She looked at Song Ying with pleasant surprise. "Is this Hong Yan's daughter?"
Huang Jie nodded with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xu Xing's Wife warmly grasped Song Ying's hand. "Your mother and I are best friends. We grew up together, but I lost touch with her after she gave birth to you. I only recently learned that she moved into the Shi Family's villa with you."
The warmth from the hand-holding made Song Ying feel so touched she wanted to cry.
"I've been wanting to catch up with your mother, but I never found the time. I'm overjoyed to meet you today."
Xu Xing's Wife's face beamed with an undisguisable smile.
Shi Li, observing the two holding hands, mused inwardly, [Song Ying doesn't really resemble Mrs. Xu, does she?]
Both women had gentle features, but their eyes and facial features bore no resemblance.
Shi Li recalled seeing Xu Xing before and thought, [The daughter takes after her father.]
The touch of her fingertips was a long-awaited sensation. Song Ying hadn't noticed Shi Li's inner thoughts, but other classmates, following Shi Li's mental cues, gathered nearby.
Xu Xing's Wife, still holding Song Ying's hand, inquired about her life over the years, asking about various childhood experiences.
Shi Li and Huang Jie were left on the sidelines, but neither seemed to mind.
Huang Jie knew that Hong Yan was Xu Xing's Wife's best friend, so everything happening now was within her expectations.
She didn't feel awkward either, smiling as she watched their interaction.
Shi Li inwardly marveled at the power of blood ties, while the other observing classmates felt sorry for Song Ying. Her birth mother was right before her eyes, and Song Ying knew Xu Xing's Wife was her biological mother, yet she couldn't step forward to acknowledge her.
A few soft-hearted girls had already turned away to secretly wipe their tears. It was too heart-wrenching, truly.
Suddenly, an impulse surged within Shi Li: [We need to find a way for this mother and daughter to recognize each other soon.]
[It's too painful to watch.]
While the onlookers felt heartache, Song Ying herself was already teary-eyed, though she managed to maintain her composure and not let the tears fall.
Xu Xing's Wife, being a sensitive person herself, didn't find it strange that her friend's daughter had tears in her eyes upon first meeting her.
She handed her handkerchief to her friend's daughter and patted her back, jokingly saying, "It's strange, but I feel so close to you, as if you were my own daughter."
Her tone carried a hint of reminiscence. "Back then, your mother and I were pregnant around the same time. We even joked that if we had a boy and a girl, we'd arrange a marriage between them. If they were both boys or both girls, we'd make them brothers or sisters, and we'd be godmothers to each other's children."
"If we had followed through with that plan, you should be calling me godmother now."
Song Ying's throat tightened; she couldn't bring herself to say "godmother" no matter what.
Calling her own birth mother "godmother," even though neither of them knew the truth, still felt too cruel to Shi Li.
She stepped forward to interrupt, "Did you bring a red envelope for the first address? If not, she can't call you that."
Huang Jie playfully scolded her, "You child, always talking about money. People might think your father and I are mistreating you."
Huang Jie then brought up how this naughty girl had also asked her little uncle for a red envelope when they first met Hong Yan.
The mother and daughter's banter successfully diverted attention from the "godmother" issue.
Song Ying inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Xing's Wife had other guests to attend to and couldn't spend all her time chatting with her friend's daughter. She said, "When you get home, please tell Hong Yan that I'll visit when I have some free time."
"I'll make sure to pass on the message."
Huang Jie couldn't keep the two girls with her all the time, so after giving Shi Li a few instructions, she told her to go play on her own.
Song Ying and Shi Li were left behind by Huang Jie. Shi Li spotted a familiar figure not far away – it was the Second Young Master Fu and Ms. Bai Qianqian, whom she had seen at Fu Huixing's house before the New Year.
The fact that Bai Qianqian was brought to such an occasion suggested that this star-crossed couple had likely received the Fu Family's approval.
Shi Li imagined seeing a life countdown timer above Second Young Master Fu's head.
Her gaze fell on Second Young Master Fu's kidneys: [I wonder if, after being lured to northern Myanmar by his girlfriend, Second Young Master Fu will use his good looks in that industry, or use his eloquence for telecom fraud, or perhaps have his kidneys harvested and become one with nature.]
Classmates: Whoa, that's intense!
Fu Huixing: The thing I feared most has still come to pass.
