"Qian Renxue, do you know what you look like right now?"
???
Qian Renxue slightly raised her head, her light purple eyes blinking.
Her small face was full of confusion, as if silently asking, "Like what?"
Seeing her like this, Su Yu couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile:
"Right now, you're like a proud little puppy. You clearly want something in your heart, but you stubbornly refuse to admit it."
"You're the puppy! I'm not a puppy!"
As soon as Qian Renxue heard this, her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she retorted urgently.
As if her sore spot had been hit, Xiao Hui in her arms seemed to understand as well.
It lifted its furry head and barked "woof woof" twice at Su Yu. The sound wasn't loud, almost as if it was backing her up.
That little demeanor, combined with Xiao Hui's response, really had a bit of the silly charm of a "puppy protecting its owner."
Su Yu was amused and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, you're not a puppy. Then Xiao Hui definitely is, right?"
Qian Renxue hugged Xiao Hui tighter to her chest and glared at him irritably:
"Xiao Hui isn't proud! It's much more sensible than you!"
Xiao Hui seemed to understand the praise, rubbing its head against her chin and letting out a gentle whimper.
The wariness on Qian Renxue's face lessened slightly. Although she was still stubborn, she didn't try to drive him away again.
She lowered her head to play with Xiao Hui in her arms, occasionally glancing up at Su Yu.
After about five minutes, Su Yu reached out and gently stroked Xiao Hui in Qian Renxue's arms.
Xiao Hui let out two comfortable "aowoo" sounds, its tail gently swishing in her arms.
But after a short while, it seemed to realize that this hand didn't belong to its familiar owner.
It quickly lifted its head and let out two more "aowoo" barks at Su Yu, with a hint of caution but no real aggression.
Su Yu didn't pay much attention to Xiao Hui's reaction. He withdrew his hand and looked at Qian Renxue:
"By the way, what you mentioned earlier about you and the teacher..."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids.
A few seconds later, she abruptly raised her head. Her light purple eyes held a trace of stubbornness and a barely noticeable bitterness:
"That's right, that's how it is. She is my mother, so what?"
"Seeing her hit me to defend you, are you happy about it?"
Her voice carried a sharp edge, as if deliberately using harshness to conceal something.
Xiao Hui in her arms seemed to sense its owner's emotional turmoil, gently rubbing its small head against her wrist and emitting low whimpers.
Su Yu looked at her tense profile and shook his head: "I have nothing to be happy about."
He paused, his tone softening a bit, "I just think there must be some misunderstanding between you and the teacher!"
"Misunderstanding?" Qian Renxue sneered, her eyes dimming.
"What misunderstanding could there be? She just doesn't like me. She never has."
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting patches of light and shadow on her face.
That hint of loss hidden beneath her pride was even more piercing than her earlier anger.
"Qian Renxue, the teacher loves you. I can see how much she cares about you in her eyes."
Su Yu looked at her reddened eyes and spoke earnestly.
"Loves me?"
Qian Renxue was like a lit firecracker, her voice suddenly rising as the accumulated grievances surged forth.
"Loving me means never giving me a single proper moment of care since I was little?"
She held Xiao Hui tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her voice choked with tears yet still stubbornly lifting her head:
"Loving me means never acknowledging my existence, not even allowing me to call you 'Mom'?"
"She loves me?" The last words were almost shouted, tears finally spilling uncontrollably.
"Loving me means slapping me to defend two outsiders? Do you know how much that slap stung my face?"
Each question felt like a thorn, piercing the air and her own heart.
Xiao Hui in her arms, frightened by her emotions, whimpered uneasily and nuzzled her arm with its small body.
Su Yu took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Qian Renxue:
"Qian Renxue, don't get too worked up. Listen to me first."
Qian Renxue hesitated, then reached out to take it, lowering her head to wipe her tears haphazardly.
Her gaze fell on Xiao Hui's furry back in her arms, her voice muffled and thick with nasal tones.
"After you ran off that day, the teacher stayed alone in the Papal Hall for a long time."
Su Yu softened his tone, trying to sound calm and trustworthy.
"When I went in to deliver something, I saw her staring blankly at the empty hall."
"Her eyes were full of regret and unconcealed pain—nothing like her usual icy demeanor."
He paused, watching Qian Renxue's slightly trembling shoulders, then continued:
"She definitely loves you, it's just... she carries too much from the past. Those memories are like thorns, making it painful for her to even get close to you."
"Every time she looks at you, I can sense both concern for you and hatred for the past in her eyes."
"These two feelings tear at her heart, so she deliberately keeps her distance and wraps herself in coldness."
Qian Renxue didn't speak, only tightening her arms around Xiao Hui.
After a long while, she muttered almost inaudibly:
"Is that... really true?"
"Yes. Though I don't know exactly what the teacher has been through, she's your mother. How could a mother not love her own child?"
Qian Renxue unconsciously stroked Xiao Hui's fur, silent for a moment:
"But she's never held me, never said a gentle word..."
Before finishing, she buried her face in Xiao Hui's fur again, shoulders trembling slightly.
Wind swept fallen leaves past their feet. Su Yu watched her tense back and said softly:
"Maybe she's just forgotten how to love, like parched land—it's not that it doesn't want rain, but it's been dry so long, it's forgotten how to receive it."
He paused, picking up an intact maple leaf and handing it over:
"Look at this leaf—how tender it was when it first sprouted. It took wind and sun to become this color."
"Feelings are the same; sometimes they need to be warmed slowly to heat up."
"To untie the teacher's knots, we must first understand what those knots are."
Qian Renxue lifted her head, the light purple in her eyes no longer agitated, replaced by thoughtful contemplation.
She glanced down at Xiao Hui in her arms, then looked toward the distant Papal Hall and Hall of Worship. After a few seconds of silence, she nodded gently:
"Mm. I understand."
After speaking, she looked at Su Yu, her voice much softer than before:
"Thank you, Su Yu."
Su Yu smiled but didn't say anything more, simply reaching out to stroke Xiao Hui's head again.
This time Xiao Hui didn't resist, instead comfortably narrowing his eyes.