Jiang Nan Fang knew that if she didn't go back with Zhan Bei Jue today, Zhou Jin Bei and Ah Cheng would have a difficult time.
She wasn't a saint, but she couldn't stand seeing others suffer because of her, so she sullenly got into the car with Zhan Bei Jue.
In the car, neither of them spoke, but Zhan Bei Jue kept his right hand on her lower abdomen.
Jiang Nan Fang found it difficult to push him away, as the child was half his. They returned home in an awkward silence.
It was past midnight. Zhan Bei Jue supported her stomach, and they silently went upstairs. As they rounded the corner of the stairs, they were startled.
In the third-floor corridor where they lived, Zhan Ma sat in a wheelchair with her back to them. Her half-white hair was blown by the night wind, like Mei Chao Feng, and she was smoking a cigarette.
Zhan Bei Jue had never known her to smoke, especially not when her health was so poor, and in the dead of night.
He had a headache. They said it was difficult to raise children and women. These two women were going to drive him crazy whenever they met.
He let go of Jiang Nan Fang and walked over, turned her wheelchair, took the cigarette from her hand, and threw it into the trash can by the wall.
"You're really something. Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Zhan Ma raised her wrist to check the time. "I slept too much in the afternoon, and the darkness allows me to calm down and think."
What was the difference between a middle-aged woman with a terminal illness smoking and thinking in the dark, and a chuunibyo teenager deliberately acting cool?
Zhan Bei Jue ignored whether she was deliberately seeking attention. He walked back to Jiang Nan Fang's side and took her wrist.
"You're not a three-year-old child, and I don't need to teach you common sense, so I won't say any more nonsense."
"You can think during the day, and no one will disturb you. We're going back to sleep."
As they passed her, Jiang Nan Fang heard a soft "puff" and saw her light another cigarette.
The smell of smoke reached her nose. Jiang Nan Fang endured the discomfort and stopped, turning back.
"Although I don't like you very much, and your living too long doesn't do me any good, I still want to remind you that when you're sick, you're the one who suffers."
Zhan Bei Jue's forehead throbbed. As he glimpsed his mother turning her wheelchair, he quickly stepped in front of Jiang Nan Fang.
To his surprise, his mother was unexpectedly amiable.
"Thank you for your reminder and honesty. Although I don't like you either, I must praise you for being real and not hypocritical."
"In my life, I hate opponents who don't say what they mean the most."
Jiang Nan Fang smiled. "Since you like honesty, may I ask a question I've been curious about for a long time?"
"Ask."
"Why don't you like me?"
Zhan Ma stared at her, her half-white hair continuing to fly.
She was over sixty, her skin was loose, and her eye bags drooped. Even though her nose bridge was still high and her double eyelids were obvious, the foundation of a beauty was still there, but she was worlds apart from the young Jiang Nan Fang.
After a few seconds, she shrugged.
"To be honest, it might be jealousy."
"You were poor, ugly, and incapable before, but you were supported by the old man and forced to marry my son, which made me very unhappy."
"Later, I found out you were faking it and that you weren't simple. I felt you were like her back then, so..."
It was absolutely the truth. Although it was unpleasant, Jiang Nan Fang wasn't angry.
"I understand. But you don't need to be jealous of me."
"You have extraordinary skills that don't require relying on men to make a living, a son with super high intelligence, a good figure, and who is handsome and gentlemanly, and a super beautiful and individualistic daughter."
"You have inexhaustible wealth, an unshakeable social status, and are a winner in life in many people's eyes, and my lifelong goal..."
Perhaps it was because Jiang Nan Fang spoke so sincerely, so much, and so suddenly.
Zhan Ma was suddenly amused by her.
"Is this a draft you prepared in advance, or your true feelings all along? Are you deliberately trying to please me?"
In an instant, Jiang Nan Fang felt that their personalities were quite similar.
Women who are too strong and like to hide their feelings are never very likable.
She was like that herself, wasn't she?
"Yes. After all, you are my mother-in-law, and I still hope to have a good relationship with you. More importantly, I don't want outsiders to laugh at us."
Zhan Ma felt that her last sentence made some sense.
Moreover, she found that as long as they sat down and talked properly, Jiang Nan Fang wasn't particularly annoying.
Perhaps, without realizing it, she had already accepted her in her heart.
"Alright then, since your attitude is good, I will try my best to get along with you in the future."
Back in the room, with the door closed, Zhan Bei Jue hugged Jiang Nan Fang tightly from behind.
His chin rested on her ear, and he whispered softly, "Thank you."
Jiang Nan Fang pretended not to understand. "Thank you for what?"
"Thank you for everything. You are too good. Having you is my blessing."
Jiang Nan Fang was pleased by his words and turned to look at him.
The more she looked, the more handsome she found her husband. Without a trace of makeup, his features were flawless.
More importantly, his physique was much better than men who made a living from it.
She suddenly regretted spending so much money tonight.
Wouldn't it be better to save it to buy food and drinks for her child, or donate it to those in need?
She pinched Zhan Bei Jue's chin.
"The money spent tonight was not worth it at all. I regret it. If you make me angry again, I'll make you be a male model and dance for me."
"Okay, if I make you angry again, I'll do whatever you want."
Zhan Bei Jue leaned in towards her lips.
"Are you still angry? If not, I can also try to redeem myself right now."
Although she had been angry, Jiang Nan Fang's mood had improved greatly after mending her relationship with Zhan Ma.
Besides, it had been several days since she had been intimate with Zhan Bei Jue. He picked her up with a smile.
Zhan Bei Jue and Jiang Nan Fang had always lived a stable and warm life, but Lu Qing Xu and Mai Le Di were not so fortunate.
Since Mai Le Di agreed to go to the hospital for treatment with Lu Qing Xu, her body soon showed adverse reactions.
She had never cared about her hair before, nor had she expected hair loss to actually happen to her.
But now, it was truly happening.
A handful of hair came out with each stroke. Seeing her thick hair fall out to the point where her scalp was clearly visible, she dared not look in the mirror.
She felt like a female monster from a horror movie.
The extreme dissatisfaction and anxiety about her appearance were something that people who hadn't experienced it themselves could not understand.
Lu Qing Xu encouraged her every day, telling her that once her condition improved and she stopped taking the medication, her hair would grow back.
If not, he could shave his head, and he would accompany Mai Le Di.
To avoid disappointing Lu Qing Xu, she tried not to look in the mirror and avoided washing her hair herself, living in denial.
Until the second course of treatment began, she went for another physical examination.
After the results came out, the old professor asked her to leave so he could speak with Lu Qing Xu alone.