Where is her mother?

A memory from her childhood!

Back then, she was only five years old.

That day.

Mu Yinyin was walking alone inside the residential compound, holding a doll. After finding a cool and comfortable spot, she squatted down on the ground, playing with the doll while murmuring to herself.

As she was playing, she suddenly noticed a mother and her son walking toward her from not far away.

The little boy was running happily in front, while the woman followed closely behind, speaking with a helpless yet fond tone, "Darling, run slower, be careful not to fall."

The woman's voice was indescribably gentle.

Mu Yinyin involuntarily stopped what she was doing. Squatting right where she was, she stared straight at them.

The little boy clearly wanted to come over and play with her. Soon, he ran to her side and extended a friendly hand, saying, "Let's play together."

Mu Yinyin's lips moved. Little as she was, she actually didn't like interacting with strangers and usually kept to herself.

Yet...

Seeing the gentle woman standing behind the boy, she couldn't help but nod, responding with a soft, milky voice, "Okay."

After catching her breath for a moment, the woman also walked over.

Mu Yinyin unconsciously raised her eyes to look at the woman, whose features were exceptionally gentle. She... was this little boy's mother.

A trace of envy welled up inside her.

"The doll in your hands is so pretty. Can I take a look?"

Mu Yinyin frowned slightly, but after a moment of thought, she handed the doll out.

Her gaze remained fixed on the woman. Children often struggle to hide their inner thoughts, and the woman clearly caught the expectation and yearning in her eyes.

Walking closer to Mu Yinyin with a puzzled expression, the woman watched her son already starting to play with the little girl's doll. Then, looking back at Mu Yinyin, she squatted down beside her and smiled gently, "Little girl, why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

Mu Yinyin's eyes flickered. Instantly feeling awkward, she lowered her head and shook it.

Seeing how well-behaved and adorable she was, the woman couldn't help smiling and asking, "In that case, why have you been staring at me?"

Mu Yinyin bit her lip unconsciously and remained silent.

"Mom, look, look! This doll is so pretty! Things girls play with are really different, I want one too."

The woman immediately said with helpless amusement, "What are you doing playing with a doll?"

"No, I want one!" With that, the boy ran over to the woman's side, hugged her leg, and playfully swayed back and forth while acting spoiled.

The woman sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll buy you one."

Watching them, Mu Yinyin could barely suppress the surging envy in the depths of her eyes.

Noticing something a bit unusual about the little girl, the woman had directed much of her attention toward her. Reading Mu Yinyin's emotions clearly this time, she patted her son's head, walked over to Mu Yinyin, and smiled warmly, "My son has a very sweet temperament. If you'd like, you can come to my house and play with him in the future."

Mu Yinyin's eyes stirred. She merely nodded politely without saying anything.

After a little while, the little boy returned the doll to Mu Yinyin.

"Here you go, thank you, little sister."

"You're welcome."

Mu Yinyin muttered quietly, "I'll give the doll to you."

She then stood up, looked at them, and spoke again, "It's getting late, I should head back."

A mother, after all, belonged to someone else, not her.

After exchanging a few words with the mother and son, Mu Yinyin went home.

As she was changing her shoes, she happened to see her father in the living room.

Walking over to her father with a sorrowful expression, Mu Yinyin was immediately spotted by her dad, who noticed her pale face and downcast mood. He instantly grabbed her shoulders with both hands and looked at her, "What's wrong with my good daughter? Did someone bully you?"

Noticing that her hands were empty, he asked with a puzzled look, "What happened? Was your doll snatched away?"

Mu Yinyin's father remembered that she had brought a doll with her when she went out.

Mu Yinyin bit her lip, "I gave the doll away."

Her father looked confused, "Then what's wrong?"

He saw that her eyes were red and she looked on the verge of tears.

Mu Yinyin pouted, unable to hold back any longer as she looked up at her father, "Dad, where is my mom? Why do other people have mothers, but I don't?"

Her father's expression shifted slightly. A look of helpless distress crossed his face as he said, "Your mom..."

Mu Yinyin stared straight at her father, waiting for him to continue.

Yet, her father suddenly fell silent.

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, they began to fall, "I just saw someone else with a mom, and I'm so envious. Dad, where is my mom...?"

The memory ended abruptly.

"Yinyin! You're about to hit the car in front! Brake, quickly!" Wan Yu's loud voice snapped her back to reality, and Mu Yinyin slammed on the emergency brakes.

Seeing that they were safe, Wan Yu looked at her in surprise, "What is wrong with you?"

Mu Yinyin's expression shifted slightly, "Sorry, I just zoned out for a moment."

Wan Yu frowned slightly. Mu Yinyin would never make such a mistake while driving, which meant she must have been thinking about something very important just now.

"Tell me, what were you thinking about?"

Mu Yinyin smiled faintly, "I just remembered some things from my childhood. I'm fine."

With that, she continued driving.

Only...

She didn't understand back then, but now that she was older, she understood everything.

When she kept asking about her mother all those years ago, her father must have been in deep agony as well.

Yet he couldn't tell her that her mother had passed away.

Nor could he tell her anything else, afraid of making her sad, afraid she wouldn't be able to bear it.

Still.

From childhood until now, she had never known her mother's true identity, nor did she know whether her father genuinely didn't know, or... if he simply never intended to tell her.

The car kept moving forward.

Mu Yinyin took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of distractions.

She would investigate this matter later.

Wan Yu looked at her suspiciously, keeping her eyes fixed on her. She hadn't received any response when she spoke to Mu Yinyin earlier, and upon closer inspection, the latter clearly had something on her mind.

She had almost crashed into another car just moments ago; nobody in their right mind would believe she was fine.

Frowning slightly, Wan Yu demanded, "Spit it out, what on earth were you thinking about?"

Mu Yinyin smiled wryly, "Sigh, I was just thinking about my mother. I've truly never confirmed my mother's identity, and my father never told me either. Perhaps I haven't been a very dutiful daughter. I should investigate my mother's past—at the very least, to find out who she was and see if I have any other relatives left."

Wan Yu frowned slightly, "Well, that's going to be rather difficult to track down."

She knew almost everything about Mu Yinyin's family background because Mu Yinyin had confided in her. Since Mu Yinyin's mother had passed away, searching for her family would be even more challenging.