I hadn't expected Lila Wei to bring back a man who wasn't Hugh Pei. But he wasn't her boyfriend; he was a man who was pursuing her.
Lila Wei had him sit down. Eva Liu poured him a glass of water, while Victor Wei sat across from him, sizing him up.
I sat to the side, my mind a tangled mess of confusion.
After a while, Lila Wei said to me, "Sis Zoe, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"Okay." I stood up and followed her into a bedroom.
Lila Wei closed the door and got straight to the point. "Sis Zoe, you must be surprised that I didn't bring Hugh Pei back. I just want to tell you that although I have feelings for him, my morals won't allow me to be the other woman. So I've made it clear to him, and I'm planning to accept Chen Yue."
Chen Yue was the man outside.
"He agreed?" I still felt something was off. Lila Wei didn't have the means to go against Hugh Pei. If Hugh Pei didn't agree, she wouldn't have a happy ending with any other man.
"Whether he agrees or not is his business," Lila Wei said decisively, as if she had made up her mind.
I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but for now, the man Lila Wei had brought back was indeed not Hugh Pei.
After leaving the bedroom, I didn't want to stay any longer. Eva Liu's invitation to dinner was declined. She brought me the medicine she had prepared, reminding me of the instructions for brewing and dosage.
Lila Wei asked from the side, "Mom, what's that?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Eva Liu's face, then she teased, "Kids shouldn't ask so many questions."
"I asked Auntie Liu to get this medicine for me," I told Lila Wei frankly. "Hugh Pei and I haven't had a child yet. Auntie Liu has bought me some medicine before that worked well, but we still need to work hard."
Since Lila Wei had decided to completely reject Hugh Pei, she wouldn't care about my words.
Unfortunately, I still caught the flash of shock and anger in her eyes.
"Goodbye." I smiled again, took the bag of medicine, and said my goodbyes to Eva Liu and Lila Wei before leaving.
My car had just left the building when Hugh Pei's car appeared in my view. Seeing me, he suddenly turned and blocked my car.
I rolled down the window. "Hugh Pei, what are you doing?"
"You went to her house?" Hugh Pei's face was cold, a clear sign of his bad mood.
"Auntie Liu got me some medicine, I came to pick it up," I said expressionlessly. "Lila Wei brought a suitor to meet her parents. Are you here for her?"
Hugh Pei got out of the car, looked up at the apartment building, his body radiating anger.
Lila Wei was his prey. Her daring to bring another man home to meet her parents had undoubtedly crossed a line.
I suddenly understood. What a brilliant move of playing hard to get.
Lila Wei must have sensed that Hugh Pei was starting to care for me, so she came up with this move to force him to realize who he truly loved.
Hearing my words, Hugh Pei immediately turned to go upstairs. With his temper, he would probably confess everything to Eva Liu and Victor Wei today. And whether they accepted it or not wouldn't stop him.
"Hugh Pei!" A surge of anger rose in me, and I suddenly called out to him. "Have you thought this through? You're going up to meet Lila Wei's parents now. This means your relationship is about to involve both families."
He stopped and turned to look at me.
I looked at him calmly. "If you've decided to be with her, please let me go first. You can't keep me trapped while you start your true love story. That's too despicable."
With that, I reversed the car and drove away from the other side. When I got back to Mapleview Manor, I quickly drafted a new divorce agreement.
If he still refused to sign, then I would have to sue.
Although I had even drafted the divorce agreement, my heart was still in turmoil. I couldn't help but imagine what would happen when Hugh Pei stormed into the Wei's house.
Lila Wei must be so happy and smug. Her trick had worked.
As I was feeling restless, Julian Qi sent me a message: *Sis Zoe, we're about to go on break. I'll buy my ticket home in a few days. Are you free? I'd like to treat you to a meal.*
Without thinking, I replied: *Okay, I'm free tomorrow.*
Julian Qi replied quickly: *What would you like to eat? We can go for a walk in Shenghua Park and climb Fuming Mountain after we eat. I heard the snow scenery from the mountain is beautiful!*
Again, I replied with one word: *Okay.*
That night, Hugh Pei didn't come back. It had been a long time since I had felt this anxious waiting for him. After my rebirth, I had accepted our ending, so I always kept my emotions in check.
But now, I felt like I was back in my previous life, like an ant on a hot pan, unable to calm down.
As a result, I didn't sleep a wink all night, and the next day, my energy was completely drained.
To meet Julian Qi, I forced myself to get ready, did my makeup, and drove to the address he had chosen.
"Sis Zoe!" Julian Qi was wearing a short white down jacket and gray jeans, still looking youthful and vibrant. As I approached, he asked with concern, "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well? You look a bit pale."
I forced a smile. "Yeah, I had a nightmare last night."
Julian Qi, a top university student, told me, "Then you should put a pair of scissors under your pillow to ward off evil spirits."
My gloomy mood was instantly lightened by his words. "You still believe in that?"
"Some things you believe in, they exist. If you don't, they don't. It's worth a try," Julian Qi said, turning to his backpack. "Fatty, what do you think?"
Only then did I notice that the ginger cat was there too, being carried on Julian Qi's back. Through the transparent cover, it let out a meow, as if in response to its owner.
"You're right. I'll try putting scissors there someday," I said, teasing the cat. Then I looked at the French restaurant next to us. "You're treating me to this?"
"Yes, do you like it?" Julian Qi was a little embarrassed. "I've actually never tried French food."
Julian Qi came from an ordinary family. It was already impressive that he could pay for his tuition and living expenses through part-time jobs. He definitely wouldn't be willing to waste money on food. I could understand.
I shook my head. "I don't really like it. I've been craving hot pot lately. My treat."
Julian Qi immediately refused. "No way! I said I'm treating you, so I'm treating you. I can't let you pay!"
"Alright then, but I still want hot pot." I didn't want Julian Qi to spend too much. A simple meal would be fine.
Besides, I had no appetite right now. I had only agreed to meet him to distract myself from overthinking at home.
Julian Qi looked on his phone for a while and then came up with an idea. "This place has a good overall rating. Should we try it?"
"Okay, let's go," I said without hesitation.
Julian Qi smiled happily, his eyes no longer holding the pain and unwillingness of his breakup. It seemed he was able to let go of things more easily than I was.