08 The Mistress's Home

Back home, sitting on the sofa, Wen Xueyan was still replaying the scene in the car in her mind: Cheng Boyan holding her hand in his sleep, the warmth from his broad palm, the touch of the calluses on his fingertips.

"Don't overthink it," she told herself.

It felt absurd; it was just a tired man who unintentionally held her hand in his dream, yet she was as restless as a young girl.

The phone screen lit up with a message from Song Tiancheng: "I'll be working overtime tonight, you go to sleep first."

She walked to the balcony, pushed open the glass door, and was greeted by the sweltering heat of the summer night.

The clouds in the night sky were blown away by the evening breeze, revealing a crescent moon.

A while later, at 9:30, my phone rang. It was Ning Zhiyi.

"Xueyan, I've been working part-time as a food delivery driver after get off work recently. I accidentally took an order that was quite far away. Would it be convenient for you to pick up Haohao from my ex-husband's house? Li Hengyang is away on a business trip. Haohao and his grandma have met you. I originally promised to pick him up at 9:30 tonight, but my mother-in-law got angry when I was a little late before."

Wen Xueyan answered almost without hesitation: "Okay."

"Thank you, I know this is sudden..."

Wen Xueyan quickly replied, "I'm leaving now."

The streets were still bustling on the summer night. Young people gathered at the roadside barbecue stalls, the sounds of beer bottles clinking and laughter mingling together.

Wen Xueyan drove through the hustle and bustle.

She suddenly wondered if, if she divorced Song Tiancheng, he might ask her to return the car to him as well. Since her company was right next to the subway station, Wen Xueyan usually took the subway to and from work, and only drove when she needed to go out.

Wen Xueyan parked her car and went up to the third floor. The door was ajar, as if it were waiting for her.

Pushing open the door, I saw Hao Hao sitting on the playmat in the living room, drawing from behind.

"Haohao, your mother asked me to pick you up," Wen Xueyan said.

A smile bloomed on the child's face: "Aunt Wen!"

At this moment, Wen Xueyan noticed the two people on the living room sofa: Ning Zhiyi's former mother-in-law and a young woman, presumably Li Hengyang's remarried wife, Qian Linlin.

The mother-in-law greeted Wen Xueyan and continued rambling on, while Qian Linlin listened expressionlessly.

"I'm just going to the restroom and then I'll leave." Hao Hao walked into the restroom.

Just then, her mother-in-law's words drifted into Wen Xueyan's ears: "...Hengyang is allergic to shrimp, so you have to be careful when you cook. You must hand-wash his socks, he doesn't like sweet things for breakfast, so the soy milk has to be savory, and the steamed buns have to be meaty..."

Qian Linlin suddenly interrupted, "Mom, are you making a will? Why are you so long-winded? You're talking about things I'm not interested in."

Qian Linlin's voice was cold and hard as iron, "Why didn't you mention what to do with your money and bankbooks? I might be a little interested if you had mentioned that."

Qian Linlin's eyes were still fixed on her phone, as if her mother-in-law was just a wisp of air.

The mother-in-law remained silent for a moment in front of the outsiders.

Wen Xueyan was stunned. She remembered Ning Zhiyi complaining to her several times about how her mother-in-law made things difficult for her, which was the second reason for their divorce.

When Hao Hao came out of the bathroom, Qian Linlin was still standing on the sofa playing on her phone, while her mother-in-law quietly tidied up the fruit plate on the table.

"Auntie, we're leaving," Wen Xueyan said.

The mother-in-law forced a smile: "Thank you. Hao Hao, listen to Aunt Wen."

As they went downstairs, Hao Hao whispered to Wen Xueyan, "Grandma is unhappy again today."

"Why?"

"Aunt Qian always talks to Grandma like that. She's made Grandma cry several times." The child's voice held a maturity beyond her years. "Grandma used to bully my mom."

Wen Xueyan suddenly realized something: how others treat you depends not only on their character, but also on your attitude.

When Ning Zhiyi came to Wen Xueyan's house to pick up Hao Hao, her face still showed the fatigue from Xia Ye's journey.

Wen Xueyan saw the child to the door: "They just got a new 60-inch TV in their living room and installed central air conditioning. They seem to be quite well-off."

Ning Zhiyi frowned deeply: "How could he be so cruel to our son? If he paid more child support, why would I be running errands late at night? I could be spending more time with Hao Hao studying."

She paused, then said, "It seems we really can't expect him to have a change of heart just because we're blood relatives. I plan to sue him and ask for an increase in child support. I was too kind before; everyone thought I was easy to talk to."

Wen Xueyan's gaze was calm: "It should have been done long ago. Kindness without limits is cruelty to oneself. Fighting for the rights that children deserve is a mother's responsibility. However, outsiders see things more clearly, so let's remind each other in the future. It was you who reminded me about my own family matters."

After Ning Zhiyi left with Hao Hao, Wen Xueyan felt an emptiness in her stomach again; she hadn't eaten enough at the restaurant that night.

She opened the refrigerator and took out a bowl of rice, two eggs, shiitake mushrooms, and a small handful of green onions.

She sliced ​​the shiitake mushrooms thinly, heated the oil in a pan, and slowly fried the mushroom slices until the edges curled slightly, releasing a rich aroma.

When the egg mixture is poured into the pan, it bursts open into golden clouds, and then the rice is added and stir-fried.

Just as she was ladling the fragrant fried rice into a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, the door opened, and a pair of hands wrapped around her waist from behind. Wen Xueyan trembled slightly, enveloped by a familiar scent.

"It smells so good." Song Tiancheng's voice was tiredly gentle. "We'll get the property certificate in a little over a month. The house will be handed over next week, and it's fully furnished. Let's find some time to go look at the furniture in a few days." His chin rested gently on the top of her head. "I'm hungry too. I want to eat your fried rice for the rest of my life."

Song Tiancheng's thoughts drifted back to the winter of their first year of marriage. He had just undergone gastritis surgery. Wen Xueyan went to the hospital every day, always carrying a thermos.

She cooked porridge for him in various ways: there was delicate pumpkin and millet porridge; there was glutinous rice porridge with mashed yam, which was warm and nourishing to the stomach; there was also chicken porridge sprinkled with finely chopped parsley... Even after he was discharged from the hospital, she still made spinach and pork liver porridge for him at home, saying it was to replenish blood and qi, and she even specially learned how to make lily and poria porridge as a medicinal dish.

Song Tiancheng will always remember those meticulous care and attention.

That month, she had to take care of her hospitalized mother and him, and Wen Xueyan lost several pounds.

At this moment, Wen Xueyan closed her eyes, cherishing this brief moment of warmth.

Song Tiancheng's embrace felt so familiar, as if those ambiguous WeChat messages were just her illusions.

A pang of sorrow welled up in Wen Xueyan's heart. If he hadn't cheated on her, perhaps they could have started over.

But she knew that marriage was like a delicate piece of porcelain; some cracks, once formed, could never be fully repaired. Even if gold powder were used to patch them up, the cracks would still remain.

The fried rice was still delicious, but Wen Xueyan thought that once she successfully passed her probation period at the company, she would file for divorce.

At night, Wen Xueyan had just come out of the bathroom, her hair still dripping with water, when Song Tiancheng stepped forward and embraced her, slipping his hand inside her bathrobe.

His warm breath brushed against her ear: "Can we do it tonight? Please don't refuse me anymore, okay?"

Song Tiancheng's enthusiasm these days stands in stark contrast to his aloofness just last month, reminding her of a sentence she had heard in a video: If the water temperature of the water heater is fluctuating between hot and cold while taking a shower, it must be because someone else is also turning on the tap.

The temperature rose as soon as it was turned off over there.

Wen Xueyan didn't even call to check up on him or urge him to come home that year, so Song Tiancheng felt even more that she was a virtuous wife.

Wen Xueyan gently broke free from his embrace and turned to face him.

"The probation period at the new job is too tiring, can we reschedule for another day?" Her tone was the same as when Song Tiancheng rejected her last month.

Song Tiancheng didn't insist any further: "Alright, Xueyan, I just miss you a lot. Let's wait until your probation period is over."

The atmosphere at the company was somewhat unusual when people left work the next day. Behind the transparent glass wall of the conference room, Lin Shuyi was gesturing excitedly at something.

"Wen Xueyan, come to the conference room." Lin Shuyi called.

In the conference room, Lin Shuyi stood at the front, her fingers almost piercing through the projector screen.

"This mistake cost us a whole week! Wen Xueyan, as the project coordinator, how do you explain this?" Lin Shuyi's gaze was sharp.

Wen Xueyan stood up and walked to the projector. "Manager Lin, you personally specified the choice of this data source. I specifically marked the potential risks and suggested alternative solutions in the meeting minutes from last Tuesday. I also have your email reply records."

The meeting room was completely silent. Several colleagues lowered their heads and pretended to organize documents.

Lin Shuyi suddenly closed her laptop: "Meeting adjourned. Wen Xueyan, come to my office."

Upon entering Lin Shuyi's office, Wen Xueyan noticed that the blinds were completely drawn.

"Xueyan, you have to help me this time." Lin Shuyi's voice was very low. "The position of vice president is about to be decided, and we can't afford to make a mistake at such a critical juncture. Just say that this mistake was caused by you."

Wen Xueyan stood still. "Manager Lin, I respect you very much, but it's not my fault that I can't take the blame for you."

Lin Shuyi leaned forward. "If you help me this time, I guarantee I'll recommend you first for promotion next time. You're still young."

“I understand your situation,” Wen Xueyan said firmly, “but my professional ethics and dignity do not allow me to do this. This applies to both of us.”

Lin Shuyi's expression instantly hardened: "Think carefully about the consequences. You're still in your probationary period. Your evaluation is up to me. You can leave now, and give me an answer again tomorrow."

Wen Xueyan had just returned to her workstation when the clock struck seven. Her colleague, Chen Jing, tidying his briefcase, peeked in and asked, "Are you alright?"

Wen Xueyan shook her head and organized the documents.

Just then, the phone screen lit up with a message from Ning Zhiyi: "Xueyan, did your family also buy a house on Dongyang Road?"

"No, why?"

Ning Zhiyi replied quickly: "I was delivering takeout after get off work and happened to see that the recipient was your husband's phone number. He ordered milk tea and had it delivered to Mingzhu Huafu on Dongyang Road. I remember we were looking at apartments together last month, but it wasn't this one. Do you want to come over and take a look now?"

Wen Xueyan wondered if this was the home of "Little Sweetie Zhuxin".

Welcome to leave comments, dear readers, teachers, and children! Thank you for your support.

I can't wait for the next update! I can't get enough!

Based on the previous and this book, it seems that as long as a man's requirements for a woman are that she be a virtuous and sensible wife, things will never end well, hahaha.

Haha, I noticed that too. That's why the female lead can't just focus on being devoted and virtuous, otherwise she'll seem to be taken for granted.

It was beautiful, I wanted more!

Will the next chapter be a chaotic scene? Toyama-sensei is such a talented writer, I admire her greatly.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

Okay, thank you for your comment, reader!

Haha, you're so observant! It suddenly reminded me of a saying: "Sometimes, sincerity is easily betrayed." Thank you for your comment, reader!

Yes, thank you for your comment, reader!