The Young Miss Refuse To Love
Chapter 70: The happiest moment

Chapter 70: The happiest moment

"I can’t like him, mom. Just like you said, love is a funny thing. It’s a blessing for some, but a disaster for others." Qi Jianyi gave a mocking smile. She felt like a scumbag.

She didn’t deserve to be loved by someone as devoted as Song Chengfeng.

Mrs. Qi was stunned by her daughter’s words. It was the first time she’d heard that Qi Jianyi had someone else in her heart, that she’d been heartbroken before. And all of these feelings—she’d gone through them alone, quietly enduring without a word.

"Who’s this guy? Where is he now?" Mrs. Qi’s voice tightened, a mix of curiosity and protective anger at the thought of anyone daring to break her daughter’s heart.

"Him? Who knows where he is now?" Qi Jianyi forced a smile as she glanced at her mother. "I don’t really care about him anymore," she added, only for Mrs. Qi to interject.

"You don’t care, yet you still can’t open your heart to someone else?" Mrs. Qi’s voice held a note of skepticism.

"I don’t like him anymore and it was all just childish love. But I once dreamed of building a life with him," Qi Jianyi whispered softly.

Now, someone else had come along, declaring he wanted to build that kind of life with her—the same kind she’d dreamed of years ago.

"Are you confused by your own feelings?" Mrs. Qi asked gently, her voice laced with both curiosity and concern.

Qi Jianyi responded with a small, knowing smile. "I just... don’t want to figure it out right now. Mom, don’t bother with it, okay?" she said softly, hoping to ease her mother’s worries about her love life.

What kind of love life could Qi Jianyi even picture for herself? She had long chosen to push such feelings aside, refusing to indulge in them. Why pry open a door she was better off leaving shut?

Mrs. Qi’s expression shifted, a mix of frustration and tenderness settling into her gaze. "Do you think I ask because I enjoy meddling?" she replied, a faint edge to her tone. "Jianyi, your father and I just want you to be happy." Her words softened, an unmistakable warmth replacing her earlier frustration as she looked at her daughter.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Qi Jianyi leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand as she looked across the table at her mother, curiosity sparking in her eyes.

Mrs. Qi looked up with a mild smile. "What is it?"

"Out of all your years with dad... what was your happiest moment?" she asked, her tone laced with a gentle curiosity.

To anyone who didn’t know her, Qi Jianyi might have seemed detached, but beneath that cool exterior, she was insatiably curious—especially when it came to love stories.

As a romance novelist, she collected love stories the way others might collect rare coins or paintings. And since she had recently decided to revive her writing career, fresh inspiration was all she needed.

Mrs. Qi chuckled softly, a hint of nostalgia brightening her gaze. "The happiest moment, you ask?" She paused, a warm smile settling on her face as memories washed over her, each one a small treasure she had gathered over the years. After a moment, she spoke, her voice softening.

"When you were born..."

Qi Jianyi raised her brows, surprised. That was hardly the answer she had expected. The original Qi Jianyi, after all, had always felt neglected in her childhood. But Mrs. Qi’s expression softened, her smile reaching her eyes as she continued, her words weighted with a wistful warmth.

"Your father and I were still young, just like you are now. Finding out I was pregnant was... unexpected. But that moment changed everything. We were both so happy." She chuckled, recalling the vivid details.

"When you were born, your father, who was usually so composed, actually fainted while I was in labor. And then, when he finally saw you, he cried like I’d never seen him cry before."

"Dad cried?" Qi Jianyi’s eyes widened with surprise. She had always known her father as a reserved, even stoic figure. This glimpse of his younger self felt like peering into a world she hadn’t known existed.

Mrs. Qi nodded, her smile growing as she savoured her daughter’s reaction. "Oh, he did. That man, so proud and serious, broke down entirely. All the years I’d known him, I’d never once seen a tear. But that day... he cried his heart out."

"Did he ever tell you why?" Qi Jianyi asked, tilting her head in wonder.

Mrs. Qi nodded, her expression softening further. "He told me that despite everything—his work struggles, the pressure—your birth was like a miracle to him. You came at a time when his company was going through turmoil, and he was at his wit’s end. But, Jianyi," she added gently, her gaze full of pride, "your arrival changed everything. Your father told me you were the greatest achievement of his life, our little miracle."

For a moment, Qi Jianyi found herself caught in her mother’s words, an unfamiliar warmth rising in her chest. With this unfamiliar warmth, came an unfamiliar memory. Something that seemed to belong to her yet felt very distant.

"Jianyi, of course your mom and dad love you. Didn’t I tell you that you’re both your mom and dad’s greatest achievement."

A gentle and patient voice echoed in Qi Jianyi’s mind, a voice she hadn’t heard in ages yet felt so familiar, so dear. In her mind’s eye, she saw the face of the original Qi Jianyi’s nanny—the woman who had once been a source of comfort and love, the closest thing to a mother in those early years.

"Jianyi? Are you okay?" Mrs. Qi’s concerned voice pulled her back to the present, breaking through the quiet memories that had momentarily engulfed her.

Qi Jianyi blinked, shaking off the lingering haze. She managed a soft smile, masking her emotions. "I’m fine, Mom, just... remembering something."

Before Mrs. Qi could inquire further, Qi Jianyi’s expression turned playful. "Mom, I’m hungry," she announced, rising from her seat and walking over to her mother. She looped her arm around Mrs. Qi’s, giving her a cheeky smile.

Mrs. Qi looked at her in confusion. "Hungry again? Didn’t you just get back from lunch with Zeqing?"

Qi Jianyi leaned on her mother’s shoulder, pouting with exaggerated charm. "But Mom, I’m so hungry~ Let’s go downstairs."

Mrs. Qi sighed, trying to look stern but unable to hide the affectionate smile tugging at her lips. "Alright, let’s go. Mom will cook something for you."

Qi Jianyi beamed, tugging Mrs. Qi along as they left the room together. Yet as they walked, her smile wavered ever so slightly.

When her head drooped for just a moment, her expression turned complicated, shadows of the past lingering in her gaze.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Qi asked as they made their way downstairs, glancing at her daughter with a hint of worry.

Qi Jianyi nodded quickly, her response light and dismissive. "I’m fine. What’s wrong?"

Mrs. Qi narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "Don’t try to fool me. You’re just trying to distract me, aren’t you?"

With an innocent smile, Qi Jianyi looped her arm around her mother’s shoulders. "I just don’t want to talk about Chengfeng anymore."

Mrs. Qi’s suspicion deepened. "But we weren’t even talking about him," she said, watching her daughter closely.

Qi Jianyi froze, realising her slip, but she kept her tone airy.

"You really don’t like him?" Mrs. Qi pressed.

Qi Jianyi shrugged, a touch of mischief in her gaze. "Let’s see what happens. If we’re meant to be together, then no matter what, I’ll end up falling for him, right?"

Mrs. Qi gave her a pointed glare. "You sound like a scoundrel."

Qi Jianyi chuckled, unbothered. "I learned from the best," she teased, leaning closer as Mrs. Qi rolled her eyes, trying—and failing—not to smile.

Mrs. Qi shook her head, feigning exasperation. "Where did I go wrong raising you to be so shameless?"

Qi Jianyi grinned, nudging her mother playfully. "Blame dad. I got his stubbornness, didn’t I?"

Mrs. Qi chuckled, a soft sigh escaping her as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I suppose you did. But your father never danced around his feelings like you do." She gave Qi Jianyi a meaningful look, one that saw through her every attempt to deflect.

Qi Jianyi’s grin faltered for a second, but she quickly masked it with another smile. "Mom, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s just... complicated."

Mrs. Qi’s expression softened, her earlier playful tone replaced by quiet understanding. "Love often is. But don’t run from it forever, okay? Life has a funny way of waiting for no one."

The words lingered, pulling Qi Jianyi’s gaze away. She felt a pang of something unnameable—perhaps a memory, or maybe just the weight of everything unsaid.

She knew Mrs. Qi meant well, but there was a part of her that couldn’t help feeling guarded, unwilling to let anyone, even her mother, see the full truth.

After a moment, she changed the subject with practiced ease. "So, what’s on the menu, Chef Mom? I’m in the mood for something extra delicious," she declared, steering them toward the kitchen with a bright smile.

Mrs. Qi rolled her eyes, laughing softly as she allowed the shift. "Alright, but only because you’re helping. I’m not doing all the work."

"Deal!" Qi Jianyi agreed, already reaching for an apron as if she’d won a victory. Victory in successfully steering the conversation away.

As they moved around the kitchen, chopping vegetables and sharing small stories, Mrs. Qi stole a glance at her daughter. Beneath Qi Jianyi’s lighthearted smile, she sensed an unspoken depth.

She wished she could reach beyond it, that her words could break through and show her daughter that she didn’t need to face everything alone. But for now, she let it be, content to be here, sharing laughter and warmth over a simmering stove.