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Psst! We're moving!
After Yu Qing’s words, Yu Fei and Chen Yan forgot what they were doing and stared at her blankly.
Zou Lexiao was even more incredulous, tilting her head to look at Yu Qing’s profile. “The status you’re talking about—is it what we think? As your husband?”
Yu Qing countered: “What other identity could I possibly give him?”
Zou Lexiao chimed in: “Long-term tool or something like that.”
Yu Qing: “...”
She smacked Zou Lexiao on the head. “You’ve become mischievous.”
Chen Yan and Yu Fei were happy for her; even their work seemed more spirited.
Yu Fei said, “Let’s have some red wine tonight. It’s been a long time since we’ve been this happy.”
Yu Qing couldn’t drink, so she planned to make grape juice for her, “It’s equivalent to red wine.”
Throughout the evening, Zou Lexiao clung to Yu Qing.
Wherever Yu Qing went, Zou Lexiao followed. Even when sitting down to eat, she sat right next to Yu Qing.
Yu Fei looked at her, “You’re acting like an un-grown-up child.”
Zou Lexiao sighed deeply. “If I don’t cherish Yu Qing now, one day when she has a sister-in-law, I’ll have to keep my distance and can’t be so close to her anymore, or it will be annoying.”
Yu Fei immediately understood. She realized that Zou Lexiao’s recent off state was due to heartbreak.
Yu Qing toasted Zou Lexiao with grape juice, “I’m still your second sister-in-law.”
Zou Lexiao smiled, “That’s right. If I can’t be your sister-in-law, then you’ll be my sister-in-law.”
They didn’t dwell on the disheartening topic further and instead enjoyed Chen Yan’s cooking.
Yu Fei gave a thumbs up, “It’s been years since I’ve had such delicious home-cooked meals. My mom’s cooking is average, let alone mine. Now I eat at the cafeteria every day and haven’t cooked for months. Looks like I need to have you all over more often.”
Yu Qing was picky about food but found no faults here.
Her favorite dishes were especially refreshing.
“Did you specifically study cooking?” she asked Chen Yan.
Chen Yan shook her head. “I’m a foodie. When I was a full-time mom, I had no stress. At night, I would experiment with various dishes. Seeing my child enjoy them gave me a great sense of accomplishment.”
Now working at SZ, if there was a dish she couldn’t perfect, she would consult with chefs. With just a few pointers from them, the taste would improve significantly.
Yu Qing decided to learn how to make scallion oil noodles from her family chef. After giving birth to Little Fish, she would occasionally show off her skills by making a loving midnight snack for Fu Jichen and Little Fish.
She remembered that her father once made her a dish. Although it wasn’t tasty, she still remembered it until now.
At the table, Yu Fei’s phone vibrated—it was her son’s call.
She answered, “Not asleep yet?”
“No. Mom, come to the balcony.”
Before Yu Fei could reply, the call ended.
Yu Fei stood up, “My son is up to something, asking me to go to the balcony.”
They put down their chopsticks and went to see what was going on.
When they pulled back the curtains, everyone, including Yu Fei herself, exclaimed “Wow!”
There were many strings of balloons—blue, pink, and white.
They were adorned with glowing little stars.
Yu Fei didn’t look downstairs but knew it was Lu Chen’s trick.
Lu Chen and his son were downstairs. Yu Fei’s apartment was on the third floor—not too high. He used strings to pull the balloons, hoping she would look down so he could say a few words to her.
Unexpectedly, there was no sound from upstairs, and Yu Fei didn’t call out to her son.
He patiently waited.
When he looked up again, those thin strings snapped, and the balloons floated down, landing on his head.
Yu Fei cut the strings holding the balloons, brought the balloons inside, and closed the curtains.
Her son wanted to laugh but held it back.
He consoled his father: “Dad, if you persist for thirty years, Mom might consider forgiving you.”
Lu Chen didn’t expect Yu Fei to forgive him. He just wanted to give her the surprise he had planned for her 40th birthday.
“Let’s go back to Grandma’s house.”
Unconsciously, his son had grown up.
Almost six feet tall, soon catching up to his height.
Lu Chen patted his son’s shoulder: “Thank you for not blaming or hating me, Dad.”
“Don’t mention it,” his son said. “Mom told me that if I can do better than you in thirty years, and become a good dad and husband, then I can confidently give you a life lesson. Just as you used to scold me when I did poorly in exams.”
Lu Chen gripped his son’s shoulder firmly: “Dad looks forward to that day.”
________________________________________
Upstairs, the women lost their appetite and gathered around to admire the balloons.
The pink and blue balloons were decorations, but the white balloons were the main attraction tonight. Each had hand-drawn illustrations—twenty-two in total.
This year also marked the twenty-second year since Yu Fei and Lu Chen met.
Each illustration depicted a story.
The others only marveled and felt nostalgic, but Yu Fei understood each scene.
Yu Qing carefully examined them all, “Did Lu Chen draw these?”
Yu Fei nodded, “Yes, he’s quite good at drawing.” She hadn’t expected him to remember so many things. Some events, if he hadn’t mentioned them, she would have forgotten.
It showed that her past feelings were not misplaced.
Zou Lexiao took pictures of all the balloons in the room. She hadn’t experienced such surprises and emotions herself but could feel a bit of it through others’ stories.
“Yu Qing, what surprises has Second Brother given you?”
Yu Qing: “Many. Time-axis spanning years, perfume, robots.” Suddenly appearing at banquets.
The biggest surprise was the note he left her.
Being a decent person.
As if sensing something, Fu Jichen called.
Yu Qing walked to the dining room to answer, “Are you done?” Tonight, he had a banquet with many friends, which inevitably involved drinking and card games.
Fu Jichen: “I’m at the club now. It’ll be a while longer. I asked Yu Jingze to pick you up.”
Yu Qing always had a driver taking her places. “There’s no need for him to come.” Mainly, she didn’t want Zou Lexiao to see him for now to avoid triggering painful memories.
Until Yu Jingze figured out his feelings, it wasn’t suitable for them to meet.
Perhaps her intuition was wrong, and Yu Jingze genuinely didn’t like Zou Lexiao.
Fu Jichen: “He can talk to you, so you won’t be bored on the way.”
Yu Qing lowered her voice: “Zou Lexiao is also at tonight’s dinner.”
“Don’t worry. Your brother won’t get out of the car, and Zou Lexiao won’t know he’s inside.”
Someone called Fu Jichen from the other side, and he prepared to hang up. “Yu Jingze is already here. Call him when you’re done.”
“Hey, wait a moment, President Fu.”
“What is it?”
“What’s your favorite month?”
“June.”
“Why?”
“I met a lawyer named Yu Qing. She talks a lot.”
Yu Qing laughed, “Goodbye, my President Fu.”
It was June now, and she was pondering when to give him that status.
The dinner didn’t end until half past ten. Considering Yu Qing shouldn’t stay up too late, they agreed to meet again during the day next time.
Chen Yan had drunk half a glass of red wine and couldn’t drive. She planned to take a taxi home.
Zou Lexiao asked where she lived—it was on the way. “I’ll drop you off.”
Chen Yan reminded her, “You’ve also been drinking. Have you forgotten?”
“My dad is picking me up.”
“Alright then.”
Before leaving, Zou Lexiao took a few pink and blue balloons, planning to draw a few pictures at home to congratulate herself on her rebirth.
Just a man.
No big deal.
Their cars were parked at the entrance of the community. Yu Fei’s apartment wasn’t far from the gate—it only took a few minutes to walk there.
Yu Qing didn’t call Yu Jingze but sent him a message: [Zou Lexiao is also here. Don’t come out. Send me your location, and I’ll find you.]
Outside the community, Zou Lexiao’s father’s car was parked to the south. Coincidentally, Yu Jingze’s car was parked to the north, so they wouldn’t run into each other.
Yu Qing sighed in relief and waved goodbye to them.
She headed north, while Zou Lexiao and Chen Yan went south.
After walking a few steps, she heard someone call from behind, “Yan Yan.”
It was Zhao Shuqun’s voice.
Chen Yan turned to look. His car slowly drove towards them.
Zou Lexiao didn’t know Zhao Shuqun, “Your... husband?”
Chen Yan nodded, “Yes, I don’t know why he’s here.”
Zou Lexiao: “Go ahead.”
Zhao Shuqun lowered the passenger window, leaned over, and pushed the door open from inside.
Chen Yan got in without asking how he found her. Probably, he asked Yu Fei where she lived and waited here until the gathering ended.
Now, she treated Zhao Shuqun completely as an ATM, occasionally humoring him.
Zhao Shuqun didn’t ask much about the gathering, fearing it would irritate her. He reclined the passenger seat, “Take a nap. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
Chen Yan didn’t want to chat much either. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.
Maybe people are masochistic. Now that she wasn’t as accommodating as before, he became more attentive. Whenever he wasn’t working overtime, he went home to accompany the children.
Perhaps Yu Fei was right. Having her own job, even though her salary meant nothing to Zhao Shuqun, it was income and confidence for her.
Compared to before, she was radiant.
Gradually, she was exuding workplace charm.
Yu Fei also told her that after men cheat, few reflect or feel guilty upon being discovered by their wives. Most often, they remain indifferent.
Only when the wife stops pestering him, stops caring, and starts blossoming does the man suddenly feel uncomfortable and develop a sense of crisis.
________________________________________
Zou Lexiao strolled leisurely towards where her father parked. She played with the balloons in her hand, gently letting them go, allowing them to float for a couple of seconds before pulling them back.
Sometimes the balloons floated too high, and she had to jump to grab them.
If Yu Jingze were like these balloons, she always had a way to reach him.
In that fleeting moment of distraction, the balloon floated higher. She jumped hard but still couldn’t reach it.
Fortunately, it was blocked by the lush camphor tree and didn’t fly into the sky.
But even at this height, she still couldn’t reach it.
She called her father, planning to ask for help.
At this moment, Yu Jingze’s car drove over from behind. Yu Qing saw Zou Lexiao struggling to reach the balloon. She was on the phone now, probably calling Zou President.
But Zou President wasn’t tall, and he might not reach the balloon either.
Yu Qing glanced at Yu Jingze, who was also looking out the window.
The car drove past.
Yu Jingze instructed the driver, “Back up a bit.”
Hearing a car approaching, Zou Lexiao instinctively turned her face. The returning car was Yu Jingze’s vehicle. Through the window, she saw the man who had made her so sad for days.
Yu Jingze got out and effortlessly pulled the balloon down.
Zou Lexiao took the balloon, “Thank you, President Yu.”
Yu Jingze: “You’re welcome. It was a small effort.” He turned to leave.
After two seconds, Zou Lexiao hardened her heart, placed the balloon on the ground, and stomped on it, popping it with a series of “pop” sounds. She picked up the broken pieces and threw them directly into the trash bin.
Yu Jingze’s steps paused slightly as he walked towards the car.
Yu Qing looked at him, “Doesn’t it sound like your lungs bursting with anger?”
Yu Jingze: “...”
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