I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 91
Han Feixu approached Ye Ming’An, looked at her for three seconds, then sat down. Ye Ming’An asked her what she’d like to drink. Han Feixu’s phone buzzed. She tapped a few times on the screen, then flipped it over and placed it face down on the table. “Just get to the point. Yiyi is home alone, and I’m not comfortable leaving her for too long so I need to go back soon.”
Ye Mingxin had gone to a company meeting to discuss a significant investment. Although both parents were away, Housekeeper Li and Butler Xing were both there. They were both capable of taking care of Yiyi, so Han Feixu was just trying to get Ye Ming’An to speak quickly. She didn’t have much fondness for Ye Ming’An and didn’t want to waste her precious leisure time on her.
After hearing her, Ye Ming’An set aside the menu, clasped her hands together on her lap, and after a brief silence, she began, “I’m sorry.”
Han Feixu maintained her composure and waited for her to continue.
Seeing Han Feixu so calm, Ye Ming’An relaxed a bit and blurted out, “I’ve wanted to apologize a long time ago, but I never found the right moment. We hardly ever see each other, and then you were living abroad…”
“I hope you can forget the awful things I said before, and don’t take them to heart. I truly realize my mistakes. Can you forgive me?”
Ye Ming’An slightly bowed her head, looking genuinely remorseful. Han Feixu shifted her posture, leaning forward with her elbows on the table, hands clasped under her chin. “What awful things did you say?”
Ye Ming’An was taken aback. She didn’t understand why Han Feixu would ask that.
The things she said were so awful that nobody could forget them. So her first thought wasn’t that Han Feixu had actually forgotten, but that she was doing this on purpose to make Ye Ming’An repeat them. This meant that Han Feixu was still holding a grudge against her.
Ye Ming’An’s expression immediately turned awkward. “I… I truly realize I was wrong. I was young then, and still a student, and my mom was always bad-mouthing you. I guess I was influenced by her.”
Han Feixu calmly asked, “What bad things did your mom say about me behind my back?”
Ye Ming’An looked pitiful and helpless at these words, and from a distance, it seemed as if Han Feixu was bullying her.
Han Feixu smiled lightly, “You said you knew you were wrong, and I’m not holding it against you. It’s just been so long and I want to know what she said about me.”
Ye Ming’An hesitated, then whispered, “She said you didn’t know your place and you were only marrying my cousin for the Ye family’s wealth. She also said that my cousin married you out of pity, and you, shamelessly, thought she truly loved you…”
These words, coming from Ye Ming’An, were likely the beautified version. Her mother’s actual words were probably harsher and the words Ye Ming’An said were probably the least harsh ones.
Han Feixu was momentarily taken aback. She stared at Ye Ming’An for a long time before she started laughing.
Ye Ming’An quickly added, “That’s just how my mom is; she looks down on everyone and has said harsh words about everyone. You know she’s not happy with her own life, since my father isn’t very good towards her and MingYong is like that, and not to mention Pinlan….she’s had a bad life, and so she’s critical of others, even me.”
Han Feixu nodded in agreement, “She should be quite critical of you.”
Ye Ming’An’s face immediately stiffened.
After a pause, she forced a smile, “What do you mean by that?”
Han Feixu remained calm, no joy nor anger showed on her face, but she felt a hint of amusement as she realized why Ye Ming’An was so afraid of her today.
She raised her head and said at normal volume, “Why did you come to apologize today?”
“Because I know I was wrong,” Ye Ming’An replied earnestly, “I want to take responsibility for what I said and did.”
“Really?” Han Feixu offered a polite smile, “I feel like you’re apologizing now because Ye Mingxin and I have reconciled and won’t be divorcing anymore. You’re afraid I’ll hold a grudge and won’t let you off the hook when I become big in the future. So you’re seeking forgiveness now, am I right?”
Ye Ming’An exclaimed, “Han Feixu!”
Han Feixu raised an eyebrow, “Weren’t you calling me ‘Sister-in-Law’ just a moment ago?”
Ye Ming’An froze, her expression turning angry, “I called you that out of respect, but you clearly don’t respect me. I came to apologize, why are you treating me like this?”
“There’s no law that says I must forgive someone who apologizes for their wrongdoings. Wrong is wrong, and not everything deserves forgiveness. Besides, you’re not here to seek forgiveness; you’re here to ask me to let you go. Let me ask you if Ye Mingxin and I were to divorce tomorrow, would this meeting still happen?”
Ye Ming’An was at a loss for words. She wanted to say yes, but she knew she couldn’t.
Han Feixu smiled lightly, “So far, you’ve said very little to me except acknowledging your mistake with one or two sentences. Everything else, you’ve blamed on others or your youth. In summary, nothing is your fault, so I should forgive you, correct?”
“You said you’ve wanted to apologize a long time ago, but never had the chance. I’ve been back in the country for a year and didn’t even work those first six months as I stayed at home. You couldn’t spare even a few minutes to call and say sorry? If you want to lie, at least have some skill. If I can’t even see through such a clumsy lie then I really would be a fool.”
Ye Ming’An was extremely embarrassed by her words. She came to mend their relationship, especially after their last fallout. Now that Ye Mingxin and Han Feixu weren’t divorcing, they were going to still be family. Unlike her family, her uncle was very united, with little conflict between members. Han Feixu had significant influence, and her uncle would consult his daughter and daughter-in-law before making big decisions. If they disagreed, he’d halt his plans.
Ye Ming’An feared Han Feixu would hold a grudge and badmouth her to her uncle and then make her life difficult.
She was simply projecting her own vicious thoughts onto others. She assumed Han Feixu would act as she would and take revenge.
Having reached this point, Ye Ming’An dropped her mask. She had always disliked Han Feixu, both in the past and present.
“Yes, you’re right. I don’t want to actually apologize. Why should I? What did I say that was wrong? You’re an insolent liar who deliberately approached my cousin and then seduced her. You tricked her into proposing with your pitiful act! I’ve seen your type before, all you want is the money. What else could it be? My cousin doesn’t actually love you and so sought out secret lovers that ended up in small scandals. Then look at what you did, such a small scandal and you reacted as if it was the end of the world.”
Leaning back, Ye Ming’An looked at Han Feixu with a mocking expression, “Weren’t you going to divorce? Making such a fuss over a divorce, even pulled that disappearing act. My cousin was worried about you because she’s such a kind person and even went looking for you. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t care even if you ended up begging on the streets. I laugh just thinking about it. On one hand, you talk about divorce, and on the other, you secretly go abroad to have a child. What, were you afraid that my cousin would disapprove when she found out about your pregnancy and then force you to abort it?”
“You conned your way into a marriage and then gave birth to the child without telling my cousin. You’ve been plotting against my cousin your entire life! With all these things you’ve done and more, I just have to call you a dirty liar!”
Ye Ming’An immediately felt much better after saying her true thoughts out loud.
Han Feixu looked at her with a surprised expression for a long time before bursting into laughter, “You’re really an interesting person.”
Ye Ming’An frowned, “What did you say?”
“I said you’re interesting. You judge others based on your own character,” Han Feixu chuckled, then shook her head as she slowly stopped smiling, “You say I married for money when you’re really talking about yourself. You’ve been engaged three times, haven’t you? Let’s not talk about the first two, but the third one, Chang Siyan. You liked a man like him and acted as if you’d even kneel on the ground for his forgiveness if he was upset. Why are you so eager to demean yourself? Do you have a masochistic streak?”
Ye Ming’An immediately defended herself, “He and I…”
“Stop, I don’t want to hear about such disgusting things. I’m afraid it’ll dirty my ears,” Han Feixu interrupted, resting her hand on a vase of flowers on the table. She picked up the vase, which contained a single rose, took out the rose, and sniffed the water solution it was sitting in.
While doing this, she continued, “Marrying Ye Mingxin for money is the funniest thing I’ve heard. You think money is everything, so you assume I’m the same? I already have enough money for me to live without worries for three generations. More money is useless to me; I can only spend so much in a lifetime. You must know about my family background, right? In my family, education is valued the most. Since middle school, my ideal type had one non-negotiable requirement: they must be a genius, and, of course, they must be good-looking.”
She sighed, “Falling for your cousin was beyond my control. I couldn’t help who my heart chose. But for you to belittle my feelings and call me a liar is very insulting.”
During this entire conversation, Han Feixu’s voice remained calm. Ye Ming’An couldn’t sense any threat and thus didn’t anticipate what would happen next.
A vase full of water splashed all over her face.
Jiang LingYuan is detail-oriented and would have been an interior designer if she hadn’t inherited the family business. Her pub, one of her most devoted projects, was strictly managed and even the table decorations had specific requirements such as what type of flowers were needed and what water solution must be put in the vase. For example, today there were dark red roses with a sky blue water solution that gave it a mysterious feeling.
Whether the customers actually felt it was mysterious or not was unknown, but one fact was known and that was Ye Ming’An felt extreme discomfort after being splashed with it.
Ye Ming’An couldn’t believe Han Feixu dared to splash her with vase water in public. The chemically scented liquid soaked through her clothes, drenching even her bra. She dared not open her eyes, her expression similar to someone experiencing constipation.
“Han Feixu!!!”
Ye Ming’An screamed, and a waiter rushed over with a towel. After wiping her eyes and opening them, she found Han Feixu happily taking photos of her.
Furious, Ye Ming’An stood up to snatch the phone, but Han Feixu stepped back, holding the phone to her ear, “Wei Xun, come in and protect me, someone’s trying to rough me up.”
Ye Ming’An was livid, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
Soon, Wei Xun rushed into the pub and positioned himself protectively in front of Han Feixu while eyeing Ye Ming’An warily.
It took him a while to recognize the blue Avatar-looking figure as Ye Ming’An.
Wei Xun was stunned, “Second Miss, why are you blue?”
Han Feixu burst into laughter, “Look at her, she’s all blue except for her eyes! Doesn’t she look like a blue Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Hahaha!”
Her comment drew the attention of others in the bar, and indeed, the comparison was quite correct. Ye Ming’An had quite the pair of prominent cheekbones and now covered in color except for around her eyes, she really looked like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Enraged, Ye Ming’An dropped the towel and reached for Han Feixu’s hair, but Wei Xun blocked her and then pushed her away. He used a little too much strength and almost collided with a table behind her.
Just as she steadied herself, an insult ready at her lips, a voice suddenly filled the quiet air.
“…My cousin was worried about you because she’s such a kind person and even went looking for you. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t care even if you ended up begging on the streets….”
The voice stopped abruptly as Han Feixu looked up from her phone, smiling brightly at Ye Ming’An, “I’ve recorded your praise for your dear cousin. I’ll play it for her, your uncle, your aunt, and then at the Lunar New Year party I’ll play it for your grandparents, and your parents too. I’m an outsider, after all and if an outsider bullies their beloved granddaughter or daughter, they must respond, right? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they give you a proper response for my bullying.”
Ye Ming’An’s face couldn’t have looked worse. She almost felt the urge to cry and beg for Han Feixu’s mercy right there, but with so many people around, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She could only watch as Wei Xun escorted Han Feixu away in a protective manner.
Back in the car, Han Feixu recounted her conversation with Ye Ming’An to Zhong Yuanyuan who looked back at her in awe. She really wanted to kneel down to Han Feixu, “You’re incredible, how did you even think to record it? No normal person would think of that!”
Han Feixu laughed, “As you can see from the last engagement party, Ye Ming’An is an ungrateful backstabber. She doesn’t actually care about her own cousin who grew up with her, let alone someone like me. Yet, every time she sees me, she acts like a mouse that’s seen a cat. I could definitely tell that something was fishy so I had to be cautious when she called me.”
Zhong Yuanyuan got excited too, “Who are you planning to play the recording to? Or maybe you shouldn’t play it for anyone and just keep it as leverage. That way, you’d have her completely under your thumb!”
“Forget it, why would I want her under my thumb,” Han Feixu leaned back in her leather seat, stretching languidly before sitting up to continue, “I’m busy. I don’t have time for her petty games. Let Ye Mingxin’s parents deal with her, especially her mom.”
The Ye Family is known for protecting their own, but the Ye Family women were the fiercest defenders.
Even the now senile Ye Mingxin’s grandmother was once a formidable figure in high society. She was always ready to elegantly retaliate against anyone who dared cross her family. The second aunt, although shrewish, was known for her sharp tongue that was even more fearsome when her wrath was directed outside the family.
There’s a story in Zi Bu Yu* about a wicked woman whose curses were so vile that even the spirits sent to claim her life were too afraid to approach. The second aunt’s ability to curse is on par with that fairytale woman for her words made even Heibai Wuchang* dare not take her. (*T/N: A collection of supernatural stories compiled during the Qing Dynasty. Heibai Wuchang are two deities in Chinese mythology that come to take you to the underworld when you die. Kinda like Thanatos in Greek myths.)
Yan Yuerong is no different, often complaining about her husband at home and instilling in Han Feixu the notion that the Ye family is really weird. Yet, if anyone dares to harm her family, she’s ready to deploy her wealth as a deadly weapon.
Han Feixu finds she shares this trait with Yan Yuerong.
With Lunar New Year approaching, Han Feixu didn’t want family tensions to spoil the festivities. That evening, however, Yan Yuerong had brought gifts to Han Feixu’s house and Han Feixu decided to tell her and Ye Mingxin what happened.
Upon hearing the recording, Ye Mingxin’s face darkened, and Yan Yuerong nearly flipped the table in anger.
“Outrageous! Give her a bit of kindness and she starts to think of herself as some sort of great person! Feixu, how could you just let her insult you without slapping her face at least a dozen times?!”
…Would her face even be recognizable after that many slaps?
Han Feixu quickly showed them the photo of Ye Ming’An doused in the vase water, “I splashed her with this, which is the dyed water solution for the flowers, and not a cocktail.”
Yan Yuerong looked on with an unamused expression, “Just this? That’s not satisfying at all! Leave it to me and send me the recording! I’ll seek revenge for you.”
As she said that, she stood up and moved to leave. Han Feixu didn’t stop her, but curiously asked, “Mother, what are you planning? After all, she is Mingxin’s second uncle’s daughter. You’ll at least save some face on his behalf, right?”
Although she asked this question, she was secretly saying in her heart, don’t save them any face….
“Save them face? Did anyone save me any face? If I hadn’t heard this recording, I wouldn’t have known Ming’An viewed you this way! This means she’s said similar things before. This is undermining our family harmony! No, I won’t let her off this time.”
With that final, angry remark, Yan Yuerong left. Han Feixu lounged on the couch, victoriously laughing as her plot succeeded. After her laughter subsided, she noticed Ye Mingxin had been silent this entire time.
Turning to her, Han Feixu patted her leg, trying to console her, “Hey, don’t be upset, even I’m not that angry. I just treat it as nonsense from a donkey. I know everything she said is fake.”
Ye Mingxin looked up, her gaze filled with a complicated, sorrowful look, “But you believed them once.”
Han Feixu froze.
“Now I understand why you said those things to me. You always said if I regretted it, I could leave, and you were always willing to let me go. You said you didn’t want my pity and you didn’t want a marriage based on pity. I had thought you said those words to me because you were the one who wanted me to leave.”
She frowned, her brows furrowing together tightly as she moved closer to Han Feixu with a fragile expression on her face “Why didn’t you say anything or talk to me about it?”
She was referring to the Han Feixu in the past, the one who remembered everything. However, the current Han Feixu remembered nothing. Faced with such intense emotions from Ye Mingxin, she was at a loss for words. After a moment, she softly countered, “But didn’t you do the same? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Ye Mingxin fell silent as she calmed down. Her emotions had revealed themselves too intensely just now. She collected herself, closed her eyes, and then spoke again, “I married you because I love you and I love you deeply, to the extent that I needed us to become legal partners to feel at peace. I don’t pity you; I only feel heartache for you. Pity is what you feel for outsiders, but my heartache is reserved only for you.”
Han Feixu’s ears turned red with such a straightforward confession. She pursed her lips, lowering her head to hide an uncontrollable smile. Once she felt composed enough, she looked up and spoke with equal seriousness, “I married you because I love you too. I love who you are, even if you do not have a high level of education or have published academic papers. But I love you, and I would only marry someone I love, and so I had to marry you.”
Ye Mingxin’s lips curled into a slight smile. She leaned in for a long kiss with Han Feixu, then pulled away, her voice soft, “You need to say things like this to me more often. You know, I lack confidence when it comes to you. You change and grow so quickly, while I feel like I’m stuck in the same place. I always worry that someday, I might be left behind.”
Han Feixu hugged her, resting her cheek against Ye Mingxin’s shoulder and her forehead against her jaw, “Then you need to tell me everything too. You know I’m a coward who is full of doubts when it comes to you. I’m also scared since you’re the only one who can hurt me.”
The night was quiet, their whispers loud in the silence of the night. They held each other in silence as neither spoke any further
Yiyi, in her dinosaur-patterned pajamas, was squatting next to the second-floor railing. She had been eavesdropping for who knows how long, but because she was so short, the railing concealed her completely, and this spot was out of the line of sight from the people below. As long as she stayed quiet, the two downstairs wouldn’t know there was a little spy above them. Nine months ago, she had overheard a conversation between Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin in the exact same way.
She got tired of squatting after a little while and Yiyi simply sat down. While tapping her toes, she pondered. Mama is afraid of Mommy because Mommy might hurt her, while Mommy thinks Mama is growing too fast and might leave her someday.
Yet, despite all this, they both deeply love each other.
…And isn’t that absurd?