Liu Ronghua spotted a familiar figure as she was eating.

Ruan Danchen?

Momentarily startled, Liu Ronghua stared at the figure and she was convinced it was Ruan Danchen. She would not mistake another person for her.

"I have to go to the washroom," said Liu Ronghua immediately. She stood up and followed Ruan Danchen.

"Danchen." Liu Ronghua walked slowly toward her. She stared at Ruan Danchen with a sad and pitiful expression as always. "What a coincidence. You came here for dinner?"

Ruan Danchen was stunned. Liu Ronghua was dressed in a very presentable way like a noble lady, adorned with jewelry that cost a fortune. She appeared to be graceful, just like the meaning of her name1.

It seemed like time favored her and left no trace on her face. Even after seven years, her appearance remained the same. Her figure was still as slim as a young lady. She looked healthy, happy, and radiant.

Ruan Danchen never expected she would meet Liu Ronghua here.

After thinking, she knew that she did not stumble upon her for the past few years because they lived in different worlds.

Liu Ronghua had a private driver to send her anywhere she wanted to go, while Ruan Danchen usually used public transport like the subway. Liu Ronghua would always dine in restaurants like this costly Japanese restaurant.

As for her, she usually ordered delivered food or cook herself. Even if she went out for dinner, she would opt for street food because it would be difficult for her to order dishes in a restaurant as she could not finish the food on her own.

Ruan Danchen nodded, her feelings toward her mother were very complicated. She did not know why calling her 'Mom' was such a difficult feat. She sometimes wondered whether she was too cold-blooded as she refused to acknowledge her mother.

After so many years, although she would call Liu Ronghua on every New Year's Eve to wish her happiness, she did not attempt to meet with her at all.

Ruan Danchen felt a lump in her throat and she could hardly breathe through her nose. She could only breathe through her mouth, and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Danchen, it's been many years. You only call me on every New Year's Eve, but you never come and visit me before. Seven years had passed since we last met, nobody would believe us if we tell others about this." Liu Ronghua sobbed. It seemed like she was on the verge of crying. "Danchen, do you still hate me?"

"I've finally stopped holding a grudge against you after so many years, but I couldn't face you and those from the Shen family without feeling uncomfortable. Besides, if you meet with me too frequently, Shen Jialiang would feel unhappy about it, and you'd stop meeting with me eventually. I figured I should just save you the trouble," said Ruan Danchen nonchalantly, trying not to choke.

Genuinely, she no longer loathed her.

Although she could not forgive what they did to her at that time, she could not hold a grudge against them because she had such an adorable son in Qi Youxuan now.

"Nothing like that. You're my daughter, how could I refuse to meet with you?" said Liu Ronghua hurriedly. "I really miss you throughout the years, but I dare not call you because I'm afraid you might think that I'm planning to make use of you for my benefit."

Ruan Danchen quivered. Her face turned pale and her hands became ice-cold.

"Danchen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk like that," said Liu Ronghua immediately.

Ruan Danchen licked her dry lips and sniffed. She could not help but ask a question she had been burning to ask for the past seven years. "Then why did you abandon me at that time? When I was still in the hospital, you didn't visit me after you told me about the news at the beginning. After that, I continued my studies at A University. My school was just there, but you never came to meet me."

She had never asked this question every time she called Liu Ronghua for the past seven years—she dreaded that Liu Ronghua's answer would disappoint her. She did not want to make things difficult for herself and dwell in the past.

However, it seemed like Liu Ronghua missed her very much based on her current expression. She looked like a mother whose feelings were severely hurt by her daughter. Ruan Danchen kept asking herself the same question, 'If you really miss me so much, why didn't you come and find me?"

"I…" Liu Ronghua blinked her eyes, she was at a loss. She lowered her head and hesitated for a while, then she raised her head back and said, "At that time…the situation didn't permit. You were admitted to the hospital at that time, and you left secretly after you settled the discharge procedures on your own. You didn't even inform me about it. I thought you truly hated me and didn't want to accept me as your mother anymore, no longer wanting to be involved in my life. After all, you had such a furious reaction at that time, so I dared not find you. I was afraid…even if I went to meet you, you'd refuse to see me and would say things to hurt my feelings on purpose. That's why I never went to find you."

Ruan Danchen did not reply to her. Even though Liu Ronghua said that she dared not meet her in the beginning, she wanted to ask Liu Ronghua why she still did not attempt to find her after she started calling her during Chinese New Year.

Liu Ronghua knew where her workplace was but she never came to visit her. Maybe she was afraid that others would find out about their relationship?

Over the years, although Liu Ronghua did not manage to become Mrs. Shen, people called her Madam Liu respectfully. Maybe she did not want others to find out that she had a daughter who was already a grown-up. Perhaps the Shen family did not like Ruan Danchen because of her relationship with Liu Ronghua, reluctant to let others learn about their relationship. Thus, Liu Ronghua dare not find her from the start until now.

Ruan Danchen bit her lips quietly and sneered scornfully.

"Danchen, I—" The door of the men's washroom opened when she just started to talk.

Qi Youxuan walked out from the men's washroom and said happily, "Aunt Ruan, I'm done, let's go back to the restaurant and continue eating."

He then walked toward her and held Ruan Danchen's hand.

"This little boy—" Liu Ronghua's expression changed a little. She stared at Ruan Danchen suspiciously.

After so many years of not seeing her, could she have gotten married and had a son?

However, Ruan Danchen never told her that she had a son before on the phone.

Ruan Danchen's heart skipped a beat and hurriedly shielded the little boy with her body. She was worried that Liu Ronghua might recognize him, or the little boy might tell her about his family because he was too innocent.

If Liu Ronghua found out about the little boy's background and discovered that she had dealings with Qi Chenglin, she would probably make use of her to gain something.

The last thing Ruan Danchen wanted was for someone to use the little boy.

Liu Ronghua and everyone from the Shen family had never met him since Qi Chenglin took him away.

The Qi family did well in protecting Qi Youxuan, they never allowed him to appear in the media, and even the kindergarten that he attended had excellent security.

Since Qi Chenglin took Qi Youxuan away from the Shen Family, he lost contact with them. Shen Jialiang did not invest any effort to find out anything about Qi Youxuan because he was not the son of the Shen family. Besides, the Qi Family was very cautious when they deal with the Shen family after the incident.

After the incident, the Shen family stopped getting in touch with the Qi family. As a result, Liu Ronghua was unable to recognize Qi Youxuan even after she saw him in person.

Qi Youxuan did not reply to Liu Ronghua. Ruan Danchen heaved a sigh of relief, she said indifferently, "He's my friend's child."

"Oh," said Liu Ronghua. She saw Qi Youxuan tugging Ruan Danchen's blouse when she was just about to talk to Qi Youxuan. "Aunt Ruan, I'm not full yet, let's go back to the restaurant and continue eating."

Qi Youxuan could feel that the attitude of Ruan Danchen toward Liu Ronghua was different from her attitude toward others. Ruan Danchen was on her guard when she was talking to her and did not treat her like how she treated her neighbor previously.

Besides, he remembered that Ruan Danchen told him not to tell strangers about his family background at will, so he very obediently followed her instructions and did not tell Liu Ronghua his information voluntarily.

"Excuse me, the child is hungry," said Ruan Danchen indifferently.

Liu Ronghua forced a smile and said unhappily, "Then you all should continue eating your dinner now."

Ruan Danchen nodded and walked past Liu Rounghua with Qi Youxuan.

After a few steps, she stopped when she heard Liu Ronghua called her. "Danchen."

Ruan Danchen turned around, and Liu Ronghua asked, "You're still not coming back home this year to celebrate Chinese New Year?"

"Chinese New Year should be celebrated at home, but the Shen's family house isn't my home," said Ruan Danchen coolly. "Besides, they'd feel unhappy if they see me. It isn't good to make each other unhappy during Chinese New Year."

Ruan Danchen saw Liu Ronghua kept quiet and it seemed like she had nothing else to talk to her, so she left with Qi Youxuan.

After Qi Youxuan sat back on his seat, he saw Liu Ronghua walked toward her friends from far. Though curious about her, he restrained himself from asking Ruan Danchen.

He was full after eating for a while more. Ruan Danchen wiped his mouth for him and brought him to the cashier counter.

When she was verifying her orders at the cashier counter, Liu Ronghua walked toward her again. She said to Ruan Danchen, "Danchen, let me treat you, okay?"

"It's alright," Ruan Danchen coldly dismissed her. "I promised the child that I'd treat him."

"Danchen, please let me foot the bill. I know that it's not easy for you to live on your own. You're not earning a lot from your work, and you need to pay for your rent and living expenses. It's better to save your money, right?" Liu Ronghua smiled at her and took out a credit card from her purse.

Ruan Danchen felt very uncomfortable after listening to her words. She stared at the credit card that she was holding frigidly and stopped her from giving it to the waiter. "You're paying with Shen Jialiang's money, right?"

Liu Ronghua was stunned for a while and her body stiffened.

"The money that I earn may be less than the pocket money that Shen Jialiang gives you, but I'm quite comfortable spending the money I earn. I promised to treat the child to dinner, so please don't make me an adult who eats her own words," Ruan Danchen replied as she took out her card and gave it to the waiter.

Liu Ronghua's offer was rebuffed by Ruan Danchen. She could only put her card back in embarrassment, but she could not help but ask softly, "Danchen, do you still hate me? You seemed so reluctant to spend my money even though I'm your mother."

"It's better for me to do that because I don't want to owe Shen Jialiang or you anything, even though I'm owing it indirectly," said Ruan Danchen coldly. Suddenly, she felt someone hugged her leg tightly.

She lowered her head and saw the little boy was looking at her worriedly as he hugged her leg.

Ruan Danchen was touched by his actions and she stroked the little boy's head lovingly to reassure him.

"Do you really want to discuss our private matter here?" Ruan Danchen pulled a long face.

Astonished by her question, Liu Ronghua stopped talking awkwardly. She was worried that others might overhear their conversation and found out about their relationship.

The waiter returned Ruan Danchen's card back. She signed the receipt and bid farewell to Liu Ronghua indifferently. She then left with Qi Youxuan.

Liu Ronghua could only walk back to her seat. One of her friends sitting opposite to her asked curiously, "Who was that young lady just now?"

Liu Ronghua tried to avoid eye contact with her friend and smiled nervously, "She's the daughter of an old friend. I chatted with her for a while since we bumped into each other."

…

…

Ruan Danchen brought Qi Youxuan out of the restaurant. She had not received Xiaoyang's call, so they went shopping in the mall. Qi Youxuan begged and pestered Ruan Danchen unceasingly to bring him to the supermarket at the lower ground floor. They bought plenty of junk food there.

After Ruan Danchen made the payment, they saw many people were queueing after they turned a corner. They approached the crowd and found out that they were queueing in front of a famous shop selling milk tea.

The little boy wanted to try the milk tea after hearing about it, so Ruan Danchen brought him to queue up.

When it was almost their turn, Ruan Danchen received Xiaoyang's call. He told her they were at the parking lot now.

"We're queueing to buy milk tea, it'll take a little longer," said Ruan Danchen, she was afraid that Qi Chenglin might lose his patience while waiting.

However, it was Qi Chenglin who answered her on the phone. "Which shop?"

Ruan Danchen was startled for a while before she told him the shop's name.

"Just wait there after you bought the milk tea," said Qi Chenglin coolly.

After she hung up the phone, Ruan Danchen said, "I think your father is coming to find us."

When it was their turn, Ruan Danchen bought two cups of milk tea. At first she could not decide whether to buy a cup of milk tea for Qi Chenglin. That guy was so petty, she did not know how to deal with him if he became angry with her for not buying milk tea for him.

However, after thinking it through, she felt that he would not like this kind of beverage, so she did not buy it for him.

Just after they came out of the shop, they saw Qi Chenglin waiting for them at the entrance. He appeared to be extremely quiet in the noisy crowd. It felt like they suddenly discovered a spring in a desert when they saw him.

Qi Chenglin saw the two of them—an adult and a young child-were each holding a cup of milk tea in their hands, and he felt that it was such an adorable scene.

"Dad, why did you come here?" Qi Youxuan walked toward him and held his hand like he was trying to please him.

"The parking lot is too big, I'm afraid that you two won't be able to spot the car," explained Qi Chenglin before looking at Ruan Danchen. "Shall we leave now?"

He stared at her quite deeply and intensely. Ruan Danchen blushed and her face felt numb after meeting his gaze. She deliberately walked to the other side of the little boy so that the little boy would stand between them as she was afraid to stand too near to Qi Chenglin.

"Did you drink a lot tonight?" Ruan Danchen found a subject to start a conversation with him as she feared that the situation would turn awkward. She remembered he went for a dinner party tonight, but she did not expect him to come back so early.

"Not too much," answered Qi Chenglin indifferently, his coal-black eyes slowly focused on her face, then he stared at the cup of milk tea in her hands. "But I feel quite dizzy now."

"Do you need me to buy you a beverage to sober you up?" asked Ruan Danchen carefully.

"No thanks, the queue is so long," said Qi Chenglin with his mellow voice. He extended his long arms and took the cup of milk tea from her hands with his fine and attractive long fingers before Ruan Danchen could react to his actions. Then, he took a sip of it with the straw Ruan Danchen was using.

Ruan Danchen did not expect that he would straight away drink the tea from her straw. She blushed furiously when she remembered that she had used her tongue to touch the part of the straw that he was using just now. She hissed bashfully, "Qi—"

However, she decided to hold her tongue because Qi Youxuan was around.

Qi Youxuan was holding his milk tea. His large black eyes were looking around and he suddenly let go of Ruan Danchen's hand. "That little girl in front is so pretty!"

He dashed forward for a short distance so that Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin could still see him, but he was not standing between them anymore.

"…" Ruan Danchen was speechless after she saw Qi Youxuan's exaggerated acting skills. There was no pretty girl in front of them, the people around them were all men. At that time, she felt a blisteringly hot hand grasped her waist. Then, Qi Chenglin leaned toward her. "So concerned about me?"

"I"m—" Qi Chenglin put the straw into her mouth the moment Ruan Danchen opened her mouth to talk.

"Try it, it's tasty," said Qi Chenglin with a cool smile.

"…" Ruan Danchen was forced to keep the straw in her mouth. She wanted to tell him that she had drunk it just now, and she knew whether it was tasty or not.

The next second, she suddenly realized that Qi Chenglin had just used the straw and their saliva was mixed now.

She was not sure whether she was hallucinating or not, but she felt like she could taste his odor.

Ruan Danchen blushed and kept silent.

Qi Chenglin sneered and looked like he was pleased with himself. He then used his strong and firm arm to hug her waist. When he touched her body, Ruan Danchen felt like she was burned by his hand and she leaned on him and trembled.

Qi Chenglin felt that she was behaving unusually. He lowered his head to look at her and saw her ears had turned completely red. They appeared to be smooth and glowing red, her earlobes looked like red jades and looked very tender and attractive. Her long eyelashes were hanging down and her cheeks were reddened like the color of a sunset.

Liu Rong Hua's name literally translates to "beautiful and radiant appearance".