Liu Jiuhan awkwardly lowered his finger when he saw Liu Rouran frozen in place, looking like a frightened little mouse cornered by a big, scary orange cat.
"Ranran, A-Han[1] is right," Liu Qianyu finally spoke, her tone much gentler than her third brother's. "You're part of this family. So, it's only natural for you to call our mother 'Mother'—not 'Madam.'"
Madam Liu gently patted the back of Liu Rouran's hand.
"It's fine, it's fine," she said kindly. "Let's not make a fuss at the dinner table. Ranran just got here, so she's still trying to adapt. She can call me whatever she wants."
Liu Jiuhan sighed heavily at his mother's response and didn't say anything further, especially after Liu Zeyan shot him a sharp look, silently warning him to keep quiet before Liu Rouran got the wrong idea and thought he was actually angry.
"Ranran, it's okay if you're not ready to call me 'Mother' yet," Madam Liu added softly, glancing toward Old Master Liu. "Or call him 'Father.'"
She turned back to Rouran with a gentle smile. "You can call us whatever feels right for you."
Liu Rouran stayed silent for a while, letting Madam Liu hold her hand. Oddly, she didn't feel the urge to pull away.
She remembered the first time she'd arrived at the Jiang family.
Back then, she'd tried so hard to please them, calling Zhou Lihua 'Mother' and Jiang Weiguo 'Father' from the very beginning.
She had hoped they would be touched, or maybe even smile, but instead of smiling, both of them looked at her in disdain, as if she had just said something dirty to them.
Zhou Lihua had told her, "Mother? I'm not your mother. You sound ridiculous. Just call me Madam Jiang for now."
Jiang Weiguo didn't say anything, but his silence showed he agreed.
From that moment on, Liu Rouran only called them 'Mother' and 'Father' in public, like at social events. At home, she referred to them as Madam and Master Jiang.
Now, as she sat at this unfamiliar table with her real family, she didn't know what to do.
Sure, she was their biological daughter, but they had been separated for almost twenty years.
Wouldn't it feel strange to suddenly call them 'Mother' and 'Father'?
She hadn't even achieved anything in life yet. Did she really deserve to stand beside her siblings and be treated the same?
She hesitated, but then the words slipped out before she could stop them. "If I call you Mother …" Liu Rouran's voice was quiet, sounding unsure. "Would that make you happy?"
Madam Liu froze for a heartbeat, surprised by the question, but then her whole face lit up. "Of course! Of course it would make me happy!" she said with a bright smile, squeezing Rouran's hand gently.
"You can call me Mother from now on!"
Liu Rouran bit the inside of her lip, her eyes shifting nervously around the room and that's when she realized … everyone was staring at her.
Their gazes were intense, too intense, and it was starting to make her nervous.
A gangster was allowed to call her mom 'Mother', right?
That wouldn't ruin the cold image she'd been trying to build … right?
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Tried again. Closed it. Again.
After gathering her courage for several long seconds, she finally said in a small voice, "M-Mother."
Then she glanced toward Old Master Liu. "Fa … Father."
Wait—did she just stutter?
Could tough people even stutter?!
She reassured herself with a firm mental nod. 'Yes. Yes, they can. Even gangsters have a soft side when it comes to family!'
"Oh, dear!" Madam Liu gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
Her eyes instantly welled up when she heard those words come out of Rouran's mouth. Old Master Liu had a similar reaction like his wife, but he kept quiet.
All of her siblings widened their eyes at once, like they'd just watched a toddler say her first word.
It was ridiculous and oddly sweet.
"Ranran, you really are such a sweet girl!" Madam Liu stood up from her chair and pulled Liu Rouran into a tight hug, so tight, Rouran could barely breathe. "There, there. You're doing such a good job."
Sweet girl?! But she wanted to look like a scary gangster!
Liu Rouran pouted, trying to look fierce again. But before she could speak, Liu Qianyu suddenly snapped, "Why are you making that face? Stop it!"
Did it work?!
Did she finally scare someone?
"You look way too adorable with that expression!" Liu Qianyu slammed her fist on the table three times in frustration. "This isn't fair! I bet you were even cuter as a baby! My precious years have been stolen by some bastard!"
"Jiejie[2]!" Liu Jiuhan shouted, glaring at her. "Don't say bad words in front of Ranran! She might pick up your terrible personality!"
Liu Zeyan clicked his tongue. "Oh, and you yelling like that isn't a problem? What, you want her to act like Tarzan in the jungle?"
Liu Rouran frowned even harder. 'What is happening?'
First they call her sweet … now adorable? They were even trying to avoid swearing around her.
Did they think she was five years old?
She'd cursed Jiang Zemin in her head more times than she could count!
"All of you, enough. Eat your food!" Old Master Liu finally stepped in, cutting the argument short.
He continued, "Why can't any of you be more like your brother Yichen? He hasn't said a single word since he sat down!"
Liu Jiuhan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "When has he ever talked?" he muttered. "Tsk, tsk … how did you even become a lawyer?"
Unexpectedly, Liu Yichen, the second young master, finally spoke up. "By having a smart, healthy brain," he said calmly, "unlike you."
Liu Jiuhan looked like he was about to shout again, but Liu Zeyan stopped him. "Enough. Just eat your food," he said firmly.
Liu Rouran glanced toward Liu Yichen, who was sitting the farthest from her.
Their eyes met for a brief second, but he quickly looked down and calmly sliced his duck meat as if nothing had happened.
'So he's the only one who doesn't seem interested in me,' she thought.
He must be the meanie of this family!
Actually, that was fine.
As long as he didn't treat her the way Jiang Zemin did, she had no reason to worry about him.
It was better to be ignored than noticed and made to feel worthless.
[1] Little Jiuhan
[2] Big Sister