Chapter 35: A Mother’s Embrace

Cheng Yiyi was stunned.

She hadn’t expected her “biological father” to be this generous!

In other words, she didn’t have to do anything at all. No name change, no household registration transfer. She could simply walk straight into a lifetime of luxury!

This time it was for real! No more venting about her biological family on social media!

Even Xie Chengyu, who sat quietly listening nearby, couldn’t help but show surprise on her face.

She was a fairly traditional lady from a scholarly family, so matters of changing names and surnames were quite important to her.

But since her husband had already settled the matter, she didn’t intend to argue.

After all, as Shen Feng had said, a name was merely a form of address, a certain tradition. And household registration was just a way to bind a person to a family, sharing honor and benefits together.

For the Shen family, the benefits Cheng Yiyi could bring were minimal. The Shens were more about making up for past wrongs. As for finding her and making it public to save face for the family, that was just a secondary matter.

Cheng Chengyuan, sitting nearby, also sensed where this was going.

He spoke up: “Shen Feng, regarding the name change and household registration, if it’s troublesome for you, just do what you need to do.”

“Our family doesn’t mind. Honestly, after taking so much from you, we already feel a bit guilty.”

Cheng Chengyuan had quite a bit of confidence in his daughter… his adopted daughter.

Even if she changed her name and moved her household registration, she could never become an ungrateful person.

Even if something unexpected happened, as long as Cheng Yiyi could live a better life from now on, Cheng Chengyuan would accept it.

In the most extreme case, even if Cheng Yiyi didn’t support them in their old age, it was fine. They had a few million saved up anyway. Just the interest from leaving it in a money market fund would be more than enough to spend…

But Shen Feng remained insistent: “Actually, as things stand now, Yiyi and I are strangers to each other. Making her take my surname…”

“Deep down, she would feel some resistance, more or less.”

“That’s something I don’t want to see.”

“I’ve never liked forcing people…” (At least not family. Outsiders would just get crushed by his mysterious iron hand.)

Seeing how firmly Shen Feng held his position, the others gave up trying to persuade him.

After settling the matter with finality, Shen Feng left promptly. As the head of the household, he was busy. He still had unfinished business to attend to.

At that moment, Xie Chengyu called out to Cheng Yiyi: “Cheng Yiyi, come here~”

Xie Chengyu was exceptionally beautiful, with no trace of age showing on her face.

Her voice was like velvet soaked in warm water, gentle and soft, with a slight downward tilt at the end of each word. It carried the refined restraint and composure typical of aristocratic ladies, and listening to it only brought a sense of peace and comfort, nothing flashy at all.

She opened her arms wide, radiating an irresistible warmth. “Let Mommy hug you~”

Cheng Yiyi had no reason to refuse.

Xie Chengyu’s embrace was lovely. Her curvaceous figure offered an unbelievably snug fit. The warmth of her body mixed with her subtle fragrance, and Cheng Yiyi instantly let down all her guards toward her biological mother.

Xie Chengyu’s eyes shimmered with emotions too complex to describe.

She had always known her daughter was out there somewhere. As a mother, Xie Chengyu had never stopped hoping to find her own flesh and blood.

“These past years, working must have been tiring, right?” Xie Chengyu pressed her lips close to Cheng Yiyi’s ear, her tone filled with tenderness.

She reached past Cheng Yiyi’s chest and gently cupped her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin. “When Mommy was your age, the most I could complain about was how hard studying was.”

“It’s okay. I… I got used to it.” Cheng Yiyi’s face flushed pink. She felt a bit shy.

Her first impression of her birth mother was excellent.

Not just because Xie Chengyu was beautiful, but because she was incredibly gentle.

There wasn’t a trace of harshness in her voice, only full care and love.

“Oh right, I haven’t told you my name yet.”

Xie Chengyu was very pleased with Cheng Yiyi.

Not only did Cheng Yiyi look somewhat like her, but she also had a good personality and was resilient. If she entered society in the future, she would definitely become a capable young woman.

Cheng Yiyi had no secrets as far as the Shen family was concerned. Her entire past could easily be looked up.

It was that nearly perfect profile that made the Shen family fully embrace their newly found daughter.

After all, who could refuse a beautiful girl who studied hard, had sound values, and always gave her best effort?

“My name is Xie Chengyu. Xie as in ‘thank you.'”

“Chengyu from ‘chenyu luoyan’ (so beautiful that even geese would forget to fly).”

“As for your father, his name is Shen Feng.”

“Feng from ‘fengjing’ (scenery)…”

As she spoke, Xie Chengyu’s arms tightened involuntarily, pulling Cheng Yiyi close into her embrace, as if she wanted to make up for all the years of separation.

“Do you find work tiring?” Xie Chengyu paused briefly, then added: “Be honest now.”

“Of course it’s tiring. Is there any job that isn’t?” Cheng Yiyi was never one for pretense or lying, so she simply told the truth. “Jobs that aren’t tiring don’t pay well, and easy high-paying jobs are never going to be mine.”

“Then don’t work anymore from now on, hehe~” Xie Chengyu seemed delighted by Cheng Yiyi’s answer. She pressed her face against her daughter’s cheek, nuzzling gently. “Wow, sweetie, with that heatwave lately, wasn’t delivering food bad for your skin? How did you manage?”

“Mom… you…”

Cheng Yiyi was at a loss for words.

It was a good thing this was her real mother. If it were anyone else, Cheng Yiyi would definitely not be able to stand it.

Wait… Shen Anyue…?

Hard to say…

After a few more exchanges, Xie Chengyu grew even more satisfied with Cheng Yiyi.

She let out a light sigh, seeming a bit regretful, but mostly in a teasing tone: “If only one of you and Anyue were a boy.”

“Then I could directly play matchmaker for you two.”

“Getting your household registration settled and transferring the assets you’re entitled to would be so much simpler.”

“And you’d get used to calling me ‘Mom’ much faster. You wouldn’t be all shy and flustered like you are now.”

The speaker had no such intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Cheng Yiyi and Xie Chengyu didn’t react much, but Shen Anyue, who was chatting with He Wanqin nearby, turned bright red.

At noon, two sets of parents, two sons and two daughters, eight people in total, sat down for lunch together.

Afterward, Cheng Chengyuan and He Wanqin took their leave.

They had no intention of attending the banquet in a few days.

Most of the people who would show up were powerful and influential figures. The couple truly couldn’t handle that kind of occasion, and they worried about embarrassing their daughter.

So they simply chose not to go.

Shen Feng had just returned to the capital, and now he rushed off to handle the banquet preparations and send out invitations.

Shen Jingchen took a phone call, then announced he had to go to some meeting.

As for Shen Xingyao, that guy was pretty free.

But he was the type who couldn’t sit still. After Cheng Yiyi shoved the card back into his hands, he made plans with a few friends and went out to play.

That left only Cheng Yiyi and Shen Anyue in the enormous house.

The two girls exchanged a glance and settled on a plan.

Time to play games.

The temperature outside could roast a person alive. Cheng Yiyi had already learned most of the complicated etiquette anyway, enough to handle the next banquet without a problem. All she needed to do now was wait.

Wait until the banquet day, put on a good show, and then she could ignore everything and be worry-free.

After all, summer break was meant for having fun.

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