making Lin Hui laugh despite herself.

"You child..."

No wonder she was her own daughter—Lin Hui liked her more and more.

She couldn't help but sigh, "Sui Sui, you've really grown up..." Her voice grew wistful: "Actually, I've always wanted to tell you the reason your father and I divorced, but you never listened. I wonder, are you willing to hear it now?"

Her tone carried a hint of caution. When Sui Sui was younger, she couldn't accept her parents' divorce; whenever Lin Hui tried to talk, Sui Sui refused to listen, stubbornly believing only what she wanted to.

So now Lin Hui feared it might still upset her.

Jiang Sui nodded, agreeing for the sake of the original owner.

Seeing her nod, Lin Hui smiled, then began to speak slowly:

"I'm glad you're willing to listen. Your father and I met through friends and married in a moment of impulsive passion. Only after marrying did we realize how incompatible we were. Your father is a very successful, ambitious man, always busy, constantly on the move.

But I, your mother, was left alone at home with you. You were so small and needed company. The conversation between your father and me dwindled; apart from you, there was nothing else to talk about anymore.

That kind of life was truly suffocating, so we decided to divorce after you grew a bit older.

You're right; it was a selfish choice for me to leave.

But we both knew, after ten years bound by marriage, that if we continued, who knew what might happen."

It was the first time Jiang Sui heard about their past from Lin Hui's own mouth.

She simply listened—as an outsider.

"I know leaving hurt you, and I thought of taking you with me. But your father said he'd take good care of you, give you everything best—you're his only daughter, and he hoped I'd leave you with him..." As she spoke, Lin Hui couldn't help but shed tears.

"Sui Sui, I know how much your father loved you. I couldn't bear to take you away. After the divorce, I met my old first love—your Uncle Shen... The rest, you already know.

You've always believed I married your Uncle Shen because the Shen family was wealthy, but actually... Sui Sui, before marrying your father, I also was a jewelry designer earning over a million a year... I just... never expected what happened later."

She sighed; she hadn't foreseen Sui Sui's father being diagnosed with cancer, nor his company going bankrupt.

But in her mind, even if a company failed, it shouldn't have affected Jiang Sui's standard of living.

Jiang Sui took Lin Hui's hand and smiled, "I understand, Mom."

"I'm happy you listened." Lin Hui took a deep breath and said softly, "After all these years, you finally listened to me seriously..."

"Sui Sui can't always be a spoiled child... Without your father... I don't want you to lose your mother, too..."

Her last words grew quieter, her expression desolate.

She played the emotional card masterfully.

"Especially after participating in this reality show, becoming Xuan Xuan's mother myself, I miss my own mother even more..."

Lin Hui's eyes were damp, her heart aching. She had never imagined this day would come—it felt like a dream.

She spoke gently, her voice hoarse with tears: "Remember, if you ever need your mother, you must tell me. Don't be stubborn anymore. As long as you behave, and not as you were before, whatever you want, your mother will grant it."

Jiang Sui nodded softly.

A gentle smile hung on her lips.

Yet perhaps because she'd traversed so many worlds, her emotions were too thin to truly feel the warmth of familial love.

But she knew, the woman before her—Lin Hui—did care for her daughter.

Only, it had nothing to do with her.

She was simply used to making everything work for her own benefit.

Lin Hui looked at her daughter, and for some reason, felt Jiang Sui was still very distant.

Thinking of how Sui Sui had always been alone, her heart ached and she felt guilty.

After Jiang Sui left the Shen family, Lin Hui went back to her room and cried for a long time.

Shen Qian and Shen Li, the two brothers, stood at the door watching Jiang Sui leave, their expressions subtle.

"She seems like a different person," Shen Li couldn't help but say.

Shen Qian curled his lips, "That's not a bad thing."

Shen Li said quietly, "Actually, isn't she quite pitiful? All alone, without anyone to rely on..."

Shen Qian's smile faded and his gaze deepened.

"Brother, I hope Jiang Sui stays like this. I really wish I had a sister like her..." Shen Li feared Jiang Sui's change was just a fleeting whim.

But he really liked today's Jiang Sui—when she called him 'brother', his heart melted.

Shen Qian was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Me too."

When their aunt told them she had a daughter, in their youth, they had fantasized about having a sister. But after meeting Jiang Sui, who was aggressive and insulting toward them, those fantasies quickly shattered...

Still, whether today's Jiang Sui was pretending or not,

they quite liked her.

After Jiang Sui left,

Lin Hui opened her phone, scrolling through a row of alternate accounts on her social platform.

All were accounts she had registered for Jiang Sui.

Since her debut, Lin Hui had cheered for her, posted short pieces, argued with haters...

"You protect Xuan Xuan, Mom protects you..."