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I couldn't hold my impatience any longer and called Wang Xu. His voice was cheerful, and he started teasing me, "Wife, you finally took the initiative to call me! Are you coming home? I really miss you; please come back soon."
I couldn't believe his words. That silver bracelet may not have been worn by Deng Xiaomei by chance yesterday, but it was definitely on her wrist now. Did Wang Xu give it to her? Did his mother give it to her? Did she take it herself when she entered this family?
I couldn't tolerate any of those possibilities. It felt like a slap in the face from a distance, still painful.
"Not yet, but soon. Just a few days. Where are you right now?"
It was four-thirty in the afternoon, and I would soon be heading to school to pick up Lu Shuang. During the time I spent changing clothes in my room, I needed to confirm a few things.
"I'm at work, of course. To be honest, I'm working overtime today as well. But since you're coming back, I'll take leave to stay home with you. We haven't seen each other for a long time; I really miss you," Wang Xu said with affection.
"No, it's fine. You can stay busy. I just wanted to check in on you because I know how hard you work to support this family," I replied.
Recalling what my mother-in-law had said that day about how her son worked so hard while I, Zhuang Jun, lived off others and was inferior.
Wang Xu truly thought I was praising him, and he spoke with a hint of pride, "That's how it should be; if I don't support this family, who will?"
I sneered silently in my heart and hung up the phone. His behavior now suggested that my mother-in-law hadn't brought up the house issue yet, which was unacceptable.
Time is precious.
After changing clothes and leaving the hotel, I called my mother-in-law. She had trouble hearing and often missed calls. After failing to reach her on the first try, I called again. It wasn't until the fifth or sixth attempt that she finally picked up.
"Hello."
"Hello, Mom."
As soon as I called out, my mother-in-law responded excitedly, "Why are you calling me? What do you want?"
Her tone was suspicious and aggressive; even if I couldn't see her, I could imagine it. I hailed a taxi and continued speaking in a hushed voice once I got inside.
"Mom, I'm worried that something might go wrong on your end. If there's any trouble, I need to ask first so I can help. Otherwise, I'll always be thinking about what might go wrong with Deng Xiaomei, and we won't be able to finalize this deal."
My mother-in-law breathed heavily, and after I finished speaking, she snorted coldly. But then, as if realizing the reversal of our positions, she softened her tone: "If I, an old woman, promised something, I will do it. You don't need to worry, but you must not mention this to my son! Otherwise, I..."
Well, what could she do?
"Of course, Mom. I really want to divorce Wang Xu and end all of this quickly. But it seems like Wang Xu is still a bit reluctant about me. If he starts suspecting anything about Deng Xiaomei's child, it could get complicated. That's why I'm asking you."
"Hmph! That's because my son has been blinded! He doesn't understand anything!"
My heart sank. Being called a seductress, having been slapped and accused of deceiving him—what other negative terms had my mother-in-law not used to describe me?
I was already beyond redemption.
"Alright then, Mom. I just wanted to remind you that we need to push Wang Xu a bit more. I won't entangle myself with your son anymore, but you need to speed things up too."
"Okay, okay, I know! Just don’t call me again; don’t let my son find out!" By the end, she seemed unable to contain her anger and yelled at me. I simply replied with an "mm" and hung up.
This phone call left me feeling terrible. Every interaction with my mother-in-law felt torturous; she always managed to say something that pierced my heart.
Reflecting on my previous endurance made me feel like a complete fool.
But thankfully, the outcome was what I wanted—she hadn't changed her mind, and Wang Xu hadn't figured out my plan yet.
After arriving at school, there were still about twenty minutes until class ended when Lu Ming called me and asked where I was. I gave him the address, and after a few seconds he replied, "You got there so early?"
"Yeah," I didn't argue. "I was worried about traffic and missing the time to pick up Shuangshuang."
"Okay, just wait there."
Lu Ming hung up the phone, leaving me puzzled. Why did he tell me to wait? The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. It wasn't until he came over from the parking spot that everything clicked for me.
It turned out he wanted me to wait for him to come over.
Halfway through the conversation, it really wasn't anything good.
Lu Ming got out of the car, and parents around us whispered among themselves, perhaps because they had never seen this parent before, or maybe because they had never seen such an attractive parent.
When Lu Ming stood in front of me, the people nearby looked me up and down and then scrutinized him with meaningful glances.
I cleared my throat and muttered softly, "Why are you here? Did you finish work?"
Lu Ming tilted his head and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Surprised?"
I rolled my eyes internally but retorted, "No, it's just that seeing you suddenly is a bit unusual."
Neither of us spoke further, allowing the gazes of those around us to linger. I worried that when I came to pick up Lu Shuang again tomorrow, I would be subjected to more insinuations. My social skills weren't high, and I was contemplating how to handle it.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was a call from Wang Xu. Startled, I glanced at Lu Ming and realized I had overreacted. I quickly averted my gaze and explained, "I need to take this call."
I walked briskly across the street before answering the phone.
"Why did you call me?"
"What's wrong? Isn't it normal for me to call you? Why do you sound so unhappy?" Wang Xu's voice had an odd tone.
I hadn't intended to give Wang Xu a good mood. Hearing him say that made me worry about revealing too much, so I explained, "I'm busy right now. Didn't we just talk earlier? What do you want now?"
"Isn't my ID still with you? We need to meet tomorrow no matter what, my dear. It's very inconvenient without my ID."
I suddenly remembered that Wang Xu's ID and bank card were still with me and that I hadn't returned them yet. He must really need them, so I had no choice but to agree.
"Alright, I'll leave it at home for you tomorrow morning. You can pick it up when you get back from work."
"Wife," Wang Xu suddenly said.
"What do you want?"
"Wife, are you talking about letting me leave something at home this morning? Is that what you mean?" Wang Xu's probing words made me alert, and I instinctively began to recall where I might have said something wrong.
"Yes, I'm off tomorrow, so I don't have anything to do."
"Oh, I see." Wang Xu murmured, "But you can't just leave things at home and go. We should at least meet up. You should move back home; it's been a long time since you've stayed there. The neighbors will start talking."
"Well, let's talk about it later." I perfunctorily hung up the phone, only to realize that I was sweating in the cold winter.
I understood Wang Xu while he also understood me.
The call I just received might have been about the identity card, but he was definitely testing me!
During this time, I only came here in the afternoon to pick up Lu Shuang from school. I had nothing to do in the morning. When he asked for his identity card back, I let something slip. If I were really busy with overtime and business trips, how could I find time to run home on a weekday morning?
This call exposed too much about me. After Wang Xu's infidelity, I realized how cautious he was. His attitude and questioning made it hard not to wonder if he had already discovered everything.
I worried that there might be some variables on my mother-in-law's side, but I couldn't call her again and expose more; I had to stay calm.
The school bell rang, and a throng of students poured out of the building. I had no choice but to put away my phone and walk over to Lu Ming. Under his scrutinizing gaze, I feared he would notice something and could only lower my head.
When Lu Shuang was sent out by her teacher, she happened to see me and Lu Ming. A smile appeared on her face as she jogged over, stopping in front of Lu Ming. She slowly raised her little hand, waiting for him to reach out and take hers, which made her smile even brighter.
Seeing this scene filled me with bittersweet emotions. Lu Shuang was still a child; when she wasn't smiling, it felt like it wasn't just because she resembled Lu Ming too much but because something had happened.
Yet she inadvertently revealed a longing for paternal love, reminiscent of my own past desire for family. However, Lu Shuang was much happier than I was; her father may not be the most responsible parent but had never thought of giving her up.
Today, Lu Shuang was a bit more lively, but I was feeling quite troubled because of Wang Xu. After dinner, Lu Ming ordered a dessert for Lu Shuang, who held the spoon and took small bites.
"Just eat your food, I'll be back soon," Lu Ming said as he wiped the crumbs from the corner of Lu Shuang's mouth with a napkin. Lu Shuang nodded obediently.
I thought Lu Ming was going to the restroom, but after standing up, he looked at me and said, "Come here."
My mind was still in disarray, but because of Lu Ming's unexpected words, I saw him walking toward the restaurant's balcony. I could only remind Lu Shuang not to run around before putting down my coat and following Lu Ming outside.
The restaurant had a nice atmosphere, with a semi-circular balcony for guests to relax. Lu Ming was already standing there waiting for me. As I approached, his gaze was inscrutable.
"What's wrong? You look terrible lately."
I forced a smile. "I'm still going through a divorce with my husband, but the process isn't going well, so I'm a bit exhausted. However, I will definitely pick up Shuangshuang every day, so don't worry."
Lu Ming frowned deeply, his expression hard to read. "I'm not worried about Little Shuang, I'm worried about you."
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