After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 23

President Xiao had no idea she had been on someone’s mind all day—or rather, even if she did, she wasn’t in much of a mood to pay attention to anyone else today.

Across the azure sky, it looked as if someone had taken a massive white brush and swept it grandly from left to right; anyone stepping outdoors could see those bold, heavy strokes of artistry.

The wind swept through the evergreen leaves, occasionally swirling down a few green fallen leaves. In the south, autumn arrives with a thick layer of disguise, quietly greeting everyone; if you aren’t paying attention, it will complete the handover with “Old Man Winter” right under your nose.

Outside a spacious, square building, several beautifully landscaped paths were constructed, encircling a small garden suitable for strolls. Cars almost never drove in here; even though the roads were paved smoothly, few were tactless enough to disturb the silence. After all, no one could be certain if they themselves would be one of the people living inside when they grew old.

Xiao Shixin chose such a day to visit this nursing home.

Her expression was cold, and her attire hinted at her high status. Ordinarily, not many people would choose to approach her for a chat on the street. Yet, many of the young nurses she met along the way, as well as the passing orderlies, would flash her a smile, and some even called out to her: “President Xiao.”

Clearly, she was a regular visitor here.

She stopped in front of a certain ward with practiced familiarity. Inside, the quilt on the single bed was folded into a professional-looking “tofu block,” but the figure who should have been quietly reading somewhere in the room was nowhere to be found. Two swaying white lilies were placed in a vase on the table by the bed, filling the room with a leisurely, fresh fragrance.

A familiar middle-aged woman’s voice rang out behind her: “President Xiao? Visiting your mother again? I heard from Sister Yun that today is a good day; she’s in high spirits, so Sister Yun just pushed her out for a stroll.”

Xiao Shixin turned and saw a middle-aged woman carrying a clean washbasin—it was the orderly from the next room. She gave a nod and a brief word of thanks before heading back downstairs.

A gentle breeze wafted through the garden, adding a touch of coolness to this temperate season. Xiao Shixin found her mother by the small fountain downstairs.

She was a woman of exceptional grace who kept herself impeccably groomed at all times. Had she not been in a wheelchair wearing a patient’s gown, anyone would have thought she was a wealthy lady who had simply sat down to rest after a long walk. Whether it was her face—where the traces of time were only found at the corners of her eyes—or the tranquil way she looked up at the sky, she resembled a quiet painting of a beauty.

Tormented by illness, she had grown much thinner, yet that thinness only sharpened her character. Despite her frail frame, a nameless strength supported her, keeping her posture dignified and her spine straight. Even in her thinness, she possessed a natural aura of authority; no one would, or would dare, treat her as a patient when she was conscious.

And no one could imagine what kind of man it would take to conquer such a woman.

Xiao Shixin watched silently from a distance.

She possessed a pride identical to that woman’s. Since childhood, she had few friends, and no one dared to bully her. Her birth and family background predestined her to walk a different path from ordinary people. But this inherited “aura” ensured that no one dared approach her on that path.

She was like a cluster of blood-stained thorns, standing firm in scorching sun, blizzard, and gale. She required no protection, growing alone, killing enemies alone, and… withering alone. From start to finish, it was a solitary bloom, shutting the whole world out. Occasionally, a foolish thornbird would see its charm and strike against it regardless of the cost, only to slowly fade away after fulfilling its song.

She had always known what kind of road she was on. She only occasionally wondered, looking at her mother’s back, whether she had known this would be her end when she married that man.

At that moment, the woman by the fountain seemed to sense her presence. She turned her head toward Xiao Shixin, a look of surprise crossing her clean yet radiant face. She quickly beckoned her over, a hint of urgency appearing on her face.

Xiao Shixin walked over quickly, the heels of her shoes clicking rhythmically against the ground.

“Why are you here today? Is there no work at the company?” The woman sat upright in her wheelchair, a thin blanket over her knees. When she tilted her neck to look up, the stretch of her snowy white throat was as beautiful as a swan’s. Especially when she spoke, her voice had an indescribable charm—measured and elegant, with a soft clarity that Xiao Shixin could never learn in a lifetime.

Xiao Shixin replied simply, “I wanted to come today. Work is finished.”

Compared to her mother’s voice, she could only hear coldness and lack of emotion in her own—dry, as if speaking to a stranger on the street. Unintentionally, the memory of a certain youngster calling her “cute” flashed through her mind, and she spaced out for a moment.

Hearing her words, the woman in the wheelchair curved her lips slightly, looking at her with a touch of helplessness. “You’re already so grown up, and you’re still acting spoiled with me.”

President Xiao was stunned by her own mother’s “labeling.” It took her a long while to retort expressionlessly, “I’m not.”

“Sister Yun went to get some water for me. Take this chance to walk with me.” The woman didn’t ask what had happened today to make her run here; she simply patted the armrest, signaling for her to push the wheelchair.

Mother and daughter spent a long time turning circles in the garden in silence. During that time, Xiao Shixin draped the blanket that had been on her mother’s knees over her shoulders instead. As they were about to complete their fourth circle around the building and there was no one else in sight, the woman in the wheelchair waved her hand lightly. Her obsidian eyes lifted to the blue sky and white clouds, and after a long silence, she said in a gentle voice:

“With this good weather, my energy is actually quite good today. I’m not tired yet.”

Xiao Shixin’s heart tightened. She pursed her lips and looked down at her mother’s profile, remaining silent.

The woman in the wheelchair, however, wanted to say more while she could, not knowing when her next moment of clarity would be.

“It seems it wasn’t the company, nor the family. Is it some family’s nemesis that has left my Xinxin so lost?”

A mother knows her child best. Perhaps from the very first circle, she had sensed the unease in Xiao Shixin’s heart, alongside a leap of joy that was hard to put into words.

“It’s a… treasure that was lost for a long time.” Xiao Shixin looked at a green leaf blown to her feet. The leaf rolled a few times on the ground and nestled dejectedly against her shoe, moving no more.

The woman in the wheelchair slowly revealed a smile, her beautiful eyes curving with mirth. “Found it?” she asked softly.

Xiao Shixin gave an almost imperceptible nod and whispered, “Found it.”

“Keeping it by your side?” the woman asked again with a smile.

This time, however, the affirmative answer did not come even after a long wait. She pressed her right hand on the armrest, wanting to turn back and see Xiao Shixin’s expression. At that same moment, the cold reply fell into her ears:

“Like this… is very good.”

It’s very good as it is now.

In the next moment, the woman who had been sitting bolt upright leaned slowly against the back of the chair. In her conscious state, she wasn’t used to leaning on anything; even this movement was somewhat stiff. But she leaned back anyway, closed her dark eyes, and said airily, “I’m a bit tired. Push me back.”

The moment she closed her eyes, a wave of bitterness rose in her chest. She had so many things she wanted to say. She wanted to say: You won’t necessarily end up like me. Don’t stand still thinking only darkness remains ahead, and that you can never catch the dawn.

But remembering everything her daughter had seen and heard along the way, she could say nothing. She was the one who had set a bad example; when she gave her life, the gift she sent along was too poor. She didn’t know how to hold her hand and point the way to happiness.

She feared Xinxin taking one extra step and coming back covered in wounds; she also feared her taking one step less and missing the splendor. Even the silence was full of unease.

When Xiao Shixin received that cheerful phone call, she was sitting in her office staring in silence at the marketing manager for the new product series. The manager was trembling under her gaze, his mind uncontrollably drafting the format of his resignation letter.

Consequently, at the moment the phone rang, Xiao Shixin clearly heard a sound of relief from across the desk. She gave the manager an expressionless look—making him break out in a cold sweat in the middle of late autumn—before answering the phone.

“Sister Xin! Sister Xin! Are you free today!” The voice in the receiver was an entire level more cheerful than usual. There was no telling what good thing had happened to the person on the other end.

“Mm?” Xiao Shixin responded indifferently, unaware that the icy current in her eyes was starting to thaw. Her attention was entirely focused on the call.

“Can I come find you after you get off work? I have something to give you~” The joy in the rising tone was impossible to hide, adding a touch of cuteness unique to her age. It was a crisp, bright voice, yet it unintentionally took on a soft, nasal quality over the phone.

Xiao Shixin gave a faint “Okay.”

She heard a cheer as if a great feat had been accomplished: “Yay!”

“Then… then Sister Xin, you have to leave your whole evening free. I have a very, very important thing to tell you.” Perhaps because she was too excited, Xiao Shixin clearly heard the irrepressible joy in Tang Xiaoran’s voice, to the point where she repeated her words several times.

A very, very important thing?

In that instant, a guess vaguely formed in Xiao Shixin’s heart. The guess came so unexpectedly that she was silent for several seconds before remembering to respond.

The moment she agreed, she unexpectedly didn’t know what her own mood was. Was it anticipation and joy? Or was it panic and apprehension?