On the other side, Li Yue Shu was making the bed, her mind in a turmoil.
Shen Wei called himself "this King" and mentioned Qin Ye Xiu. Could he be a prince of Chen Nan Kingdom?
But she remembered there were quite a few princes in Chen Nan Kingdom in the original book, some of whom weren't even royalty. However, the original book hadn't mentioned any prince having ties to the four villains.
Wait, Shen Wei had regained his memory for so long. Did the four children know?
Li Yue Shu suddenly paused, putting down the blanket in her hands, and turned to look at Shen Ting Yi, who was standing obediently not far away.
Seeing her solemn expression, Shen Ting Yi’s heart skipped a beat. "Mother, what's wrong?"
Li Yue Shu looked at her and suddenly beckoned, "A Yi, come here for a moment. Mother has something to ask you."
Although her tone was the same as usual, Shen Ting Yi inexplicably felt a bit nervous.
She hesitated for a moment before walking over.
Li Yue Shu pulled Shen Ting Yi to sit beside her and looked directly at her.
Her gaze was somewhat serious, making Shen Ting Yi more and more flustered.
Just as she was wondering if she should speak first, Li Yue Shu suddenly asked, "A Yi, tell Mother the truth. When did you know your father regained his memory?"
Shen Ting Yi froze. Meeting Li Yue Shu's eyes, her expression stiffened instinctively, and her gaze flickered away.
Although it was only for a moment, Li Yue Shu still caught it.
Her heart sank. She wasn't angry, but a surge of disappointment and helplessness washed over her.
Shen Ting Yi was a little flustered and didn't notice her emotional change. "Just... when we came back, I heard Granny Liu say it!"
Li Yue Shu released her hand and looked at her expressionlessly, saying nothing.
That gaze made Shen Ting Yi’s heart race.
After a long pause, Li Yue Shu spoke in a cold voice, "Do A Min and A Wen know?"
"No..." Shen Ting Yi instinctively wanted to shake her head, but meeting her gaze, she couldn't say the rest of the words.
After a prolonged silence, Shen Ting Yi finally nodded stiffly, but quickly added, "We didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just that... we..."
Shen Ting Yi wanted to say something to make up for it, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't.
Because they suspected her and didn't trust her, they had never told her.
But these words, she simply couldn't bring herself to say.
Li Yue Shu's thin lips pressed together, her hands on her legs clenching tighter.
She thought she had done so much, and that the four children, if not completely devoted, would at least rely on and trust her.
But now, it seemed it was all her own self-indulgence!
Li Yue Shu felt a sharp pang in her heart, but still held onto a sliver of hope. "Does A Yu know?"
Under her gaze, Shen Ting Yi felt increasingly uneasy. "Fourth Brother doesn't know anything."
Fourth Brother's identity was different from theirs, and being the youngest, he didn't know many things.
Shen Ting Yi didn't realize at all that at this moment, she was like a different person from the little girl a year ago who had threatened to break Li Yue Shu's legs.
Hearing this, Li Yue Shu finally felt a sliver of comfort.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. "Where is the real Shen Wei?"
Shen Ting Yi was stunned. She hadn't expected her to not only know that her father had long regained his memory, but also that her father wasn't the real Shen Wei.
Shen Ting Yi grew more flustered, but dared not hide anything. "He... he was originally a guard in Father's mansion. He died four years ago. Father used this identity to bring us here to protect us."
Li Yue Shu's expression grew serious, and she continued to ask, "If he's not Shen Wei, then who is he?"
This time, Shen Ting Yi didn't answer. She nervously fiddled with her fingers, her expression troubled.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu instantly understood.
After all, he was a prince who had brought four children to hide here incognito. He must have had secrets he couldn't reveal.
Li Yue Shu wasn't interested in these secrets, but no matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't remember the identities of these four children being mentioned in the original book.
Thinking of this, Li Yue Shu stopped pressing. "It's getting late. Get some rest."
With that, she climbed into bed and lay down, closing her eyes. However, she still left the spot by the wall open.
Seeing this, Shen Ting Yi felt even more guilty. She opened her mouth several times, but didn't know how to speak.
Finally, she carefully climbed into bed.
But as soon as she lay down, Li Yue Shu turned her back to her, clearly angry.
Shen Ting Yi's eyes welled up, but she still lay down obediently, not daring to say anything.
Her eyes, however, were fixed on the back of the person in front of her.
Li Yue Shu naturally felt the gaze behind her and almost softened.
But remembering how wholeheartedly she had cared for the children over the past year, only for them to conspire with Shen Wei to deceive her, the disappointment in her heart surged uncontrollably.
In the end, she maintained her position facing away and didn't move all night.
The next day, when Shen Ting Yi woke up groggily, Li Yue Shu was long gone.
Usually, when Mother woke up early, she would go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.
Thinking of this, Shen Ting Yi quickly got up, washed up, and ran to the kitchen to help.
But after searching everywhere, she couldn't find Li Yue Shu.
Aunt Liu saw her looking around and asked, "Are you looking for your mother?"
Shen Ting Yi nodded and asked anxiously, "Does Granny Liu know where Mother went?"
Aunt Liu stirred the porridge in the pot and said, "She said she was taking Lan Lan to the restaurant to learn, so she left early this morning."
Shen Ting Yi's face turned pale.
Mother would never leave her behind. Even if she were going to the restaurant, she would have arranged for her to go to the pharmacy with Shen Tan and the others first, not leave without a word like this.
Aunt Liu was focused on the porridge and naturally didn't notice her expression.
Shen Ting Yi, lost in thought, walked out of the kitchen and bumped straight into a wall of flesh.
Shen Wei quickly caught her before she fell. Seeing her ashen face, he reached out and touched her forehead. "Are you sick?"
Shen Ting Yi looked up, her eyes instantly red. "Father, Mother... Mother doesn't want us anymore..."
Shen Wei's heart tightened, unsure if it was because of the girl's reddened eyes or her words.
He squatted down to meet Shen Ting Yi's eyes. "A Yi, tell Father, what happened?"
Shen Ting Yi pouted, sobbing, and recounted what happened last night. "...Father, Mother is really angry. She... is she really not going to want us anymore?"
Shen Wei's hand instinctively tightened.
Given A Shu's personality, she might truly leave.
Shen Wei suddenly thought of Li Yue Shu's ability to conjure things out of thin air, and his heart clenched.
If she left, who in the world could find her whereabouts?
"Father, you're hurting me."
Shen Ting Yi's wronged voice instantly brought Shen Wei back to his senses.
He quickly released his hand, comforted the little girl for a few moments, and then turned to leave.
As Madam Mo approached, she happened to see him about to go out and quickly asked him where he was going.
"I'm going to the restaurant to take a look," Shen Wei said without looking back, and hurried away.
Watching his retreating figure, Madam Mo couldn't help but smile like a loving mother.
This was good. His wife would have someone to rely on in the future.