Chapter 144: You Still Hold a Grudge Against Me, Don't You?

Perhaps fate truly had a talent for playing cruel jokes. Whether persuaded by others or having finally thought things through herself, Mother Bai eventually came to her senses. A few days later, she had Bai Yunchuan bring Yu Xin to the hospital.

From the moment Yu Xin entered the ward, she felt awkward. Mother Bai deliberately sent her husband and son away. It had been far too long since mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had sat down alone together, and at first neither of them knew how to let their guard down.

“Yu Xin.” The instant Mother Bai called her name, Yu Xin’s fingertips trembled with fear. She hurriedly answered.

Mother Bai sighed. “I really don’t know what kind of fate binds us. No matter how much we try, we can’t seem to sever it. After treating you so badly all those years, you must still resent me.”

“No, no.” Yu Xin hurried to deny it. To be honest, when her marriage had fallen apart, she had indeed hated this vicious mother-in-law. But several years had passed, and even the deepest hatred had gradually run aground. Besides, without the woman before her, how could there have been a Bai Yunchuan?

“Never mind. Even if you do resent me, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m already halfway into the grave. What more could I possibly concern myself with?” As she spoke, Mother Bai no longer possessed her former forcefulness. She seemed visibly old, inspiring nothing but pity.

“Auntie, please don’t say that. As long as you agree, I can arrange a liver transplant for you immediately.” Yu Xin answered without a moment’s thought or hesitation, afraid that Mother Bai might do something rash.

Mother Bai’s tears began to flow. Weeping with shame and anguish, she said, “I’ve done so many wicked things. I know I deserve to die. Under ordinary circumstances, I would never accept your liver. I know it isn’t right. Even if I recovered, it would be something that cost me years of life and blessings. But I have no choice. Yunchuan hasn’t yet married or established himself. How can I simply close my eyes and leave this world? If I died like that, I would never rest in peace.”

She wept so hard that she nearly choked. Yu Xin began crying too, repeatedly telling her that she understood, that she truly understood. A scene like this was something neither of them could probably ever have imagined in the past.

“Please, don’t say anything more. Rest properly. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Yu Xin swore it with all her heart. To her now, Mother Bai was merely a frail and helpless woman. All she wanted was to save her.

“I’ve thought it through, child. I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for nothing.” Mother Bai wiped away her tears, as though she had finally arrived at the real subject. Yu Xin held her breath, her heart suspended in anxious anticipation.

Mother Bai pressed on while the moment was ripe. “I was wrong to you in the past. From now on, I’ll treat you as my own daughter and never make things difficult for you again. I’ll take you as my goddaughter. We’ll be a proper mother and daughter. What do you say?”

Yu Xin was utterly stunned.

A goddaughter? Wouldn’t that mean there could never be anything between her and Bai Yunchuan again?

Mother Bai grasped Yu Xin’s hand, determined to obtain her consent. In truth, it felt more like a form of coercion. Yu Xin had wanted so badly to call her “Mom” once more, yet at that moment she could not make a sound. It was as though someone had poured lead into her mouth and sealed it shut.

Xiaoxiao had no idea how Yu Xin managed to walk out of that hospital room. She could only imagine that it had been a scene of tears and runny noses. Even in the final moments of her life, Mother Bai had refused to abandon her carefully calculated scheme—and in doing so, had likely shattered the convictions of everyone involved and everyone standing by to watch.