Xiulan got back home feeling blue and drained. She cleaned herself up before doing the daily routine. She slumped on her cozy bed and tried to take a nap in the hope that it could sweep away the frustration and negative emotions she was carrying now.
As she couldn't fall asleep, Xiulan shifted her focus to Hualing. 'Why isn't she coming till now? It's almost dawn.' She dialed Hualing's number but her phone was turned off.
'Does her phone's battery die?' As far as she knew, Hualing was not someone who would turn it off or let her phone rest in peace.
That thought brought her to overthink Hualing further. 'Hualing has been so busy these days that she can't even give me a call. Just what's the job she is doing now? And where does she live now?' Xiulan felt empty.
'When we meet, we have a lot to catch up on.' She closed her mind in a tranquil state which was disrupted.
Her ringtone blasted. She saw Shaiming in the caller's name and immediately picked up.
"Jie, I won't be coming to dinner. Bye!" Before Xiulan could say anything, he hung up.
Xiulan's opened lips had returned to normal posture. She furrowed her brow a bit. Shaiming was always like that. He seemed to be occupied all the time. She didn't read into it too much before, but his tone just now was obviously exhilarating.
'Does he get a girlfriend? Does he stand me up because he is with her right now?'
'No way. If he had one, he would have already bragged to me about her.'
In the end, she added her thoughts, 'Right? Will he tell me?' She felt somewhat dejected.
Shaiming and Xiulan had the same personality. If they had something on their mind, they would always share it with their beloved people. He used to say every single detail about his life to her when he was young. Perhaps because he grew older, they no longer were chitter-chatter anymore.
She heard a rustling sound and sprinted downstairs. She was sure it was her big brother, who always adored her and treated her the best in the family after her dad.
"Ge… long time no see. I have been missing you so much." Like a little puppy who hadn't seen her owner for a long time, she ran up to him and hugged his warm frame tightly.
Honghui cracked a soft smile and patted the back of her head gently. "Do you miss me or do you miss my food?"
As obedient as she was, Xiulan answered right away, "Of course, your food!"
He let out a chuckle at her childishness.
Xiulan was so ecstatic at the sight of her big brother that she didn't realize his facial expression at first. Now she looked up at him, she noticed something was off. He appeared to be very downcast and his dismal aura was evident. "Gege, is everything doing fine? Where is my sister-in-law?" She uttered while scanning the surroundings to find his wife.
"She said she was sorry that she couldn't make it." He gave an apologetic smile.
"It's alright. I know my sister-in-law is such a workaholic. And Shaiming won't be here as well. However, Hualing will definitely come." Her exuberant voice which was consoling her brother sounded weaker as she continued.
Last night, after Xiulan got a message from Hualing that she would visit her, an idea came to her mind which was to have a feast among the youngsters since her parents weren't at home. She thoughtfully suggested to Honghui that he and his wife should come as she had the impression that her sister-in-law seemed uncomfortable around the elders whenever the couple had a visit to the mansion.
"What do we have here? What do you want to eat? Tell me and the food will be served in a minute, Princess." Jinhai sensed Xiulan's gloom and attempted to lift her up with her favorite meal.
"Nah! I suppose what we should be doing is not cooking, but having a heart-to-heart conversation. Something is off with you. What's that?"
He scratched his temple, "It's really nothing. I didn't have a good sleep last night. That's why I am a bit down. Now is the time to cook!" Making meals for his loved ones unfailingly raised his spirit.
"No, you are not." His younger sister worriedly insisted.
"Xiulan…!" It was Hualing shouting her friend's name. She felt like it had been forever since the last time she called the name. Xiulan was startled at the sudden voice before she was excited and dashed towards Hualing at full tilt.
The girls embraced each other for a while before they parted.
"I am sorry that I am late." Hualing apologized with an exhausted tone.
Xiulan scrutinized her friend's features. "Are you on a diet? You look thinner." Xiulan raised her palm to caress her friend's weary face. Hualing even got a small rim of dark circles, one under each eye.
"It is more tiring because you are not with me." In a glimpse, Hualing caught the view of Honghui. She gave a polite smile at him. He nodded in response.
"Young ladies, select the menu first. I need to start cooking now or you will have to wait in starvation later."
Hualing replied quickly, "I will help you."
As much as Xiulan loved to eat what a pair of master and disciple made, "No one is cooking. Let's eat out." She couldn't bear to see them weary.
***
Jianyu got an unexpected appointment. It was odd of that person to contact him about having dinner and even more strange that it was just the two of them together. Although he found it a bit off, he accepted the invitation gladly since it was such a rare offer.
When he stepped inside the private sector, she was sitting on her chair, jumpy. Her nervousness could be seen so vividly that she was like a cat on a hot tin roof. As she heard the creaking sound of the door, she shifted her unfocused vision to the direction of the sound swiftly.
"What an honor to be here! Have you ordered something? I am starving now." Jianyu uttered as he rubbed his tummy softly.
"Honestly...I invited you to talk about something." She seemed reluctant yet decisive.
As sharp as he was, he predicted that there must be something really important for her to invite him personally. "Food first! Talk later!" He grabbed the menu.
"No. We will talk about it first and I am going to leave right after that." She spoke so sternly that the previous apprehensiveness was just like an illusion.
No choice, "If you say so, CEO Wu." He teasingly said.
"It's a serious matter. And I will appreciate it if you call me Mrs.Zhang." Wu Yingtai warned him to stop joking so as to set the right atmosphere.
Jianyu became resolute in a second as he uttered. "Okay. What's it?"
"I had a dispute with my husband yesterday." She lowered her head in sadness. Her gloomy spirit was obvious on her sulky face.
"It is normal to have a fight between husband and wife. Don't be so dispirited about it. It's going to be fine." He comforted her before getting into the case.
"What did you quarrel about?" He asked carefully. Although he had no inkling of what was actually happening, he had long been having a hunch of her bad mood.
"That is…"