CHAPTER 17

After leaving the dessert shop, Chu Yu sat in the car, rare moments of being lost in thought.

She remembered the phrase "get to know each other again" that Shu Yanyan had mentioned, feeling that something was off. But upon deeper reflection, they did indeed know each other from before, so saying "again" didn't feel out of place.

Regarding Shu Yanyan's missing lover...

She opened her contacts and found Ge Meng's business card, her finger hovering over it, hesitating to make the call.

In the end, she withdrew her finger—

She didn't have the position now to help in the search. If there's a chance in the future, she could contact Ge Meng for assistance.

But before she could contact Ge Meng, a message came through from her.

[Emperor, I received an invitation from the palace to attend a banquet tonight...]

[I've never experienced such an occasion. Could you come and pick me up?]

Chu Yu paused for a moment.

She happened to be outside at the moment, and it wouldn't be troublesome to swing by. So she asked for the address and adjusted the car's autopilot to go and pick up Ge Meng.

An hour later, under the gaze of all the noble men and women on the red carpet of the palace banquet hall, Chu Yu opened the car door and stepped out.

Before they could even gasp in surprise, the back car door opened as well, and Ge Meng, dressed in elegant attire, gracefully descended.

Chu Yu walked up to Ge Meng's side, lowering her voice to instruct, "I'll change my outfit. You go ahead inside."

Ge Meng smiled lightly and nodded, waving her hand to bid farewell. "Emperor, see you inside."

Chu Yu responded with a simple "Mm" and walked away.

Little did she know, as soon as she left, the banquet hall exploded with commotion.

All the noble gentlemen and ladies, who had been preoccupied with their own beauty and attire, shifted their attention entirely to Ge Meng. Ge Meng had no doubt that if gazes had substance, she would be riddled with holes at this moment.

Unfortunately, they did not.

She held her head high, clutching her handbag, no less impressive than anyone else in the room, and slowly made her way along the red carpet towards the stairs. She reached the center of the banquet hall, requested a glass of transparent champagne from one of the attendants, and delicately sipped from it.

Even though her natural beauty didn't stand out in this crowd, she undeniably deserved to be one of the most dazzling figures of the night.

Even the Empress Dowager, who was watching the surveillance footage, couldn't help but ask, "Is she Ge Meng?"

Her younger sister, a noblewoman standing beside her with a folding fan, nodded and confirmed, "Yes."

After answering, she couldn't help but gossip a bit, "They say that the Emperor is very close to her. She might even become the future Empress."

However, the Empress Dowager didn't agree and wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. "That's not necessarily true."

The noblewoman was surprised and asked, "Not necessarily? I just heard from the Chief Guard that the child was personally brought here by Xiaoyu."

She waved her fan and continued, "Tell me, who else in that banquet hall would receive such treatment?"

The Empress Dowager proudly tilted her head up. "You don't understand. Chu Yu is my own daughter. Can I not know her?"

She explained to her younger sister, "If it's someone she truly likes, she'll stick to them like a piece of sticky candy. She wouldn't just run off on her own as soon as the car stops."

The noblewoman covered her mouth with the fan and exclaimed, "Is that true? Is Chu Yu that kind of person?"

The Empress Dowager nodded firmly. "Absolutely!"

She continued her analysis, saying, "I think it's because this Miss Ge saved Xiaoyu. In Xiaoyu's heart, she is indeed more important than the people in the banquet hall. So, she took the opportunity to bring her along."

The noblewoman nodded thoughtfully.

However, she still insisted, "Even so, this is already quite remarkable. Have you seen any other single individuals who can be compared to Ge Meng and receive such polite treatment from Chu Yu?"

The Empress Dowager clenched her fist in agreement. "You're right!"

She immediately squinted her eyes and said, "Just because there's no opportunity doesn't mean we can't create one. We'll see if we can facilitate this connection."

Saying that, she took her sister's hand and said, "Let's go. We won't watch anymore. We'll go straight to the banquet hall."

The noblewoman looked at the time and agreed. The two of them walked hand in hand towards the banquet hall.

When they arrived, Chu Yu had already changed into her formal attire and reappeared. The tall woman with long flowing hair was clearly the center of attention in this banquet, yet she appeared indifferent, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

Chu Yu only showed some expression when she saw her mother and aunt.

She approached them and engaged in casual conversation.

But just as they exchanged a few pleasantries, the Empress Dowager began urging her, "Don't come around us. There are so many young people here. Go and talk to them."

Chu Yu responded directly, "I don't have much to say to them."

The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes. "You haven't even talked to them, and you already know there's nothing to talk about?"

She scanned the venue, searching for someone. "If that's the case... Miss Ge is here tonight, right? Go talk to her and treat her well."

Chu Yu replied, "She doesn't need special treatment..."

The Empress Dowager's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Chu Yu wisely changed the subject. "Forget it, then. I'm leaving."

The Empress Dowager was finally satisfied and patted Chu Yu's shoulder twice before letting her go.

After Chu Yu left, the Empress Dowager and her sister continued to stroll through the hall, observing every Omega and Beta with great satisfaction. Engulfed in the joy of selecting a daughter-in-law, they didn't notice that after Chu Yu left, she found a corner and started to drift away.

With an indifferent expression, though many men and women around her were captivated by her beauty, no one dared to approach and strike up a conversation.

Chu Yu activated the privacy mode on her smart device, ensuring that there were no official matters to attend to. Feeling bored, she opened a messaging app.

Her thoughts drifted back to the small shop in the afternoon.

Without much hesitation, Chu Yu directly sent a message.

[How's business?] Chu Yu asked.

Shu Yanyan glanced at the three tables of customers in the shop and began to reply.

[It's much better in the evening with more people than in the afternoon.]

Chu Yu smirked, "[Ever since I visited the shop, business starts to thrive.]

[Doesn't the shop owner should show any gratitude?] Shu Yanyan read the message and paused for a moment before responding seriously, [Thank you... What kind of gratitude do you want?]

Facing someone like Chu Yu, Shu Yanyan couldn't help but feel a bit inferior, unsure of what she could offer in return.

Before she could receive a response from Chu Yu, Shu Yunmiao called out from the shop entrance, "Mommy, there's another customer coming!"

Shu Yanyan quickly put on a smile and went to greet the customer, leading them to a seat.

As they finished taking the order, Yunmiao stayed by her side and looked up at the smart device on her wrist, asking, "Mommy, who were you chatting with just now?"

Shu Yanyan replied, "Hmm, it was that older sister who gave you the toy earlier."

Little Yunmiao's eyes lit up.

She extended her arms and said, "I want to talk to the big sister too!"

Shu Yanyan was in a hurry to go to the kitchen to prepare the dishes for the customer's order. She glanced at the chat interface with Chu Yu on her smart device and felt that there was no problem. She removed the device and handed it to Yunmiao, saying, "You stay out here and help me look after the shop. If you need anything, just call out, and Mommy will come out."

Yunmiao nodded obediently.

After receiving the smart device, without saying a word, she sent a video invitation to Chu Yu.

Chu Yu was still contemplating how to reply without startling the other person, when she saw the invitation suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

But when she accepted the invitation and saw Yunmiao's little face on the screen, she had a rough idea of what was going on.

For some reason, every time she saw this little one, Chu Yu's mood would inexplicably brighten—

Is this what they call "loving everything about someone's home"?

But logically speaking, she should actually be concerned about the existence of this little one, right?

Yunmiao sweetly called out, "Good evening, big sister!"

Chu Yu's voice couldn't help but turn gentle. "Good evening to you too, Yunmiao."

From the scene behind the child, Chu Yu deduced, "You're inside the shop? Are you helping Mommy?"

Little Guan Guan, who was originally circling outside the frame, heard her cheerful tone and assessed the situation before gently landing on Yunmiao's head.

Yunmiao nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yunmiao helped Mommy attract many customers to come and eat desserts!"

Chu Yu's lips curved upward—

She could imagine the scene, a cute little girl handing out flyers with her bionic robotic pet bird at the shop entrance. Even if the passersby weren't interested in the content on the flyers, they would probably compromise for the adorable and well-behaved little girl.

Well, if she were the passerby, she would definitely stop for that.

But after her heart softened, a sense of tenderness emerged once again.

Yunmiao was truly too sensible. A child of her age should be well taken care of.

In that moment, Chu Yu's heart was filled with conflict.

She despised Shu Yanyan's missing lover, if it weren't for her, perhaps Yanyan and Yunmiao wouldn't have to live this kind of life.

But from certain perspectives, she was grateful to her, grateful that she wasn't around the two of them.

The next moment, Yunmiao's words interrupted her thoughts.

"Big sister... I, I have something to apologize to you for."

Chu Yu snapped back to attention. "Huh? Apologize to me?"

Yunmiao nodded. "Yes."

Chu Yu was puzzled. "What did you do that requires an apology to me?"

Yunmiao subconsciously glanced toward the kitchen.

Shu Yanyan hadn't come out yet, and Yunmiao breathed a small sigh of relief. She began to explain, "I, I had an argument with a classmate..."

Chu Yu was confused and looked at Little Guan Guan on the screen. But unfortunately, Little Guan Guan's eyes were wandering, refusing to meet her gaze.

She continued to inquire, "And then?"

Little Yunmiao propped her chin on her hands, looking very conflicted. "That classmate is so annoying, always saying that Yunmiao only has one mother."

Chu Yu understood.

The other child's words and actions were indeed irritating, but based on the current situation, what that person said was true.

Yunmiao continued, "So, a few days ago when I met him, I... I lied to him and said that my mother had come back, and I even... I even..."

Chu Yu asked, "And what?"

Yunmiao reached out and grabbed Little Guan Guan, who was perched on her head. Her face turned red as she said, "And I told them that you gave me a robotic bird as a gift."

Chu Yu was stunned.

After digesting the child's words, she smiled and said, "So, what you mean is that you told him I am your other mother, right?"

Yunmiao pouted. "Yes, I'm sorry."

Chu Yu was in a good mood and quickly reassured her, "No need to apologize. I'm glad... cough, cough, I mean, I'm glad I could help you. I don't mind you saying that, and in the future, if there's an opportunity, you can mention me as well."

Yunmiao's face brightened again. "Really?!"

Chu Yu nodded.

Yunmiao squirmed a little, feeling a bit shy. 

She observed Chu Yu's expression and pushed her luck, saying, "That classmate didn't believe what I said. We made a promise that at next month's nursery open day, I will bring you to show him..."

"Can you... can you come with Yunmiao and Mommy then?"

Chu Yu agreed quickly, "Of course I can."

Little Yunmiao squinted her eyes with satisfaction. "Then, Yunmiao will give you all the snacks she saved!"

Chu Yu asked, "Are they all made by your mommy?"

Yunmiao nodded. "Mm-hmm!"

Chu Yu narrowed her eyes slightly. "Alright, it's a deal then. Oh, I have another idea."

Yunmiao widened her eyes. "Hmm?"

Chu Yu whispered to Yunmiao, "Let's keep this a secret from your mommy for now. We'll surprise her when the time comes, okay?"

Yunmiao didn't understand why they needed to do this, but since it was her big sister's idea, she was more than happy to go along with it.

"Okay!"

In a place unknown to Shu Yanyan, this pair of "true mother and daughter" who were still kept in the dark about each other secretly planned to play the roles of "fake mother and daughter."

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