"Yes, Mom, he drank it. Hugh Pei drank it," I replied, trying hard to push the colorful images from my mind to keep from blushing.
My mother-in-law looked at me with extreme suspicion. "Really?"
So, I recounted the entire process of getting the prescription, switching the medicine, and him taking it, making sure every detail was true to reassure her.
I just left out the part about the storm of passion that followed between Hugh Pei and me.
"That's good. He needs to take it for a while to ensure you'll have a big, healthy boy," my mother-in-law said with a smile, then suddenly added, "A big, healthy girl would be even better!"
Sometimes I really thought my mother-in-law was adorable and so considerate, always afraid of hurting my feelings.
It was strange. After being reborn, I found Lila Wei genuinely beautiful and pure, my mother-in-law truly cute and kind, and I even discovered a warm side to that cold block of wood, Evan Yu. Even Hugh Pei had changed a lot.
If things continued like this, would they spiral out of control?
"Zoe, don't feel pressured. Let the baby come naturally. Your father and I just get a craving for grandchildren sometimes and like to mention it. Don't mind us," my mother-in-law said, thinking my distraction was due to the pressure of having a baby.
I shook my head repeatedly. "Mom, I don't mind at all. Of course, I hope to have a child soon too."
A lie. I absolutely could not have a child with Hugh Pei. Otherwise, I might be stuck in this hopeless marriage. A child with a father whose heart belonged to another woman wouldn't be happy either.
After Hugh Pei and I divorced, Lila Wei would fulfill my in-laws' wish. There was no rush.
My mother-in-law and I chatted for a while before going downstairs. Hugh Pei had returned to the living room and was playing with his little nephew.
He lifted the two-year-old toddler onto his shoulders, held the little one's hands to make him "fly," and ran back and forth playing. The toddler's laughter was incredibly cute.
I was a bit dazed, as if I was seeing a glimpse of Hugh Pei as a father. He seemed to like children very much and would probably be a good dad in the future.
Just not the father of my child.
"Let's go, let's go! Let's go shopping for clothes!" my mother-in-law said, pulling me and a few of the aunts along.
As for the little nephew, he was left in the care of the men at home.
I volunteered to drive. My mother-in-law sat in the passenger seat, and the aunts sat in the back. We were one seat short, so my aunt-in-law drove her own car and followed behind.
The five of us set off together. Along the way, my mother-in-law chatted with the aunts. Suddenly, she seemed to spot something and bent down to pick it up from under the seat.
I glanced over and saw an earring.
It was a simple metal hoop with a transparent, teardrop-shaped pendant. It was delicate, but also very cheap.
My mother-in-law looked at the earring, then at my ears. I was wearing Fleurette diamond studs today, worth around 130,000 yuan. The quality was worlds apart from that earring.
She didn't say anything, just put the earring in her bag.
This was Hugh Pei's car. She knew what was going on.
My mother-in-law wasn't a big fan of foreign luxury brands; instead, she preferred high-end domestic brands. She had a fondness for some Chinese-style designs. Since the aunts were of a similar age and had more traditional and mature tastes, I took them to some domestic brand stores.
I sat on a sofa, drinking coffee and watching the models parade out one by one. They were naturally younger than my mother-in-law, but had similar figures and beautiful, classic Eastern features. The elegant and stately clothes they wore were for my mother-in-law and the aunts to choose from.
"That one! Bring that one over!" Suddenly, my mother-in-law spotted a snow-white coat. The collar was made of equally snow-white fox fur, which looked incredibly comfortable. The buttons were round crystal clasps, and the waist was elasticated, giving it an elegant and somewhat regal look.
I thought my mother-in-law was buying it for herself, but she took the coat and had me try it on right there. "It will definitely look good on you!"
I didn't refuse. I immediately took off my own coat and put on the one my mother-in-law liked. The snow-white, soft fox fur framed my face, making it look even fairer and smaller. The cinched waist accentuated my figure. I was even stunned by the image of the delicate, "white flower" in the mirror.
"Wear it. It's beautiful," my mother-in-law said, looking at me from all angles, her face breaking into a wide smile.
"Thank you, Mom," I said with a sweet smile.
Afterward, my mother-in-law and the others continued their shopping spree at other stores. While waiting for them, I took a pure and innocent selfie and posted it on my social media: "My mother-in-law bought me this coat. Isn't it pretty? I love it so much."
I definitely loved it. I just wondered if Lila Wei would like it when she saw it.
Unexpectedly, the first to comment was Evan Yu: "Not bad. Where's my Bubu?"
I replied: "Don't worry, she's at home, well taken care of by the maids."
Evan Yu: "That's good. Don't feed her too much. She's a bit of a glutton."
I replied with an "OK" hand gesture emoji.
Evan Yu: "Where's Hugh Pei?"
Seeing the comment section getting longer and longer, I silently opened a private chat with Evan Yu: "Do you have to chat with me in the comments section?"
If that psycho Hugh Pei saw this, he would probably find trouble with me again.
That would earn me the label of "seducing his best friend"!
Evan Yu: "What's the difference?"
I laughed in exasperation: "What's the difference between taking a shower at home and taking a shower on the street?"
Evan Yu didn't reply again. I checked my social media feed again, and sure enough, his comment was deleted.
"Zoe, let's go back. I'm tired from shopping," my mother-in-law said, finally satisfied with her purchases.
"Okay," I said, putting away my phone and taking the various bags from her hands, following behind them.
By the time we got home, it was already dark.
I hadn't done any real shopping like this in a long time. With Ginny Deng and the others, we always went straight to our destination for food, drinks, and fun, barely walking a few steps.
So my legs were sore. After taking a shower, I was ready for bed.
Just as I was about to drift off, I heard Hugh Pei on the phone. His voice was low but gentle. "It's okay. I'll take care of it."
Then, the sound of a door opening.
I suddenly woke up. I got out of bed and ran to the balcony to look down. The lights of Hugh Pei's car came on and disappeared into the snowy night.
My in-laws probably didn't know that Hugh Pei had driven off in the middle of the night. There was no movement from them. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Hugh Pei: "Something came up, I have to go back for a bit. You stay here and have fun for a couple more days. I'll come pick you up."
Combined with the tone of his phone call just now, I figured it was about Lila Wei.
Looking at the text message, I felt an indescribable feeling.
To say he was as heartless and cruel to me as in my past life, yet he sent me a message. To say he had developed some feelings for me, yet he was so devoted to another woman in the middle of the night.
Just as my thoughts were in turmoil, Julian Qi sent me a message: "That coat looks great."
Well, my mood suddenly improved. I replied: "Haha, thanks for the compliment!"
Julian Qi: "It's not a compliment. It's really beautiful. Sis Zoe, have you not realized how beautiful you are?"