Li Xian’s Mother Tries to Make Peace

After seeing Li Xian off to the hospital, Yan Yue was about to head back when her phone rang at just the right moment. She glanced at the caller and answered with a smile.

“Has Teacher Qin woken up?” Yan Yue asked.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t need to go to the company today?”

“I don’t.”

“Then where did you go?”

Yan Yue parted her lips, paused, and said, “I had an appointment with a stunning beauty; of course I showed up on time.”

Sure enough, there was silence on the other end for a moment.

“When are you coming back?” the other person asked indifferently.

Not even the slightest reaction. Something was off.

“Done talking, heading back now,” Yan Yue said.

“Oh.”

The call ended.

Yan Yue looked at her phone and smiled for no apparent reason before driving back to Jingsheng.

When she got home and opened the door, she hadn’t even changed out of her shoes before a powerful force pinned her hands against the back of the door, her fingers forced to interlock.

They were very close; the other person was right in front of her.

Aside from her initial shock, Yan Yue did not resist at all; in fact, she cooperated quite well.

“A first thing in the morning appointment; is it really that important?” Qin Qingyan asked sourly.

“Mm, it is pretty important.” Yan Yue ignored the dissatisfied look on her face and answered seriously.

“More important than me?”

“It’s different; they can’t be compared.”

That answer made Qin Qingyan very unhappy. She actually knew Yan Yue was teasing her on purpose, and she also wanted to properly get back at Yan Yue; otherwise, she’d lose her place as wife in the future.

She leaned closer. “Can’t be compared? How can they not be compared?”

Qin Qingyan lowered her head and kissed Yan Yue on the lips. When she pulled back, she said, “Can she do this like I can?”

Before Yan Yue could answer, Qin Qingyan bit lightly at her collarbone. “And this?”

Then her neck. “This?”

Finally, she returned to her lips and, unable to hold back, lingered there for a long while. Then, panting, she said, “Can she do any of these things? Does she even have the right?”

Yan Yue’s chest rose and fell as she steadied her breathing.

Qin Qingyan stared at the person in front of her. Watching her flushed and aroused expression, her long lashes fluttering, her eyes at a loss, her lips slightly parted and still glistening with moisture, Qin Qingyan’s throat went dry.

She couldn’t wait for an answer anymore and kissed her directly. Releasing their tightly interlocked hands, she cupped Yan Yue’s face with both hands and kissed her hard.

Yan Yue responded, her hands going to Qin Qingyan’s shoulders.

But very soon, Yan Yue realized Qin Qingyan was starting to get unruly; one hand had actually begun unbuttoning her shirt.

“Qin Qing... mm...”

Before long, the shirt buttons were all undone.

Yan Yue’s cheeks were flushed; it was impossible to tell whether she was angry or just too embarrassed.

Qin Qingyan, however, suddenly stopped. Panting, she didn’t continue. She left Yan Yue’s lips, smiled, and said, “Punishment.”

In a very good mood, she picked up Yan Yue’s handbag, which had fallen to the floor, and turned to leave.

Yan Yue steadied her breathing. Her shirt hung open on both sides, revealing a light-colored bra and her flat stomach. She didn’t even need to look to know her lipstick must have been smeared to pieces; in this state, she looked as if she had been... and by someone six years younger, just in her early twenties.

She swallowed her dry throat. Qin Qingyan was sitting leisurely on the sofa, unhurriedly eating cantaloupe.

Really, she was asking for a beating.

Li Xian’s father saw Li Xian’s husband cheating again.

This time, it was one of Li Yi’s old friends who happened to spot it on the street and hurriedly called to tell him. Li Yi drove over and witnessed the scene with his own eyes.

He did not storm up in anger; instead, his face darkened, and he waved the driver away.

At noon, Li Xian went back home. As expected, Li Xian’s father and mother were sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

She looked exhausted, lifted her eyes to them, and showed no surprise on her face.

Li Xian’s mother looked at her daughter with pain in her heart; the words of concern reached her lips, then stopped.

“Dad, Mom, is something wrong?” She sat down opposite them and coughed lightly a few times.

The full sky of anger in Li Xian’s father’s heart dissipated by more than half at the sound of those coughs.

Li Xian had barely sat down for long when her expression suddenly changed. She rushed into the bathroom, and the sound of her vomiting cut at their hearts like a knife. Then came the rush of water from the faucet.

When she sat back down on the sofa again, her eyes were red, and she looked even more tired.

Li Yi rarely looked so carefully at the daughter he had raised with such care. She had always been capable; from a young age she had seldom given him reasons to worry, and as an adult she had become his pride.

But now, the relationship between father and daughter was drifting farther and farther apart; yet his original intention had clearly been to do what was best for her. If it was for her own good, how had it come to this?

“Since you’re pregnant, don’t worry too much about the hospital,” her father said.

Li Xian nodded lightly.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Li Xian’s father glanced at Li Xian’s mother, signaling for her to say a few words.

Li Xian’s mother sighed. “Ah Xian, we came back this time to talk about you and him. Marriage isn’t child’s play; I believe you wouldn’t act rashly, that you must have chosen carefully. But people’s hearts are hard to see through. If things really don’t work between you two, there’s no need to force it and muddle through your days.”

“Mom,” Li Xian said, “we’re fine. Don’t worry about us.”

Li Yi gave a cold snort and said nothing.

“But he’s not treating you well at all. Just look at it: which prenatal checkup has he ever accompanied you to? Where is there any sign of a proper husband? You can’t let yourself lose a lifetime of happiness just because you’re carrying his child.” Li Xian’s mother said.

“Mom, and how can you guarantee the next one will be better than him? Rather than that, I might as well make do; at least he’s the child’s father.”

Li Xian’s mother fell silent.

After a long while, she sighed and said softly, “That actress... if you really like her, we won’t stop you.”

Li Xian suddenly smiled; tears hung at the corners of her eyes. “Mom, do you think I’m still worthy of her now? Would she still be willing to take me back?”

After leaving Li Xian’s home, Li Xian’s father and mother remained silent, each carrying the same thoughts.

In the car, Li Xian’s mother’s mind was in turmoil, and she kept sighing. Li Yi tapped on his phone for a long time, then seemed to speak casually to his wife. “That actress; I’ve never heard she’s married.”

Li Xian’s mother looked at her husband and understood what he meant. Then she turned back to the window. “It’s been so long; if she isn’t married, she’s probably dating someone by now.”

And, just as Li Xian had said, why would anyone be willing to accept a woman carrying another man’s child?

Though she thought that, Li Xian’s mother still held on to a very faint thread of hope. What if? Besides, from what she had seen, that child truly loved Li Xian; maybe she really still cared about Li Xian after all.

Bai Ruo sat in a restaurant, looking at Li Xian’s mother across from her, unable to tell what she was feeling inside.

Not long ago, she had received a phone call from Li Xian’s mother. She hadn’t known who it was and had answered. The gist was that she wanted to talk to her; Bai Ruo didn’t want any more entanglement with the Li family, so she flatly refused.

Then the woman kept calling, and Bai Ruo ignored her. She hadn’t expected Li Xian’s mother to come find her in person.

“These are all relatively light dishes; they’re suitable for you actors,” Li Xian’s mother said.

“Thank you.” Bai Ruo said, “If you have something to say, just say it plainly. I still have an event to rush to this afternoon.”

“Alright... then I won’t beat around the bush. Before, perhaps we did you wrong, and I want to apologize to you. I came today for only one thing: do you still love Ah Xian?” Li Xian’s mother asked.

Bai Ruo’s gaze froze, then she looked at her. “If I remember correctly, she’s already married, and she’s pregnant. What are you asking me this for?”

Li Xian’s mother spoke with difficulty. “I can tell that Ah Xian still has feelings for you. If you still like Ah Xian too, then after she divorces, we’ll agree to you two...”

“Auntie, I don’t know why you suddenly agreed, but don’t you think it’s too late? Besides, to me, Li Xian is no different from a stranger now, and I don’t want my life entangled with that of a married woman.”

Li Xian’s mother took several photos from her bag and handed them to Bai Ruo.

“The divorce is only a matter of time. I don’t want my daughter’s whole life to be ruined like this.”

Bai Ruo looked at the photos; every one of them proved the man’s infidelity.

“He’s not qualified to be a husband. Since she got pregnant, all of it has been carried by Ah Xian alone. The baby isn’t showing much yet, and the reactions haven’t been too severe, but it’ll grow eventually. When that time comes, can she count on that man?” Li Xian’s mother said. “Your father and I can help her with everyday matters, but what affects a pregnant woman most is her emotions. Right now, I only hope she can be safe and sound; who she likes is up to her.”

Bai Ruo didn’t say anything for a long time, her expression impossible to read.

Li Xian’s mother observed her carefully, but she was a very good actress, hiding her emotions extremely well, leaving nothing to see through.

“Since the marriage isn’t right, then they can get divorced. That’s a lawyer’s concern. I’m just an actress; I can’t help her with anything.”

“No, you can help her; only you can help her.”

“Auntie,” Bai Ruo said very calmly, “I know what you mean, and I admit that I do still like her. But the child in her belly, I can’t accept it.”

Li Xian’s mother froze; the joy in her eyes had not even had time to fade.

“The child—if you don’t like it after it’s born, I can take it with me. You only need to live well with Ah Xian.”

Bai Ruo smiled. “But it’s still her child, isn’t it?”

After saying goodbye to Li Xian’s mother, Bai Ruo wandered aimlessly. By the time she came back to herself, she had ended up in a park. The lake surface shimmered with rippling light, making everything seem unreal.

She sat on a bench and thought about her troubles alone. Those troubles drifted like clouds on the horizon, uncertain and shifting.

Taking out her phone, she found the group chat with the others. After hesitating, she told them about the matter. The first to reply was Su Yan.

Su Yan: I’m pretty petty, so no.

She sent it together with a sticker.

Qin Qingyan: Li Xian hasn’t divorced yet after all; the specifics are only Li Xian’s mother’s side of the story. Let’s withhold judgment and see?

Yan Yue: It might be worth a try.

Qin Qingyan looked at the message Yan Yue had sent on her phone, then turned to frown at the person sitting beside her. “Worth a try? Li Xian was ruthless toward Bai Ruo back then.”

Yan Yue raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t reply; instead, she kept typing: Li Xian isn’t the kind of person who would act recklessly. Maybe she has some hidden difficulties. As for the divorce, it should happen soon. Why not wait until then and find a chance to talk to Li Xian properly?

Qin Qingyan tossed her phone aside and straddled Yan Yue’s lap; Yan Yue steadied her by the waist.

“I feel like you know something,” she said, frowning.

“Do I? No, I’m just making a reasonable analysis.” Yan Yue smiled.

Qin Qingyan stared at her for a long time, then sighed, turned around, and sat back down, leaning against Yan Yue’s shoulder.