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The Illusion of Love
墨書 Inktalez
At the entrance of a high-end apartment building, two women stood, one tall and one small. The woman in her twenties and the four or five-year-old girl looked like sisters. Their skin was dark, and their clothing was simple. Standing next to the glamorous Xinping, they resembled Cinderella and a princess. They were clearly taken aback by Xinping's presence, standing awkwardly in place.
The woman timidly asked, "Are you Liu Jinming's girlfriend?"
Xinping nodded, looking at the woman and the child with confusion.
"This is Liu Jinming's daughter," she pointed at Xinping, "her name is Xinping."
The little girl glared at Xinping, her eyes filled with hatred.
"My name is Niandi," she said fiercely.
Niandi?
Xinping was taken aback; she had heard this name before; it was the name Liu Jinming had given his daughter.
Xinping glanced at Liu Jinming, whose expression was grim.
"What are you doing here?" Liu Jinming asked harshly.
The woman stammered, "Your dad sent us."
"Dad, why are you here?" Liu Jinming's tone remained unfriendly.
The little girl interjected, "Mom said we should come see Daddy's new wife."
"Slap!"
Liu Jinming slapped the little girl across the face: "Shut up!"
The little girl was stunned by the blow; after a few seconds, she burst into tears.
The woman crouched down and hugged the little girl tightly, looking at Liu Jinming with tears in her eyes and anger in her voice: "Why did you hit the child?"
Xinping frowned: "Liu Jinming, what do you mean by this?"
"Who are they?"
Liu Jinming stammered, "I... I'm distant relatives."
"Distant relatives?" Xinping scoffed, "I’ve never heard of any distant relatives of yours."
Liu Jinming was extremely flustered, sweat beading on his forehead: "They are... relatives from my aunt's side; you don't know them."
"Oh?" Xinping raised an eyebrow. "How come I didn't know you had an aunt?"
Liu Jinming wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I... I..."
Xinping was too lazy to listen to his excuses and said to the mother and daughter, "Come in, standing at the door is not appropriate."
The woman held the child's hand and followed her in step by step.
They looked around, their eyes filled with curiosity.
"Did you book a hotel?" Xinping asked. "If not, I can drive you there later."
The woman quickly waved her hands. "No need! No need! We... we can sleep here."
"Huh?" Xinping was taken aback. "But... there are no rooms here."
The woman explained, "We can just sleep on the floor; it won't be a problem."
"Sleep on the floor?" Xinping's eyes widened. "That won't do!"
The woman smiled shyly. "It's fine; we're used to it."
Xinping turned to glare at Liu Jinming. "Why did you hit the child earlier?"
Liu Jinming's face turned pale; he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
"Speak up!" Xinping shouted angrily. "What is going on here?"
Liu Jinming remained silent.
Xinping looked at the little girl. "What is your father's name?"
The little girl glanced at Liu Jinming and then at Xinping, too scared to speak.
Xinping softened her tone. "Don't be afraid; tell Auntie what your father's name is."
The little girl whispered, "Liu Jinming."
Xinping turned to the woman. "Do you have a marriage certificate?"
The woman lowered her head. "We didn't bring the marriage certificate, but we have photos."
Saying this, she took out an old, yellowed photograph from her bag.
In the photo, Liu Jinming was wearing a suit, and the woman was in a wedding dress; they both wore red flowers on their chests and looked very happy.
Xinping's head buzzed with confusion.
She took a deep breath. "Liu Jinming, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Liu Jinming lowered his gaze and remained silent.
The woman suddenly said, "If you don't mind, I can live with you."
"What?" Xinping was extremely shocked.
"I said, I don't mind living with you," the woman said seriously. "Over there, wealthy people can marry several wives."
Xinping trembled with anger as she stared at Liu Jinming. "Your place? Is it really like that there?"
"Liu Jinming, do you really want to treat me like a concubine? Are you trying to establish a polygamous relationship?"
Liu Jinming whispered, "Don't shout, it's not what you think."
"Then what is it!" Xinping yelled, "You better explain it clearly!"
"I..." Liu Jinming hesitated.
Xinping took a deep breath to calm herself. "Alright, then tell me, when did you get married?"
"More than three years ago."
"More than three years?!" Xinping's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
Liu Jinming spoke softly, "I was afraid you'd dislike me..."
"Dislike you?" Xinping gritted her teeth in anger. "Liu Jinming, are you out of your mind?"
"You got married and have children; what do you expect me to do about it?"
"You’re deceiving me into marriage!"
"Do you know what would happen if my family found out about this?!"
Liu Jinming shrank his neck and dared not speak.
Xinping looked at him in this state and became even angrier. "Speak up!"
"I... I had no choice," Liu Jinming said quietly. "My mom wants a grandson, so... I had to marry her."
"Your mom wants a grandson?" Xinping laughed in anger. "So because your mom wants a grandson, you go marry and have kids?"
"Liu Jinming, are you brainless?"
"Is your family trying to inherit a throne or something?"
"Will they die without a son?"
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