Chapter 146: A Gradual Turn for the Better

At the hospital, just as Chen Mo finished registering and was about to see the doctor, he happened to run into Su Yuqing’s mother, Li Fengzhi, who was being discharged with her husband, Li Gang.

After a week in the hospital for a stab wound to the abdomen, Li Gang was getting antsy.

Seeing that he was mostly recovered, he was in a rush to leave the hospital.

If Li Fengzhi hadn’t stopped him, he probably would have been discharged long ago.

Li Gang’s younger brother, Li Tie, was with them as well.

The three of them ran right into Chen Mo as they came out.

Naturally, Li Gang and Li Tie didn’t recognize Chen Mo. Of the three, only Li Fengzhi knew him.

"Chen Mo." Li Fengzhi took the initiative to greet him.

Chen Mo noticed that Li Fengzhi’s complexion was much better than when he’d last seen her in her frenzied state.

Her mental state was clearly much better than it had been when Chen Mo saw her at Su Yuqing’s house a few days ago, right after she had come home.

The primary cause of Li Fengzhi’s mental problems was Su Chengfeng.

However, the reason she couldn’t recover—and in fact, kept getting worse—was actually Su Yuqing.

Her initial mental breakdown led her to develop an immense hatred for Su Chengfeng.

This, in turn, caused her to misdirect her anger onto Su Yuqing, who resembled Su Chengfeng.

But deep down, she knew it was wrong to take her anger out on her daughter.

So every time she lashed out at her daughter, she would fall into a painful mental spiral of self-blame and regret.

She already had mental health issues to begin with. Now, those very issues were trapping her in an even deeper cycle of internal conflict and torment.

How could she possibly get better?

So, naturally, it only grew worse.

But now, with Su Yuqing temporarily not living at home, Li Fengzhi couldn’t see her daughter. All she felt was longing, not the hatred and misdirected anger from before.

This broke the painful cycle of lashing out at her daughter only to be consumed by self-loathing afterward.

By removing a major trigger that worsened her condition, her mental state was naturally much better than when she had been trapped in that frantic internal struggle.

"Ma’am," Chen Mo replied. After all, Li Fengzhi was Su Yuqing’s mother. Her extreme behavior toward Su Yuqing stemmed from her mental illness; it didn’t mean she didn’t love her daughter.

From the day he saw Li Fengzhi’s remorseful side, Chen Mo understood that she truly did love her daughter.

It was just that a deep-seated hatred had wounded her so profoundly that she projected it, unnaturally, onto the daughter who resembled the man she despised.

One was sick, while the other simply used his daughter as a tool to show off.

Naturally, Chen Mo’s attitude toward Su Chengfeng and Li Fengzhi was completely different.

"Chen Mo, are you alright?" Li Fengzhi asked with concern, noticing his pale expression.

"Just a cold and a fever. It’s nothing serious," Chen Mo replied with a smile.

As he spoke, Li Fengzhi’s eyes immediately darted around.

’Based on what she knew of her daughter, Yuqing was very caring. Why isn’t she here with Chen Mo now that he’s sick?’

"Where’s Yuqing? Didn’t she come with you?" Li Fengzhi asked, looking at Chen Mo with confusion.

"She was running around all day taking care of me. She was so exhausted she fell asleep. I didn’t have the heart to wake her, so I just slipped out to the hospital by myself."

"Oh, I see."

Chen Mo’s explanation eased Li Fengzhi’s concerns; after all, that did sound exactly like her daughter.

"I hope Yuqing isn’t being a bother at your place," Li Fengzhi said, trying to feel out how her daughter was doing while living away from home.

"Not at all. Thanks to her, I’m eating a lot less takeout these days," Chen Mo replied with a smile.

’Even though he would cook for himself if Su Yuqing wasn’t there, he knew he had to play up her contributions in front of her mother.’

At this, both Li Gang and Li Tie, who had been standing to the side, turned to look at Chen Mo. Li Gang had some idea of the situation but had never met Chen Mo before. Li Tie, however, looked as if he was already well aware of both the news and of Chen Mo himself.

The only thing was, his gaze toward Chen Mo seemed to hold a trace of hostility, for reasons unknown.

"That’s good." Li Fengzhi nodded. As she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and promptly pulled out a wallet.

She took out a thousand yuan and pressed it into Chen Mo’s hand.

"With her out of the house, I completely forgot to give her any spending money. Please take this to her for me."

Chen Mo smiled and pushed the money back. "Ma’am, have you forgotten the contract I showed you? Yuqing has a salary now. You really don’t need to worry. She won’t have any issues with food, clothing, or expenses while she’s with me."

Hearing this, Li Fengzhi finally recalled the contents of the contract she had seen.

Su Yuqing was now earning more in a month than she did.

"That’s different. What she earns is hers. This is from me, as her mother," Li Fengzhi insisted, pushing the money forward again.

This time, Chen Mo accepted it. The value of this money was different now.

It wasn’t just spending money for Su Yuqing; it was a mother’s love being passed to her daughter.

Since Li Fengzhi wanted him to convey this sentiment, Chen Mo wasn’t going to refuse.

"Alright, I’ll take it," Chen Mo said with a smile. "You can come see Yuqing anytime you’re free. She really misses you, you know."

Su Yuqing had never said it out loud, but one evening while they were watching a show, a scene came on of a mother and daughter playfully bickering. The look of envious longing in Su Yuqing’s eyes had been impossible to hide.

Chen Mo knew that Su Yuqing hadn’t wanted to leave her mother, either.

"I will. I’ll go once I’m a little better." Li Fengzhi was well aware of her current condition.

With her daughter Su Yuqing not around, the mental strain was reduced. Combined with her medication, she could clearly feel herself improving.

She hoped she could make a full recovery. That way, when she saw her daughter again, she could prevent herself from hurting her.

"Well, I should go. They’re about to call my number," Chen Mo said with a smile and a wave.

As Chen Mo walked away, Li Gang finally spoke up. "That young man has a good temperament and carries himself well. I was worried about Yuqing living away from home, but it seems I was overthinking things."

"I asked her teacher about him. Did you really think I’d let my daughter stay with just anyone?" Li Fengzhi shot Li Gang a look.

’No matter what, that was her own daughter. If she didn’t think he was a trustworthy person, there was no way Li Fengzhi would ever let Su Yuqing live at Chen Mo’s home.’

’Contract or no contract, she’d go to the police if she had to. She would never let her daughter be taken advantage of.’

’Yuqing, just wait a little longer. Mommy’s getting better, slowly. When I’m all better, I’ll bring you home.’ As Li Fengzhi watched the heavy rain fall outside, her mind drifted back to a scene from Su Yuqing’s childhood, to the day she had given her daughter that name.