The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

Chapter 3 Green Plum

"Shizue, where have you been?" The girl's mother asked gently and softly as she knelt down.

Jingzhi greeted the people around her with a smile, her manners impeccable. But when she sat down, she whispered to her mother, "If Qingye had come too, she probably would have argued with them. She hates drunk people the most."

The mother beside him, her smile unchanged, took a sip of tea and said, "Country men are always straightforward."

Shizue remained noncommittal, her mind not on the drunkards, but glancing at Kirihara Akira, who was eating with his head down not far away.

Her mother had been watching her daughter's every move closely. Although she asked her daughter where she had gone, she had already noticed through the window that her daughter and the boy had returned together.

The mother's expression remained unchanged as she asked in a normal tone, "Do you still remember Kirihara-kun?"

Jingzhi paused in her chopsticks, suppressing the urge to utter an impolite "hmm," and said coldly, "It seems he still hasn't recognized me."

The mother covered her mouth and chuckled, then switched to a more intimate form of address, saying, "After all, we haven't had any contact with the Kirihara family for seven years. The last time I saw Akatsuki, you were in sixth grade, right?"

"Yes."

"Besides, girls change a lot as they grow up. You've changed so much since you were a child, it's not surprising that he doesn't recognize you."

Jingzhi feigned a coquettish expression and glanced at her mother: "Are you saying I wasn't pretty when I was little?"

"How could that be?" The mother covered her mouth and laughed.

Shizue verbally expressed her dissatisfaction, but in her heart she felt it was just right.

He didn't recognize himself, so he couldn't understand the relationship between his family and the Kirihara couple, let alone know that Shizue's mother had come to help him.

If she had simply told her mother about the attack on Kirihara Akatsuki by the Yakuza, the matter would have been handled properly without her having to pay a heavy price.

However, Kirihara Akira believes that she put in a lot of effort, and by doing this, she can do Kirihara Akira a considerable favor, which will make it easier for her to control Kirihara Akira.

On the other hand, it's better not to acknowledge each other. Not getting entangled in past relationships allows for better maintaining of distance, and keeping things strictly official is better for everyone.

After clearing her mind, Jingzhi put down the chopsticks she had just picked up and solemnly said to her mother, "Mom, I've just discovered something."

Seeing her daughter's serious expression, the mother turned around and solemnly asked, "What's wrong?"

"I discovered signs of activity by 'those people' in the village, and there were quite a few of them. After observation, I believe their target is Xiaojun."

Jingzhi laid out her prepared explanation in full. To increase credibility, she deliberately stumbled twice while describing the situation, so that her mother would not disbelieve her or not take it seriously enough. She also deliberately described the matter as urgent and serious enough.

After listening quietly to her description, her mother folded her hands, rested two fingers on her chin, and pretended to be deep in thought.

Seeing her like this, Jingzhi suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The mother's appearance didn't seem very surprising.

After a long pause, the mother sighed and said, "Just as I expected."

As expected? Had she anticipated this... or had it already happened?

Before Jingzhi could think it through, her mother suddenly asked her, "You don't dislike Xiaojun anymore, do you?"

The hidden meaning in this question made Shizue think of something very strange. She immediately sensed something was wrong, but dared not give a negative answer.

She said cautiously, "After all, they were childhood playmates..."

Before she could finish speaking, her mother smiled and interjected, "That's wonderful! I was worried you might develop a dislike for him."

"What do you want to do?" Shizue asked quickly.

"A high school student who has lost his parents and is being harassed by yakuza, all alone and helpless—don't you think that's pitiful?"

Upon hearing this, Shizue became even more nervous. Just as she was about to say something, she saw her mother stand up and walk towards Kirihara Akira.

She heard her mother utter that shocking invitation to family members and saw Kirihara Akira's almost stunned expression.

This well-mannered young lady suddenly had the idea of ​​crawling under the table, regardless of the consequences.

......

......

This is actually a very embarrassing misunderstanding.

When Shizue's mother saw her daughter return with Kirihara Akira, she assumed that her words "didn't recognize me" were just said in anger, never imagining that the two had truly not recognized each other.

Kirihara Akira had no idea where the two had come from, only having a vague guess.

So this sentence sounds just like a woman you slept with in the past accidentally getting pregnant, and you're using this euphemism to subtly remind him: You're going to be a father.

Of course, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.

She wanted to take care of Kirihara Akira in place of the Kirihara couple.

She is the girl's mother, Mori Akari, and Song Xinyuan finally learns the girl's name.

Shizue Mori.

It was as if a search keyword had been entered into the brain, and Kirihara Akira's memories naturally brought up the faces of a pair of adorable twins from long ago. They had the same face, and each of them could have grown into Mori Shizue, who is now the older twin.

Almost uncontrollably, Song Xinyuan felt a surge of joy.

It can be seen that the original owner had a very good relationship with the Gemini back then.

Mori Shizue's eyes widened at that moment, as if she would make him regret it if he dared to agree.

Song Xinyuan also felt it was troublesome; if he agreed, he might get involved in some troublesome things.

So he was using delaying tactics at the time, trying to find an excuse to postpone his plans for a while.

But his plan failed.

Before the Kirihara couple were even cremated, a real problem arose: who would take care of the orphans they left behind?

His parents were well-matched in terms of social standing, and both families were impoverished. Now that the living have passed away, leaving behind an orphan, the responsibility of raising him would be a considerable burden for either family.

Some people smiled broadly and probed, some remained silent to refuse, and some left a sum of money as a way to "spend money to avoid further trouble."

Human relationships are fickle; he wants to be warm, but he doesn't mean Song Xinyuan is warm or cold. He even understands them to some extent.

The grief is real, and the urge to avoid it is also real. People are complex, and no one is an exception.

Later, someone finally suggested adopting Song Xinyuan, but the decision was changed at the last minute.

Later, Shizue's mother, Mori Akari, announced in front of everyone that she would adopt Kirihara Akira.

This gave everyone a way out, effectively cutting off all of Kirihara Akira's options.

Although Kirihara Akira is already seventeen years old this year, and Song Xinyuan is definitely capable of supporting himself, it is clearly not a wise choice for an underage child to venture out alone when he is being targeted by the Yakuza.

Song Xinyuan didn't want to marry into a wealthy family, but the wealthy family themselves came with a trap for him.

Is it to avoid the feuds of wealthy families by refusing, or to choose to face the mysterious unknown alone?

This was a difficult but clear choice.

......

"Our deal can proceed as usual, including maintaining distance," Song Xinyuan said as he walked Mori Shizue to the roadside the day after the funeral, when no one was around.

Mori Shizue's expression was cold, clearly indicating that she was not very welcoming of Song Xinyuan, who was about to join the Mori family.

However, she did not explicitly express her opposition.

She also knew that Kirihara Akira had no other choice.

Seeing her silence, Song Xinyuan continued, "You have a very strong-willed mother."

Mori Shizue sighed and said, "Otherwise, why would I seek help from outsiders?"

She then added, "Let me make this clear first, I have no complaints or grievances against you. I just feel that you've fallen into her hands and are being controlled like me, which is very detrimental to our cooperation."

Working under surveillance or even monitoring was his forte. Song Xinyuan smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I'll make you satisfied."

Mori Shizue shook her head: "I'm fine, it's Kiyoha who's giving you a headache."

He thought of the lively and lovely girl from before: "It seems that we have both changed a lot over the years."

As they talked, the two arrived near the car that was picking up Jingzhi.

Jingzhi looked at him and left with her last words: "Now we're all the same. Congratulations, you're safe, but you're no longer free."