The moment those quiet words left Su Qinglan's lips, the air in the cave shifted.
Xuan Long's expression darkened instantly. His sharp eyes, always calm and composed, turned cold as steel. For a long moment, he just stared at her... then his voice came out low and steady but edged with something dangerous.
"No," he said flatly. "She is not your mother."
Su Qinglan blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
He didn't look away. His gaze stayed fixed on her face, as if trying to read something hidden there.
"A mother doesn't look at her child with hatred," he said slowly. "She doesn't come only to humiliate or to steal food from her. That woman… is not a mother."
For a moment, Su Qinglan just stared at him, lips slightly parted. Then a small, bitter smile curved on her face.
"I know," she said softly. "Mothers aren't supposed to be like that." Her eyes dropped to her hands resting on her knees. "But she is, unfortunately. A nasty one. And she's always been that way."
