Chapter 605: Chapter 605: Unfamiliar

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Baili Lele’s face showed a hint of confusion, “Why is everyone acting so strange?”

She really couldn’t understand. She had just been asleep, so why did it seem like everything around her had completely changed when she woke up?

After a moment of excitement, Baili Hengyuan and the others slowly calmed down and then entered the room.

“Lele, you–” Baili Hengyuan sat beside the bed, holding Baili Lele’s hand, his tone choked with emotion, “You’ve been unconscious for a very long time.”

After saying that, he slowly recounted everything that had happened over the years.

Initially, hearing that she had been unconscious for so many years, Baili Lele was shocked. However, when she heard that her mother had passed away a few years ago, she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and they kept falling.

“Lele, don’t cry,” Baili Hengyuan softly patted Baili Lele’s hand, comforting her, “You’ve just woken up, and your body is still very weak. Don’t get too emotional. If your mother knew that you had hurt yourself over this, she wouldn’t be happy either.”

“It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, Mom wouldn’t have–” Baili Lele cried even harder.

“It has nothing to do with you,” Baili Zhenye said angrily, “It was all Yi Huai and Huang Wan. If it weren’t for them, none of this would have happened.”

Baili Lele looked confused.

Soon, everyone started talking, revealing all the despicable things Yi Huai had done.

After hearing everyone’s accounts, Baili Lele’s face was filled with disbelief. She could never have imagined that the brother she had grown up with was such a person.

“Grandpa, Mom’s health is no longer a problem now.”

Zhong Niangyao, who had been silent by the side, suddenly spoke up, “You all talk to Mom. I’ll go prepare some medicine to help strengthen her body. We won’t disturb you any longer.”

This call of “Mom” made Baili Lele suddenly look up, scrutinizing Zhong Niangyao with a mix of excitement, joy, and confusion in her eyes. Despite this, it was clear that she was eager to interact with Zhong Niangyao.

“Dad, this…this is my…” daughter.

The last two words got stuck in her throat, and she just couldn’t say them.

Baili Lele tried to reach out and take Zhong Niangyao’s hand but hesitated, slightly fearful. She had never imagined that after being unconscious for so many years, her daughter had grown up so much.

In her memory, she had just given birth to her daughter not long ago.

No wonder she felt so familiar when she saw the girl earlier; it must have been the intuition between flesh and blood! Now, she longed to interact with her daughter, yet she also feared it.

So many years of absence made her afraid that her daughter would resent her, hate her.

“I almost forgot to introduce her,” Baili Hengyuan said, slapping his own head in annoyance, quickly pulling Zhong Niangyao closer, “Lele, this is your daughter–Zhong Niangyao. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have woken up now at all. Also, we would never have known Yi Huai’s true nature.”

Just thinking about how they would have continued to treat Yi Huai well if Zhong Niangyao hadn’t come, that Baili Lele could have really gotten into trouble, and that they would have kept compensating Yi Huai, filled him with immense anger.

Zhong Niangyao looked at Baili Lele without any signs of rejection, nodding with a smile, “Mom, your mind must still be very muddled since you’ve just woken up. Let Grandpa and your uncles tell you about what has been happening these years.”

“As for us, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up once you feel better.”

Although she very much wanted Zhong Niangyao to stay, Baili Lele didn’t insist and only nodded, “Okay.”

Zhong Niangyao took Lu Yichen’s hand, smiling sweetly at him. Then, the two of them held hands and left the room.

Baili Lele’s gaze followed Zhong Niangyao until she disappeared from view, but she still didn’t avert her eyes.

“Lele,” Baili Hengyuan reached out and gently patted Baili Lele’s hair. He intended to say something comforting, but in the end, all his consolations turned into one sentence, “Don’t think too much, things will get better.”

“Dad!” Baili Lele’s voice was slightly hoarse, tinged with sorrow, “Nianyao, when she talks to me, it’s like she’s talking to a stranger.”

When Zhong Niangyao spoke to her, her tone was very polite without any harsh words. But it was precisely because she was too polite that the interaction felt like that with a stranger, courteous yet distant.

She could feel that although Zhong Niangyao called her “Mom,” deep down, she hadn’t truly accepted her as her mother.

“Lele, stop overthinking,” Baili Hengyuan sighed, then comforted her, “Although you are mother and daughter, there’s over twenty years of time between you. It’s not easy to bridge that gap. Just leave everything to time!”

“Yes,” Baili Zhenhua also chimed in to soothe, “Lele, for now, the most important thing for you is to recover your health. If you want to properly mend your relationship with Lele as mother and daughter, you need energy too.”

“Exactly,” Baili Zhenhua nodded again, “If you can’t even take care of your own health, what energy will you have to do anything for Nianyao!”

Baili Hengyuan and his three sons took turns reassuring Baili Lele. When they saw her furrowed brow finally relax, they all slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Zhong Niangyao and Lu Yichen left Baili Lele’s room and continued to stroll around the Baili Family estate, appearing relaxed and at ease.

“You and Baili Lele–” Lu Yichen carefully chose his words before speaking, “seem a bit distant!”

“Yes,” Zhong Niangyao felt there was no need to hide anything, especially in front of Lu Yichen, “Affection isn’t something that can be maintained just by blood relations. Although she and I are mother and daughter, ultimately we are strangers who have never met.”

Lu Yichen nodded, then continued, “If you don’t enjoy spending time with her, you don’t have to force yourself.”