The next day, Xun Xun woke up as dawn was breaking. Being Saturday, after Shao Jiaquan and Chi Cheng visited their grandmother, they called to invite the Xie couple to lunch and catch up. Since Xun Xun routinely visited her mother’s home that day, Xie Pingning didn’t force her to join them. Xun Xun secretly felt relieved to have a reasonable excuse to withdraw, as the couple Shao Jiaquan and Chi Cheng always gave her inexplicable pressure. Dean Ceng was also resting at home; his health hadn’t been good lately, often felt dizzy. As a stepfather, Dean Ceng was competent. Though he couldn’t discipline Xun Xun as freely as he did Ceng Yu, he tried his best to treat them equally. Whatever Ceng Yu had, Xun Xun usually received as well, and his attitude toward her was consistently kind and generous. Seeing his poor health, Xun Xun was quite worried and chatted with him for a while, just as Ceng Yu came home for dinner. Glamorous Sister hadn’t cooked for such a large family in a long time and complained of exhaustion, putting down her chopsticks after dinner to take Professor Ceng for a walk.
“Why doesn’t she just say she’s too lazy to wash dishes instead of making up scientific reasons about walking a hundred steps after meals!” Ceng Yu remarked disapprovingly to Xun Xun while clearing the table.
Standing at the kitchen sink rolling up her sleeves, Xun Xun just smiled without speaking. Marrying Dean Ceng was the most sensible thing Glamorous Sister had ever done. She had suffered too much in the first half of her life, so wanting to make up for what she missed wasn’t wrong. Besides, after years of marriage, their bond had deepened, and now with Professor Ceng’s declining health, Glamorous Sister took good care of him, even giving up her beloved plaza dance gatherings to accompany him. Ceng Yu knew all this too, but wouldn’t feel satisfied without making a few sarcastic remarks.
Ceng Yu leaned against the kitchen doorway watching Xun Xun wash dishes, clicking her tongue. “I bet your Xie Pingning never touches dishwater either. Getting you was quite a bargain for him.”
The earlier “husband-snatching incident” hadn’t caused Ceng Yu and Zhao Xun Xun to completely fall out. Afterward, Ceng Yu only found Glamorous Sister’s actions distasteful. Through their long-term differences of opinion, Ceng Yu understood that while Xun Xun had many grey and strange thoughts, she wasn’t a despicable person. More importantly, Ceng Yu had been in her prime then, young and spirited, and she hadn’t liked Xie Pingning’s type anyway, finding the elders’ enthusiasm annoying. Let Xun Xun marry him – not only did it not anger her, but she felt sorry for Xun Xun, falling into the quagmire of marriage without even having experienced one romance.
“By the way, do you need to take back the money you transferred to my account yesterday morning?” Seeing Xun Xun wouldn’t continue along her previous topic, Ceng Yu remembered something else.
After drying the last bowl and washing her hands, Xun Xun replied, “No, keep it there for now.”
“Crisis not over yet? An old flame showing up?”
“Someone did show up, but it’s his aunt,” Xun Xun thought for a moment and added, “and his uncle-in-law.”
Ceng Yu laughed, “See, I told you, you just overthink everything. So what’s the problem now?”
“The problem is they’re an aunt and uncle younger than both you and me.” Xun Xun untied her apron. “I’m afraid this situation might be worse than I imagined.”
“Do all married women see younger members of the opposite sex as potential rivals? Even when that younger person is their husband’s relative?” Ceng Yu mocked.
Xun Xun calmly said, “Yes, a relative whose name initials he uses as his password prefix.”
“No way?” Now Ceng Yu was interested. “If he had something going on with his aunt, would he let you know his password?”
Xie Pingning used his online banking to pay their household utilities and phone bills, and the first four letters of the password were PNJQ. Previously, Xun Xun couldn’t understand the meaning of these letters but occasionally noticed him typing the same keys when logging into his email. Xie Pingning never hid anything from Xun Xun, nor had he ever explained the password’s origin, so confident because he assumed she wouldn’t notice anything. But, when he first mentioned the name of the person he called aunt, Xun Xun, as his wife, understood everything.
Xie Pingning wasn’t a romantic person. That he wrote another woman’s name into a string of characters he had to remember and hadn’t thought to change it after marriage, showed this person must hold a very special place in his heart, at least once did.
“Does he know that you know?” Ceng Yu asked with effort.
Xun Xun shook her head. She guessed this might be why Xie Pingning had chosen her in the first place. Otherwise, she couldn’t explain how she had won the favor of this premium stock on that blind date when she and Glamorous Sister had made such fools of themselves. It certainly wasn’t because of her face – though Xun Xun wasn’t ugly, that first day she met him, even she thought she looked like a ghost when she looked in the mirror. In Xie Pingning’s eyes, his wife had always been a docile and simple woman, and over time, Xun Xun had more or less grown accustomed to this role, feeling this was just who she was.
“Arrogant and ignorant man, I pity him,” Ceng Yu said. “Aren’t you going to do something?”
Xun Xun said, “Haven’t decided.”
What should she do? If he intended to have an affair, making a scene would end in divorce, and not making a scene would end the same way. If he didn’t intend to shake their marriage, why should she push him away by making groundless accusations while things were just beginning?
“You’re just going to let him openly carry on an incestuous romance with his aunt?”
“It’s not that dramatic. I just feel something unusual between them. Even if he has thoughts, there’s still her husband to consider.”
“What does the husband look like?” Ceng Yu finally showed her true colors – she wasn’t a caring sister, these were the details that interested her.
Xun Xun recalled Chi Cheng’s smile. She vaguely said, “Mm, not bad.”
“You don’t call him uncle, do you?”
“Of course not… his name is Chi Cheng.”
“Which ‘cheng’ character?”
Xun Xun wanted to slap herself – why did she have to mention it?
See, this circular problem appeared again!
She didn’t know why she suddenly grabbed Ceng Yu’s hand and, copying what she’d seen, wrote the “cheng” character on Ceng Yu’s palm with her fingertip.
Ceng Yu quickly pulled her hand back, saying oddly, “Why not just use your mouth to speak properly? Why get all touchy-feely? It’s so mushy. You’re not a man, why are you flirting with me?”
“Oh, what?” Xun Xun nearly choked on her saliva. “What did you just say?”
“I said if you were a man, I’d think you were flirting with me,” Ceng Yu said irritably, then glanced at Xun Xun and grew more puzzled. “Why are you blushing? Did you take the wrong medicine today? You’re acting strange!”
Xun Xun grew more embarrassed. Now Ceng Yu noticed something amiss and leaned in to ask, “Don’t tell me you’re having an affair with the uncle?”
“…” Xun Xun opened her mouth, then stopped, switching to a smile before answering, “No way, I just bought him underwear with train patterns last night.”
Ceng Yu laughed, “Fine, keep fantasizing. If you don’t want to tell me, don’t, but don’t take me for a fool.”
A sweet love song suddenly rang out, startling Xun Xun. She realized it was Ceng Yu’s phone ringtone and watched as the dignified overseas-educated civil engineer answered the phone with all the mannerisms of a lovesick girl. After just a few words, her face still wore a dreamy, girlish smile. Xun Xun couldn’t help but shiver.
“I’m about to leave, my boyfriend’s coming to pick me up,” Ceng Yu said, the light still not fading from her eyes.
“Still that Super Voice contestant?” Xun Xun asked carefully.
“Don’t bring up ancient history, I dumped him ages ago,” Ceng Yu said.
“Then who’s this mysterious person?” Xun Xun knew Ceng Yu was waiting for this question.
Ceng Yu said with a smile: “The most lovable person!” She enjoyed watching Xun Xun’s confused expression before explaining, “He’s in the army, an army captain, and a disaster relief hero.”
She pulled up a photo of herself with “the most lovable person” on her phone. Xun Xun peered at it – the man in the photo had fierce eyes and a commanding presence. Though only his upper body was visible, his robust physique was evident.
Ceng Yu’s previous boyfriend had been a young lecturer in the Art Academy’s vocal department, with flowing hair, a willow-like figure, and refined manners. Such a drastic change in choice made Xun Xun marvel at her diverse taste while reinforcing the timeless truth that “as age increases, both men’s and women’s gazes at the opposite sex gradually move downward.”
“What do you think?” Ceng Yu asked.
Xun Xun could only answer honestly: “He seems quite well-built!”
“Listen to yourself!” Ceng Yu pulled her phone away from Xun Xun’s view. “He’s quite a sensitive man. Our motto is: Want true love, not illicit affairs!”
“Wasn’t the last one true love?”
Xun Xun still remembered when Ceng Yu was passionately in love with the vocal department man – “remembered” might suggest it was long ago, but it was only six months back. Ceng Yu had loved him blindly, seriously considering whether their future children should study vocals or architecture. Later, the vocal department man had a whim to set aside his academic dignity and participate in a local large-scale singing competition. Ceng Yu had even forcibly borrowed Xun Xun’s phone to vote for her boyfriend. Now that the love was gone, she probably wanted to slap her past self just thinking about it.
Ceng Yu wasn’t promiscuous. Her romantic journey was quite representative of many older single women, a love story of an entire generation. She had secretly admired the class monitor in elementary school, secretly held hands with the basketball star in high school, persistently pursued the aloof and talented scholar for four years in university, tried international romance during her studies abroad but never felt it reliable, and after returning home, dated workplace elites and professionals… Each of these relationships had been passionate and sincere when viewed separately, but none had borne fruit. Carefully analyzing the reasons, it didn’t seem to be anyone’s fault – everyone was blameless, but the timing wasn’t right, there were various imperfections, and so she remained “leftover” until now. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t anxious. While she mocked Xun Xun for marrying carelessly, in her moments of depression, she had more than once complained to her reflection in the mirror: how could such a pretty girl not be wanted? Since being anxious couldn’t solve anything, she gradually developed the courage to try everything, like Shennong tasting a hundred herbs.
Ceng Yu told Xun Xun: “The last relationship is over, I can’t keep dwelling on failure. I refuse to believe I can’t find the right man. Until the day I die, I won’t give up hope!”
“I’m worried you’ll hit menopause before you give up hope,” Xun Xun replied in her characteristic worried tone.
Ceng Yu snorted and floated away before the other could dampen her spirits completely.
Xun Xun thought she should head back to her own home too. After sitting for a while, just as she was about to call her mother to say goodbye, the front door was forcefully pushed open, and Glamorous Sister burst in with disheveled hair, drenched in sweat.
Xun Xun’s heart skipped a beat – had someone dared to rob and assault Glamorous Sister in the campus area? She hurried over to support her mother, asking what had happened.
Glamorous Sister panted in panic, clutching her daughter’s hand while crying, “Your uncle… he… he fell downstairs with a thud! No matter how I called him, he didn’t respond…”
The “uncle” she referred to was naturally Professor Ceng. Xun Xun understood her meaning and, realizing the gravity of the situation, anxiously asked, “What about now? Where is Uncle?”
“Downstairs. What should I do if something terrible happens to him?” Glamorous Sister began crying again.
Xun Xun had no time to comfort her and only asked the urgent question, “Did you call an ambulance?”
Needless to say, the answer was no.
“Then why did you run back here?” Xun Xun stamped her foot, pushed away her mother who had collapsed against her, and ran downstairs while quickly dialing 120.
Reaching the elevator area on the first floor, sure enough, Professor Ceng lay motionless on the ground. As darkness had fallen and few people were walking near the faculty building, no one had noticed.
Glamorous Sister had followed down, like an ant on a hot pan, wiping tears and wailing, “How did this happen so suddenly? Does heaven want me to be a widow?”
Xun Xun stopped her from shaking her stepfather’s body and commanded, “He’s not dead yet. Before the ambulance comes, quickly get the necessary things!” Seeing her mother still standing there in tears, she said something she knew her mother would understand at this moment: “There are two document folders in the bottom drawer of your left bedside table. Bring the green one… and remember to lock the door!”
Watching her mother frantically run from the stairs to the elevator, she didn’t know what to say. Since childhood, she had wanted to be an optimistic, cheerful child, but life’s butcher knife had carved her into a perfectionist prepared for everything. She deeply felt it had been the right decision to separately prepare their past medical records, insurance documents, and emergency funds after her mother and stepfather entered their fifties.
Ten minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Xun Xun thanked the neighbors who had helped and accompanied Glamorous Sister to take Professor Ceng to the emergency room. After the initial chaos, Xun Xun sat in the hospital covered in cold sweat, accompanying her distraught mother. By then, Ceng Yu and relevant school officials had also arrived after hearing the news. The doctor reported that Professor Ceng had likely suffered a stroke due to extensive cerebral infarction, and his condition was not optimistic. Further treatment and observation were needed, and it was uncertain whether he would wake up and recover normally.
Upon hearing this, Glamorous Sister’s legs gave way, and she nearly fainted. Xun Xun could only offer extensive comfort, continuing even after others had left and Ceng Yu had been allowed to visit her father in intensive care. Xun Xun knew her stepfather’s condition was serious, and while already worried, she had to expend time and energy on insincere consolations that failed to pull Glamorous Sister from her depths of grief. Even with her remarkable patience, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat agitated.
Glamorous Sister alternated between loud wailing and gentle weeping, repeatedly expressing her fear of losing Professor Ceng.
“If he goes, my life is over.”
“That won’t happen…”
“What sin did I commit to not even have a chance to say goodbye…”
“That won’t happen…”
“My life is too bitter. Once his eyes close, I won’t be able to go on living. I might as well follow him early, I should just die too.”
Xun Xun finally couldn’t bear it anymore and interrupted her mother, holding her head.
“What’s so hard about dying?” Seeing her mother startled into hiccupping sobs by her raised voice, her heart softened, and she said dejectedly, “Everyone has to die – uncle will, I will, you will too. No one can escape it. We live for decades but death is forever, it’s inevitable sooner or later. Why rush? Better to live well the days we can see.”
After saying this, she felt it was pointless. Glamorous Sister, immersed in grief, didn’t even have the energy to scold her for being unfilial, just continuing to sob.
Xun Xun leaned back in her chair, watching the empty corridor pass the long night.
Xie Pingning’s appearance somewhat surprised Xun Xun. After receiving the news, he rushed over, bringing her a coat. After learning about the condition from the doctors, he comforted his wife and mother-in-law from a medical perspective.
At midnight, exhausted from crying, Glamorous Sister fell into deep sleep sprawled across the chairs. Xun Xun looked at her husband’s profile beside her, finding it somehow more endearing than usual.
“Have the hospitalization procedures been taken care of? Do you need…”
Xun Xun shook her head.
“If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll help if I can,” Xie Pingning said to his wife.
Xun Xun suddenly smiled: “Thank you.”
Xie Pingning didn’t understand what she was thanking him for, as he hadn’t done anything. He didn’t know that what Xun Xun appreciated most was his presence beside her at this moment – this was why she willingly stayed in this besieged fortress. The world was too big, people too small; staying in one’s territory brought her more peace than endless wandering. In the fortress, one person was lonely, two were just right. When tired, one could relax knowing there was a shoulder to lean on. She only had these simple desires and didn’t understand why some people insisted on suffering the pain of upheaval.
In the following week, Professor Ceng’s condition showed no improvement. Xun Xun, Ceng Yu, and Glamorous Sister took turns keeping watch at his bedside. To Ceng Yu’s surprise, Glamorous Sister, who was used to living a privileged life as the dean’s wife, stayed fully dressed and devoted herself completely to caring for her unconscious husband. Only Xun Xun knew that after drying her tears, Glamorous Sister had understood one truth: Dean Ceng’s health was her revolutionary capital.
Since Ceng Yu had work commitments, Xun Xun watched her rush between her company, the hospital, and dating locations until she was exhausted. Being a full-time housewife herself, Xun Xun took on more hospital duties when needed, thus spending most of these days at the hospital. She had no time to pay attention to Shao Jiaquan and Chi Cheng’s affairs, only occasionally hearing through her mother-in-law’s or husband’s calls that they were still in the city.
That day, while Xun Xun was helping the care worker clean Dean Ceng with Glamorous Sister, she received a text from Xie Pingning: “I’m waiting for you at Jin Yi Xuan.”
Xie Pingning wasn’t one to waste words. He usually wouldn’t bother typing what could be said in a few sentences, but uniquely with Xun Xun, he preferred texting over calling to convey messages, probably finding written communication less taxing than conversation with her. Earlier, he had just texted asking about Dean Ceng’s condition and agreed they would have dinner at his parents’ house that evening. Xun Xun was puzzled by this abrupt message – she didn’t even know what Jin Yi Xuan was, let alone why her husband suddenly wanted her there. However, he must have his reasons, and Xun Xun was used to following his lead. She specifically asked Glamorous Sister and realized how little she knew about the outside world. Even Glamorous Sister knew Jin Yi Xuan was a renowned restaurant attached to a city hotel, reportedly elegant with exquisite dishes and not inexpensive. More coincidentally, its hotel happened to be where Chi Cheng and Shao Jiaquan were staying.
Xun Xun initially wanted to call her husband, but just as she dialed, a thought flashed through her mind, and before she could catch it, her hand had instinctively ended the call. She picked up her bag, told Glamorous Sister she was going out, and took a taxi straight to where Xie Pingning had mentioned.
As Glamorous Sister had said, Jin Yi Xuan was prominently located on the first floor by the hotel’s side entrance. Though Xun Xun had been anxious on the way, approaching her destination, she unconsciously slowed her steps.
At three in the afternoon on a normal workday, before the dining rush hour, the restaurant’s outdoor parking lot wasn’t full. Xun Xun easily spotted Xie Pingning’s car – he was already there. Walking closer, she could easily see inside through the restaurant’s full glass walls.
Soon Pingning would see her hesitating at the door and call her strange again, Xun Xun secretly laughed at her suspicion. He had invited her, so why be so guarded? Just as she was about to dismiss her paranoid thoughts, Xie Pingning’s figure caught her eye – along with Shao Jiaquan sitting across from him. More tragically, Xun Xun realized she wasn’t surprised at all.
Perhaps when she learned Jin Yi Xuan’s exact location, she had already secretly understood he wasn’t waiting for her.
Xie Pingning’s phone had comprehensive functions but one peculiarity – when sending messages, it defaulted to the last contacted person unless manually deleted. Having texted her that morning, he must have accidentally sent the message meant for “someone” to Xun Xun instead.
Xun Xun instinctively stepped back, hiding half her body behind the decorative curtained glass. Though she couldn’t hear what they were saying inside, she could tell from their expressions that it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. Not just Shao Jiaquan, but even the usually composed Xie Pingning appeared particularly agitated. Watching them argue when they disagreed, Shao Jiaquan angrily stood to leave, but the furious Xie Pingning unhesitatingly grabbed her hand, pulling her back. Shao Jiaquan argued with him through gritted teeth, and Xie Pingning showed a pained expression, yet their clasped hands never separated.
Xun Xun stared blankly, unable to describe the feeling. It wasn’t surprising, nor sharp pain – it was like reaching out to gently touch a crack in the wall, only to find it crumbling to dust under your fingertips without a sound.
She lowered her head, vaguely feeling something wasn’t right when she suddenly noticed an overlapping shadow behind her reflection in the glass window. She gasped in shock, instinctively shrinking back, right into a body that was almost pressed against her.
“You scared me to death!” Xun Xun recognized the face and said irritably, patting her chest.
But Chi Cheng maintained the same furtive peering posture, his face full of intense interest, like a cat spotting a flying insect after its afternoon nap.
“Oh? What are you looking at?” Before Xun Xun could explain, his gaze had fixed on the same spot, and after a while, his smile became meaningful.