After the receptionist told Yan what she wanted to say, her expression remained secretive. “Well, I’ve told you everything I know. Don’t tell anybody I was the one to tell you, alright? Then, I’m leaving.”
After she left, Yan remained standing where she was in a blank daze. It was a long time before she could understand what the receptionist had said to her. Xu Yanwan is the fiancé of Han Qing? If these words are the truth… then what am I? Am I the third party that forcibly intervened in their relationship?
“Miss, are you getting in the car?”
At the driver’s urging, she came back to her senses. “I’m sorry, Sir. Can you wait for me here, please? There’s something I need to clarify.”
“Wait for you? If I do that, I won’t be able to get much business…”
“I’m begging you, Sir. I’ll pay you extra to make up for the fare later.”
Hearing what she said, the driver nodded in satisfaction. “Okay then. You can go, but don’t make me wait too long, okay?”
Afterward, she ran back inside. However, halfway through, she stopped in her tracks. That’s not right; why am I asking for an explanation from Xu Yanwan? If she really is Han Qing’s fiancée, then I should be asking Han Qing himself. After all, he is the person closest to me. I want to hear it from him directly. Thus, she decided to turn back instead. The driver looked at her strangely when he saw her returning so soon after leaving. “You’re not going back in?”
“No, I suddenly remembered I have other matters. Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
Initially, she wanted to give him the Han residence address. However, although the words were on the tip of her tongue, she switched to her home address instead. “Let’s go.”
Yan did not know where Han Qing had gone to, but if he did not want to see her for the time being, then she should give him some time to calm down. Besides, her mind was currently in a mess. The words the receptionist had said to her just now were much too big of a shock for her. As a result, she felt that it was wiser to go home and properly sort her thoughts out about what was going on.
…
After returning home, Yan went upstairs and lay on her bed without even bothering to eat dinner. As she lay there, tears slowly leaked out of her eyes without her noticing. Then, she began to sob uncontrollably. You idiot… If you don’t celebrate birthdays, you could have just told me! Then, I wouldn’t have gone and done it. Why didn’t you tell me? Sob…
She hugged her pillow and curled into a ball; her tears were falling over each other in their rush to gush out of her eyes—like beads of pearls scattering out of a broken necklace. She made so many preparations. Moreover, she worked so hard in her preparations, over such a long time, just to celebrate his birthday and… tell him about her pregnancy. In the end, he left just like that. And, she couldn’t even find him.
You idiot! Freaking jerk! Cursing him in her heart, she rolled over and continued to cry. If you have something to say, why can’t you tell me?
Knock-knock. “Yan, what’s wrong with you today? Why didn’t you say something when you came home? Besides, aren’t you coming out to eat something?”
It was Luo Huimei’s voice. Yan was startled and quickly dragged the blanket over her head. Right now, she couldn’t speak. She had been crying; if she replied, Luo Huimei would hear the change in her voice. If her mother figured out that she had been crying, she would definitely question her. Thus, she pulled the blanket over her head and pretended to be sleeping.
“Yan, come out and have some dinner.” Luo Huimei stood outside her room and kept calling out her name, but there was no response. Then, Mr. Zhou walked over and casually asked, “Is she asleep?”
When Luo Huimei heard this, she arched her brows. “So early?”
“The dark circles under her eyes have been severe recently. Maybe she’s tired. Let her sleep; she can eat when she wakes up.”
Luo Huimei thought Mr. Zhou’s suggestion was a good idea, so she didn’t knock on Yan’s door again.
On the other hand, Yan’s eyes were open as she continued to cry while hiding under the blanket. After a while, she cried herself to sleep out of exhaustion.
An unknown amount of time had passed when it seemed like someone was knocking on her door again. The noise woke her up. Then, she heard Luo Huimei banging on the door outside as she asked, “Yan, are you awake? Han Qing is here looking for you. He said he couldn’t get through to your phone.”
In the beginning, the expression on her face remained as lifeless as it was before. However, she was surprised when she heard Han Qing’s name being mentioned. Then, she kicked the blanket away and sat up. Han Qing is here? What time is it now?
Glancing at the time, she realized that it was midnight. Moreover, it was raining cats and dogs outside; it was accompanied by lightning and thunder. This kind of weather, combined with the events of today—things could not get any worse.
She remained sitting in a daze when Luo Huimei opened the door and came in. “I say; just what is wrong with you? Why aren’t you responding when I talk to you?”
As soon as the words came out, Luo Huimei saw Yan’s eyes that had swelled to the size of peach pits. Then, the words died on her lips. “What’s wrong? Why are your eyes so swollen? Did Han Qing bully you?”
Yan blankly stared at her mother, then she shook her head. “It’s nothing. Where is he?”
“He’s outside. I told him to come in, but he refused. I was wondering what was going on too. Are you two fighting?”
Fighting? If it was just a normal fight, then it wasn’t a big deal. “We are not fighting, but there are some things I need to ask him.” As she said this, she kicked away the blanket and got off her bed. Luo Huimei couldn’t help giving her some support when she saw her daughter in that sorry state. “What is there to ask about? If you don’t want to meet him, I can—”
“Mom, I’m fine.” She held her mother’s arm and gave her a pained smile. “There’s some stuff I need to know. I have to ask him about it.”
“Okay then. Since you’ve already made up your mind, I will support you.”
Afterward, Yan changed her clothes and walked out.
Han Qing did not enter the house; he simply waited for her in the corridor. When she went out to meet him, the Zhou couple whispered among themselves. “What happened to Yan? Why isn’t Qing coming inside even though it’s the middle of the night?”
Luo Huimei pinched Mr. Zhou, then replied, “I think they fought. It shouldn’t be too big of a deal. We should just let them talk it out.”
“Tsk-tsk,” Mr. Zhou tutted as he shook his head helplessly. “You ladies just like to be difficult. Most of the time, it’s not a big deal, but you ladies like to kick a fuss over it. It drives me nuts.”
When Luo Huimei heard those words, she widened her eyes in discontent. “Who are you saying is difficult? You men might not think that it is a big deal, but that’s just because you are crude! Why do you have to blame us for being difficult? Besides, that’s your daughter! If you continue with your nonsense, believe it or not, I will throw you down the stairs.”
Mr. Zhou said nothing in reply. Forget it; she’s not to be trifled with. It’s best if I don’t talk too much. Then, he rubbed his stomach and went back to sit in his chair, quietly waiting to see how things would unfold.
After Yan exited the house, she noticed that Han Qing was standing in the corridor and his clothes were soaked through. Subconsciously, she felt her heart ache for him and wanted to invite him inside. Be that as it may, she recalled the things she wanted to talk about, then she hardened herself.
