A conversation of “Let’s talk” ended without resolution.
That night, Nie Yucheng slept on the sofa in the living room.
The next morning, Xu Miyu woke up early, but she lay in bed without moving. It wasn’t until she heard Nie Yucheng get up, wash up, and leave for work that she finally got up.
She walked into the living room and looked around. There were no traces of anyone sleeping on the sofa from the night before, and the house was quiet and devoid of any signs of life.
The wedding photos were still hanging on the wall, portraying Xu Miyu smiling as if she had tasted honey. Looking at herself in the photo, the external Xu Miyu felt a surge of sadness.
She surveyed the home. This place, once a warm and welcoming haven, maintained its decor and layout, but in her eyes, it had become desolate and no longer offered her shelter from the storm.
After washing her face in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. In just two days, she felt as if she had aged. At thirty, the wrinkles of a life well-lived had already appeared in her eyes.
Considering the mess at home now, she couldn’t spare the energy to deal with Jiao Xiumei. She needed to quickly send her mother away and then think carefully about what to do with Nie Yucheng.
So, after washing her face, Xu Miyu turned on her phone.
Jiao Xiumei’s messages flooded into Xu Miyu’s phone like a bursting dam. After glancing through them, none were asking what happened to her; they were either questioning why she wasn’t answering or urging her to call back. Not a single message inquired about the events that led to her not picking up the phone.
Sighing, Xu Miyu stopped reading and directly dialed Jiao Xiumei’s number.
As soon as the call connected, Jiao Xiumei began to vent her frustration, “Xiao Duoyu, what’s wrong with you? I just asked you to help your brother buy a house, and you start shutting down and avoiding me. Are you resisting me passively?”
Jiao Xiumei became angrier as she spoke, and she directly called Xu Miyu by her full name, “Xu Mi Yu, you have to have a conscience. I raised you so big, and it wasn’t easy. I even got sick from giving birth to you. If you were born into another family with so many siblings, being a girl, you’d either be fined a large sum or abandoned in a ditch. But I, Jiao Xiumei, didn’t do that. So, you better have a bit of conscience and not turn into an ungrateful wolf!”
Listening to Jiao Xiumei’s words, Xu Miyu felt sad, so sad that she started laughing.
If she didn’t have a conscience, she wouldn’t have bothered with this big family. Wasn’t it because she was shackled by her identity as a relative that she lived her days with Nie Yucheng like this? It was ironic; she had a conscience, yet she let Nie Yucheng cheat on her. Her mother was still unsatisfied.
She didn’t have the mood to argue with Jiao Xiumei anymore. She directly told her mother, “I’ll come to pick you up from the hotel. Pack your things and wait for me.”
Jiao Xiumei hurriedly asked, “Hold on, what do you mean? Is this profligate child of yours trying to drive me away?”
Afraid that Jiao Xiumei would be unyielding, Xu Miyu had to explain, “There’s an urgent matter I need to deal with. If you want to wait for me to handle it and then come, fine. If you insist on staying here now, I can’t help you.”
After hanging up the phone, Xu Miyu prepared to leave. There was only one car at her home, and she had originally planned to take a taxi to the hotel. However, when she reached the entrance to change her shoes, she saw the car keys hanging there.
Nie Yucheng didn’t drive to work today.
Xu Miyu recalled Nie Yucheng telling her before that he couldn’t drive when he was upset, or there would be trouble. It felt as if someone had punched her in the heart.
Was he upset too? Wasn’t he supposed to be happy that he could finally open up about those matters, that he could free himself from her side?
Collecting herself, Xu Miyu took the car keys and left the house.
When she arrived at the hotel, Jiao Xiumei had already finished breakfast, but her luggage was only half packed.
Xu Miyu had to personally help Jiao Xiumei pack.
Jiao Xiumei then sat in a massage chair, acting both as the overbearing shopkeeper and a secret agent, bombarding Xu Miyu with questions, “What exactly do you need to handle? Don’t tell me it’s about buying a house for your brother? Is he unwilling to contribute money? Xiao San, it’s time to test your skills. In these next few days, quickly make your husband happy, control him tightly, and make him agree to buy a house for your brother! It’s a test of your abilities!”
Annoyed, Xu Miyu slammed the suitcase onto the floor. Unfortunately, the carpet absorbed all the force, making her exertion soundless, like a fist hitting cotton.
“You only consider buying a house for your son, and you don’t care about my life!” Xu Miyu accused Jiao Xiumei.
Jiao Xiumei raised her hand and poked Xu Miyu on the forehead, making her head tilt to the side.
“You, which kid are you trying to please? Why don’t you care about my life? Could I have raised you so big without considering your life, whether you could eat and dress well, or even go to school? Tell me, did I lose out in feeding you, clothing you, or educating you?”
Xu Miyu didn’t want to engage in pointless arguments with her. She could never win against Jiao Xiumei in these debates. Every time felt like she owed Jiao Xiumei even more.
Dragging the suitcase to the front desk to check out, the bill shocked Xu Miyu with its hefty sum.
Looking at the details, the old lady really knew how to exploit. In this luxury hotel, she had enjoyed every possible luxury, as if spending someone else’s money.
Unable to restrain herself, Xu Miyu stared at Jiao Xiumei, “Why did you spend so much money?”
Jiao Xiumei quickly defended herself, “Why are you staring at me? Do you want to show off your big eyes? Show off your double eyelids? Alright, stop staring. I’m not clueless. Your elder sister told me that your husband has a strategic cooperation with this hotel through the travel company he’s in. Staying in executive suites and shopping can all be discounted.”
Pausing, Jiao Xiumei continued to justify herself, “Besides, your husband can find a reason to reimburse all these expenses. After all, it’s not your own money you’re spending. Why do you care so much? Are you the president of the Civilian Thrift Association? Xiao San, I’m telling you, you’re sticking your elbow out too much!”
Annoyed, Xu Miyu turned away, not wanting to hear Jiao Xiumei’s incessant chatter. She didn’t have the patience to argue with her. Right now, she just wanted to send Jiao Xiumei away quickly and have some peace of mind.
On the way to the train station, Jiao Xiumei kept half-urging and half-forcing Xu Miyu, asking her to quickly make Nie Yucheng understand, so that he would quickly agree to pay for Xu Mi Bao’s house and arrange a job for him. Only when all these hardware conditions were met could Xu Mi Bao find a partner and expand the branches of the old Xu family.
Xu Miyu let her talk, not saying much.
It wasn’t until Jiao Xiumei passed the security check and was about to board the train that Xu Miyu asked her, “Mom, if you push me like this, aren’t you afraid that Nie Yucheng can’t bear our family and divorces me?”
Jiao Xiumei immediately widened her eyes, “You can’t agree to him if that’s the case! Xiao San, let me remind you seriously, you have to learn more women’s skills, firmly control Nie Yucheng. A woman who makes a man listen to her is truly skilled. Look at your father; he’s domineering outside, but at home, as long as I say one thing, he dares not say another. You have to be like me. It doesn’t matter if you’re arrogant outside, but at home, you must be the one who makes your man shiver at every cough!”
Jiao Xiumei took a moment to savor her pride before continuing to impart her incredible life wisdom to her daughter: “Lao San, remember, you are the daughter of Madam Jiao Xiumei. Don’t let Mom look down on you. Remember what I told you; as your biological mother, I won’t harm you. Whatever I say, it’s for your own good. Alright, I’m going in now. Remember, firmly control Nie Yucheng; then, hurry up and make sure he agrees to buy a house for your younger brother!”
Listening to this, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but laugh, a self-mocking smile playing on her face.
Suddenly, her resentment towards Nie Yucheng lessened a bit.
If she really managed to get Nie Mibao to use the money to buy a house, Nie Yucheng would indeed be dragged into her family’s troubles—supporting her sister and brother-in-law, her parents, and her younger brother.
After seeing off Jiao Xiumei, Xu Miyu began to ponder the situation with Nie Yucheng. Recently, Nie Yucheng had been sleeping on the sofa in the living room when he returned home. She hadn’t figured out the next steps, and it seemed Nie Yucheng hadn’t either. So, before that decision, they both entered into a kind of tacit cold treatment.
While Xu Miyu and Nie Yucheng maintained a harmonious and calm standoff, someone on the other side couldn’t sit still.
After a few days, Xu Miyu unexpectedly received a call from Lu Zhenzhen.
In the tangled web of this love triangle, it was unexpected that the first person to crack would be Lu Zhenzhen.
They agreed to meet at a coffee shop they had been to before.
Xu Miyu found it ironic that she had once believed this coffee shop was where her friendship with Lu Zhenzhen began. Now, it was about to witness something sordid.
Observing Lu Zhenzhen’s face, several years younger than hers, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but marvel at the invincible power of youth. The taut, elastic skin radiated a challenging vitality.
She was grateful she had washed her face and combed her hair before leaving home; it preserved a bit of her dignity. Otherwise, Lu Zhenzhen would have surpassed her by far.
Lu Zhenzhen didn’t come for a nostalgic chat. As soon as she sat down, she got straight to the point.
“What do you plan to do?”
Looking at the youthful and delicate face in front of her, Xu Miyu couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Clearly, Nie Yucheng and Lu Zhenzhen were the ones who strayed. Yet, they both asked her the same question: “What do you plan to do?”
How could they have the audacity to ask her this question? It was as if she were the one who strayed.
Xu Miyu smiled without saying a word. She picked up her phone from the table.
Unhappy with being ignored, Lu Zhenzhen complained, “Miyu, don’t do this. We came out to resolve the issue, right? It’s not fun if you deliberately ignore me like this…”
As she finished speaking, a string of phone ringtone came from her handbag on the table.
Lu Zhenzhen froze at the sound.
With a sly smile on her lips, Xu Miyu chuckled.
She ended the call, and the phone screen returned to the anonymous messages she received, urging her to catch them in the act.
“As expected, I was right. It was you who sent me those messages.”
Lu Zhenzhen’s face turned pale. She had been careless and forgot to turn off her other phone before coming here.
Responding to Lu Zhenzhen’s earlier statement, Xu Miyu said, “Now, does it make things more interesting?”
Lu Zhenzhen’s face became even more unpleasant.
“Miyu, I hope we can leave each other some dignity. I reached out to you to have a good conversation about how we should handle this situation. So, please don’t carry emotions into this, okay?”
Xu Miyu looked at the water glass in front of her. If it wasn’t empty, she would have splashed water on Lu Zhenzhen’s face again.
She signaled the waiter to add water and then smiled at Lu Zhenzhen, saying, “When you were stealing someone else’s husband, did you ever think about preserving your own dignity? You stole someone else’s husband and now want to ask the wife for dignity. How thick-skinned can you be?”
Lu Zhenzhen pursed her lips. “Miyu, emotions have no right or wrong. It’s just a matter of two people who like each other meeting at the wrong time. I think using marriage as a shackle to bind a man who wants to leave is the truly shameless behavior. People seek their freedom to pursue what they want and like.”
Xu Miyu felt she must have been blind back then to talk and even consider Lu Zhenzhen as a friend. She seemed willing to ask anything, but her unique insights reflected a twisted set of values.
“Did Nie Yucheng tell you that he wants to leave, and did I use marriage to bind him?” Xu Miyu asked Lu Zhenzhen, observing her expression.
“Yes,” Lu Zhenzhen answered firmly.
Xu Miyu chuckled.
“You’re lying. Given your talent for turning things black and white, if Nie Yucheng had really said that, you wouldn’t have settled for just one word; you would have used a fascinating essay to describe and exaggerate to stimulate me.”
“Lu Zhenzhen,” Xu Miyu retracted her smiling expression, leaving a trace of mockery, “let me guess the real situation. You and Nie Yucheng have been together for quite some time. Nie Yucheng complained to you about our family affairs, making you think he couldn’t endure it much longer and would eventually divorce me. However, he never did. So, you couldn’t wait, couldn’t stand it any longer, right? That’s why you sent me anonymous messages, directing the play of catching you two red-handed, tearing through this thin layer of window paper. You thought I, being a foolish housewife, would annoy Nie Yucheng when I made a scene, and he would be impatient and straightforwardly propose a divorce. But after so many days, there has been no sign of a divorce from either of us. So today, you took the initiative to invite me out.”
Lu Zhenzhen’s face turned even paler.
“Perhaps you think I’m a useless woman, stupid and submissive, always trying to please others, afraid to upset anyone, and unable to say anything harsh. So, you thought I would be easy to manipulate, and you dared to mess with my family in public. But, Lu Zhenzhen, let me tell you, when I get serious and angry, I can make people very uncomfortable. Now, I know your trump cards.”
Looking at Lu Zhenzhen, Xu Miyu told her clearly, word by word, “Your messages and your theatrics today have proven that you can’t handle Nie Yucheng. A man who cheats is dirty, and I might not want him. But thanks to your behavior today, I’ve learned one thing for sure: as long as I don’t ask for a divorce, Nie Yucheng won’t either. And you will forever be nailed to the pillar of shame as the third party!”
As soon as Xu Miyu finished speaking, she abruptly lifted the water glass in front of her and splashed it towards Lu Zhenzhen’s face.
“This glass of water, you deserve it.”
She said this, stood up, and left, leaving Lu Zhenzhen sitting there with a wet and miserable face.
Lu Zhenzhen clenched her fists in anger. She hadn’t expected to underestimate Xu Miyu. She had always thought Xu Miyu was a brainless, temperless woman, always trying to please everyone. She truly hadn’t anticipated that when Xu Miyu tore off her mask and confronted her, she would be so difficult to deal with.
Water droplets dripped down her bangs, and the surrounding customers discreetly glanced over, enjoying the spectacle of her embarrassment. Trembling all over, Lu Zhenzhen gritted her teeth, making a grinding sound. She still had one trump card, and she wouldn’t let the person who publicly humiliated her get away with it.
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