Chapter 56
The sunlight was like molten gold, splashing on the brand new, shiny oak floor. The air was filled with a fresh scent that was a mixture of mint perfume and solid wood furniture, a unique "new home".
Bao Bao's bare white feet, like a little deer exploring the world for the first time, spun and jumped lightly on the floor. His big black eyes reflected the bright light in the room, and he exclaimed in a baby voice, "Mom! Our new home is so beautiful! I love it so much!"
Ke Xin leaned against the smooth island counter, a gentle smile on her lips, and looked straight at Bao Bao's childlike smiling face. Her smile seemed to have a kind of magic that could heal the trauma in her heart!
Her fingertips were twisting a cherry fresh from the icy water. The plump, juicy crimson fruit, its skin clung to tiny, icy drops of water. The sunlight filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows shone a nearly alluring luster.
Jiaqi gently pushed the crystal bowl filled with cherries to the center of the dining table. Her voice sounded calm, but her gaze restlessly on the dancing specks of light. "Yesterday I wanted to ask Chengcheng to bring Little Ball over to liven things up, but I heard on the phone... her voice was terribly hoarse, like she was having trouble breathing."
Ke Xin was lazily sinking in the soft fabric sofa. She had just picked up a cherry with her fingertips and brought it to her lips. When she heard the words, she paused and the bright red juice instantly overflowed, staining her carefully maintained nails.
"I heard you have a new boyfriend?" Jiaqi raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, with a hint of nonchalant gossip, but her eyes seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, and drifted involuntarily towards the busy and tall figure in the semi-open kitchen - Fang Huai was wearing the dark blue apron she had picked, and was concentrating on flipping the spatula. The lines of his profile looked particularly soft in the steaming heat.
"Unhappy? Could it be..." She shrugged, deliberately drawing out her tone with the sweet boasting of someone in love, "Hey, I've been so busy with someone lately that I don't have time to gossip about her."
The sweet cherry melted on Ke Xin's tongue, but strangely, she tasted a hint of rust. Three days ago, in the police mediation room, Chen Min's face, twisted with anger and pain, those eyes staring at her like poison, resurfaced with incredible clarity. The cold seat, the smell of disinfectant, the formulaic tone of the opposing lawyer... and the hoarse curse that Chen Min squeezed out through her teeth, clutching her swollen cheek: "Lin Ke Xin... just wait..."
"ah--!"
Baobao's short, startled cry, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly shattered the grim image in Kexin's mind. Jiaqi had slithered around behind the little guy like a nimble cat, and with a sly smile of triumph, she quickly stuffed a plump cherry into Baobao's slightly open mouth.
"Is it sweet, Xiao Baobao?" Jiaqi bent down and rubbed the little girl's soft hair affectionately with the tip of her nose, but her smiling eyes were like butterflies covered with honey, firmly and infatuatedly stuck on the broad back in the kitchen, as if the only sound in the world was the sound of his spatula stirring the pot.
Bao Bao shuddered at the sweet taste in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel stealing food. She followed Aunt Jia Qi's almost piercing gaze, and when it landed on Uncle Fang Huai, she immediately wrinkled her nose exaggeratedly, stuck out her pink tongue, and made a big face. "Eh~ Aunt Jia Qi, shame on you! I'm almost staring at Uncle Fang Huai!"
"You little rascal! How dare you make fun of me!" Jiaqi pretended to be embarrassed and angry, and pounced on him with bared teeth and claws, accurately scratching Baobao's most ticklish armpits and the soft flesh on his waist.
"Hehehe...hahaha...help me, mom!" Baobao burst into a clear and unbridled laughter like a silver bell. Like a disturbed bird, he screamed and jumped around in the brand new living room. The soft carpet absorbed the messy footsteps, leaving only pure and fresh joy in the room.
Ke Xin quietly watched the bustling scene before her, filled with the aroma of everyday life. The ice in her heart, frozen by Chen Min, Fu Xuan, and her deceased aunt, seemed to melt a little at the warmth of her laughter. A long-lost, bitter warmth crept into her heart.
love?
Oh!
She scoffed silently inwardly. With her daughter's soft embrace and dependence, the confidence and support her career bestowed upon her, and the company of a boisterous yet vibrant and genuine best friend like Jiaqi...aren't these tangible things in her hands enough to fill the void called "love"? It was enough.
“Crack!”
A crisp shutter click rang out. Jiaqi had already rushed over to her, breathless, phone in hand. The screen was frozen with the scene she had just captured: Baobao's face, a toothy grin showing in the sunlight, Kexin's gentle smile in profile, and the cozy image of Fang Huai busy in the kitchen in the background. Under the warm filter, everything seemed too beautiful to be real.
"Look! What does it mean to live a worthwhile life? What does it mean to live peacefully?" Jiaqi proudly waved her phone, her eyes sparkling. "Such a milestone historical moment, it's simply unjust not to post it on WeChat Moments for those jealous gossipers to see!"
"Friends Circle"… These three words were like a cold needle, piercing Ke Xin's nerve endings unexpectedly. Her fingertips twitched imperceptibly.
Chen Min…the woman she had personally sent to the hospital, was probably lying in bed right now, refreshing her phone over and over again? She imagined the woman's possible expression upon seeing this post on WeChat Moments—jealousy, resentment, madness…a subtle, cold pleasure, mixed with a deeper weariness, crept into her heart.
She leaned back deeply into the wide, soft embrace of the sofa, the expensive leather fabric feeling slightly cool to the touch. She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly gazing at the excited Jiaqi, her voice as soft as a puff of smoke that could dissipate at any moment:
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I beat up Chen Min a few days ago." She paused, as if recalling a trivial incident. "I didn't show much mercy. I hit her pretty hard. Tell me, if I post this on my Moments about the housewarming, will she be so angry that she'll vomit three liters of blood on the spot, or...will she just find the nearest river and jump into it and end it all?"
"Bang!"
Jiaqi's other cherry, pit and flesh, fell directly onto the mirror-like floor, rolling a few times and leaving a shallow wet mark. She looked as if she were under a spell, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, wide enough to fit an egg. After a brief silence, there was a gasp.
"What...what?! You...you hit Chen Min?! When did it happen?! Oh my God! My ancestors! Hurry! Tell me! What happened afterwards?!" Jiaqi, who was living a peaceful life a second ago, instantly turned into the most excited badger in the melon field. She rushed to Ke Xin in one step and sat down next to her. Her face was a complex expression of shock, admiration and raging gossip, and she stared at Ke Xin without blinking.
Ke Xin tilted her head, her gaze falling on the lush greenery outside the window, sunlight dancing on the leaves. She curled her lips into a cold, almost emotionless arc, but her eyes held a bottomless, cold pond. "Nothing happened later. She was... well, in a terrible state. She must have had a few loose teeth, and her face was covered in blood. She looked at me like she wanted to eat me alive." Her tone was as flat as if she were describing the weather. "It ended up being reported to the police, and I had to pay some medical bills. That's it." She paused, as if adding an insignificant footnote, her voice cold as ice. "She asked for it."
Jiaqi gasped even louder, looking at Kexin as if she were looking at a statue of a god of war that had suddenly appeared. "Ke...Kexin!" She excitedly grabbed Kexin's arm, her voice trembling. "You...you are...amazing! From today on, you are my only sister! My idol! When the dinner starts, I must toast you three times! A heroine! A modern-day Mulan!"
Before he finished speaking, the glass sliding door of the kitchen was gently opened. Fang Huai walked out with a tray, carrying a warm and homely air and the tempting aroma of food.
The dish of braised pork belly that he had carefully prepared for a long time was now emitting an irresistible charm - the deep red color of the sauce was shiny and attractive, the fat and lean pieces of meat were stacked tremblingly, and with just a light touch of the chopsticks, the tender meat spread out like petals, and the rich aroma of the sauce mixed with the aroma of the meat dominated the atmosphere, instantly covering up the aroma of other dishes and going straight into people's noses.
However, Fang Huai's eyes couldn't help but sweep over the delicious dishes beside him that were carefully prepared and presented like works of art by several professional chefs. His fingers holding the tray tightened slightly, his knuckles turned slightly white, and his Adam's apple rolled subconsciously.
"Wow--!"
Jiaqi's reaction was textbook.
She looked at Fang Huai with a playful expression, her eyes showing a rare tenderness. When she came over, a gust of fragrant wind blew to Fang Huai's side. Her voice was so sweet that it could be pulled out of silk threads, and her face was full of undisguised pride and love: "Dear! Your masterpiece is here! Ke Xin! I bet you a bag of spicy strips! Just with this plate of meat, I can finish three bowls of white rice today! No! Five bowls!"
"So amazing? Then I must taste it carefully!" Ke Xin cooperated with an expectant smile, and raised her voice to urge Bao Bao, who was still playing, "Bao Bao, stop being crazy! Wash your hands quickly and get ready for dinner! Uncle Fang Huai's feast is getting cold!"
When Fang Huai heard Ke Xin say "Uncle Fang Huai's feast", the corners of his tense mouth finally couldn't help but curl up in satisfaction like a big boy who had received affirmation.
The brief housewarming ceremony concluded with the lighting of a stick of incense. In the living room, two rectangular dining tables, covered with fresh tablecloths, were already set. One was reserved for the photographers, workers, and other staff who had toiled for most of the day, while the other was reserved for Kexin and her closest friends. The dishes were largely the same, but the atmosphere was completely different.
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