Yang Xuejiao came out after her shower and glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was already half past eleven, and her husband still wasn't back.
She glanced back at the food left on the table, sighed, and then walked into the Side Bedroom.
In the Side Bedroom, there was a single bed, and opposite it was a large Dressing Table.
Ever since her daughter's Suicide, she had replaced the original desk with a Dressing Table.
She picked up the Hair Dryer from the table, ready to dry her hair, but then noticed the Photo Frame of her daughter, Yin Xingyue, on the Dressing Table.
Inside the frame was a Photo of her daughter.
This Photo was taken by her "Dad" last Summer Vacation when the family went on a trip.
Yin Xingyue, wearing a white Dress, was looking forward with a faint smile on her face. It should have been a very nice Photo.
But for some reason, Yang Xuejiao always felt there was an indescribable oddness to this Photo. She felt her daughter's smile was very fake, and her direct stare made her very uncomfortable.
So, she placed the Photo Frame face down on the Dressing Table, then turned on the Hair Dryer and started drying her hair.
The dressing mirror reflected a beautiful woman in light pink silk pajamas.
Her chest was full, her Skin fair. Though not as youthfully radiant as a young girl, she exuded a mature charm.
Yang Xuejiao was very beautiful when she was young and had many suitors, but in the end, she chose to marry Yin Xingyue's father, Yin Dacheng.
The reason she chose Yin Dacheng wasn't because he was handsome or from a good family, but because he was a scholar.
In their era, scholars were highly sought after, and Yang Xuejiao was considered to be marrying up.
But later she discovered that being a scholar meant nothing.
So what if he was educated? Without money, you were nothing.
So after Yin Dacheng passed away, she married her current husband, Fang Yunlou, without the slightest hesitation.
She had known Fang Yunlou for many years; he was even one of her suitors back then. Although Fang Yunlou wasn't as scholarly as Yin Dacheng, his family was well-off, and his business had been booming in recent years, making him a lot of money.
But she was no longer young, after all, and had been married once before. After the novelty wore off, Fang Yunlou treated her like a worn-out shoe, coming home less and less, especially after her daughter's Suicide…
At this thought, she picked up the face-down Photo Frame and set it upright again.
"Useless thing, raising you was a waste…"
A flash of resentment and malice crossed Yang Xuejiao's eyes, not a look a mother should have at all.
Yang Xuejiao put the Hair Dryer away.
Seeing that Fang Yunlou still hadn't returned, she went to bed first.
But when she woke up the next morning, Fang Yunlou still hadn't come back.
Yang Xuejiao sat leaning against the bed in a daze for a long time before finally getting up.
She changed into a Bodycon Dress that accentuated her full, curvaceous figure.
When she got to the Dining Room, last night's leftovers on the table were untouched. She picked up the plates and scraped all the food into the trash can.
By the time she left the house with her exquisite makeup done and her bag on her shoulder, it was already past ten o'clock.
Arriving at Fang Yunlou's company, the young girl at Reception saw her and immediately opened the door for her with a warm expression.
"Boss's Wife, good morning."
Although the young girl wasn't as beautiful as her, she radiated youthful energy, especially her Skin, which was incredibly lustrous.
Yang Xuejiao couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. It's great to be young.
"Morning. Is the boss in?" Yang Xuejiao asked casually as she started walking inside.
"No, the boss hasn't arrived yet," the girl at Reception said.
Yang Xuejiao stopped in her tracks upon hearing this and turned to look back at the girl.
"Is he on a business trip?" Yang Xuejiao asked.
The girl at Reception thought to herself, 'He's your husband, how would you not know if he's on a business trip?'
But she said aloud, "No, but Manager Fang hasn't been to the company for two days."
"Two days?"
Yang Xuejiao froze, a faint sense of unease suddenly creeping over her.
*
Shen Siyuan was awakened by the ringing of his Mobile Phone. He picked it up and saw it was his Mom calling.
"Son, where are you?"
As soon as the call connected, his Mom Huang Huijuan's loud voice came from the other side.
"Where?" Shen Siyuan was still groggy and hadn't fully registered the question.
"Son, you haven't gotten up yet, have you?"
"Yeah, it's my day off. It's a rare chance for me to sleep in, why would I get up so early?" Shen Siyuan glanced at the time.
It was only ten past six. He was wide awake now.
"Didn't we agree you were coming back today? Are you just letting your old lady's words go in one ear and out the other?" Huang Huijuan's indignant voice came through the phone.
"Mom, I said I'd come back, but I never said when," Shen Siyuan said helplessly.
"Then when are you coming back?" Huang Huijuan asked, reining in her patience."I'll head back in the afternoon."
"I went out and bought groceries.
I've made your favorite Green Striped Fish and Chicken with Edamame. Come back early…" Huang Huijuan started to play the Emotional Card.
"It'll taste the same tonight," Shen Siyuan said.
Seeing that Shen Siyuan was impervious to her pleas, Huang Huijuan finally lost her patience.
"You're awake anyway, so get your butt back here! What's the use of having you if you're just going to dilly-dally?" After saying her piece, Huang Huijuan simply hung up with a click.
Shen Siyuan stared at his Mobile Phone and sighed helplessly.
His mom was really annoying. He tossed his Mobile Phone aside and lay back down, but he was no longer sleepy at all.
Since that was the case, he stopped lazing around in bed, got up, and went to wash up.
Just as he finished washing up and came out of the Bathroom, his Mom's call came through again.
"Son, are you up yet?"
She sounded as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn't the one who had been angry just moments ago.
"I'm up. I'm leaving right now."
"You better not be lying to me."
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"Tch~, have you lied to your old lady any less since you were a kid?"
"What did I lie to you about?" Shen Siyuan said, speechless.
"When a man lies to a woman, it's either about feelings or money. Your dad only lied to me about feelings. You're the worst, kid, you lie about both."
Shen Siyuan had nothing to say, because his Mom was telling the truth.
Every time he wanted to ask her for money, he would first play the Emotional Card and then ask for cash.
"I'm not talking to you anymore. I have to go out, you're wasting my time."
"Hmph~"
A triumphant sound from Huang Huijuan came from the other end of the line.
Based on her understanding of her son, when Shen Siyuan said something like that, he was actually softening his stance and admitting defeat.
"So, can you make it back for lunch?"
"I'm leaving right now. Forget lunch, I can even make it back for breakfast."
"Forget breakfast, I didn't make any for you.
Just grab a bite outside. Don't skip breakfast, it's bad for you…" his Mom started nagging again.
"Mom, I know, I'm hanging up," Shen Siyuan said impatiently.
After he hung up, it dawned on him that his Mom never expected him to get up early and come home in the first place, or she would have definitely made him breakfast.
Her real goal was just to get him out of bed so he could be home before noon.
"Playing mind games with her own son."
Shen Siyuan muttered under his breath, but an irrepressible smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
Growing up, Shen Siyuan and his Mom had always gotten along exceptionally well, sharing a motherly love different from others.
After packing a few things, Shen Siyuan was about to leave when, at the door, he suddenly remembered Yin Xingyue from last night.
So with a thought, he summoned the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and released her.
Yin Xingyue materialized as a wisp of smoke, appearing out of thin air Inside the House.
The once ordinary little girl now had a touch of the supernatural about her.