Adoptive Mother

Originally titled Do You Like My Mom?

■ Nurturing romance / older love interest / 16-year age gap / mutual pining / bittersweet

■ A stern stepmother who says the opposite of what she means and refuses to admit it x a daughter who was withdrawn at first and later (in her own opinion) fierce

[A needy, wolfish girl who believed the woman she loved was in love with her mother, so she kept her feelings hidden for years x a serious stepmother with too much of a conscience to admit she has fallen for her adopted daughter]

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"I don't want to call her Mom. She made me do it. She did then, and she still does now."

Years later, on a talk show, Cai Yuandai spoke of her stepmother like this.

"She's the person who's had the biggest impact on me. She did then, and she still does now."

Wen Zhijun sat in front of her computer, watching the person on the screen, her gaze gentle and a smile playing on her lips.

When Cai Yuandai was twelve, her mother died of an illness. Her father "sold" her to Wen Zhijun, her mother's longtime friend.

It was the first time Cai Yuandai had met this woman, the junior fellow her mother used to talk about.

Wen Zhijun always seemed stern, her expression always cold. Cai Yuandai was a little afraid of her, so the two fell into a pattern of speaking only when necessary.

But Wen Zhijun was very good to Cai Yuandai, as if she were Cai Yuandai's mother...

After the first monthly exam, Cai Yuandai stood outside Wen Zhijun's study, holding her horrendous report card and hesitating to speak.

Wen Zhijun gave it a quick once-over and said only two words: "Speak up."

Cai Yuandai didn't dare say anything. Wen Zhijun wouldn't sign the report card, so the next morning, with her eyes swollen from crying, Cai Yuandai stood outside Wen Zhijun's bedroom and spoke softly. "Auntie Wen... The school needs... a parent... to sign..."

This was the first time Cai Yuandai had formally addressed Wen Zhijun since coming to live with the Wen family.

The words came out with difficulty, haltingly. Wen Zhijun tilted her head to look past the report card at Cai Yuandai. The girl had her head lowered and was trembling.

Was she afraid?

Wen Zhijun furrowed her brow in confusion, but still didn't sign.

"I'm your legal guardian now. You should call me Mom."

Cai Yuandai didn't want to call her Mom. She had a mother of her own, but Wen Zhijun was firm.

When you were living under someone else's roof, you had to swallow your pride. Cai Yuandai lowered her head, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, and spoke softly. "Mom."

Cai Yuandai's feelings for Wen Zhijun were complicated. They weren't love, but they weren't hate either. Yet after that one "Mom," Wen Zhijun clearly took on the role in every way.

At first, Cai Yuandai didn't understand. She was just puzzled: puzzled by Wen Zhijun's attitude toward her mother, and puzzled by her attitude toward herself. Then one day, she accidentally saw two girls kissing, and suddenly something seemed to click.

That day, when she got home, she plucked up the courage to ask the woman sitting in the living room, "Do you like my mom?"

Wen Zhijun first frowned, then looked at her.

She said nothing, only watched her in silence for a long time.

That night, Cai Yuandai had a nightmare about Wen Zhijun...

The first thing Cai Yuandai did after becoming an adult was end her parent-child relationship with Wen Zhijun. They had never been related in the first place, so why keep shackling themselves?

She thought she was finally free, but when she saw Wen Zhijun again, she realized just how wrong she'd been.

She had misunderstood Wen Zhijun's care for her and the friendship between Wen Zhijun and her mother.

Standing in front of Wen Zhijun, Cai Yuandai lowered her head, just as she had years ago outside Wen Zhijun's bedroom.

"Ms. Wen... I'm sorry..."

As Wen Zhijun listened, her gaze grew colder. She rubbed her fingers together and spoke sternly. "I've told you, when you speak, keep your head up. And..."

"Call me Mom."

She looked up in astonishment and met Wen Zhijun's gaze. For an instant, she felt she'd understood something in Wen Zhijun's eyes.

She realized she'd misunderstood one more thing: Wen Zhijun's feelings for her.

Please note:

The main story focuses on Cai's growth. The romance is a slow burn, and they are only mother and daughter while their legal relationship remains in effect.

Theme: Love is worth waiting for.