extramarital affair
It's hard not to lament the passage of time, which has turned "love" into "we loved"—from "Over and Over Again."
As soon as she got back to her dorm, she called her mother, sounding a little aggrieved as she spoke: "Mom, how could you forget my birthday!"
Xia's mother was clearly surprised on the other end of the phone, then thought for a moment and said apologetically in a hoarse voice, "I really forgot about that. Did you go out to eat or have fun with your classmates today?"
Xia Tong hadn't noticed at first, but then she realized something was wrong with her mother's voice—it was hoarse and weak: "Mom, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Xia's mother comforted her, "It's nothing, just a little cold. You'll be fine after sleeping with the blankets on."
"Where's Dad?" Xia Tong asked, frowning.
"He's still working overtime and hasn't come back yet. It's nothing serious, don't worry about such a minor problem..."
After talking to her mother, Xia Tong immediately called her father. How could he leave her mother at home with a fever at such a time?! No one answered the phone, so she called his office, but still no answer. Had something happened? Xia Tong panicked and quickly called her father's cell phone again. After waiting for a long time, someone finally answered—and it was a woman!
"Hello, Director Xia is not available to answer the phone right now." The woman's voice was somewhat casual and perfunctory.
"May I ask who you are?" Xia Tong asked hesitantly.
"What do you think?" the woman asked back, her voice sweet and affected.
"Are you...my dad's colleague?" Xia Tong frowned at her tone, but still tried to think the best of it.
"Hahaha," the woman laughed, her high-pitched voice tinged with sarcasm, "You really are just as blindly optimistic as your mother... or perhaps you're just deceiving yourself?"
Xia Tong got angry when she heard her mention her mother: "Where's my dad? Let him answer the phone!"
"I already told you your dad's busy, humph, talking to people like that, you're definitely a child born of a father but raised by no mother!" Then she decisively hung up the phone. Xia Tong was still reeling from the sound of the phone being disconnected. That tone, those words, all pointed to one fact: perhaps her father had another woman outside.
She leaned weakly against the sink, suddenly feeling that the world was a joke. Not long ago, a classmate told her that Tan Zhihao had a girlfriend at his school. She refused to believe it, because not long before, Tan Zhihao had come to City A to treat her roommates to dinner and karaoke. She wanted to take him to see the famous attractions in City A, but in the end, Tan Zhihao led her to the scenic spots using his phone's map, and he even teased her, saying, "With your sense of direction, you're not much better than a pig!" When Xia Tong took him back to City S, she was extremely reluctant to part with him, silently thinking, "The world is so big, and I always get lost, but it's okay, I have you, the one who can guide me for a lifetime."
She didn't believe her classmate's words and, never daring to travel far alone, boarded the train to S City. She'd heard there were many pickpockets on trains, so she clutched her bag tightly to her chest the entire way. After more than ten hours of bumpy travel, she finally arrived in S City. She asked a classmate from Tan Zhihao's school to pick her up. Seeing the classmate's sympathetic, even pitying, look in her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Tan Zhihao is a football fan and has joined a fan club. It's said his excellence has won him many female admirers; one girl even learned to watch football specifically for him and fell in love with it herself. They often went to football matches together, and over time, feelings developed between them. Tan Zhihao felt guilty towards Xia Tong, but he was also troubled by her accident, feeling utterly defeated. The absolute support and admiration from this gentle and considerate girl filled the void in his heart.
When she arrived at their school and saw Tan Zhihao with his girlfriend, her first feeling wasn't anger, but fear.
She cowardly hid to the side, silently watching them walk away hand in hand. Her classmate was an exceptionally calm and outstanding girl. The two hadn't been particularly close in school, but had kept in touch more after starting university. Watching her silently weep, she only said one sentence: "No matter how reluctant you are, don't beg."
Xia Tong looked up at her, at that slender figure standing against the light, so resolute.
That evening, she decided to confront them. She'd heard they were in the small auditorium, but when she arrived, she discovered they were holding an "English Star Competition." The girl on stage had a sharp, short haircut and spoke fluent, standard American English. She exuded a powerful aura, and her gestures were perfectly timed. When she got to the exciting parts, everyone applauded and cheered. Although she couldn't understand what she was saying, having failed the CET-6 twice, she still clapped along listlessly.
As the event drew to a close, a familiar figure, one whose presence tugged at her heartstrings, came onto the stage carrying a bouquet of flowers. She embraced him and presented the flowers. The audience around her erupted in cheers, standing up and applauding. Xia Tong joined them. A group of boys at the front chanted, "Kiss! Kiss! Propose! Propose!"
Yan Chufan glanced down, and everyone fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a chorus of boos. Xia Tong suddenly understood; they all knew each other, so… they were the couple everyone considered to be. It turned out they probably didn't even know I, their so-called official girlfriend, existed; it turned out I didn't exist in their world at all.
Looking at that girl again, she wasn't particularly beautiful; frankly, she wasn't even as pretty as me. But the carefree and unrestrained air she possessed was something I'd always admired and longed for. It's hard not to be attracted to such an outstanding girl, isn't it? It's okay; it's normal to be momentarily distracted by such temptations in love. Besides, our three-year relationship can't be forgotten, it probably won't be...
But the pride and sweetness with which he embraced her as they stepped off the stage truly pierced her eyes. She stood there, stunned, surrounded by clapping audience members. Her vision blurred, and tears welled in her eyes, blurring their figures. She blinked, and her eyes cleared again. But then she saw Yan Chufan watching her from a distance, the short-haired girl still close behind, followed by his many male friends. She had never imagined that standing before him, she could feel so isolated and helpless.
She just stared at Yan Chufan. After a moment of shock, he remained incredibly calm, offering no explanation or attempt to salvage the situation. Realizing this, Xia Tong burst into tears. She recalled a saying: "What's embarrassing is when you already know the truth, yet he lies to your face." But the person who said that probably doesn't realize that nothing is more despairing than when you've decided to forgive, but he's already too lazy to hide it anymore.
He later said, "It has nothing to do with her; it's my own fault."
He later added, "She's really considerate and mature, always able to make me feel warm. But you always make me worry and arrange everything for you."
He later added, "We share common interests, we're in the same club, she can accompany me to various stadiums to cheer for my favorite teams, she can stay up all night with me to watch games and talk about the games and the players. But all you do is tell me to go to bed early and not stay up late, you don't understand this feeling."
Finally, he said, "I still can't get over that hurdle. I'm sorry."
He said, "You don't understand."
He said, "I'm sorry."
Amid Xia Tong's sobs and tears, he seemed to have no other words to say, only repeating the same phrase over and over again: "I'm sorry."
As Tan Zhihao saw Xia Tong off at the train station, the two walked silently to the ticket checkpoint. Just as Tan Zhihao handed her his bag, Xia Tong suddenly hugged him, buried her head in his chest, and choked out, "Don't you love me anymore?"
Tan Zhihao remained silent for a long time before saying, "I liked it. I used to like it a lot."
He felt a wetness on his chest, and a bittersweet feeling welled up inside him as he recalled the past. He had truly loved her back then, hadn't he? So they were inseparable, never getting tired of each other. He had truly loved her back then, so they had planned their future countless times. But after that incident, why was he afraid of other people's stares whenever they were together? Why did he always feel like he was being pricked by thorns?
"I used to like you too, and I still do now, what should I do?"
After a long silence following the sentence, the two faced each other and wept.
If you don't intend to love me to the end, why did you even get close to me? I gave you all my youth, only to be told in the end that you are not the one for me.
She was still reeling from the heartbreak of her forced breakup when she learned that her mother had suffered the same fate, and that it was her father who had done it! Her own father! She thought of his usual serious and upright demeanor, the righteous and earnest tone in his voice when he lectured her, the disdainful look on his face when he criticized her cooking, and now, in this scene, her once dignified father was flirting lightly with a young woman! Wasn't this a joke? All of this filled her with immense anger!
Some say a wife will tell you the price of flour per pound, while a mistress will only tell you how many stars are out there. She didn't understand—what stars would a man nearing fifty still like to look at? Admittedly, years of housework had taken their toll on her youth and beauty, and the daily grind of cooking and cleaning had made her nagging, but that wasn't a reason for her husband's betrayal! She had dedicated her entire youth and sacrificed all her time for her family, and while she was sick at home, her husband, the husband she had always taken seriously, was out having affairs! And this was the reward she received!
This incident ignited her fury. For the first time, this obedient child, who had been bullied since childhood, felt a surge of fighting spirit! She knew that she had suffered enough because of her timidity since childhood, which was why she was determined to defend her family to the death.
She barely slept all night, the image of her mother heartbroken and haggard after learning the truth haunting her mind.
The next morning, the eldest in the dorm squinted and asked Xia Tong, who was already dressed and packing, "Fourth sister, why are you up so early today? You don't have class this morning!"
"Oh, my dad is sick and hospitalized, I have to rush home." Xia Tong turned around, her eyes more determined than ever before.
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┭┮ ﹏ ┭┮ I'm speechless. The abnormal internet speed and the erratic behavior of Jinjiang Literature City leave me speechless...
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