Chapter Twenty-Two (Part 3 of 3)

Miss Chen stayed for three days. Qin Song was a dutiful pretend boyfriend, he picked up Miss Chen early each morning and took her sightseeing and to eat at fancy restaurants.

Early morning, An Xiao Li woke up and didn’t know where Miss Chen disappeared to. An exhausted An Xiao Li washed her face, brushed her teeth and stepped out of the bathroom to go back to her room to change into work clothes. Outside the bathroom she saw Chen Yu Bai stepped out from the dining room. ‘Where’s Miss Chen?’

Chen Yu Bai put on his work jacket. ‘Your boyfriend took her to see a sunrise.’

‘Oh,’ An Xiao Li said.

These past few days Chen Yu Bai was in a sour mood so An Xiao Li was used to his curt replies.

Xiao Li turned away from Chen Yu Bai and stepped toward her room. He felt the sadness in his heart rose up and grabbed her arm, she turned around and he glared at her. She wore light yellow pyjamas and he felt her face was a flower blooming in the morning. He felt confused, he couldn’t hold back and pinched her cheek hard enough to make her cry out.

‘An Xiao Li, you’re a scam artist!’ Chen Yu Bai said and kissed An Xiao Li.

When Chen Yu Bai let An Xiao Li breathe, she weakly replied. ‘Miss Chen… will be home soon.’

It was a long time since Chen Yu Bai got to have s.e.x with Xiao Li, he couldn’t control his urges and with one hand he tore off her nightgown…

Qin Song was drinking morning tea with Miss Chen when he received a phone call from his third brother. Qin Song heard shady heavy breathing from Chen Yu Bai’s end. ‘Sixth uncle, where are you… don’t move!’

Qin Song was scared of Chen Yu Bai’s unexpected morning call and the lively sounds from Chen Yu Bai’s end. Qin Song mumbled curses on his end and occasionally heard An Xiao Li’s moans from Chen Yu Bai’s end. Qin Song’s heart pound, his lips dried, his tongue was bitter and his legs shook out of fear of the mixed moans and groans he didn’t want neither Miss Chen or himself hear from Chen Yu Bai’s end.

Miss Chen leaned closer to Qin Song at the table and whispered softly to Qin Song. ‘Chen Yu Bai?’

Qin Song nodded his head. Miss Chen laughed wickedly. ‘Aunty wants to go to the supermarkets, tell him not to wait for us and go ahead and eat lunch.’

By the time Qin Song drove Miss Chen back to Chen Yu Bai’s house it was four in the afternoon. Qin Song carried the heavier grocery bag and Miss Chen carried the lighter grocery bag into Chen Yu Bai’s house.

Miss Chen asked Qin Song to unpack the grocery bags in the kitchen whilst she rested on the sofa in the living room. An Xiao Li was a dutiful daughter in the afternoon and brought a cup of milk tea to the living for Miss Chen.

‘Oh? Why are you and Yu Bai home early from work?’ Miss Chen teased. ‘And why are you two all covered up?’ She was suspicious of her daughter and her nephew wearing turtle necks. ‘Turn on the heater and quickly go change clothes. Later I’ll make braised beef in the kitchen for dinner.’

An embarra.s.sed An Xiao Li retreated whilst Chen Yu Bai coughed. At that moment Qin Song ran out of the kitchen and complained the house was too cold.

An embarra.s.sed Chen Yu Bai heard Qin Song’s complaints about being cold and Chen Yu Bai gave Qin Song an icy glare. Qin Song froze on the spot then he quietly went to look for more clothes to wear.

Miss Chen spared An Xiao Li and Chen Yu Bai from further embarra.s.sment and Miss Chen quietly went into the kitchen to cook dinner.

During dinner Qin Song sucked up to Miss Chen by praising her cooking to the point of making her fly half-way to heaven. Miss Chen’s giddiness made her open a bottle of wine that Chen Yu Bai kept for a long time. The four people at the dining table ate and drank everything on the dining table. A drunk and tired An Xiao Li slumped onto the dining table and slept. Qin Song saw that Miss Chen and Chen Yu Bai were having a dagger glaring match and wisely left the battle field, he zoomed back home.

Miss Chen picked up another bottle of wine, pulled Chen Yu Bai’s ear hard and dragged him outside to the balcony. Seven Up saw the master being bullied by an intimidating Miss Chen and like Qin Song, Seven Up wisely disappeared too.

‘Chen Yin Ren, aunt you’re still violent like in the past,’ Chen Yu Bai said coldly and rubbed his sore ear.

Miss Chen laughed. ‘Yu Bai, how long has it been since we drank wine together?’

‘You want to reminisce about the past with me?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.

‘What if I don’t? Perhaps you want to talk about the future with your aunt?’ Miss Chen alluded.

Chen Yu Bai looked into the dining room and stared at Miss dummy who was still sleeping soundly on the dining table. ‘I admit defeat. Don’t go in circles anymore, what does aunt want?’

Miss Chen laughed loudly. ‘Your aunt doesn’t want her to suffer.’

Chen Yu Bai lifted the bottle of wine, opened it and took a sip. ‘On that point we’re alike.’

‘Yu Bai, in your aunt’s life apart from An Bu San and Xiao Li, what I’m proud about most is helping to raise and parent you,’ Miss Chen confessed. She looked up at the dark night sky. ‘But you were never an ordinary kid. If Xiao Li follows you she’ll be really tired and you’ll be tired too. When that time comes, how pitiful will Xiao Li be? While you still feel compa.s.sion for her, you should think about what will happen in the future. Why don’t you call it quits right now?’

Chen Yu Bai quietly sipped more wine.

‘Considering the Chen household’s environment, it’s going to be very hard for Xiao Li to marry into the Chen household. Your old man Chen Yin Jiang will not like her,’ Miss Chen said in a serious tone. She hated living in a stern family the most. ‘The two of you being together will not always be as good as right now. You’re a man, you can’t just think about yourself, you also need to think about the other person. Especially if that person is your closest aunt’s only beloved daughter.’

Chen Yu Bai laughed loudly and turned around to look at his aunt. In his eyes was a cold light. ‘Aunt you’re old already. Right now cast your mind back to that year you ran off with An Bu San. What did my grandma say and think about? Right now I’ll give you a mirror and you’ll immediately remember and understand.’

Miss Chen motionlessly stared up at the dark night sky and Chen Yu Bai couldn’t see her expression clearly. She was quiet for a long time.

‘Chen Yin Ren, I’m also like aunt. I’m unable to bear any arrangement made by my family,’ Chen Yu Bai said. ‘I’ll marry her and I’ll make certain to give her a happy life.’

Miss Chen laughed and stood. ‘I have no control anymore, each generation have their own blessings. If you keep your promise, I’ll help you deal with An Bu San. I don’t care about Chen Yin Jiang. But if there’s a day that Xiao Li is unhappy and runs home, even if your aunt has to pick up a blade I’ll make certain to force her to go on an arranged date and marry her off to another man.’

End of Chapter Twenty-two (Part 3 of 3)