"What are you doing?!" Su Jinning tried to grab the phone, but Shen Moyu had already handed it over.
Xia Wei's gaze lingered on the photo, and she froze.
Su Jinning's breathing became erratic. He hurriedly grabbed his phone, trying to smooth things over with a smile: "Auntie... he, he was just joking!"
"Mom." Shen Moyu took Su Jinning's hand without hesitation: "I'm not joking, the person I like is Su Jinning."
The water boiled, and the only sound in the quiet room was the boiling water.
Su Jinning tried to pull away, but Shen Moyu held her even tighter.
Su Jinning breathed heavily, staring into his dark pupils, and fell silent.
The silence at this moment was always the most jarring. Xia Wei remained silent, and neither of them moved. A long time passed, so long that the electric kettle went silent, and the second hand ticked round and round. So long that Su Jinning was already considering whether to leave first.
After a long silence, Xia Wei looked up: "I should have... bought sneakers. It's a pity that after picking them out for so long, Xiao Ning can't wear them."
Shen Moyu suddenly looked up at her, and on her face, which was no longer young and beautiful, were clear traces of the passage of time.
He pondered Xia Wei's words, his voice trembling, "Mom...you..."
Xia Wei looked up, and a sliver of light from the window shone on her from beneath the dark clouds, making her appear kind and gentle.
She waved to Su Jinning, her smile still etched on her face.
Su Jinning obediently squatted down, feeling that every word Xia Wei said would determine the speed of his heartbeat.
"What's there to be nervous about? I'm not going to eat you." Xia Wei tapped Su Jinning's forehead.
Shen Moyu also squatted down, looking at his mother with tears welling up in his eyes.
He was about to speak, but didn't know what to say.
"Auntie isn't upset, nor is she trying to get angry," Xia Wei reassured them, patting their heads. "I can tell."
Shen Moyu sniffed: "What?"
"I can tell how happy you two are together," Xia Wei replied with a smile.
She spoke softly, but every word she uttered touched their hearts, like a warm current that sent a shiver down their spines.
Xia Wei looked at Su Jinning, her gaze filled with melancholy: "Xiao Ning. I'm not a good mother. I haven't been able to give him so much, and I've been a burden to him for so long."
"Mom, what are you saying?"
Xia Wei patted his hand and continued, "My Mo Yu has had so many disappointments, but he only met you."
Xia Wei looked at Su Jinning with a serious expression, her words piercingly poignant: "You need to make him happy."
Xia Wei will always trust Shen Moyu's choices. Her darling has been cold for too long; finally, a cup of hot water. Should she really try to correct the color of the cup?
No, she wouldn't; she only wanted her son to be warm.
Tears streamed down Shen Moyu's face as he stood up and hugged Xia Wei, crying, "Mom..."
He had so much gratitude he couldn't express in words, so it all boiled down to one simple "Mom."
Su Jinning nodded emphatically: "Auntie, don't worry. No matter what, I will live up to his affection."
His affection for Shen Moyu was not a fleeting whim or an impulsive act. Rather than saying that Shen Moyu was part of his future, it would be more accurate to say that Shen Moyu showed him his future.
Xia Wei held their hands tightly together, her eyes filled with expectation: "No matter what, you must always remember that if you love each other deeply, you must be responsible; if you hold hands, don't let each other down."
"Mom doesn't like homosexuals at all, but Mom likes you."
Shen Moyu didn't speak, but leaned against Xia Wei's chest and held Su Jinning's hand tightly.
He just felt that life was becoming more and more hopeful.
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Author's Note:
Shen Moyu inherited his mother's gentleness.
Chapter 69 Death Certificate
Shanghai has been experiencing light rain for the past few days, with fluctuating temperatures, leading to a resurgence of the flu and classrooms feeling unusually cold and damp.
"I told you to wear more clothes, but you wouldn't listen." Shen Moyu draped his school uniform jacket over Su Jinning's shoulders.
Su Jinning rubbed her itchy nose, her voice becoming hoarse: "I don't know what happened, it was like this when I woke up this morning..."
After he finished speaking, he actually sneezed.
Shen Moyu sighed helplessly, turned around and closed the window tighter, saying with a hint of complaint, "It's no wonder you catch a cold if you kick off the covers while sleeping."
Su Jinning blinked in confusion, pinched her nose, and asked him, "How did you know?"
That expression was as if he had caught a peeping tom.
Shen Moyu immediately saw through his thoughts and slapped him on the forehead: "Do you think I'd install surveillance cameras in your house? Last time you stayed at my place, I covered you with a blanket five times that night."
Su Jinning covered her face as if she had been exposed for some unpleasant past: "There's nothing I can do, it's been a problem for over ten years."
Shen Moyu ignored him, took out her textbook, and warned, "Rainy days have big temperature differences, making it easy to catch a cold. You also like to kick off the covers, so don't open the window at night recently."
Su Jinning reluctantly let out an "Ah?" and leaned closer, looking sickly: "Who sleeps without opening the window in the middle of summer? Wouldn't they die of heatstroke?"
Shen Moyu continued doing her exercises without even looking up: "It's hot, so what? Sweating it out will cure the cold."
Su Jinning lowered his head listlessly and rubbed against Shen Moyu's shoulder: "Can't I even turn on the air conditioner?" He carefully tugged at Shen Moyu's sleeve.
"No." Shen Moyu slapped his hand away.