Chapter 357: – Remorseful Mom
Lin Jin was in a bad mood. It was already five in the afternoon when she returned to her rental unit from her hometown.
She laid on the bed, feeling down. Images of the time spent with relatives and friends kept flickering through her mind and occasionally, thoughts of that Liu Shengqi guy popped up. So her mood got even worse. She aimlessly laid on the bed and blankly stared at the walls.
She wasn’t sure if her mom would help sort out the relative situation. If it couldn’t be solved, then she might not be able to go back for the rest of her life.
Feeling dejected, she pulled a pillow over and laid her cheek against it.
A little bit sleepy.
She had been up since early morning. And then adding all those other annoying things, Lin Jin was so tired she could fall asleep the moment her eyes closed.
However, just as she was about to take a nap, her phone rang.
Picking it up, her mom’s voice came from the phone: “Hello, Lin Jin.”
“Mom, what is it? I’m going to sleep.” Lin Jin’s tone was so weak she sounded like she was about to die, “I’m really sleepy, tired all day.”
“I’ve told your grandma and grandpa about your situation" her mom helplessly shook her head, continuing, “They won’t accept it.”
“That’s normal. They’re already elderly, their minds aren't that open. Even if I said I liked men, they wouldn’t be able to accept it.” Lin Jin responded matter of factly, though it hurt inside, “That’s fine too, I just won’t go back then.”
“I thought you’d be more upset?” her mom was surprised at how calm Lin Jin was, “Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Of course it hurts, but grandma and grandpa not accepting it is really quite normal.”
Lin Jin sighed: “Even if it were other relatives, not many could accept it, right?”
"Yeah" Mom was silent for a moment, her voice a little hoarse, "I'm sorry..."
"What’s wrong? I’m fine!" This was Lin Jin’s first time in her life hearing her parents saying sorry to her. She hurriedly scrambled up from the bed and sat up, pretending to be full of energy and completely unconcerned, "Anyway, I'll definitely be out working in the future and I would normally only visit grandma and grandpa during the new years and holidays. So it’s totally fine if I don’t go, why say sorry to me?"
"It’s all because when you were little, mom liked to dress you up in girl’s clothes and I didn't properly foster your understanding of gender... Otherwise, none of this would have happened" Mom was choking up a little as she intermittently said "It's all mom’s fault... Otherwise, you wouldn’t be like this… Your dad also wouldn't have said stuff like he doesn't want you, and you wouldn't be afraid to go to family gatherings..."
"I think things are pretty good as they are" Lin Jin’s mood was very constrained. She always found it hard to listen to her family members cry as it would make her own nose tingle and tears wpi;d inevitably start to well up.
But she still tried to speak in a light hearted tone to comfort her mom, knowing that her becoming a woman really had nothing to do with her mom. Even though her mom had dressed her in girls’ clothes when she was young, that hadn't influenced Lin Jin’s gender identity. Her becoming a woman, having a female psyche, was entirely the black cat’s fault.
"Mom, I completely don't see anything wrong with it. After all, I’ll be working in the future and hardly ever go back..."
Repeating it once more, Lin Jin took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that had quietly fallen on her cheeks. She forced a smile and continued: "Besides, don’t I still have you and Lin Chen?"
Under Lin Jin’s comfort, her mom’s mood finally improved a bit, though she still sobbed intermittently, "Yes, you still have me and Lin Chen..."
Lin Jin finally took a sigh of relief. Lin Jin herself was originally in a bad mood, needing comfort herself, yet she still had to console her own mom.
"I'll hang up now. I’ll go back tomorrow to help with the school documents." Mom’s voice began to go back to normal.
"Yeah, sleep early."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Jin flopped back onto the bed, yawning as she stared at the ceiling.
The ceiling of the rental unit was very worn down, as if it hadn't been painted in a long time. Though the dim lighting added a warm feeling to the unappealing ceiling.
Staring into space for a bit, Lin Jin suddenly realized that in just half a year, she seemed to have lost a lot.
She had lost her father, her beloved grandparents, and those relatives who she didn’t normally see often and whose names she couldn’t even recall, but would always give her red packets during Chinese New Year…
But fortunately, she still had Lin Chen and her mom.
Sure enough, it was time to take a nap.
She pulled the quilt over and covered herself, closed her eyes, and quickly started drifting off.
She didn't know how much time had passed, anyways Lin Jin felt like it was just a moment, when a knocking at the door abruptly woke her up.
Why were so many people knocking on the door recently…
She got up from bed with a frown and vigorously shook her head. Then with a somewhat limp body, she opened the door.
Outside the door was the Liu Shengqi guy whom she had already met twice today.
This guy stood outside with a face full of smiles. He even carried a bag on his back and held a rolled up mat in his hands. Without even waiting for Lin Jin to speak, he unceremoniously kicked off his shoes and walked right in.
"What are you doing?" Lin Jin didn’t stop him, she just frowned at him and asked with some slight annoyance, "Why are you here? Do you think this is your home or something?"
"Ah?" Liu Shengqi set down his things and looked up in confusion. "Before, didn’t we agree that I’d come over every weekend to hang out? The last two weeks you went to Guangzhou so I didn’t come.?"
"When did I agree to something like this?" Lin Jin was taken aback, completely not recalling ever agreeing to such a thing with Liu Shengqi, "Why can’t I remember?"
"I mentioned it at the time, you didn’t object."
Liu Shengqi cheerfully placed his straw mat in the corner, his face full of smiles as he said: "Don’t worry, I even brought a straw mat over. I'll sleep on the floor at night, I promise I won’t do anything to you."
"Are you out of your mind?"
Lin Jin’s mouth twitched. She even wondered if she had committed some kind of sin to encounter someone like Liu Shengqi.
Today at noon, was her performance not enough to discourage him?
"Ever since I met you during the new year, my heart has been captured by you…"
Liu Shengqi affectionately gazed at Lin Jin and spouted a line from who knows where he had learned from. But before he could finish, Lin Jin hurried forward, lifted her leg high, and fiercely kicked him right on the nose.
"Gross!"
He was caught off guard and fell to the ground by Lin Jin’s kick, but his face still wore a mischievous smile.
It seemed she needed to be harsher. She kicked him hard like that yet he still had that masochist look on his face.
Lin Jin thought for a moment, glanced at Liu Shengqi who was still lying on the floor, and without hesitation, grabbed the chair beside her.
"I was wrong!" His eyes widened as he flopped up like a fish. He bowed his head and admitted his mistake without any semblance of dignity: "I’ll never say such disgusting words again! From now on, I'll definitely be the most obedient servant to her majesty!"
"Tch! Scram!"