As Chang Geng was about to call out to her, Xiu Niang took the lead and spoke first: "With no one else around, do not call me mother - did you bring the lip color back?"

Chang Geng heard this. He swallowed back the second 'mother' that was about to leave his mouth, then walked over and gently dropped the box that had been warmed up by his palm on her makeup table.

"Oh, this color is very lovely. Very bright," Xiu Niang finally showed a rare smile.

She rubbed a little bit of it onto her fingertips, wiped it across her pale lips, and looked at herself in the mirror with enthusiasm. She asked, "Does it look good?"

Chang Geng stood coldly on the side, not making a single sound. His heart felt strangely dark, as he did not understand why she asked him to come here.

While he was thinking about it, one of his eyelids suddenly twitched twice without warning. Chang Geng felt disconcerted; there seemed to be some kind of ominous premonition swelling up in his heart.

At that moment, Xiu Niang opened her mouth: "In the future, you can stop calling me mother in front of outsiders.

"Our path as mother and son ends here today."

She raised her face that had been fully made over, then stretched out a pair of fragile hands like a piece of grass as if intending to adjust Chang Geng's collar.

Chang Geng backed away in surprise: "What do you mean?"

Xiu Niang smiled and withdrew her hand.

Her lips were covered with the lip colour that Shen Shiliu bought. Her pale and dignified face became even more beautiful than before, as if it was a flower that had fully absorbed blood.

"I know that you have been wondering about this matter. As we have this chance today, let's make it clear: you really are not my son," said Xiu Niang. "Did it make you feel better inside after hearing this?"

Chang Geng's eyes twitched a bit; he was still young and had not yet learned how to conceal his emotions.

In this world, no matter how good a friend is or how good a teacher was, no one could replace a mother. Even a father couldn't - it was not that Chang Geng never yearned for a mother, only that sometimes, knowing that your wish could never become true yet refusing to accept your fate would be the most painful of all. Even he would have pitied himself.

Chang Geng had thought countless times that he may not be Xiu Niang's own son. Now, he suddenly got his answer. His heart felt nothing but an emptiness that he himself did not understand.

The foreboding premonition in Chang Geng's heart strengthened, and he was immediately alert: "Why are you telling me this out of nowhere?"