The Reborn Mom: Trapped in Her Son's Rivalry Drama

The bedroom Lin Xu had once occupied remained untouched. After breakfast, she moved back into it.

The room seemed as if it was regularly cleaned, the furniture spotless despite two decades of disuse. She stepped inside, surveying the space. Everything was as it had been, though the family portrait on the wall, aged by time, had yellowed, losing much of its original clarity.

Lin Xu approached the desk, where a wedding photo rested. In the picture, she leaned against a handsome man, her smile radiant as he gazed at her with tenderness. His lips curled into a subtle smile, his eyes filled with a warmth that seemed to melt into hers.

She reached out and gently caressed the man in the photograph, pain flooding her chest as tears filled her eyes.

That day, she had been driving with her husband when the accident occurred. He had tightly protected her in his arms as the steel pipe from the truck pierced their bodies.

Now, in this new life, she wondered—had he also been reborn?

She shook her head. If he truly had been reborn, why hadn't he come to find her, to care for their children?

Just as she grappled with her sorrow, a loud commotion from downstairs broke her thoughts.

Ji Tingyang was gripping Wen Li's wrist tightly, his gaze dark and menacing. "What did you say?"

Wen Li winced in pain but did not retreat, her expression resolute. "Ji Tingyang, I'm a person, not your pet. You can't keep me locked up in this villa. I want to go outside!"

"Go outside, and then what?" Ji Tingyang sneered. "To see Xiao Yu?"

Hearing the name of her beloved, Wen Li's face flushed with embarrassment. She gritted her teeth. "Who I see is none of your business."

At this sight, Ji Tingyang's coldness intensified. "Unless I'm dead, you'll never leave this place."

Wen Li's face turned ashen, her lips parting to speak, but before she could, an exclamation came from nearby.

"Ji Tingyang!"

Lin Xu, who had just come downstairs, overheard her eldest son's oppressive words and felt a wave of dizziness.

She hurried over, pinching his arm and dragging him aside. "Who taught you to speak like that? Who taught you to imprison someone? Aren't you afraid someone will call the police and have you locked up?"

Ji Tingyang winced, wanting to lose his temper, but seeing his mother, he swallowed his anger and rubbed his arm.

"Who would call the police?" he muttered.

Lin Xu replied, "Wen Li."

Ji Tingyang scoffed. "She wouldn't dare."

Her parents worked for him, so she wouldn't risk making an enemy of him and putting her family in jeopardy.

Lin Xu felt a surge of frustration.

What could Wen Li possibly fear? In the end, Ji Tingyang was the one who would be locked up!

She longed to do what she used to when he misbehaved as a child—raise him by the ear and spank him—but at his 1.85-meter height, she had no choice but to abandon the thought.

Instead, she resolved to try a different approach, appealing to his emotions. "Do you like her?"

Ji Tingyang paused, then nodded slightly.

Lin Xu asked, "Did your father and I have a good relationship?"

Ji Tingyang thought for a moment before nodding again.

Lin Xu smiled. "That's because your father respected me, supported every decision I made, and that's why I loved him. Of course, part of it was because he was handsome and rich, though he always blushed when I teased him, despite his aloof exterior."

Ji Tingyang said nothing, caught in the strange feeling of hearing about his parents' love.

Clearing her throat, Lin Xu quickly steered the conversation back. "What I mean is, if your father had locked me away like this, I wouldn't have liked him. So, if you want Wen Li to like you, you should let her go. No one can love a tyrant who imprisons them."

Ji Tingyang pursed his lips, his mind torn in a struggle.

One part of him—represented by a small black figure—urged him to keep Wen Li locked up, to make her his forever. Another part—represented by a small white figure—echoed his mother's words, reminding him that love requires mutual respect.

The black figure argued, "What mother? She wasn't there when I was being bullied, when I struggled to raise two younger siblings. Now she appears to lecture me on love..."

Suddenly, a gentle hand ruffled his hair, the motion so tender that it stirred something within him.

Lin Xu stood on tiptoe, her hands softly caressing his head. "But no matter how others see you, my dear Tingyang, I will always love you."

A pang of bitterness rose in Ji Tingyang's chest. He swallowed hard and, taking her hand from his head, grasped it tightly.

After his parents' death, Ji Tingyang had once watched other children, their parents caressing their faces and saying "I love you" at birthday parties. At first, he felt a sharp pang of envy. But as he grew older, he had become numb to such scenes.

Yet today, hearing his mother's words, that numbness began to crack. The black figure in his mind faded away.

...

Wen Li stood at a distance, watching Ji Tingyang and Lin Xu. Though she couldn't hear their words, their occasional glances told her that their conversation was about her.

It seemed that woman wanted Ji Tingyang to let her go.

Wen Li clenched her fists, standing uneasily in place. She knew Ji Tingyang was a tyrant. No matter what others said, he would never release her.

Then, she saw that woman reach up and gently touch Ji Tingyang's head. To her surprise, Ji Tingyang didn't react with anger; instead, he held her hand tightly, his expression softer than Wen Li had ever seen.

Wen Li stood frozen, unable to process what she had just witnessed. Before she could recover, Ji Tingyang walked over and uttered a sentence that left her in shock.

"Housekeeper, from now on, if Miss Wen wants to go anywhere, don't stop her."

Wen Li almost couldn't believe her ears. "You really are willing to let me leave?"

Ji Tingyang's face remained as cold and detached as ever, as though the softness she had just seen was a figment of her imagination.

"Leave? Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm just letting you go out for a bit. If you're not back by 10 p.m., I can't guarantee what might happen to your parents."

Wen Li's face turned as pale as a ghost. Though her heart still burned with resentment, at least she could leave now.

She bit her lip, nodding reluctantly.

Hearing Ji Tingyang's blatant threat, Lin Xu's head began to throb. She knew her task of teaching her son would not be easy.

But at least there was a good start. The rest would follow slowly.

Wen Li, secretly pleased, let a small smile curve her lips as she lifted her gaze to Lin Xu. Her confusion deepened.

No one had ever successfully persuaded Ji Tingyang before... Perhaps that woman could become the key.

(End of Chapter)