Chapter 1 I Am Your Mother

Chapter 1: I Am Your Mother

“Who are you? How did you break in here?”

A man and woman demanded in unison, their voices laced with shock and wariness.

Standing on the stairs, Gu Qingyin let out a mirthless laugh. She took a closer look at the person downstairs—dressed in a black suit, his face cold yet undeniably handsome, his features bearing some resemblance to the man she knew, especially the teardrop mole under his right eye, which was uncannily identical.

Frowning, she asked, “Are you from the Huo family? What's your business here at this hour? Huo Yunjing isn’t home.”

The man downstairs stared at the stunning woman who made loungewear look like high fashion, his voice deep. “You know this is the Huo residence, yet you dare break in? Who do you think you are?”

“Why would I need nerve to return to my own home?” Gu Qingyin shot back, her tone impatient. “If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for being rude.”

The man smirked coldly, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number, uttering just two words: “Get in.”

Within seconds, a group of imposing men in black suits filed in, suddenly filling the spacious living room.

The man looked at Gu Qingyin and stated coldly, “This woman is trespassing. Escort her to the police station. I’m sure the officers can help her find her real home.”

Gu Qingyin became wary and raised her voice. “Butler Li!”

No one answered.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. She even knew the old butler’s surname—just who was behind her?

The bodyguards advanced quickly. Gu Qingyin sent one tumbling down the stairs, her head spinning. What was going on? Where were the Huo family’s bodyguards? How could they let these outsiders storm in like this?

Seeing her formidable skills, the bodyguards realized they couldn’t take her head-on from the stairs, so they decided to cut her off by taking the elevator up.

Gu Qingyin’s face fell. She turned and bolted upstairs, shouting sharply, “Stop! Don’t you dare come up!”

Skilled as she was, she was still outnumbered. Despite her efforts, the bodyguards and the man managed to make it upstairs. She wished she could just sweep this crowd of dark figures away with a talisman, but the Arcane Arts Association had strict rules against using their powers on ordinary people.

Standing in front of the nursery door, Gu Qingyin’s expression turned glacial, her eyes piercing. “What exactly do you want?”

The man stared at the door behind her and countered, “What’s behind that door?”

Clenching her fists, Gu Qingyin struggled to restrain herself. “I’ll ask one last time—who are you, and why are you here at the Huo residence?”

The man’s gaze shifted to her face. After two seconds, his thin lips parted. “I’m Huo Xingye, the current Family Head of the Huo family.”

Gu Qingyin froze, her anger still lingering as shock washed over her. Her wide eyes and gaping mouth made her look almost foolish.

“You have the same name as my son.”

“Your son?” Huo Xingye frowned, his tone puzzled.

Gu Qingyin sized him up and nodded. “My son is also Huo Yunjing’s son.” Then, she grew even more confused. “Wait, you said you’re the Huo Family Head? Then what about Huo Yunjing? Did you usurp him?”

That couldn’t be. She’d only been gone for half a month. Even if someone had staged a coup, Huo Yunjing shouldn’t have fallen so quickly. That man might have been shameless and ridiculously arrogant, but he was still capable.

Huo Xingye’s expression turned unreadable. “So, Huo Yunjing is your husband?”

Gu Qingyin hesitated before nodding. “In a way.” They hadn’t officially registered their marriage, but they’d done everything else—even created three lives together.

Huo Xingye finally snapped. His face darkened as he said through clenched teeth, “Then how could you not know Huo Yunjing's been dead for ten years?”

Gu Qingyin drew a sharp breath, her eyes filled with disbelief. "How is that possible!" She lowered her head and began performing finger calculations, her expression growing increasingly grim.

She had chased a mythical creature into a parallel dimension—only two days had passed there, but twenty years had gone by in the outside world! Twenty years! How many decades does a person have in their lifetime? In those twenty years, Huo Yunjing had died, and her six-month-old babies had grown up.

Gu Qingyin's breathing grew rapid as she struggled to accept this reality. She abruptly turned and pushed open the door to the nursery.

Back when she first learned she was pregnant, she had hesitated for a long time before deciding to move into the Huo family to prepare for childbirth. Every item in the nursery, from the cribs to the drool bibs, had been carefully chosen by her. But with just one glance, her expression changed.

The nursery was completely empty—not only were there no children, but not a single trace of the babies' belongings remained.

Gu Qingyin pressed her lips tightly together, her aura growing oppressive.

"Can't keep up the act anymore?" Huo Xingye's voice like ice cut in. "Who put you up to this?"

Gu Qingyin turned to face him, her expression complicated. "I'm not acting. I really did live here. I'm Gu Qingyin." She looked him straight in the eye and said slowly and clearly, "I'm your mother."

The current Family Head of the Huo family was also named Huo Xingye—that could only mean he was the son she had with Huo Yunjing.

The next second, Huo Xingye scoffed coldly, "I'm your father."

A vein pulsed at Gu Qingyin's temple. She held back, then held back some more, but ultimately couldn't restrain herself. She rolled up her sleeves and charged forward. "You brat! How dare you defy me!" She grabbed Huo Xingye by the collar, yanked him into the room, and cast a sealing spell.

Outside, the bodyguards rushed the door but couldn't open it no matter how hard they tried.

Inside, Gu Qingyin smirked and clenched her fist, ready to throw a punch.

Naturally, Huo Xingye wasn't about to stand there and take a beating. He had been raised as the Huo family's heir since childhood and was no weak fighter in combat. Unfortunately, compared to Gu Qingyin, he was completely outclassed—they weren't even in the same league.

The one-sided beating lasted a full five minutes.

By the time Gu Qingyin stopped, Huo Xingye was unrecognizable.

Gu Qingyin sat down on the sofa beside the crib and lifted her chin. "Now, can we talk properly?"

Huo Xingye remained silent. Over those five minutes, he had tried to fight back, felt shock, then fury—but now, he was completely calm.

"I really am your mother," Gu Qingyin began, only for Huo Xingye's expression to stiffen again, his eyes smoldering with anger.

Gu Qingyin waved a hand dismissively, with an exasperated look. "I'm not mocking you. Just hear me out first."

Huo Xingye waited in silence for a long moment, but Gu Qingyin still hadn't spoken. Through gritted teeth, he urged, "Stop rushing me! Are you going to talk or not?"

"Quit rushing me! I need to figure out where to start!" Gu Qingyin frowned slightly. "Did Huo Yunjing ever tell you what I do for a living?"

Huo Xingye shook his head.

Gu Qingyin clicked her tongue. "I'm a Celestial Master—the ghost-busting, demon-slaying kind. You know what that is, right?"

Huo Xingye fixed her with a dark stare without responding.

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes and continued, "Back then, Huo Yunjing and I had a contract marriage. Even though the marriage was consummated, there was no love between us—it was mainly for medical reasons. But, well, sometimes people can't control themselves, and I ended up pregnant."

"Because I had to focus on the pregnancy, I didn't take any jobs for over a year. Huo Yunjing was always checking in on me, and I started developing some feelings for him." Gu Qingyin paused for two seconds before nodding. "I think he felt the same way about me."

"At first, I thought a marriage that turned into love wasn't impossible, especially since Huo Yunjing's looks were exactly my type." Here, Gu Qingyin sighed. "But things didn't go as planned."