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

Though she was still compelled to return to the Ji residence each night, Wen Li couldn't help but feel a sense of joy from the sunlight she had rediscovered these past few days. Yet, with a single remark from Ji Tingyang, she was once again ensnared within her cage.

Those who have witnessed the light find it hardest to endure the darkness.

Wen Li, though gentle by nature, could not hold her temper after Ji Tingyang's departure. She vented her frustration, smashing every object she could find in the room. She even refused to eat dinner.

The butler, carrying the untouched tray, ascended the stairs cautiously and reported to Ji Tingyang, "Miss Wen refuses to open the door."

With a cold expression, Ji Tingyang stood up abruptly. The sound of his chair scraping against the marble floor was sharp and jarring. The atmosphere in the living room froze, thick with tension as though they had all fallen into an ice cave, an unseen chill creeping through the air.

The surrounding servants and the butler held their breaths, striving to minimize their presence.

Ji Tingyang walked toward Wen Li's door. He turned the doorknob, but the door did not budge—it was locked from within. Before he could speak, something crashed against the door with a loud clatter, and shattered pieces scattered across the floor.

"Leave me alone!" Wen Li's voice, thick with a sob, rang out, raw and frantic.

"Tell Ji Tingyang that unless he lets me out tomorrow, I will starve myself!"

Ji Tingyang closed his mouth, a shadow creeping across his face as he half-turned, his dark eyes gleaming with an unsettling coldness. He directed his words to the butler, "If she wishes to starve herself, let her. No one is to bring her food."

He turned and descended the stairs.

Moments later, the roar of an engine echoed from the garage as the car drove out of the villa, fading into the distance.

Inside a private room at the club, several men cheerfully raised their glasses to Ji Tingyang.

"Mr. Ji, you're not at home with your lady tonight but instead out drinking with us. This is a rare sight."

It was well-known in their circles that Ji Tingyang kept a velvet flower at home, so enchanted by her that he seldom left, as if fearing she might slip away, constantly guarding her presence.

Ji Tingyang didn't respond to their teasing, nor did he seem to care about the strong alcohol on the table. He merely drank it down in silence.

The burning sensation spread from his throat to his stomach, eventually consuming his entire body, as though the fiery liquid might numb the pain that gnawed at his soul.

As he became increasingly dazed, the noise around him faded. He found himself transported back to that afternoon when he first encountered Wen Li.

He was sixteen then, nine years after the death of his parents. His aunt and uncle, motivated by the vast fortune his father had left behind, reluctantly took him and his siblings in. But their care extended no further than providing a meal to keep them from starving, nothing more.

Every morning before the driver took them to school, Ji Tingyang would see his aunt, a picture of affection, patting her son's head and wishing him a good day, sometimes even planting a kiss on his cheek if she was in a particularly good mood.

Every time he witnessed this scene, he longed for the gentle touch of his mother, his heart twisting with pain, so sharp that his eyes would redden, quickly averting his gaze.

His cousin, on the other hand, deeply resented their presence in his home, always subtly targeting them.

At home, he would restrain himself, but outside, he was merciless.

One afternoon after school, Ji Tingyang was dragged into a corner of the school building by this cousin and beaten.

Though his body was frail, Ji Tingyang knew he could retaliate easily, but he didn't.

Because if he fought back, his cousin would take out his frustrations on the younger siblings, so Ji Tingyang had no choice but to bear the blows in silence.

It didn't matter. He had long since become accustomed to this. He comforted himself, telling himself that once he grew older, he would reclaim the family fortune and move away with his siblings. Everything would get better.

Slowly, his vision blurred, and his mind began to cloud.

"What are you doing! If you don't stop, I'll call the teacher!"

A sweet, clear voice echoed through the air, laced with a barely perceptible tremor. The girl, who seemed much younger, stood out in her fear yet bravely intervened.

"Mind your own business, or I'll hit you too!" her cousin snarled.

The little girl tightened her grip on her backpack's straps, "I've already told the teacher, he'll be here soon to catch you!"

Although telling on someone was shameful, it was effective. The teacher had an innate authority over students, and after a moment of hesitation, her cousin bolted away.

Seeing the relief on the little girl's face, Ji Tingyang knew she had lied.

He slowly rose from the ground, clutching his bruised arm, and walked toward the school gate.

The little girl chattered behind him, "Hey, I helped you, and you didn't even say thank you?"

"Your hand's hurt. Are you really going back like this? Won't your family worry?"

Ji Tingyang paused, the mention of his younger siblings causing a rare flicker of hesitation on his usually expressionless face.

The girl bit her lip, gathering her courage for a second time, pulling him over to a nearby stone bench. She took out a few band-aids from her bag and began to carefully tend to his wounds.

Ji Tingyang remained still, allowing her to treat him as his attention was drawn to a mother and child by the roadside.

The little boy pointed at an ice cream shop, tugging at his mother's sleeve in a playful manner, clearly desiring a treat.

The mother knelt down, speaking to him with words that made him laugh joyfully, and soon, he stopped asking for the ice cream.

She gently patted his head as if praising him, and the boy's cheeks flushed with a bashful smile.

Ji Tingyang's fist clenched involuntarily at his side, his hand a ball of tension. The image of his mother became blurry in his mind, and even the memory of her warmth as she caressed him began to fade.

He tried desperately to recall it, to hold onto that warm love, never to let it go...

Suddenly, a small hand landed gently on his head, rubbing it. It was the same warm sensation…

Ji Tingyang looked up, his dark eyes narrowing, locking onto the little girl before him.

The girl, startled by his chilling gaze, quickly withdrew her hand, her voice trembling, "I saw you staring longingly over there, and I thought maybe you wanted someone to pat your head too, so I…"

Had she misunderstood? How awkward.

Ji Tingyang rose, grabbing her wrist with a painful grip that made her gasp.

He parted his lips, his voice hoarse and strained, the first words he had spoken in a long time.

"What's your name?"

"Wen... Wen Li."

In an instant, the withdrawn, hurt boy had grown into a dark, terrifying man who now trapped her in a luxurious villa.

He seized both her hands, pushing her arms over her head as he leaned down, pinning her to the bed.

His other hand, with its sharp, bony fingers, clutched her throat, his eyes filled with obsession and madness, tightening his grip around her like a demon.

"Wen Li, you will never leave me in this lifetime."