Chapter 211: I Am Your Mother

"What do you mean?" Wang Gege frowned.

From the fragment of memory she had, she clearly remembered young Qing’er crying beside her and trying to pull her out of the lake.

However, perhaps her memories had become muddled over time. She had been so young back then that it was entirely possible she could no longer remember the scene correctly, especially since it had been such a painful memory.

Bai Ruoxi’s gaze softened as she looked at her, but she did not immediately answer. Instead, she slowly stepped closer, her eyes lingering on Wang Gege’s face as though she were trying to match the woman standing before her with the little girl she had once held in her arms.

"You were very young that day," Bai Ruoxi finally said, her voice quiet. "Young enough that you probably remember only fragments."

Wang Gege’s brows furrowed even deeper.

"Then what exactly happened?"

Bai Ruoxi’s fingers curled slightly at her side. For a moment, she seemed hesitant to speak, but eventually she let out a soft breath.

"You fell into the lake while playing near the water."

Wang Gege’s expression changed slightly.

"That part... I remember."

"You were struggling beneath the water when I reached you." Bai Ruoxi paused, her eyes becoming distant. "I pulled you out myself. You had already stopped responding by the time I got you onto the shore."

Wang Gege stared at her. She could almost feel the cold water again.

The helplessness.

The suffocating sensation in her chest.

And somewhere in that fragmented memory, Qing’er had been crying.

"But I remember Qing’er..." Wang Gege murmured, her voice uncertain. "She was beside me."

"She was." Bai Ruoxi nodded. "She was the one who raised the alarm after she saw you fall. She cried so loudly that I could hear her even from across the garden."

Wang Gege’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at Bai Ruoxi.

"Are you telling me..." She paused, her thoughts racing as she tried to connect the scattered pieces of her memories. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, she turned toward the door and shouted, "Qing’er!"

Her voice echoed through the chamber.

She couldn’t wait anymore. Everything was becoming more confusing by the second, and the more she tried to make sense of it, the more questions appeared. She needed to know what had happened, even if the answer made everything even more complicated.

"Yes, Young Madam!"

Qing’er hurried inside, looking slightly startled by the urgency in Wang Gege’s voice.

The moment she entered, Wang Gege pointed toward Bai Ruoxi.

"Do you know this woman?" Her voice carried more frustration than curiosity.

Qing’er froze. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Wang Gege’s expression tightened when she saw her reaction.

"Answer me!" she shouted. "Were you always with me when I was a child?!"

Qing’er flinched at the sudden outburst, her hands tightening nervously in front of her.

"I..."

"Qing’er!" Wang Gege stepped closer, her voice trembling with impatience. "You said you have been serving me since I was young. So tell me! Do you know her?"

Qing’er lowered her head.

For several moments, she remained silent. That silence alone made Wang Gege’s heart sink.

Xie Rong, who had been watching the exchange quietly, slowly narrowed his eyes. He had already noticed something was wrong the moment Qing’er refused to answer.

"Qing’er," he finally said, his voice calm but firm. "Tell Furen the truth."

Qing’er bit her lower lip. Then she slowly raised her head and looked toward Bai Ruoxi.

"Yes..." Her voice was barely audible. "I know her."

"You know her? How?" Wang Gege’s frown deepened, confusion and frustration mixing together as she looked between Qing’er and Bai Ruoxi.

"I—"

Qing’er hesitated, but before she could finish, Wang Gege turned toward Xie Rong, almost as though silently asking him to help make sense of the situation.

Xie Rong let out a weak exhale. His expression had grown increasingly serious as he looked at Bai Ruoxi.

"Then who are you, exactly?" he finally asked.

His gaze remained fixed on her. "My wife was adopted by the Shen family when she was still a baby. If that is true, then you couldn’t possibly be her family, yet you know her, and you even know about something that happened when she was very young."

He paused, his voice becoming colder. "Unless there is something about my wife’s past that none of us have been told."

Bai Ruoxi remained silent for a moment, her gaze shifting briefly toward Qing’er before returning to Wang Gege. "There is indeed something you do not know."

Wang Gege’s fingers curled slightly. "Then tell me."

Bai Ruoxi’s expression became complicated, as though there were too many things she wanted to say but didn’t know where to begin. "I knew you before the Shen family found you."

The words made Wang Gege freeze.

Xie Rong’s expression changed immediately. "You knew her?"

Bai Ruoxi nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Then why did you let the Shen family raise her?" Xie Rong asked, his voice carrying a hint of suspicion. "If you knew where she came from, why did you never return for her?"

Bai Ruoxi lowered her gaze. "Because I was the one who sent her away."

Wang Gege stared at her in disbelief. "You... sent me away?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Bai Ruoxi’s eyes flickered. "Yes."

Wang Gege took a small step back, trying to process the answer. The woman standing before her had the same face as her mother, knew about a childhood memory she shouldn’t have known, and was now claiming that she had been the one who sent her to the Shen family.

Bai Ruoxi’s gaze softened as she looked at Qing’er.

"I also sent Qing’er to accompany you since she was a child..."

Wang Gege’s eyes widened. She immediately turned toward Qing’er.

Qing’er stood there silently, her expression complicated.

"You knew?" Wang Gege asked.

Qing’er lowered her head. "I knew that Madam Bai was the one who arranged for me to stay by Young Madam’s side, but I didn’t know why she had to send you away."

"Then..." Wang Gege’s voice became quieter as she looked back at Bai Ruoxi. "You knew me before I was adopted by the Shen family?"

"Yes." Bai Ruoxi nodded, "I knew you from the moment you were born."

"What?" Wang Gege took a step back.

"Because I am your mother..."