Chapter 2

I had the day off the next day. When I woke up, Tang Chao had already left.

For once, there was a bowl of porridge on the table, with a note underneath: “Sorry.”

Sorry for what?

Sorry for forgetting my birthday?

Or sorry for about to give up on me and run to Bai Xiaoxia?

I picked up the porridge and dumped it all into the trash.

I opened the fridge. Inside were the lavish dishes I had spent all afternoon yesterday preparing for the candlelit dinner I had imagined.

I took them all out and dumped them into the trash as well.

Afterward, I stared blankly at the trash can: If only it were as easy to throw away feelings as it is to throw away garbage.

As I was spacing out, my phone rang.

It was Tang’s mother, my mother-in-law: “Yimiao, I’m coming at five thirty tonight to have dinner with you and Ah Chao. Remember to get off work early and make dinner…”

She finished her instructions and then naturally hung up.

I suddenly wanted to laugh.

Tang’s mother has always been lukewarm to me. Maybe she can see that in my relationship with Tang Chao, I’m too proactive and still fail to win her son’s affection.

Besides, compared to me, she likes Bai Xiaoxia more.

When Tang Chao was dating Bai Xiaoxia, both families had already met. I heard Tang’s mother liked her a lot.

She’s that kind of quirky, innocent, and a little willful girl-lively and charming. With her around, there’s never an awkward moment. Whether it’s with men or elders, she can easily lower their guard and step into their hearts.

So even though Tang Chao was the famously cold and aloof heartthrob at school, he was still won over by Bai Xiaoxia. After meeting the parents, Tang’s mother also tacitly approved of her as the future daughter-in-law.

Back then, everyone thought they would surely become family.

But a car accident forced them apart.

Bai Xiaoxia’s mother was in a car accident and became a vegetable, needing to be taken to the US for treatment. Bai Xiaoxia had no choice but to go with her.

And she had to break up with Tang Chao and turn to another man.

Because that man knew a famous doctor in the US who could treat brain injuries, and his condition for helping Bai Xiaoxia was that she had to be with him.

No one expected she would ever return…

I sighed and sent a message to Tang Chao, asking him to come home early.

Although there was a table full of dishes at dinner, Tang’s mother ate absentmindedly. Her real purpose was to urge us to have a child.

“Ah Chao, Yimiao, while I can still help you take care of a baby, hurry up and have one!” Though she addressed both of us, her eyes were fixed only on me.

“Yimiao, you two have been married for three years without a child. Should you go to the hospital for a check-up? Or I can find a traditional Chinese doctor to take a look at you?” She finally got to the point.

I lowered my head, not wanting to speak-this question is better left for your son to answer.

He stayed faithful to Bai Xiaoxia, and rarely slept with me.

“Yimiao…” Tang’s mother wanted to persuade me further.

“Mom-” As I expected, Tang Chao cut her off firmly, “We don’t plan to have a child just yet.”

Now that Bai Xiaoxia is back, why would he want to have a child with me?

Tang’s mother glanced at me, unwilling to give up, thinking Tang Chao was protecting me.

But I couldn’t help but wonder, if Bai Xiaoxia were in this situation, what would she do?

She would call out “Mom” sweetly, then act cute and say she and Ah Chao would work hard to give her a big, healthy grandson or granddaughter. Tang’s mother’s resentment would probably vanish, and the family would happily enjoy their meal together.

I’m afraid I’ll never learn to be so charming.

Maybe, such a scene would never even happen, because Tang Chao would be eager to have a child with Bai Xiaoxia.

After all, he once loved her so much.

Sophomore year, he wanted to give Bai Xiaoxia a designer bracelet, but didn’t want to use family money, so he handed out flyers under the blazing sun for an entire summer.

He got much tanner, but when he finally gave her the bracelet, his smile was even brighter than the sun.

They quarreled sometimes, but Tang Chao was always the first to apologize. For such a proud person, he would even wait outside the girls’ dorm all night for her.

He did things like that all the time, so the whole school knew.

Everyone joked that the cold and aloof top student wasn’t so cold after all. When he met his destined love, didn’t he burn just as fiercely as an old house catching fire?

He would just smile faintly, taking it as tacit agreement.

Back then, I just watched him from afar, until Bai Xiaoxia left for another country.

I watched him quickly lose weight, grow a scruffy beard, and fall into utter despair.

I quietly brought him food, fetched water, and accompanied him in day-long silences by the lake.

Until one day, he turned to me and gently asked, “Chen Yimiao, will you be with me?”

I must have been unable to hide my joy then, my eyes sparkling.

Because he smiled faintly, but now that I think about it, maybe it was just mockery.

Mocking his unattainable love, mocking my self-inflicted fate.

But I thought, who hasn’t had moments of weakness and helplessness? If someone could be there for him, pull him through, maybe he could move on?

But reality proved, don’t be a saint so easily. Some hurdles really aren’t so easy to cross.

“Yimiao, I’ve made an appointment with a traditional Chinese doctor Friday morning. Take time off and come for a check-up. No need to tell Ah Chao about this.”

I looked at the WeChat¹ message from Tang’s mother, feeling a wave of helplessness.

Though I escaped last time, Tang’s mother hadn’t given up. Seeing Tang Chao’s firm attitude, she set her sights on me as the breakthrough.

But can I succeed by trying alone?

Besides, Friday is extremely important for me. I have a competitive presentation for the position of design manager I’ve worked so hard for-it all depends on this report.

My opponent is no pushover: Wei Qingchen, the boss’s nephew, rumored to have gotten the job through connections.

He’s capable, but compared to me, still a notch below.

I’ve never cared for those with connections, and I’m determined to win in one go. Otherwise, it’d be so humiliating to work under him!

After carefully wording my reply to Tang’s mother, she didn’t message again.

But man proposes, God disposes. Early Friday morning, Tang’s mother showed up out of nowhere and blocked me just as I was about to leave.

Tang Chao had left early, so I had to deal with her alone.

She was relentless, came straight in and insisted I go with her to see the traditional Chinese doctor.

We argued for a long time. Seeing I was running out of time, I left, saying, “Next time, I’ll definitely go with you, Mom,” and hurried out.

“This is your last chance.” Her tone suddenly turned calm, completely different from her earlier forcefulness. “That girl is back. Getting pregnant is your last chance…”

I turned to look at her, opened my mouth but only managed, “I’m off now,” before leaving.

But my mind was in chaos-what did Tang’s mother mean?

Has Tang Chao already decided to divorce me and be with Bai Xiaoxia?

Tang’s mother said getting pregnant was my chance-was she giving me advice, or just using it to pressure me?

… So many tangled thoughts I couldn’t sort out.

Leaving late and running into traffic, I was late for the important meeting for my competitive presentation.

With over a hundred pairs of eyes staring at me, I just wanted to crawl into a hole.

My mind was a mess, and my performance was far less composed and brilliant than usual.

My opponent Wei Qingchen, on the other hand, was calm and confident, showing both achievements and poise in his report.

No surprise, I lost to him.

“You were late today and didn’t do as well as usual. Did something happen at home?” He walked over unhurriedly, frowning slightly.

Was it necessary?

Behind that gentle, seemingly concerned mask, wasn’t there a heart gloating over my misfortune?

I was too frustrated today to bother with empty pleasantries, so I just said “Congratulations” expressionlessly and turned to leave.

Footnote:

1. WeChat(微信):WeChat is a multi-functional social media and messaging app developed in China.