It had only been half a month since we were last together, but it felt like a lifetime to me. After her shower, Pei Shiyu, true to her word when she returned, sat in front of the computer and began researching. A white bathrobe enveloped her sexy figure, her hair still damp. She was completely absorbed in her work, while I had been left high and dry in bed.

Half an hour later, seeing her stretch, I deliberately coughed, like a password to get her attention, and struck a sexy pose, showing off a long, furry leg...

She responded immediately, looking at me with a disgusted expression. "Made in Thailand."

"As long as you like it."

"Go to sleep. I still need to finish this research and send it to Shen Yi."

"Alright."

I dejectedly retracted my long legs. Pei Shiyu's single glance had extinguished my passion. I carefully surveyed the room. It must have originally been a guest room. The style wasn't to Pei Shiyu's liking. Aside from the bed I was sleeping in, including the overall color scheme, it was too bare for my understanding of her tastes, lacking a certain sophistication.

That night, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, it was already five o'clock. I immediately sat up and gazed at Pei Shiyu beside me. She was fast asleep, her back to me, her beautiful hair scattered across the pillow. She was curled up like a child.

As I withdrew my gaze, I noticed a note on the bedside table, in Pei Shiyu's handwriting:

I've packed your suitcase.

I saw a suitcase on the floor, one Pei Shiyu had used before. I gently lifted the covers and got out of bed, silently opening the suitcase. Inside were clean underwear and a few sweaters, neatly folded.

I didn't know what time Pei Shiyu had gone to sleep last night. I looked at the desk; the computer was still on, and the files hadn't been put away. Time was tight, and not wanting to wake her, I didn't linger. I quietly closed the door and left the room.

The streets were unusually quiet in the early morning, at least compared to the daytime! Aside from a few scattered cars, the roads were exceptionally clear, and the air was particularly fresh. It was already half past five. I waited for five minutes, then hailed a taxi heading in the same direction.

We drove quickly, taking the shortest route from Pei Shiyu's house to my mother's. My mother was already outside, waiting by the car. From a distance, I saw her glancing at her watch. Her suitcase was beside her. I paid the fare in advance. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, I eagerly opened the door and greeted her, "I'm here."

After I got out, she said, "Hurry up and leave. Whose car are you driving?"

"Whoever's car it is."

"You're young and strong. You want this old woman to drive?"

"You have more energy than I do."

As I walked toward the car, I added, "It's your car, anyway. I had Wang Rui drive it back."

"Sobered up?"

"I didn't drink much, just red wine."

"Was Li Rui with you last night? I haven't seen him in a while."

I didn't answer her. Since they had broken up, she would find out sooner or later, but it would definitely come from Wang Rui.

We got on the highway nearby. Because it was early, the traffic was smooth. Only the big trucks and containers seemed busy. On the wide road, I passed several trucks going in the same direction, each going its own way, speeding forward.

The entire route was on the highway, nearly three hundred kilometers in total. We had only driven a little over a hundred kilometers. I deliberately stretched my neck and said, "Although Hangzhou and Nanjing are both in the Yangtze River Delta region, it's still quite a distance."

"What's there to complain about with a little over two hundred kilometers? I've been driving myself to nearby cities for decades."

"Why not hire a driver?"

"I don't need one usually. What's the point of wasting money?"

Perhaps we were past the initial awkwardness. I'd noticed that my mother's attitude toward me had been gradually changing recently, especially the tone of her voice. It was becoming more scolding, although I understood that this meant our relationship was slowly entering a normal mother-son dynamic.

I turned to look at her and said, "You need to change your attitude. You weren't like this when you first found me."

I saw her freeze for a moment. Perhaps my reminder made her realize it. Her stern expression suddenly changed quickly, replaced by a warm one...

She said, "When I found you, you were too stubborn. If I hadn't indulged you, you might still be fighting with Lin Hai. Now that you're back with me, of course I have to keep a tighter rein on you. It's a shame that a good woman like Pei Shiyu has her eye on you."

"What are you saying? Every parent hopes their child can find a good partner."

"My point is that the situation is completely different now compared to when I found you. I don't need to worry about you anymore. With Pei Shiyu watching over you, it'll be hopeless if you still don't improve. Besides, your attitude toward me lacks the respect it should."

"That's because you didn't raise me properly. Do you know how hard it was for me out there on my own?"

"That's Lin Hai's responsibility. I felt awkward when I saw him at your wedding."

"I don't plan to invite him," I replied firmly.

"Whatever. There's no point if your relationship is strained. It wouldn't be pleasant."

The way my mother spoke, it was as if Lin Hai had nothing to do with her. Old Wang was indeed a good man, and she was quite fortunate to have such a harmonious relationship with him at her age.

"You definitely love Youxiang more, right?" I asked her directly.

"They're both my children. What's there to compare? I'd like you more if you were even a tenth as well-behaved as Youxiang."

"Come on. I have Lin Hai's genes. I'm still more outstanding than him, right?"

My mother paused, then began to analyze, "Actually, your personality is like your father's..."

I immediately interrupted such unpleasant words. "No one wants to be like him. I despise him, and I think he's a completely irresponsible man."

"Then change your bad habits. When Youxiang comes back, spend more time with him and learn from his attitude."

I said somewhat resentfully, "I can't learn it. He was born to Old Wang. Lin Hai and Old Wang are as different as heaven and earth. Genetics are ingrained."

My mother didn't say anything more. Unknowingly, while we were talking, our car had entered Jiangsu Province. My phone vibrated with a text message: "Welcome to Jiangsu."