Weeks passed, and Aiden began sharing small stories—about his childhood, about the foster family, about his dreams. Li Yueran listened, gentle and patient, offering nothing but her presence.
Slowly, he began to rely on her, though he did not yet understand why. Her gestures—small, careful, unwavering—began to break down the walls he had built around his heart.
Meilin, too, found herself drawn closer, observing the subtle bonds forming between mother and son, and feeling her own heart pulled into the mix.