Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 78

Chapter 78

They spoke in unison, then stopped abruptly.

A brief silence fell over the dinner table.

Having finally reached this point, Chi Jia didn't feel as nervous anymore. If she didn't overcome this hurdle, it would always bother her. She could continue avoiding it, but it wouldn't be comfortable.

"Mom, what were you going to say?" Chi Jia asked, giving Chi Lishu the opportunity to speak first.

"You're a grown-up now, there's something I don't think I should hide from you any longer."

Chi Jia noticed the serious expression on her mother's face.

Chi Lishu hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "You're my only daughter, and there are some things I truly hope you… can understand."

Chi Jia figured it was probably about remarrying, but her mother's serious tone made her confused. She had always been supportive of Chi Lishu finding a partner. "What is it?"

Chi Lishu hadn't discussed her love life with Chi Jia before, unsure whether she should, unsure whether she would be understood.

But after repeatedly testing the waters, she decided to tell Chi Jia, firstly, because she didn't want her daughter to worry about her, and secondly, because it was impossible to keep it a secret forever.

"Do you know why I never remarried?"

Chi Jia felt a pang of guilt, her gaze shifting nervously. "Because of me…"

Chi Lishu shook her head. "I told you not to overthink it."

"I know, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to work so hard, if it weren't for me… you would have found someone a long time ago." Chi Jia's voice was filled with guilt, knowing how much her mother had sacrificed to raise her alone. She didn't want to hurt her mother, not in any way.

Including coming out to her.

It was a dilemma, both sides were people she loved and didn't want to hurt.

"How many times have I told you, it's not because of you." When Chi Jia was younger, she had indeed devoted herself entirely to her daughter, but now that Chi Jia was older and more sensible, she didn't have to worry so much.

"Then why don't you find someone? I want you to find happiness more than anyone. I can't be with you all the time…"

"I have my own life, I don't need you to be with me all the time." Chi Lishu smiled at Chi Jia. She had never wanted Chi Jia to be so sensible and considerate, she just wanted her to be like other children, to be carefree and a little selfish.

Despite her mother's words, Chi Jia still felt guilty. "Then why didn't you remarry?" she asked again, going back to the same question.

They looked at each other across the dinner table, their bowls of rice untouched.

"Auntie Yang and I, we've been together for many years." Chi Lishu finally revealed the truth, her voice calm and steady, a faint smile on her face. It was difficult to imagine the courage it took for her to say those words.

Chi Jia heard her mother's words clearly, but it took her a while to process them, she even wondered if she had misheard, or if her mother's "together" meant something else.

"Wait…" Chi Jia stammered. "What did you just say?!"

"Auntie Yang and I are together." Chi Lishu repeated.

Repeating it made it even clearer.

Chi Jia was stunned, speechless. So, just as she was about to come out to her mother, her mother came out to her first?

This…

It took Chi Jia a few seconds to process this unexpected revelation.

"Jiajia?"

Chi Jia stared at Chi Lishu, then after a moment, she finally found her voice, touching the back of her neck, her expression slightly awkward. "You and Auntie Yang… since when?"

"Since you started university." Seeing Chi Jia's relatively calm reaction, Chi Lishu was relieved, not knowing that Chi Jia was about to tell her the same thing.

Chi Jia calculated; it had indeed been several years. She knew her mother and Auntie Yang were close, but she had never suspected anything. Now that she thought about it, it made sense that her mother hadn't dated anyone all these years; she had already found someone.

"I'm older now, I know what I'm doing, and I'm happy." Chi Lishu continued, her voice calm. "So I hope you can understand."

"I understand." Chi Jia's reply was immediate.

Perhaps she wouldn't have understood before, but now, she did, she understood these feelings, understood the longing for acceptance and understanding from your family.

Chi Jia's acceptance was beyond Chi Lishu's expectations. "I should have told you earlier, I was worried you wouldn't be able to accept it."

"I'm just a little surprised. I never thought you and Auntie Yang…" Chi Jia said, then remembering her own relationship with Jing Rui, she couldn't help but smile.

"What is it?"

"I'm happy that you've found someone." Chi Jia said, her voice filled with genuine happiness. "Mom, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. You should have told me earlier, you made me worry so much."

"Not worried anymore?"

"I'm not worried, Auntie Yang is good to you, I know that." Remembering their dinner together yesterday, Chi Jia realized that the happy glow on her mother's face was the look of someone in love. The more she thought about it, the wider her smile became. "Mom, you're so good at keeping secrets, hiding it from me all these years!"

"Okay, okay, it was my fault, I shouldn't have kept it from my precious daughter."

"So… do I have two moms now?"

Chi Lishu smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Seeing her mother's happy and contented smile, Chi Jia was truly happy for her.

"By the way, what were you going to tell me earlier?"

"I…" Chi Jia bit her lip, thinking about how to begin. But she was certain that her mother would understand her relationship with Jing Rui. After a moment of hesitation, she asked tentatively, "Mom, what do you think of Jing Rui?"

"Rui Rui? She's lovely, beautiful and elegant."

Chi Jia was secretly delighted; her mother seemed to approve of Jing Rui. She continued testing the waters. "Do you like her?"

The sudden shift in topic to Jing Rui, Chi Jia's expression, and the earlier phone call, all made Chi Lishu suspicious.

Chi Jia, emboldened, pushed a little further. "Should I ask her to be your daughter?"

The implication was clear.

"You and her…?" Chi Lishu was just as stunned as Chi Jia earlier.

"I… I never said my partner was a man." Chi Jia finally confessed, then quickly added, "And just like you, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it, so I kept it from you."

That "just like you" left Chi Lishu speechless…

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