My mother-in-law's voice came from outside. "Hugh Pei, Zoe, are you two asleep yet?"
Hugh Pei immediately stuffed the divorce agreement under the covers and went to open the door. "Mom, why are you still up so late?"
"I was about to go to sleep, but I saw the light in your room was still on, so I wanted to see if you were asleep yet," my mother-in-law said, standing at the door talking to Hugh Pei.
"Mom!" I took off my face mask and also went to the door, playing the part of a harmonious couple with Hugh Pei. "Hugh Pei and I were just about to go to sleep."
As I spoke, I linked my arm with Hugh Pei's and leaned sweetly on his shoulder.
Hugh Pei gave me an indiscernible look but said nothing.
"It is getting late. Your father has to attend the business summit the day after tomorrow. He came to A-City on short notice and didn't want to stay at a hotel, so he'll be staying with you for a few days," my mother-in-law said to me with a smile.
My in-laws usually lived in C-City, but the two cities were not far apart.
I put on a happy expression. "That's great! It's been so long since I've seen you and Dad. I'll take you out for some good food these next few days, so you can relax."
"Good, good. You two should get to bed early too, don't stay up too late," my mother-in-law said, giving us a few last words of advice before turning to leave.
In my past life, I had always had a misconception that Hugh Pei was a man who did as he pleased and rarely listened to his family. So I had focused all my attention on him, thinking that as long as he fell in love with me, the rest of the Pei family didn't matter.
It was only later, when I saw him desperately trying to win his family's approval and blessing for Lila Wei, that I realized how important family was to him.
If I had had a good relationship with my in-laws, or if I had been pregnant, perhaps I wouldn't have been the one to lose in my past life.
Closing the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and found myself in a staring contest with Hugh Pei.
"You sleep on the bed, I'll take the sofa, or I sleep on the bed, you take the sofa?" I started to worry about this problem.
Hugh Pei casually lay down on the bed and answered faintly, "Don't bother. Do you think anything would happen if we slept together?"
I had to say, Hugh Pei's ability to twist the knife was very strong.
"Fine," I said without further ado and lay down on the other side.
This was the second time Hugh Pei and I had shared a bed since we got married. The first time was on our wedding night, and he hadn't touched me then either.
We lay back to back, as if the other person didn't exist.
After a while, I finally spoke. "Can you give me Evan Yu's WeChat or phone number?"
Hugh Pei didn't speak. I turned over and looked at the back of his head. Could he have fallen asleep?
"I want to go and yell at him," I added.
"Already did," Hugh Pei's voice came coldly, simple and direct.
Alright, I had to close my eyes again and try to sleep. Just then, a low rumble of thunder sounded outside. A thunderstorm was coming.
With a loud clap of thunder, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my head.
The rolling thunder couldn't drown out Hugh Pei's gritted-teeth voice. "Zoe Xu!"
I peeked out and looked at Hugh Pei's annoyed face, explaining in a small voice, "Sorry, I'm afraid of thunder."
"What's it to me!" Hugh Pei had never shown me any tenderness. He snatched the blanket back.
"Boom!" Another earth-shattering clap of thunder. Like an arrow from a bow, I shot into Hugh Pei's arms. The divorce could wait. Getting through the current crisis was the most important thing.
Hugh Pei's body clearly stiffened, as if he found it hard to accept.
Who could accept sleeping with a bag of bones on a stormy night? I myself felt my bones digging into him.
Hugh Pei pried my arms off, his face a five-star level of ugly. "Don't touch me, okay?"
"Then don't take my blanket," I said, suppressing the surging embarrassment and bitterness in my heart, trying to act calm.
Hugh Pei kicked the blanket onto me with one foot, then got out of bed, found another blanket, and made a bed on the floor.
I wrapped myself in the blanket like a cocoon, my eyes on Hugh Pei on the floor. My mind conjured up images of his future with Lila Wei. If Lila Wei were afraid of thunder, he would surely want to meld her into his own body.
That night, I dreamed of my past life again. The despair and unwillingness were etched into my bones.
The next day, when I woke up, Hugh Pei was no longer on the floor.
I changed my clothes and went downstairs. Eva Liu was already making breakfast, the other maids were cleaning, my mother-in-law was in the garden trimming the flowers that had been battered by last night's storm, and my father-in-law was practicing Tai Chi.
"Dad, Mom, why are you up so early?" I went out obediently to greet my in-laws..
"At this age, you can't sleep for too long. Just getting up to move around a bit," my mother-in-law said with a smile.
I walked over and naturally linked my arm with my mother-in-law's, ignoring her slightly surprised look, and started chatting with her. "Mom, I have a friend who owns a jewelry store. She recently acquired a pair of lavender jadeite bracelets. They're very beautiful, but she's in urgent need of money right now. I thought since you like to collect jadeite, I'd buy them. I'll pick them up in a couple of days and give them to you."
My mother-in-law loved to collect all kinds of precious jadeite; she even had a special collection room at home. I was deliberately catering to her tastes to get closer to her.
It wasn't to win back Hugh Pei, but rather out of a malicious desire to make his and Lila Wei's path of love a little more difficult.
It was also a small form of revenge.
As expected, my mother-in-law's eyes lit up. "Lavender jadeite bracelets? Great, when you get them, let me see them. If they're suitable, I'll pay you for them. I'll buy them!"
"What do you mean, buy? We're family. I'll bring them to you in a couple of days," I answered sweetly.
I did indeed have a pair of lavender jadeite bracelets. My mother had given them to me two years ago, and they were worth a seven-figure sum. If they could make my mother-in-law like me more as a daughter-in-law and be more critical of Lila Wei in the future, I thought it was well worth it.
"I know you're filial, but I can't let you pay for nothing. I should still give you what's due," my mother-in-law said, patting my hand kindly.
I shook my head. "Mom, don't say that. We younger ones can't always be by your side to take care of you, so we can only make up for it with money. As long as you and Dad are happy and healthy, any amount of money is worth it."
My in-laws exchanged a look, probably a little puzzled. In the five years of my marriage to Hugh Pei, I had never said such filial words.
My father-in-law stopped his movements and dusted off his sleeves. "Zoe, it's enough that you have this sentiment. Your mother and I have no other wishes, we just want to hold a grandchild soon. You and Hugh Pei need to hurry up!"
At the mention of this, my mother-in-law seemed to remember something. She pulled me aside and said with some difficulty, "Zoe, have you and Hugh Pei been to the hospital for a check-up? Could it be that boy has ruined his health with all his fooling around?"
My heart trembled. It was the first time I realized how excellent my mother-in-law was. When it came to this, the first person she suspected was her own son, not her daughter-in-law.