Panic rose in her throat like bile. Her breathing became uneven, small sobs bubbling up uncontrollably.
She turned towards the wide glass doors leading to the dining area, her feet carrying her forward without thought.
"Yaya!" Gabriel's hand finally closed gently around her wrist as they reached the dining room entrance dragging her into his arms.
Inside, Old Madam Lu, Old Master Lu, Zi Zhen, and Ting Cheng turned towards the commotion at once, surprised by her sudden appearance.
Song Yaya's gaze zeroed in immediately on Lu Ting Cheng who was settled at the dining table, her eyes wide, glassy, and desperate.
"Ting Cheng… Where… Where is Ting Zhou? Did you rescue him? Where's your brother?" she rasped, her voice trembling so badly that her words nearly broke apart, "Where is he? Is he all right?"
For a moment, silence hung in the elegant dining room, broken only by the distant ticking of the antique grandfather clock by the window.
Old Madam Lu's chopsticks paused mid-air as her gaze landed on Song Yaya, who stood trembling at the doorway, her tear-streaked face pale with panic.
Her silk cheongsam rustled softly as she shifted slightly in her seat, eyes narrowing with quiet displeasure.
Old Master Lu's expression darkened faintly, though his eyes remained calm and unreadable as they flicked from Gabriel restraining her lightly, to his grandsons standing stiffly nearby.
Then Old Madam Lu spoke, her tone deceptively soft yet carrying sharpness like a blade hidden in silk.
"…Yaya." She tasted the name as if it were something sour on her tongue. "What are you doing here? What brought you back to this house?"
Song Yaya's tear-filled eyes darted to the elderly matriarch. Her lips trembled, words tangled in her throat.
"Looking for Ting Zhou?" Old Madam Lu repeated, her brows lifting coldly, "After all these years of abandoning him, abandoning both of them, now you barge into our home like this? What exactly do you want now, Song Yaya?"
Song Yaya's gaze snapped to Ting Cheng at those words, her chest tightening painfully as she took in his hard expression. Her own son wouldn't even look at her properly, his face blank and cold.
"I… I just need to see him… Ting Zhou… Is he all right?" she whispered, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks, "Please, Ting Cheng… tell me he's okay…"
Ting Cheng's jaw clenched. His dark eyes flicked briefly to her trembling form before turning away, refusing to let her see any crack in his resolve, "Why do you seem to care now?" he asked quietly, his tone laced with an emotionless calm that cut deeper than any harshness. "Where was this worry when we were younger? When he cried every night for you? When I had to watch him fall asleep holding your photograph like a fool?"
Her knees weakened at his words, her sobs growing louder as she shook her head helplessly, "I… I didn't want to leave you… I..."
"But you did," Ting Cheng cut her off sharply, his voice dropping lower, "You left us. You abandoned your sons. Don't come here acting like a mother now."
Old Master Lu set his teacup down with a quiet clink, his deep voice rumbling through the tense silence. "I thought we made it clear your place in this family ended long ago. How did you get here?"
Song Yaya flinched at his words, trembling as Gabriel steadied her by the elbow. Her tears blurred her vision, but she forced herself to speak through her sobs, her voice desperate and hoarse, "I'm not here to cause trouble… Please… I just need to see Ting Zhou… I need to know he's okay…"