Chapter 306 - 275: Date
Chapter 306: Chapter 275: Date
Wu Xiaowen knocked on Tang Yaxuan’s door. Hearing no answer, she left a note on the table in the outer room and returned to her own room to meticulously get ready. There was still plenty of time, after all. It would take Bai Lihua about forty minutes to get there from his office.
She had just bought two or three new outfits from the store today. She picked out a trendy, fashionable style she’d never worn before, hoping it would serve as a bit of a disguise. Plus, the outfit did a wonderful job of accentuating her great figure. She had tried it on when she bought it and hadn’t missed the envy in the salesgirls’ eyes. A swell of pride rose in her chest. ’This is natural beauty, enhanced by the foundation I built from dancing as a child. I’ve always been this beautiful and elegant. I’d never admit I’m past my prime. Even after having two children, my looks and figure are the same as ever. Forget those plain-looking young salesgirls—even those gorgeous movie stars on stage and screen probably couldn’t compare to me without their makeup!’
After the door CLICKED shut behind Wu Xiaowen, Tang Yaxuan emerged from her room.
She rushed to the door and gripped the handle with both hands, but for some reason, she froze, unable to turn it.
In that moment of hesitation, her complex emotions quietly settled, becoming clear and calm.
’Why should I stop her? Maybe this is a good thing. As for my fear that Mom might lose her mind and do something to damage Tang Qingyun’s reputation... what does that have to do with me? Some things are just inevitable. I’m just a kid, how could I possibly understand or prevent any of this?’
Having decided to feign ignorance, Tang Yaxuan walked back to the sofa and sat there in a daze, a heavy feeling still lingering in her heart.
Just as Tang Qingyun still held a fatherly affection for Tang Yaxuan, Tang Yaxuan still adored Tang Qingyun. Ever since she was old enough to understand, she knew her feelings for her mother and father could never be equal. No matter how close she seemed to her mother on the surface, her father always held the most important place in her heart.
When she found out she wasn’t her parents’ biological daughter, she was devastated, heartbroken, and endlessly sad. But through it all, she still revered, loved, and fiercely defended Tang Qingyun as if he were her birth father.
After the switched-at-birth incident was exposed, one couldn’t say Tang Qingyun treated her badly. But for various reasons, the father and daughter gradually grew apart, their bond weakening. Her grandparents, moreover, used their authority as elders and the family’s interests as a form of Suppression to force Tang Qingyun into a choice. He was in a difficult position and suffering in silence; Tang Yaxuan could see and understand that. However, as a man and the head of the family, Tang Qingyun’s performance was sorely lacking. Tang Yaxuan felt her father had changed. ’He’s become a stranger—weak and spineless. Not like the father I remember, the man who I felt could shield me from all harm with a single word!’
Naturally, Tang Yaxuan’s thoughts mirrored Wu Xiaowen’s. She, too, believed her father should stand up to his parents for the sake of his wife and daughter. ’If our family can just stick together and present a united front, there’s no way things will end badly! After all, Grandpa and Grandma will eventually pass away, but the ones who will be with Dad for the rest of his life are his wife and children. We’re the ones who love him most, the ones who will always look up to him as the center of our world!’
Unfortunately, Tang Qingyun only disappointed the mother-daughter pair more and more. When his parents weren’t around, things were better. He could still take good care of his wife and daughter. But as soon as he was near the two elders, he became meek and subservient. In front of his grandmother, he didn’t dare utter a single word of protest, allowing her to do as she pleased—to berate his wife and daughter, to even throw them out of the house... ’What happened to his authority as an official?’
Tang Yaxuan had finally seen things for what they were. ’Grandma Tang is incredibly hostile to outsiders and vicious to the core. Since she said she doesn’t want me as a Tang family granddaughter, she’ll never let me set foot in the Tang family home again! All I can do is curse the heavens. Why did you let Xiao Man show up? Why didn’t you just take that old hag’s life long ago, instead of letting her live on, hale and hearty!’
’That old hag has the Tang family in her grip, so my path back is completely blocked. If I want to stay in Beijing, to navigate the circles of the rich and powerful and secure a place for myself, relying on Tang Qingyun is probably a long shot. Not with Grandma Tang watching me like a hawk! The only person who can help me, the only one I can depend on, is Wu Xiaowen!’
’So, I can’t afford to get on Wu Xiaowen’s bad side. In fact, not only must I not provoke her, I have to play along and keep her happy. I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything and let her do whatever she wants!’
’Going by Wu Xiaowen’s taste in men, they’re never a bad choice. Tang Qingyun comes from a good family and holds power. That guy with the surname Bai probably isn’t far behind!’
Their home in the provincial city had an extension line, and whenever the adults were on the phone, Tang Yaxuan would find a way to eavesdrop. It had become a habit. She could usually tell who Wu Xiaowen was talking to just from her tone, and she would fill in the blanks of the conversation in her own mind. She hadn’t taken a nap earlier. When Wu Xiaowen made her calls, Tang Yaxuan was listening from behind the door the whole time. On that last call, she noticed a distinct, coquettish softness in Wu Xiaowen’s voice. And when her mother mentioned she was going out, Tang Yaxuan put it all together. ’It’s that man with the surname Bai. Mom is going out on a date with him!’
Tang Qingyun had been transferred to a remote, impoverished mountain region. He rarely returned to the provincial city unless it was for an important meeting. For one, the area was said to be extremely poor; officials had to pinch pennies even for their car’s gas money. For another, the mountain roads were treacherous. Wu Xiaowen was alone in the provincial city, with only the telephone to stave off her loneliness. It was only when Tang Yaxuan returned to the provincial city for winter break that she discovered how frequently Wu Xiaowen spoke with that man surnamed Bai. When Tang Yaxuan was home, they mostly spoke at night. Wu Xiaowen would use the extension in her bedroom, allowing Tang Yaxuan to eavesdrop from the living room. Their conversations covered a wide range of topics, and Tang Yaxuan wasn’t a fool—she could tell they’d had some kind of special relationship in the past. They often lamented the distance that kept them from meeting, and their calls would drag on for so long that Tang Yaxuan would lose patience before they were over.
Once, the man called during the day and Tang Yaxuan answered. Wu Xiaowen, completely at ease, had Tang Yaxuan say a few words to him, telling her to call him "Uncle Bai." She added with a smile that Uncle Bai was in Beijing and had been a great help to her mother.
’Fine, I guess. If that Uncle Bai is powerful enough, it just means Mom and I have another pillar of support. After all, everyone on the Tang family side is a complete snob these days. Even Brother Shaojun has been so heartless...’
Tang Yaxuan sniffled sorrowfully, a cold, bitter smile on her face. ’Why should I worry about Tang Qingyun? He’s perfectly content to be wrapped around that old hag’s finger instead of caring for his own wife. If she cheats on him, who does he have to blame but himself?’
Wu Xiaowen had no idea. She was simply going out to meet an old friend and catch up after a long time apart, but her sweet, devoted daughter had already slapped her with a rather unflattering label: a cheating wife.
But this meeting truly paid off. Bai Lihua once again did something that warmed her heart to its core: he promised to help her resolve the issue with the Wu Family’s Residence. Even if the Tang family stepped in, the Bai Family would also look into the matter. Their efforts would complement each other, yielding better and faster results. And if the Tang family was too busy, well, there was still the Bai Family!
Bai Lihua looked at her earnestly. "Don’t worry," he said. "If Tang Qingyun won’t handle it, I will. I have to go to Yuan City at the end of March to start my new post. Even though it’s not far from Beijing, who knows when I’ll be able to see you again. I have to take care of this lingering concern for you before I leave."
Wu Xiaowen was so moved she was at a loss for words. The two of them opened a bottle of wine, sipping it slowly as they spoke in hushed tones. As the saying goes, wine flows freely between kindred spirits; the bottle seemed bottomless, and their conversation flowed just as easily. Time flew by, and when Wu Xiaowen finally returned to her room, it was already three in the morning.
Tang Qingyun still hadn’t come. Pushing open the door to her daughter’s room, Wu Xiaowen saw that she was fast asleep and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.