She happily prepared to greet him, but he acted as if he hadn't seen her, walking straight over to another girl, taking her hand, and helping her into the car. That girl wore a smug, triumphant smile. Xia Siyue, without a second thought, rushed over and glared furiously at the unflappable Mu Chengfeng.
"Why aren't you answering my calls? And who is she?"
Mu Chengfeng chuckled, draping his arm over the girl's shoulder, and said dismissively, "I thought you'd understand what it means when I don't pick up."
"Mu Chengfeng, what are you trying to say?"
"What am I trying to say? I'm dumping you. Is that clear enough?" Mu Chengfeng looked at Xia Siyue as if she were an idiot, while the girl beside him covered her mouth with a snicker, her eyes full of mockery toward Xia Siyue.
"Mu Chengfeng, you want to break up with me?" Xia Siyue stared at him in disbelief. Just last week, they were inseparable. How could it come to this after a week of no contact? Her eyes, red with rage, locked onto Mu Chengfeng and the girl next to him. "Is it because of this woman that you're breaking up with me?"
"So what if it is? So what if it isn't? Xia Siyue, get out of my way. A good dog doesn't block the path."
"Hmph, Mu Chengfeng, do you think this woman beside you is any good?" Xia Siyue thought the girl looked vaguely familiar, but in the heat of the moment, she couldn't place her. Now it clicked, and she found it laughable. "A slut anyone can have, and you see her as a treasure? Mu Chengfeng, I guess I overestimated your intelligence."
"Bitch, who are you calling a slut?"
"You. What are you going to do about it?" Xia Siyue coldly stared at the girl who spoke. As soon as she said it, the girl's anger melted into a pitiful pout, turning to Mu Chengfeng for comfort.
"Chengfeng, look at her! How can she say that about me without any proof? She's slandering my reputation."
Hearing this, Mu Chengfeng grew furious. He gently soothed the woman in his arms, then abruptly opened the car door. Xia Siyue instinctively stepped back, but she couldn't dodge his slap. She covered her cheek, staring at Mu Chengfeng in shock. Noticing the growing crowd at the school gate, she felt humiliated and, without thinking, raised her hand and slapped him back.
Xia Siyue didn't avoid Mu Chengfeng's slap, and he didn't avoid hers.
The two crisp slaps silenced the surrounding noise. The woman in the car quickly got out, distressed, and walked over to Mu Chengfeng. Seeing their reddened cheeks, she pointed at Xia Siyue's nose. "Xia Siyue, how dare you hit Chengfeng? Are you tired of living? Do you believe—"
"Believe what? Get lost! Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"
"Damn it, Xia Siyue, you actually hit me?" Mu Chengfeng snapped back to reality. Forgetting any rule about not hitting women, he kicked her straight in the stomach. "I wanted to part on good terms, but you had to make a scene. Fine, I'll give you what you want. Did you really think you were something?"
Xia Siyue clutched her stomach, her face twisted in pain. She looked up, glaring at Mu Chengfeng with deadly intent. If she had a knife, there was no doubt she'd use it on him. The crowd grew larger, and Mu Chengfeng growled in frustration, "What a hassle! Let's go."
Mu Chengfeng wrapped his arm around the woman and strode off. Xia Siyue slowly got up, still holding her stomach, her dark eyes sweeping over the onlookers. She suddenly raised her voice and roared, "What are you looking at? Get lost!"
"Getting dumped by a man and still acting so high and mighty."
"What did you say? Say it again."
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Let go of me!"
Xia Siyue grabbed the speaker by the collar, her eyes blazing like fire. "I said, say it again!"
"You, you, I said, getting dumped by a man and still acting so—"
"Slap..."
"If you say another word, I'll tear your mouth apart! You believe me?"
Xia Siyue released him, tossing him aside like trash. She calmly straightened her clothes, held her head high, and walked through the school gates.
******
Xia Yan followed Lu Zhengting back to the Lu residence. Sitting on the sofa, she felt like her legs weren't even hers anymore, aching and sore. She barely furrowed her brow when she caught Jiang Mingxiu's icy glare from the corner of her eye. Instantly, Xia Yan forced a smile and sat up straight. Xiao Han came bouncing down the stairs, his face lighting up at the dessert box on the coffee table. Grinning, he said to Xia Yan, "Sister Yan, you're so good to me. You know this is my favorite."
Jiang Mingxiu, sitting nearby without a word, watched the scene unfold. When they left earlier, she'd seen Xia Yan ask the waiter to pack desserts and hadn't understood why. Now it was obvious—this girl, though young, had plenty of tricks, knowing how to win Xiao Han over. She sneered, took Xiao Han's hand, and pulled him close, saying affectionately, "Xiao Han, these are high-calorie foods. Eating too much is bad for your health."
As she spoke, Jiang Mingxiu picked up the cake in front of Xiao Han, ready to toss it in the trash. But Xiao Han shoved her away forcefully, annoyed. "Grandma, I like cake. And you never said that when I ate it before. You can't throw it away. I want to eat it."
"Xiao Han."
"Grandma, I've been listening to Sister Yan. I know too much cake is bad, so I haven't had any in a long time." Xiao Han blinked, his pitiful eyes fixed on the cake in Jiang Mingxiu's hands, licking his lips without looking away, terrified that if he blinked, the cake he'd finally gotten would be sacrificed before his eyes.
Hearing this, Jiang Mingxiu narrowed her eyes and glanced at Xia Yan, who sat there seriously. No one had ever been able to control Xiao Han's sweet tooth before, but now Xia Yan had won him over. No wonder she'd caught Lu Zhengting's eye. With a sigh, unable to bear Xiao Han's constant pleading looks, Jiang Mingxiu relented. "Just this once."
"I love Grandma the most. Grandma is the best to me." Xiao Han grabbed a cake and ate it with gusto, as if nothing in the world mattered more than the cake in his hands.
Lu Zhengting parked the car and entered the living room, unaware of what had just happened. Seeing Xiao Han with cream all over his mouth, he frowned. "Xiao Han, where's your dignity?"
"Dignity said it's too tired today, so it's taking the day off." Xiao Han's childish voice was soft and sweet, especially with cake still in his mouth, making his words even more endearing and slightly comical.
At noon, Xia Yan's cooking had ruined Jiang Mingxiu's appetite, so she had no interest in cooking dinner either. Lu Zhengting went upstairs to change into casual clothes and came back down, sensing the tense atmosphere. He paused, walked over to sit beside Xia Yan, and glanced at Xiao Han, who was sitting far away rubbing his round belly. His eyes asked a question, but Xiao Han just blinked and shook his head, signaling he didn't know either.
Jiang Mingxiu shot her son a stern look and said coldly, "A man forgets his mother once he has a woman!"
Startled, Lu Zhengting froze for a moment. "Mom, what are you talking about?"
"I said, a man forgets his mother once he has a woman." Jiang Mingxiu repeated, glancing at the silent Xia Yan. Everyone, young and old, was siding with this woman. It made her want to pack up and go back to the U.S. right then, but on second thought, she couldn't leave like that.
Just then, Chen Ma's voice rang out, temporarily breaking the stalemate.
Before bed, Xiao Han pestered Xia Yan to tell him a story. Smiling, Xia Yan took his hand and led him upstairs, feeling Jiang Mingxiu's inscrutable gaze on her. Once in Xiao Han's room, he pulled her to sit on the bed and asked cautiously, "Sister Yan, does Grandma not like you?"
"Why do you ask that, Xiao Han?"
"I can tell. Grandma wasn't like this before. Tonight was different—it's never happened." Xiao Han looked at Xia Yan seriously, worried for her. After all, she was his top candidate for a mother.
Xia Yan smiled. "Xiao Han, you're mistaken. Grandma doesn't dislike me. She's just strict with me, okay?"
"I don't get it. Xia Yan, don't treat me like a kid. I'll tell you a secret: I know Grandma really wants Auntie to marry my dad, but it seems like my dad isn't too keen."
"Auntie?"
"Yeah, Auntie Ke. I know she likes my dad and wants to marry him." Xiao Han puffed out his chest, looking smug as if he knew everything, like he was waiting for praise.
Hearing this, Xia Yan paused for a moment, then probed, "Xiao Han, do you know—"
"Know what?" Seeing Xia Yan stop mid-sentence, Xiao Han asked, confused.
"Nothing."
"Tsk, Sister Yan, you're no fun. You're just teasing me."
"You know what teasing means? Little rascal." Xia Yan pinched Xiao Han's nose. "So, what story do you want to hear tonight?"
"Anything's fine. They're all pointless anyway."
Xia Yan looked at Xiao Han, torn between laughter and tears. She remembered the last time she told him the story of Cinderella. She'd even moved herself, only to hear Xiao Han say flatly, "Cinderella was a count's daughter. How is that a rags-to-riches story? And the glass slipper falling off? That just means it didn't fit..."
What was her reaction back then? Oh, right—she felt like she'd been hit with a million blows of damage.
No one ruins fairy tales better than Xiao Han. Xia Yan almost wanted to hand over the storytelling duty to him. He made her question her entire childhood.