Emotional Trauma (continued)

Xie Xiaomei thought about it carefully and nodded, saying, "I really haven't heard of anyone killing a horse."

"That's right, but we can't use ordinary horses to name our moves, that wouldn't be impressive enough. We need to use flying horses, so it's called Pegasus." Si Ming was just spouting nonsense, and it was quite perfunctory, but it would be enough to fool a child.

When the two arrived in the living room, they were surprised to find that the lady of the house was also home, which was unusual for her.

"Qingqing, you're back."

Auntie Liu, sitting on the sofa, turned her head and glanced at Si Ming. She wasn't surprised when she saw him; her daughter didn't have many friends, let alone friends she could bring home.

"Excuse me."

After exchanging greetings, Si Ming wanted to go upstairs with Liu Qingqing, inwardly cursing his bad luck. Even though Auntie Liu lived at the company and only went home twice a week, he still managed to bump into her.

Then it dawned on her: Liu Qingqing had been away for two months during the summer vacation, and now that she had just returned home, it was only natural that Auntie Liu, as her mother, would want to spend quality time with her daughter.

"It's not an intrusion, you've come at the perfect time. Quickly hand me the manuscript for the Official History Arc. Your idea of three parts is quite good, I agree. Long novels always get more drawn out towards the end, and readers are willing to endure the delay to wait for the ending, it's a mutually agreeable thing. However, you have to speed up the pace as I require, changing from one book a year to one book every eight months, so that readers will be more patient." Auntie Liu, as expected of a workaholic, immediately started talking about work.

Si Ming thought to himself, "This is bad. I've walked into the lion's den. Will I be put in a dark room?"

He planned to ask Liu Qingqing for help, but when he turned around, she had already disappeared.

Where are they?

"Qingqing just went upstairs," Auntie Liu replied, frowning. "She seemed very flustered when she saw me. What happened? Am I that scary?"

The strong woman's aura was indeed quite intimidating. Si Ming couldn't explain, so he could only say, "Something happened, I'll explain later." Then he followed her upstairs.

Auntie Liu asked suspiciously, "This kid... could he have had a relationship with my daughter?"

She wasn't opposed to it at all. Si Ming was someone she had watched grow up since he was a child, and he had always had a good relationship with her daughter. They were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, so it was a good thing that they were together. Besides, Si Ming was now quite successful, and the royalties from just a few books were enough to live a carefree life for the rest of his life.

An orphan and a single parent—they were a perfect match, with a foundation of affection and financial stability. Auntie Liu couldn't think of any reason to object. Rather, she thought that if her daughter missed out on Si Ming, she would have a hard time finding a suitable partner in the future. She might go on a blind date and the other person would forget her immediately, not even remembering her face or name.

"If he really becomes my son-in-law, then I'll have a perfectly legitimate reason to force him to write the manuscript... He's not allowed to touch my daughter until the manuscript is finished?" Auntie Liu pondered.

Si Ming felt a chill for no reason, but he had already arrived at Liu Qingqing's room and, without thinking too much, hurriedly went inside.

Seeing no one in the room, Si Ming looked around and noticed that the glass door leading to the balcony was open. He went to the balcony, but still couldn't see anyone. He had no intention of playing hide-and-seek, so he released his spiritual sense to sense the presence and quickly detected that the other person was hiding in the wardrobe.

"Even though he doesn't understand the techniques of controlling True Qi, he can still conceal his aura. Is this body exceptionally gifted?"

As Si Ming spoke, he opened the wardrobe.

"Ooh!"

Xie Xiaomei screamed from inside the wardrobe. She curled up in a ball, hugging her knees and crouching in the corner of the wardrobe, looking terrified, like the protagonist in a horror movie being chased by something strange. When she saw Si Ming, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, I startled you. Are you alright?"

Xie Xiaomei shook her head without answering, as if she had suddenly returned to the state of their first meeting, all her previous excitement and turmoil gone.

Fortunately, Si Ming hadn't wasted this time; he had read quite a few books on child psychology. Instead of forcibly pulling Xie Xiaomei out, he squatted down next to her on the bookshelf and leaned against her.

"That person isn't a thief, it's Qingqing's mother. Qingqing, didn't you tell her?"

Liu Qingqing, in her slime form, nodded and said, "I've already said that, but Xiaomei's situation is a bit special..." She hesitated, probably wanting Si Ming to ask Xie Xiaomei himself.

So Si Ming did just that. "Are you afraid of Qingqing's mother?"

He wasn't worried that the other person wouldn't understand the title. The word "mother" wasn't a foreign import; in all human languages, the pronunciation of "MAMA" is always used to address one's mother because it's the first syllable a person learns.

In ancient Chinese, "mother" was pronounced with the sound ma. It was first recorded in "Guangya·Shiqin" that "mother" means mother.

The use of this term in spoken language did not begin in modern times. People were already using it during the Northern Song Dynasty. For example, the Jingchutang Magazine states. "When Empress Dowager Cifu was celebrating her birthday, the Emperor made a new robe with very elaborate embroidery. When Cifu saw it, she said, 'Brother, you never wear this kind of clothing. Why are you wearing it now?' The Emperor replied, 'It is for the purpose of offering a toast to Mother on her birthday.'"

As expected, Xie Xiaomei had no doubts and instead asked, "Isn't Mom scary?"

"Uh... Qingqing's mother is a bit scary, but she's essentially a good person and cares a lot about her family, just in a somewhat unusual way."

Si Ming had to admit that Auntie Liu's aura was indeed quite strong. Ordinary men would find it difficult to even finish a sentence, let alone strike up a conversation with her. Moreover, Auntie Liu's eyes were almost blatantly reminding people, "Don't waste my time, you good-for-nothing." She never hid her meritocracy and looked down on those without talent.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Si Ming realized something was wrong. Xie Xiaomei's question was not "Isn't Qingqing's mother scary?" but "Isn't mother scary?" This was a general statement, not a specific one.

"Isn't your older brother afraid of your mother?"

"Uh... I'm an orphan, so I don't have a mother."

"That's wonderful, I wish I didn't have a mother."

The envy in Xie Xiaomei's eyes was genuine. Even the dull-witted Si Ming now understood what was going on. He also realized why Xie Xiaomei had become so withdrawn, timid, and trembling when she saw strangers.

"Actually, Auntie Liu isn't that scary. It's just a facade, so you don't need to be so afraid. Let's go downstairs together and say hello to her."

"Big brother, what are you saying? 'Mom' is scary. Don't say things like that anymore. It'll make her angry... Sister Qingqing, come back. I'll give my body back to you."

The two handed over control of their bodies, and Liu Qingqing regained control. She said, "Xiaomei's consciousness has retreated to the depths of her sea of consciousness."

Si Ming sighed, "It seems her mother left a deep impression on her... What exactly happened?"

"I don't know the details, but from what I heard when I talked to her, her original family was a place that favored sons over daughters. Her mother was neglected because she didn't give birth to a son, so she vented her resentment on Xiaomei, especially when the two of them were alone. No matter what Xiaomei did, her mother would get angry, even if she didn't do anything. She would not only scold her, but also hit her."

"So for her, 'mother' is a terrifying presence, a dreadful title... This has made things complicated."

Si Ming bit his nails. This kind of psychological trauma couldn't be resolved with force alone. Yu Shuying hadn't even warned him when she used her Mind-Reading Technique.

If the goal is simply to ensure Xie Xiaomei has a happy time ahead, then avoiding Auntie Liu is sufficient. There's no need to be overly deliberate; given Auntie Liu's workload, she'll likely only stay at home for a few days before returning to the company, making it difficult to even meet her then.

"Solving this problem in a short time is too difficult. Is avoiding it the only option?"