Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 91 Mom is a Liar

Chapter 91: Chapter 91 Mom is a Liar

Hearing her son call himself a great liar, Chen Haiyan was a bit surprised.

She then looked at Zhou Jinbei with a questioning gaze.

Because Zhou Jinbei had lacked maternal love from a young age, and his father did not care for him enough, he was actually a very sensitive and self-deprecating person, and seldom spoke.

Yet for some reason, when Zhou Jinbei met Chen Haiyan, he felt an affinity and couldn’t help but want to share his feelings with her.

"When my mom passed away, I was still very young."

"One day she lied to me, saying she was going to have plastic surgery, and when she came back, she would look different than before."

"I said, ’What if I can’t recognize you?’"

"My mom said, ’It’s simple. Whoever your dad tells you to call ’mom’, that’s me.’"

"Later, my dad brought home an aunt and told me to call her ’mom’. I was so happy, I called her ’mom’, but later I found out... she wasn’t my mom..."

...

Tears rolled down the young boy’s cheeks.

Zhou Jinbei wiped them away with a sun-protective sleeve, his voice tearful as he said to Chen Haiyan, "The Sea Wind is really strong."

Chen Haiyan’s eyes were also red. She had said those words hoping that if his dad found him a stepmother, he would be sweeter to her, and perhaps she would treat him better.

Chen Haiyan opened her mouth to explain, but then heard Zhou Jinbei say, "I’m not a child anymore, when people die, they are gone, how can they come back?"

Chen Haiyan swallowed the words she was about to say, not knowing how to explain anymore.

"It’s okay, don’t be sad. Would you keep me company on a walk along the beach?"

Zhou Jinbei quickly nodded. Although the aunt before him was not his mother, she did look so much like her, and he wished to spend more time with her.

"Running out here by yourself, your dad will worry about you, and you’re still so young, this journey is really too hard..."

"I saw you only had a few pieces of bread for lunch, how can that be okay? You should eat properly at a regular place, if you don’t have enough money, ask your dad..."

"The sun is so strong, and the UV rays are harsh, if it’s unmanageable, you should rest during the day and continue your journey at night..."

"At your age, education should continue. Without schooling, what could you do when you enter society? It’s difficult even to support yourself..."

...

At Zhou Jinbei’s age, he was most averse to being lectured, but for some reason, he didn’t mind the auntie’s preaching.

Although he was still somewhat upset, he did not retort, and patiently listened.

"Am I talking too much?"

Seeing Zhou Jinbei silent, Chen Haiyan realized as well.

Zhou Jinbei shook his head, but Chen Haiyan didn’t continue preaching. She knew her son and understood that he disliked such talk, and she didn’t want to spoil their rare meeting with it.

So she wanted to find a new topic, yet didn’t know what to talk about.

At that moment, she happened to see many shells on the beach and bent down to pick one up with some surprise: "This beach actually has shells."

Not all beaches have shells, especially the coastline of Bin Hai, which was almost stripped bare by tourists; the chances of finding shells were not high.

Seeing Chen Haiyan bending over to pick up shells on the beach, Zhou Jinbei, holding his phone, instinctively raised it, ready to take a photo.

But immediately after, his face was filled with astonishment, he looked at the phone screen, then shifted his gaze to the beach, and then back to the phone...

The astonishment on his face became disbelief; he slightly adjusted his phone and saw that other beachgoers appeared normally under the phone’s lens, but the auntie who looked so much like his mother left no trace in the camera...

Then he seemed to realize something, first frightened, then shocked, his body trembling slightly...

"Beibei, look, I found a golden shell, just like your name..."

Chen Haiyan came over joyfully, showing Zhou Jinbei the shell in her hand.

It was a golden shell with every pattern intact, looking extremely beautiful. To find such a beautiful and complete shell on the beach was indeed rare.

Zhou Jinbei extended his hand blankly, and Chen Haiyan naturally placed the shell in his palm.

"Auntie..."

Zhou Jinbei stared at Chen Haiyan and called out softly, his voice trembling.

"I... never told you my name, and how do you know my nickname is Beibei?" Zhou Jinbei looked at Chen Haiyan, enunciating each word carefully.

Although disbelief filled his eyes, they were equally brimming with anticipation.

Chen Haiyan was slightly stunned, then smiled and said: "You’ve caught on, Beibei, you’re so smart."

But Zhou Jinbei wasn’t happy, his voice tinged with a sobbing tone, he said: "I’m sorry."

Chen Haiyan, surprised, asked: "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because... because I didn’t recognize you at first glance, as my mother," Zhou Jinbei said, wiping away tears.

"So many years have passed, it’s not strange that you didn’t recognize your mother, and you even believed that once someone is dead, they cannot come back."

Hearing this, Zhou Jinbei was momentarily stunned, then once again muttered an apology in a quiet voice, feeling that everything was his own fault.

"It’s alright, no need to keep saying sorry to Mom," Chen Haiyan said.

She reached out to touch his head, her tone gentle: "You said it yourself, you’re not a child anymore, so don’t cry at the drop of a hat, my little man."

"Mom, I... I don’t quite understand, aren’t you dead? Why can I suddenly see you now?"

By this time, he had realized why the person couldn’t be seen through the phone’s camera.

"Why didn’t you let me see you sooner?"

"Do you know how much I’ve missed you?"

"You even lied to me, the woman Dad brought home wasn’t you at all, and I called her ’Mom’ for such a long time."

...

Zhou Jinbei seemed to have an endless list of grievances, wiping his tears and voicing his feelings of injustice.

But as Chen Haiyan listened to his complaints, the smile on her face grew wider.

Seeing this, Zhou Jinbei felt even more wronged.

"You’re even laughing at me."

"Mom isn’t laughing at you; Mom is happy that our Beibei loves me so much that he has so many grievances."

"Wha... what... not..."

Zhou Jinbei stammered, blushing and turning his head, his expression embarrassed, his young-man’s face thin-skinned.

"It’s not that Mom didn’t want to see you earlier, it’s that Mom didn’t have the ability to do so, but, Mom has always been by your side over these years," Chen Haiyan said.

"Eh?" Zhou Jinbei’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Always by my side?"

Zhou Jinbei looked very flustered, his voice trembling when he spoke.

Chen Haiyan nodded: "Yes, always with you, but not always visible, there’s still a lot you don’t know..."

"You didn’t know you liked Xiao Shiqi from your class..."

"You didn’t know you hid magazines under the mattress..."

"You didn’t know about the love letter you secretly wrote to the girl in the next class..."

"Mom..."

Zhou Jinbei’s entire being blushed, his head seeming to emit smoke.

Chen Haiyan laughed even louder.

"Beibei~"

"Mmm~"

"To meet you, Mom is happy, extraordinarily happy..."

"You still haven’t said what is actually going on."

"That... is a long story..."

"This time, you’re not allowed to lie to me again, got it..."

PS: There will be two more Chapters this afternoon, seeking monthly tickets~