Chapter 1 The First Day
"Mom, what are we eating today?"
"You and your dad can figure it out yourselves. I have to go out for a bit."
The Second Day.
"Linlin, I'll bring the chicken soup over to Yumeng. You don't need to worry about me."
Several more days passed.
"Mom, are you going out again today?"
Katherine's tone was tinged with displeasure.
Song Lijun, however, didn't seem to notice. "Linlin, it's the same as today. Don't wait for me to come back for dinner..."
"Mom!"
Before Song Lijun could finish, Katherine interrupted. "Mom, why do you have to go to her place every single day? She has her own family, and someone will take care of her. You're my mother, why are you so concerned about her to that extent?"
As Katherine spoke, she walked to the door, determined not to let Song Lijun leave today.
Song Lijun was taken aback. She had indeed been very worried about Wei Yumeng recently, almost making caring for Wei Yumeng the sole focus of her life these past few days.
Seeing Wei Yumeng in that state, how could she not worry? Moreover, when she saw Wei Yumeng drinking her chicken soup, she felt a sense of happiness from the bottom of her heart.
Wei Yumeng was her biological daughter. Although she hadn't raised her personally for so many years, she still wanted to take care of her child. This was something every parent would do.
"I know she's sick and recuperating at home, but she's not that ill. Mom, have you forgotten you have another daughter?" Katherine asked, looking heartbroken, as if she were about to cry.
"Mom, I know I made mistakes before, and you both don't like me anymore. But I'm still your daughter, aren't I? How can you show concern for someone else every day in front of me? Do you know how I truly feel?"
Katherine finally couldn't hold back the emotions that had been building up inside her.
"Yes, I know. I might not be as good as Wei Yumeng, and I'm inferior to her in every way. But I am your daughter. Isn't that enough?"
Upon hearing Katherine's words, Song Lijun realized that she had indeed neglected Katherine recently. Although Katherine had made mistakes before, she had practically mended her bad habits these past few days.
She was only acting this way out of excessive worry for Wei Yumeng. Now, Katherine had served as a reminder. She hadn't intended to reveal Wei Yumeng's identity, precisely because she didn't want her to know.
So, were all these actions she was taking merely superfluous in Wei Yumeng's eyes?
Song Lijun sighed and said to the somewhat agitated Katherine, "I'm sorry, Linlin. I've just been too worried these past few days. Of course, you've always been a good daughter in Mom's heart. I promise, I won't go send soup anymore, okay?"
Katherine looked at Song Lijun, not believing for a moment that Song Lijun would genuinely agree to stop caring for Wei Yumeng. She simply remained silent, looking away defiantly.
Did she not know herself that she wasn't the biological one, and therefore could never take Wei Yumeng's place?
Seeing Katherine's demeanor, Song Lijun also felt bad. But their family situation was unusual, and no one could be blamed for the current predicament.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief and put the chicken soup aside. "Why don't we make something Linlin likes today? How about that?"
As Song Lijun spoke, she busied herself. "I'll go check if we have enough ingredients in the kitchen. It seems we're out of soup stock..."
She returned to the living room and said to Katherine, "Linlin, would you like to go shopping with me?"
Although Katherine was still a little upset, she finally agreed.
Song Lijun looked at Katherine. She had never intended to favor one over the other; she wished for both her children to live healthy and happy lives.
After the meal, Katherine's mood finally improved, which also put Song Lijun's mind at ease. She didn't want Katherine to harbor any misunderstandings because of this.
However, she still went back to her room and secretly ordered a chicken soup delivery for Wei Yumeng.
Back in her room, Katherine threw her pillow and books onto the floor.
"Why? Why do I have to be treated like this? I'm clearly also a daughter, but why do they only have eyes for Wei Yumeng?"
Although she hadn't been as angry just now, recalling it now made it impossible for her to let it go. She just didn't understand why she couldn't receive more attention.
After all, she was the daughter of this family!
"What do I need to do for you to look at me properly? What do I need to do to surpass Wei Yumeng?"
After her outburst of temper, Katherine calmed down. Since no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the family's attention, she would simply do something that would force them to pay attention to her.
She thought about Wei Yumeng's current situation and came up with a plan.
Song Lijun noticed that Katherine had been acting strangely lately, seeming less lively and spending most of her time in her room, doing who knew what.
"Linlin? Are you feeling unwell? You must tell me if you are." Song Lijun asked at Katherine's door.
But she received no response from Katherine.
Song Lijun became a little nervous. Katherine's behavior was definitely not normal.
She quietly opened the door and tried calling out into the room, "Linlin?"
But still, there was no reply from Katherine.
Song Lijun had no choice but to enter the room and finally found Katherine huddled in a corner.
The room was a mess, with many things strewn on the floor. Katherine herself was wrapped in a blanket, curled up in the corner.
"Linlin, what's wrong? What's going on?"
Katherine slowly lifted her head, looking very haggard.
"I'm fine."
After saying that, she fell silent again.
Seeing this, Song Lijun didn't think much of it. Perhaps someone had upset Katherine, and her tantrum was understandable.
"Linlin, did something unhappy happen?" Song Lijun tried again.
Katherine remained in her dazed state. "I'm fine."
Seeing her like this, Song Lijun simply sighed and stood up. "If you encounter something you can't handle, you can tell your mother. Don't keep it bottled up."
After speaking, Song Lijun left the room. She felt that at times like these, it was best to let Katherine figure things out and come to terms with them herself. Then she would be fine.
After Song Lijun left, Katherine threw off the blanket. Her demeanor had completely returned to normal.
"Pretending to be sick is really troublesome, but it seems my disguise was successful. Next, I just need to prolong this act. I don't believe you still won't pay attention to me!"