"Zhiyé, I'm going to hang up now."

Even after two days apart, Fu Zhiyé still called Cecilia every night right on schedule for a video chat. Even if they didn't talk, just watching her draw or rest was enough to make him feel content.

"Hmm? Going to bed already?"

"Aren't you coming to get me tomorrow? Tonight I want to spend some time talking to Mom... I want to sleep with her, too."

Cecilia held her phone and stared at the person on the screen. Fu Zhiyé was looking over some documents, dressed in a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up twice, the lean lines of his arms marked by faint blue veins.

He held a black fountain pen in his right hand—a birthday gift she'd given him one year. So he really had been using it all this time.

Cecilia stared, a little dazed. He was so handsome when he worked.

"Oh? So I don't get to watch you fall asleep tonight?"

He set the papers aside and turned to look at Cecilia.

"Of course not! I have to tell Mom my secrets."

On the other end, Fu Zhiyé raised an eyebrow in mock disappointment. "Alright then. But tomorrow... you're sleeping with me."

Cecilia immediately blushed, mumbling, "Got it."

"But, uh..."

"What is it?"

Watching his little wife hesitate like that, Fu Zhiyé couldn't help but smile.

"Am I well-behaved when I sleep? Do I grind my teeth? Talk in my sleep? Kick people...?"

"You’re a perfect little angel. None of that," Fu Zhiyé leaned in closer, his gaze fixed on her. "You’re just like a baby koala—no matter what I do, I can never peel you off me..."

"I-I'm hanging up, good night!!"

Seeing him grinning like that, Cecilia instantly knew he was teasing her. Ugh, so annoying!

Fu Zhiyé chuckled to himself, thinking how tomorrow he'd finally get to hold Cecilia all night—he could hardly wait.

"Alright, go spend time with your mom. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight."

Cecilia ended the call. Though Fu Zhiyé often called her 'sweetheart,' she still got shy every single time.

Rubbing her warm cheeks, she hugged her pillow and stepped out of the room.

Ever since she was little, she'd lived in an orphanage. The children there all slept in a big dormitory, each with a little bed.

When the lights were out, it was pitch black. The aunties would go to sleep too, and every time Cecilia got scared, she'd clutch her pillow and burrow under her blanket.

Back then, she dreamed of having a mother to hold her as she slept. All the kids on TV were held by their moms.

Later on, when she was sent to that house, it was even less likely anyone would hold her at night. She didn’t even have her own bed.

She tiptoed to the next room, gently knocked on the door, and pressed her ear against it to listen.

She heard footsteps inside, and her heart thumped nervously. She worried whether Mom would mind sharing the bed.

Ye Jing opened the door, already in her pajamas and clearly ready to sleep. When she saw Cecilia in the doorway, her expression turned soft and warm.

"Cecilia, what's wrong? Still not in bed?"

Cecilia hugged her pillow even tighter, nervously twisting her fingers. "Mom, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Her bright eyes looked up at Ye Jing—who was surprised and delighted. She'd always dreamed of holding her daughter in her arms, and at that moment her eyes filled with tears.

"Of course you can! Why wouldn't you? I’d love nothing more than to sleep next to you, darling."

She took Cecilia's pillow and led her over to the bed.

Cecilia was a little shy, but Ye Jing placed her pillow on the right side and straightened the covers to make sure Cecilia wouldn’t be cold that night.

"Be good and get some sleep."

Cecilia obediently sat on the edge of the bed and, helping her lower back, slipped under the covers. The room was filled with Mom's scent—sweet and warm.

The main light was off, leaving only a cozy, warm bedside lamp. Ye Jing sat on the edge, not lying down yet, just watching her daughter by her side. She couldn't help but let tears fall.

Noticing Mom hadn't lain down, Cecilia glanced up and saw her crying. She tried to sit up.

"Be good—just lie down," Ye Jing wiped her tears and smiled. "I’m just so happy, that’s all. I've dreamed of having you beside me like this."

Reaching out, she gently brushed Cecilia’s hair back and lovingly tidied it.

"Mom, from now on, I’ll always be by your side."

"I know," Ye Jing said, wiping her tears and finally getting into bed too.

The two lay facing each other, bright smiles on their faces. Ye Jing reached out and pulled Cecilia into her arms, gently patting her back.

"When you were little, this was how I got you to sleep. You were so good—just a little pat and you’d drift off, never any fuss."

Her thoughts drifted back decades to Shaoyang Town. When Ye Jing found out she was pregnant, she was worried and afraid, but never once considered giving up her child. She struggled through her fear and finally gave birth to Cecilia—only to find that was just the beginning of the nightmare. Gao Kangshi would hit her, and despite the saying 'Even a tiger won't eat its cubs,' he’d even try to hit Cecilia.

At one point, he wanted to throw Cecilia out, called her an eyesore. Cecilia wasn’t even a year old. Every time, Ye Jing fought desperately to protect her.

Later, Gao Kangshi started ignoring Cecilia. Ye Jing thought he’d changed—until one night, he burst in, grabbed the swaddled baby, and tried to take her away.

Ye Jing clung to his pant leg, grabbing and biting. Protecting her child was a mother’s instinct—she gave everything she had, fought like a wild animal, and finally wrested Cecilia back, shielding her tightly.

Gao Kangshi cursed, called them useless money drains, said he’d sell them for gambling money.

That was the first time Ye Jing felt a murderous urge. This man would never change. He could hit her, scold her, but he couldn't lay a finger on Cecilia.

After that happened a few times, Ye Jing finally snapped—she killed him with a knife, ending the threat for good.

She held her daughter in a pool of blood, just wanting to get her as far from Shaoyang Town, that house, and her murderous mother as possible.

Cecilia realized her mom had fallen silent, and when she looked up, she saw tears streaking down Ye Jing’s face onto the pillow.

"Mom, don't cry, please don't..." Cecilia reached out to wipe her tears.

"I’m sorry, Cecilia. I had no other choice. That’s why I left you there..."

Her lips trembled, every word sharp with regret.

Cecilia felt a tight pain in her chest. She knew Mom was thinking of the past again. She’d asked her brother about it, fearing Mom might be hurt if she said too much.

She knew the whole story now. She really did have the best mom in the world. Her brother had been right—Mom had done everything she could to protect Cecilia.

"Mom, I know. You love me most of all, don’t you?"

"I do, I do. I love you more than anyone," Ye Jing replied, fighting back her tears as she looked at her sweet-natured daughter.

"I've had a good life—the aunties at the orphanage were kind to me. And later, in the Fu family, Grandpa Rivers and Grandma Rivers doted on me and always had my back. And there's Zhiyé, too. Even though we were separated for a while, it's all in the past now. From now on, I'll be happy—always."

Her eyes curved as she smiled, taking her mom’s hand and placing it on her belly. "And we've got the little one on the way! Once she’s born, she’ll call you 'Grandma Rivers.' When I think of what’s ahead, all I feel is happiness."

Ye Jing felt the warmth beneath her hand. She knew Cecilia was downplaying all the hardship and pain between the lines.

Mother and daughter understood each other perfectly. Ye Jing smiled. "Yes, it’s wonderful. My Cecilia will be a mother soon, too."

"Be good now, get some sleep. You should rest early."

"Okay... but can you hold me, Mom?"

Ye Jing wrapped her arms around her daughter again, gently patting her back.

Her Cecilia truly was the best daughter in the world.