A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 144 A Guardian Across Time and Space

In the bustling city, night falls like a vast black ribbon, gently covering the entire urban area. As dusk settles, colorful lights twinkle and dance in the darkness, like stars scattered across the earth. A black sedan slowly pulls up in front of a luxurious villa, its wheels making a soft creak as they scrape against the pavement.

"Shiqing, you've had a hard day. Go home and get some rest." Zhang Chen turned slightly to the side, his eyes filled with concern, and looked at Li Shiqing sitting in the passenger seat.

Li Shiqing smiled sweetly and replied, "Zhang Chen, the press conference was so successful today thanks to you. You should go home now and drive safely." With that, she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the car door, and got out.

Sitting in the car, Zhang Chen watched Li Shiqing's figure gradually disappear through the villa's gate, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips, his eyes filled with tenderness and longing. A moment later, he started the car and slowly drove away.

At this moment, in a room on the second floor of the villa, Li Yuan stood by the window, quietly watching the scene below. Her eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions—worry and anticipation. Memories of her past life flooded back. In that time and place, her daughter, Wang Shiqing, had married Zhang Chen, but the marriage was filled with pain and tears. Zhang Chen treated Wang Shiqing poorly, often ignoring her feelings and causing her immense suffering. Every time she recalled her daughter's heartbroken appearance, Li Yuan felt as if her heart was being pierced by a sharp knife.

"In this life, I absolutely cannot let Qing'er suffer any more harm," Li Yuan murmured to herself, a resolute glint in her eyes. She knew that the trajectory of fate had quietly changed; in this life, her daughter was named Li Shiqing, and they were working together in their subsidiary company, striving for the launch of a new product. Watching Li Shiqing and Zhang Chen work together, Li Yuan's heart remained uneasy. She feared history would repeat itself, feared her daughter would once again fall into an unhappy relationship.

Li Shiqing hummed a cheerful tune as she walked lightly into the villa. She was in an exceptionally good mood; the success of today's new product launch filled her with immense pride and confidence for the future. She went straight to the living room and immediately saw her mother sitting thoughtfully on the sofa.

"Mom, I'm back!" Li Shiqing shouted excitedly, her voice echoing in the spacious living room.

Hearing the voice, Li Yuan snapped out of her reverie and immediately put on a gentle smile, saying, "Qing'er, you must be exhausted today. Come and sit down, Mom has poured you a glass of hot milk."

Li Shiqing walked to the sofa, plopped down, took a sip of her milk, and said contentedly, "Mom, you understand me best. I'm a little tired today, but I'm especially happy. Our new product launch was a huge success!"

Seeing her daughter's happy expression, Li Yuan temporarily put aside her worries and asked with a smile, "Yes, I watched the live broadcast on TV. You and Zhang Chen performed exceptionally well on stage. By the way, what did you two talk about on the way home when Zhang Chen drove you back today?"

Li Shiqing blinked and said playfully, "We didn't talk about anything special, just reviewed today's press conference and some thoughts on future work. Mom, why are you suddenly so concerned about me and Zhang Chen?"

Li Yuan was slightly taken aback, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "Mom was just asking casually. You and Zhang Chen work at the same company, you see each other all the time, and Mom is just worried that you two won't get along and it will affect your work."

Li Shiqing waved her hand dismissively and said, "Mom, don't worry. Zhang Chen and I get along very well. We're just ordinary colleagues. The press conference was a success today, and everyone was very happy, so we chatted a lot."

Li Yuan nodded and said thoughtfully, "That's good, but you should also be careful to keep things in line and not let others misunderstand."

Looking at her mother's serious expression, Li Shiqing found it somewhat amusing and said, "Mom, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Zhang Chen is just my colleague and a good friend; our relationship is completely innocent."

Li Yuan sighed softly and said, "Qing'er, you're still young, and there are some things you might not see clearly. Relationships are complicated, and you can easily get hurt if you're not careful. I've been through this, and I don't want you to make the same mistakes."

Li Shiqing noticed that her mother seemed a little off today, so she put down her milk glass, sat down next to her mother, took her arm, and said, "Mom, is something on your mind today? Why are you talking about these things? Did I do something wrong to make you worry?"

Looking into her daughter's concerned eyes, Li Yuan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to voice her worries. Perhaps speaking out would make her feel better, and it might also put her daughter on her guard.

“Qing’er, there are some things I’ve been keeping from you. Actually, I had a very vivid dream once. In the dream, you married Zhang Chen. But he wasn’t good to you and made you suffer a lot.” Li Yuan’s voice was low, and her eyes revealed deep pain.

Li Shiqing's eyes widened, and she said in surprise, "Mom, what did you say? How is this possible? You must be dreaming about something you've been thinking about during the day. The Zhang Chen in reality is definitely different from the one in your dream."

Li Yuan shook her head and said, "At first, Mom also thought it was just a dream. But ever since I met Zhang Chen, the scene from that dream has kept replaying in my mind. I'm really scared, scared that the same thing will happen in reality."

Li Shiqing held her mother's hand tightly and comforted her, "Mom, don't overthink it. Dreams are often the opposite of reality. Zhang Chen has always taken good care of me at the company, and he's very dedicated and responsible at work. We're just colleagues, so don't worry."

Looking at her daughter's determined eyes, Li Yuan's worries eased slightly. She gently stroked Li Shiqing's hair and said, "Qing'er, I'm much more relieved that you think this way. But you must always be vigilant and not easily trust anyone. If Zhang Chen does anything inappropriate to you, be sure to tell me immediately."

Li Shiqing nodded and said, "Mom, I understand. Don't worry about me anymore, I'll take good care of myself. By the way, Mom, you said you had that dream, was there anything else in the dream?"

Li Yuan drifted into memories, saying, "In the dream, after you got married, Zhang Chen was always busy with work and rarely had time to spend with you. You were all alone at home, feeling lonely. Moreover, he often associated with some shady people and didn't care about your feelings. Once, you were sick and called him, but he was out socializing and didn't come home in time. By the time he returned, you were already in a coma with a high fever." At this point, Li Yuan's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice choked with emotion.

Li Shiqing felt a pang of heartache. She hugged her mother tightly and said, "Mom, that was just a dream, it's not real. Look, I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I? Besides, Zhang Chen and I are really just colleagues, nothing like that will happen between us."

Li Yuan wiped away her tears and said, "Qing'er, Mom knows you don't want Mom to worry. But Mom is really afraid of losing you. You are Mom's only treasure, and Mom hopes you can live a happy life."

Seeing her mother's deep concern for her, Li Shiqing secretly resolved to protect herself and not cause her mother any more worry. At the same time, she became more wary of Zhang Chen. Although she didn't believe Zhang Chen was the kind of person her mother had dreamed of, her mother's words still stirred a sliver of doubt in her heart.

"Mom, I promise you, I will take good care of myself. If Zhang Chen really does anything wrong, I will never let him get away with it," Li Shiqing said firmly.

Li Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, Mom believes you. By the way, Qing'er, what are your plans for the future?"

Li Shiqing thought for a moment and said, "I want to continue working hard and push our company's products to a wider market. I hope that one day, our brand will be a household name and we will become a leader in the industry. Mom, what about you? What are your plans for the company?"

Li Yuan looked at her daughter with satisfaction and said, "Mom thinks the same way. Our company has developed very well over the years, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Mom hopes that you can continue to grow and accumulate experience in this process. One day in the future, you will be able to take over Mom's job and develop the company even better."

Li Shiqing said excitedly, "Mom, don't worry. I will definitely work hard. I won't let you down."

The mother and daughter chatted for a long time, discussing everything from the company's development plans to Li Shiqing's personal life. Time flew by, and the night sky outside the window was already dotted with stars. Looking at her mother's tired face, Li Shiqing said with heartache, "Mom, it's getting late. You should get some rest. You've had a long day too."

Li Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, you should go to sleep early too. You have to go to work tomorrow." After saying that, she stood up and slowly walked towards her room.

Watching her mother's retreating figure, Li Shiqing was filled with emotion. She knew her mother had sacrificed so much for her, and she was determined to do her best to give her mother a happy life. At the same time, she decided to pay closer attention to Zhang Chen's every move; she didn't want her mother's worries to become reality.

Back in her room, Li Shiqing lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Her mother's words kept echoing in her ears, and Zhang Chen's image kept appearing in her mind. At the company, Zhang Chen had indeed been very good to her, offering her a lot of help both at work and in life. However, she had never imagined that Zhang Chen might have other feelings for her. She decided that starting tomorrow, she would keep a certain distance from Zhang Chen to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Zhang Chen lay in bed, reminiscing about the day he spent with Li Shiqing. A happy smile graced his face, and his heart was filled with anticipation for the future. Unbeknownst to him, Li Yuan's worries were like a dark cloud, quietly looming over them. And at that moment, Li Shiqing had erected an invisible defense against him. The wheels of fate were turning silently; what would become of their story…?