Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Youngest aunt, Tan Yuechun, organized a Reunion Dinner that evening and quite a number of relatives turned up.
The atmosphere in the living room was lively. The relatives were talking and laughing as they chatted with each other. Tan Yuechun personally took the job of serving tea to them and was very attentive to them. However, Xing Yuanhang’s behavior was no longer the same as that of previous years. He couldn’t even bother to talk to his wife’s relatives. He no longer had patience with his wife’s relatives and he only talked to the relatives of the Xing Family.
Tan Yuechun felt that his behavior was inappropriate. While going for a refill of drinks, she got him to come along and spoke in a low tone.
“This is the Reunion Dinner, after all, just pretend to be happier even if you’re not pleased.”
Xing Yuanhang replied, “I don’t like to pretend.”
The anger in Tan Yuechun’s heart was almost set ablaze. “Didn’t you do a good job in pretending before them? Why? You’re unable to do that now?”
Xing Yuanhang took a quick glance at her and lowered his gaze quietly. “I don’t want to quarrel with you.”
They had been husband and wife for so many years that even a little bit of change could not escape Tan Yuechun’s eyes. Every time when Xing Yuanhang did not want to bother with her, he would adopt such an attitude. In the past, he rarely did that. Now… the frequency of seeing such behavior from him had increased as time went by.
He had learned to stay out for the whole night. Even if he came back, he did not seem happy to see her.
“At the very least, you need to tolerate till after Lunar New Year. Then, we can sit down and have a good discussion on how to settle this.”
Tan Yuechun said sarcastically, “Could it be that her tummy couldn’t even wait after Lunar New Year is over?”
Xing Yuanhang’s grim expression eased up slightly as she finally relented. “Fine, you go attend to the guests and stop keeping an eye on me. There are so many relatives today. Don’t be a laughing stock.”
“Laughing stock? I’m indeed a laughing stock.” Tan Yuechun sneered.
Xiang Wan entered the house at this moment.
Although she did not hear their conversation, she was able to analyze their emotions from their expressions.
It wasn’t long since she had last met her youngest aunt and uncle-in-law, but their relationship had deteriorated to such an extent?
Xiang Wan almost couldn’t believe her eyes.
Just what kind of homewrecker was that to cause such a rift between a husband and wife?
Most men, especially successful men, even if they fooled around with women, they would be smart enough to get out when the women outside started to get clingy or demanded more. They usually wouldn’t procrastinate and wouldn’t give up their family easily.
This was because they knew very well that although young and nubile bodies were a plus point, the woman who loved him the best was still the woman waiting for them at home. Men’s ultimate goal was to have the best of both worlds. Successful men who actually divorced his wife for the sake of his lover were either stupid or gullible.
Xing Yuanhang was clearly not stupid nor gullible.
Could it be that what happened at the lunch banquet had affected their family structure?
“Second sis, you’re here?”
Tan Yuechun received them, she looked at both Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan with a smile and took her sister’s hand warmly. “Sis, come and take a seat over there!”
Unhappiness had disappeared from her face. All that was shown was a smiling face.
It was as if the earlier unhappiness with Xing Yuanhang had never happened.
Xiang Wan handed a gift that she had prepared. “Youngest aunt, Happy New Year!”
Tan Yuechun was surprised and accepted the gift. “It’s already good enough that you’ve come. There’s no need to bring me gifts!”
“I should.”
After exchanging a few words, Tan Yuechun brought them to some empty seats but Xiang Wan’s mom was obviously not someone who could sit and do nothing. She smiled, then started to roll up her sleeves and went to the kitchen to help out her youngest sister.
Xiang Wan heaved a sigh inside her head when she saw that and led Bai Muchuan to walk over to Fang Yuanyuan.
“You’re here so early today?”
Fang Yuanyuan turned when she felt her shoulders were squeezed.
“Eh? When did you come?”
Xiang Wan showed a cheeky smile. “I just arrived.”
Fang Yuanyuan was playing poker with another two younger cousins of some relatives and didn’t notice who was at the door.
She grinned and asked the two younger cousins to sit closer to make space for Xiang Wan and Bai Muchuan.
“You want to play?”
“Nope!” Xiang Wan didn’t feel like playing. She took a look at Bai Muchuan. “How ’bout you?”
Bai Muchuan propped a hand on his forehead and shook his head. “You can go ahead to play.”
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Xiang Wan pouted. “It’s not fun.”
Such gatherings were torture to them.
Firstly, they had to withstand the scrutinizing gazes from the various relatives. Secondly, they had to listen to others chatting till dinner was ready.
Time really moved too slowly.
Besides playing with their phone, it seemed that there wasn’t any better way to pass time.
Bai Muchuan waved his phone at her. “You’ll go ahead and talk to them. I’ll find out about the latest situation.”
From time to time, there would be relatives coming over to greet Xiang Wan and through her, they would get to know about Bai Muchuan and tried to talk to him. Well, it was only normal as he was now the future son-in-law and was hence, considered to be a new addition to the family. However, Xiang Wan knew Bai Muchuan very well, she was sure that he was not interested in handling the relatives even in his adoptive family.
So, she simply let him sit in an armchair in a corner.
After that, she moved to sit with Fang Yuanyuan to talk to her.
In this way, when relatives came up to her, they would only talk to her.
Bai Muchuan smiled knowingly when Xiang Wan winked at him.
The two of them need not exchange any words but understood what they were thinking about.
“Tch, stop that, it’s mushy!” Fang Yuanyuan saw that and asked again, “So, you’re really not playing?”
Xiang Wan shook her head. “Nope.”
Fang Yuanyuan suggested, “Hmm, how about mahjong?”
Xiang Wan stared at her. “Am I not clear enough?”
Fang Yuanyuan shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, you’re clear enough but fierce at the same time!”
Hmph! Xiang Wan snorted at her with a smile then looked around the living room. “Eh? I didn’t see Feifei around?”
Fang Yuanyuan did not lift her head but was focused on her game of cards. “Since when does the little princess play with the commoners?”
“…”
Although what she said also applies, Xing Feifei was, however, a girl who really liked to be in the limelight.
Whenever there was such a lively family gathering, ‘the most beautiful, richest, most tasteful and the most refined’ Miss Xing, would want to at least appear before the crowd, strutting her ‘peacock feathers’. Thus, it was really unusual that she didn’t appear.
“Don’t tell me you actually miss her presence?” Fang Yuanyuan glanced at her teasingly.
“I’m just puzzled, that’s all.”
She was very sensitive.
She would be curious about everything that had deviated from the normal track.
As Xiang Wan was chewing over this, she suddenly saw Xing Yuanhang striding out of the house.
His facial expression seemed a little tense; a little angry as well as, he seemed like he couldn’t wait…
Xiang Wan paused for a moment and glanced over at Bai Muchuan. “I’m going to the ladies.”
…
During the nights in winter, the dark sky was gloomy and cold.
Outside the Xing Family’s villa, under a street lamp, a girl was standing with her hand placed on her protruding belly. Although she was dressed in a long overcoat, that could not conceal the fact that she was pregnant.
Xing Yuanhang was standing in front of the girl, gesturing and talking to her in a soft tone.
The girl was emotional. It seemed that they were having an argument and she gave Xing Yuanhang a push but he caught her hand.
As the two of them were having their little fight, Xiang Wan moved closer and hid behind the main gates, leaning against the wall and looked outside.
“You’re a big liar. You said you would get a divorce before the year ends and that you’d spend the Lunar New Year with me… So, this is how you treat me? You left me alone to fend for myself, get despised by all my relatives, friends and classmates… everyone looked down on me…”
Classmates?
Xiang Wan tilted her head a little to look at the girl.
She was young and seemed only about two years older than Xing Feifei.
Xing Yuanhang could actually get together with a girl about the age of his daughter?
The contempt in Xiang Wan’s heart reached its peak but she also realized that this matter was tricky.
How should she handle this?