"Oh, why are you worried about me?" Chen Wan smiled and said casually, "It's good to be a little bigger. It'll be easier to settle in if friends come to visit. Besides, the job you gave me pays much better than the place I originally wanted to go to, and I can afford the rent."
"Okay, that's good. You can do whatever you want with it."
"And you? When do you plan to leave?"
I took a slight breath, though I was extremely reluctant to part with it, but there was nothing I could do.
"Next week, I'll book the tickets later, as soon as possible."
"Are you sure you can manage going out alone like this? How about I go with you and come back after you've settled in? I have a work visa for my job, so I can leave anytime."
I looked at Chen Wanzhen, and my heart warmed considerably.
Although my family is terrible, my friends are all wonderful.
"No need. Just focus on your work and make the [banquet] a success. That's the biggest help you can give me."
"All right……"
I rested at home for a few days, packed my things, and contacted accommodations abroad.
I'm planning to go to a small town in England where the life is less stressful and the pace is slower, which would be a good place for me to recuperate and focus on my pregnancy.
I also plan to take this opportunity to further my studies so that I can keep up with the times when I return to the workplace.
With everything prepared, I said goodbye to Li Yunwei and Chen Wanzhen, and to my hometown where I had lived for more than 20 years, and boarded a flight to a foreign land.
The moment the plane took off, my heart felt like it was being pulled down by something heavy, desperately trying to drag me down.
I know it's because I still can't bear to part with Su Shenglin.
As I gazed at the city receding further and further away on land, my tears flowed like a raging flood, unstoppable.
A young girl was sitting next to me. Seeing how hard I was crying, she quietly handed me a tissue.
I thanked them politely, then tried to calm myself down and learn to bury my pain.
The long flight left me exhausted, and I finally drifted off to sleep, forgetting the pain...
————
Two years later.
It's Lunar New Year's Eve again.
Li Yunwei came to the UK to celebrate the Spring Festival and also to meet her godson.
I took Jiang Yixiao to the airport to pick him up.
When I saw my best friend appear, I happily raised my hand and waved.
Sitting in the stroller, Jiang Yixiao waved along with me, babbling, "Godmother, Godmother."
The little guy, who is only fifteen months old, walks very fast, but his language skills are lacking, and he can only say a few simple words.
Li Yunwei pushed her luggage and hurried over, excitedly shouting, "We've finally landed! I was worried you'd be anxious waiting for us because the flight was delayed!"
I went up to her and hugged her tightly, comforting her, "It's okay, I saw the notification on the screen, we have time anyway, just wait."
Li Yunwei looked at Jiang Yixiao in the stroller, examined him closely, then looked at me and winked knowingly, "He looks a little different from the one in the video. He looks more like his dad in person! Some of his expressions are exactly the same!"
I gave a helpless, bitter smile. "There's nothing I can do about it; that's the power of genes."
Although his father was not involved in his upbringing and had never even met him, he still resembled his father more.
Genes are just so unreasonable.
"Let's go, the car is parked outside," I said to Li Yunwei, then added apologetically, "I have a child with me, so I can't help you with your luggage."
"It's okay, I can manage."
Li Yunwei kept her eyes fixed on my son, occasionally trying to make him laugh.
Although we've seen her in videos many times, this is only the second time she's met her in person.
The first time was when I gave birth.
At that time, the little guy looked like a monkey when he was born, all wrinkled, thin and small, and you couldn't tell what his features were.
During this meeting, Li Yunwei kept clicking her tongue in amazement: "He looks so much like his father, so much like him."
I'm speechless from all the nagging.
Back at my place, seeing the house filled with baby and toddler items, Li Yunwei asked with concern, "Can you manage taking care of all this by yourself?"
"I can manage, but if something comes up and I'm temporarily delayed, I'll ask someone to help look after him. The childcare services here are also very comprehensive." I took my son out of the stroller, put him on the playmat, and turned around to tidy up the surroundings.
"No need to accept it, I'm not an outsider." Li Yun waved her hand, beckoned me over, and said mysteriously, "I brought you some good stuff! You've been away for two years, you must miss the taste of home. Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, let's have a big meal!"
When I went over to take a look, I found that she had actually brought over some of the dishes from the Imperial Garden, pre-made into the appearance of ready-made meals, from a long distance away.
"Don't worry, I made it just before I left. Vacuum sealed, it can last for a few days. But it's still different from eating it fresh; the taste is a little different."
I was overjoyed and excitedly said, "That's great, we'll eat this much tonight. You sit down and rest, I'll go get back to work."
In the evening, I enjoyed a long-missed meal of my hometown dishes.
Because I was in a good mood, I even had a few drinks. Anyway, I've weaned, so it doesn't matter.
Looking at the little boy obediently building blocks and playing games on the playmat, Li Yunwei suddenly sighed, "What do you think Su Shenglin's reaction would be if he suddenly saw this child?"
I was slightly drunk, and I smiled when I heard that. "Probably... they'd strangle me to death."
Over the past two years, I've dreamt countless times that he found me, saw me struggling alone with my child, and then grabbed me by the neck, demanding—
"Jiang Wan, didn't I say that you must live well after leaving me, otherwise I will bring you back?"
Every time I wake up in a fright, I feel regretful and wonder why it was a dream and why it didn't actually happen.
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