Su Xiqin took a deep breath as her tone sharpened. "Why am I not allowed to see my child? Has Mo Xigu ever taken on the duty of a father since Jintian was born?"
Su Huayin didn't even know that Mo Jintian wasn't Mo Xigu's child because she left a month after Su Xiqin and Mo Xigu got married, and there hadn't been any signs of pregnancy at the time.
"Regardless of his actions, the child has the Mo Family's blood flowing through him. With that, you can't fight against it." Su Huayin had an ironic smile on her face.
Su Xiqin lowered her head, having seen her mother's face, and she laughed as she put her hand on her forehead. On the way here, she thought she was prepared to face everything, but clearly she wasn't ready to put forth everything and air dirty laundry.
The only thing she wanted was to hold onto her child's secret, but Su Huayin's words had killed her hopes. She raised her head to look at Su Huayin, and her gaze became stronger, too.
"Mom, even if there's a slight chance, I'll fight for it."
Su Huayin's expression hardened, seeing that nothing was going to change Su Xiqin's decision, and she clearly lost patience. "Su Xiqin, don't take what I just said as just words. You better be smart. Do you know what kind of family the Mo Family is? You think you can go against them?"
"How would I know if I haven't tried?" she responded in a hardened manner.
Su Huayin lost her usual cold temper and stared at Su Xiqin with fierce eyes as she said, "Fine, since you won't listen even if you die, then just wait for the day you regret your decision."
Su Xiqin stared at her raging mother indifferently, and she said softly, "I've thought of all the consequences. After these five years, there's nothing that I can't handle."
Such words sounded overly petulant to Su Huayin, and she pointed at Su Xiqin with the hand holding the cigarette as she laughed out loud, "Su Xiqin, you think only your husband does this? This is common in this society. Five years? Who doesn't have a husband that f**ks around outside? That's why you think you've been through so much? People will laugh at your ignorance if you tell them this."
Su Xiqin didn't know how to respond to her mother's words as she gathered the hair that was hanging down her face, and she took a deep breath before she stared at Su Huayin.
"That's why you were able to get married from being a mistress at first, right?"
A hard slap landed on her face. "How did I raise such an ungraceful being like you? Get out."
A handprint was clearly shown on Su Xiqin's face as she stared at the woman in front of her with mockery in her eyes. "Am I really your biological daughter?"
Su Huayin's body stiffened, and she was surprised as she looked at Su Xiqin who appeared hurt. For a long time, she couldn't say a word.
Su Xiqin walked out of the café, and the sky was much darker than when she had just arrived. Raindrops started to fall from the dark gloomy sky, and she raised her head with her eyes as unlively as still water. Unstoppable sadness flowed back into her heart.
The rain started to get heavier. Just then it was sunny, but now it was pouring down. Is the sky chanting injustice for me?
She stared at the sky for a moment before she stepped out into the rain. There were those who ran into the café, trying to avoid the rain, those who ran out into the street to grab a taxi, and there was Su Xiqin who was wandering like a lone ghost.
She was drenched when she reached her car, and she took the spare towels in the car to wipe her hair. She then laid on her steering wheel as she stared ahead, lost. Only when her hair had almost dried did she start the engine.
The wipers brushed from one side to the other as if they were stirring her empty heart.
The street lamps appeared lonely in the drizzling rain.
The radio in the car started to play "Wanderlust" sung by Yang Zongwei.
"No way I shall lower my head for the reality;
I believe I'm fine and can handle any black or white;
How to pierce through the lies behind the mask;
Don't smash my true love into sandy dust;
If one day all turns into a chaos;
Would the melody still be as pretty as the picture in the song."
...
How to pierce through the lies behind the mask… In addition to the song in her ears, Mo Xigu's betrayal from last night and her mother's harsh words were like knives slicing her into pieces. Her eyes started to moisten gradually, then her phone in the storage compartment rang.
She slowed down her car and picked the phone up; it was her best friend calling.
She took a deep breath and forced the tears back into her eyes as she pressed her Bluetooth earbud. "Hey, Tang Xi."
"Xixi, it's raining. Remember to put away the clothes that I hung last night. They are in that corner in the living room; I'm worried that you might miss them." Tang Xi's sweet and refreshing voice sounded beside her ear.
"XIxi, come out to Beef Hotpot City! I'll wait for you there." Her eyes stared clear ahead.
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly going to have hot pot?"
"I got the divorce papers."
——————
Su Xiqin sat alone in front of the steaming hotpot in the restaurant, and her eyes were red as she wiped the tears away with tissue.
Tang Xi arrived in a hurry, and she narrowed her brows when she saw the color of the hot pot in front of Su Xiqin.
"Are you happy or sad?" Tang Xi took off her coat and hung it casually on the back of her chair. She pulled the chair outwards as she stared at Su Xiqin with the corner of her eyes and sat down.
Su Xiqin raised her head, revealing a charming smile as she replied in a sweet tone. "Unprecedentedly happy." As the words fell, she chugged down the remaining alcohol in her cup.
Tang Xi could tell something was wrong, so she grabbed the empty cup, trying to stop her from pouring more. She said, "But why do I see unprecedented sadness."
The look on Su Xiqin's face was completely contradictory!
Su Xiqin smiled with her head down and shook her hand, brushing away Tang Xi's hand. "How can I be sad when I got the divorce papers?"
"Today wasn't all because of him," she said faintly.
Tang Xi stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "If not, then who else?"
Then, Su Xiqin swept her loose hair away from her face, and the handprint left behind by that slap became visible in Tang Xi's eyes.
"Who hit you?" she shouted in surprise.
Su Xiqin's face was red and swollen from Su Huayin's slap, and Tang Xi didn't notice at first because of the dim lighting and also because Su Xiqin was hiding it with her hair.
"Did Mo Xigu hit you?" Tang Xi's voice became louder. Fortunately, there weren't many customers in the shop at this time as hotpot places would only get busy around nighttime.
Su Xiqin lowered her head and laughed lightly. "No matter how bad Mo Xigu is, he never laid a finger on me."
"Then who was it?"
"It was my mom."
Tang Xi was startled. "Your mom's back?"
Su Xiqin grabbed the beer beside her again and poured it into the cup. "Yes, she's back, advising me that I shouldn't get a divorce."
Su Xiqin felt nothing but heartbroken by Su Huayin's actions.