Meng Shutang didn't have time to call her father. She didn't even stay to pay the bill. She ran out of the restaurant and sped to the hospital.
Zhou Xingfan was in the ICU, fighting for her life.
"Your mother choked on phlegm," Nurse Li said. "We called the doctor the second we found it, and we rushed her into surgery, but she's still not out of the woods yet."
For a patient in a vegetative state, choking on phlegm was deadly. It had happened twice before, and the doctor had warned her it was a normal, inevitable decline for someone who'd been bedridden for over a decade.
Meng Shutang stood frozen outside the operating room, her eyes locked on the red emergency light above the door, her fingers white with tension.
Her phone rang, shattering the silence. It was Grandma.
"Tangtang, my heart's been racing all day. I dropped a casserole while I was cooking. Is something wrong with your mom? Is she mad at me for moving her to the regular ward?"
Thank god Meng Shutang had moved her mother back to the ICU, with 24-hour care. If this had happened in a regular ward, she would have been gone.
"No, Grandma. Mom's fine. Did you burn yourself?"
"I'm fine, just a little burn on my wrist. Ran it under cold water. As long as your mom's okay."
The old woman hung up.
Meng Shutang's hands shook as she called Gu Yunci.
"Mr. Gu… can you help me?"
Her voice cracked with tears, nothing like her usual calm, cool tone. Gu Yunci froze for a split second on the other end.
But Gu Yeheng's cold voice cut through the line. "Yunci, what are you doing? We're in a board meeting with the directors."
Gu Yunci spoke into the phone, low and brisk. "I'm in a high-level meeting with the board. I can't leave. Handle it yourself."
He hung up.
"Gu Yunci, wait! My grandma's hurt—"
The line went dead. He hadn't heard a word.
Nurse Li saw her panic. "I can stay here and watch her. Go check on your grandma."
Meng Shutang shook her head, then called Ruan An. "An An, my grandma burned herself. I'm stuck at the hospital. Can you go check on her for me?"
Ruan An was swamped with work, but she dropped everything the second she heard the panic in Meng Shutang's voice. "Sister Tangtang, don't cry. Send me the address. I'm on my way right now."
An hour later, Zhou Xingfan was out of danger and wheeled back to the ICU.
No sooner had she settled her mother in than Ruan An sent her photos—she'd cleaned and dressed Grandma's burn, and was sitting with her to keep her company.
Meng Shutang smiled through her tears, texting back: Thank you, An An.
She made sure her mother was settled, then left the hospital and drove straight to her grandma's house. She'd troubled Ruan An enough for one day, and told her to head home before she arrived.
Grandma was shocked to see her.
It was her birthday, after all. Every year since she'd married, Gu Yunci had spent it with her. But the old woman didn't push it, just assumed she'd come because she was worried.
When she saw Meng Shutang heading to the kitchen to make longevity noodles, she stopped her. "You're eating here tonight?"
Meng Shutang nodded. "I want to spend time with you."
She worked fast, whipping up two bowls of longevity noodles in minutes.
Over dinner, Grandma gushed about how sweet and responsible Ruan An was.
Meng Shutang smiled. "She is. She's a good kid."
Grandma saw her quiet, downcast mood. "Is something wrong with your mom?"
Meng Shutang shook her head. "No." She paused, then asked, "Grandma, did Dad ever have another woman besides Mom?"
The old woman froze. "Why would you ask that all of a sudden?"
"I met a girl today. She has a bracelet that's exactly like Dad's old one."
Grandma pushed food onto her plate, avoiding her eyes. "Your mom's been sick all these years. She couldn't be there for him. Running the Meng family alone hasn't been easy for your dad. Stop overthinking things."
Her gaze darted away, not meeting Meng Shutang's eyes.
Meng Shutang forced a smile. "You're right. I'm overthinking it. That girl's only three months younger than me. Dad would never do that to Mom."
She shoveled a few more bites of noodles into her mouth and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Grandma asked.
Meng Shutang forced a shy, happy smile. "Yunci is waiting for me at home. If I'm late, he'll throw a fit."
Grandma laughed, relieved. "I'm glad you two are happy. That's all I want."
She smiled as she watched her granddaughter leave. The second the door closed, the old woman sat down alone, staring at the empty seat across from her, her face falling.
Meng Shutang drove back to Repulse Bay.
Just like last year, she'd cooked dinner and baked a birthday cake, waiting for Gu Yunci to come home.
She waited and waited, but he didn't show.
Thankfully, she'd eaten at her grandma's, so she wasn't hungry. She pulled out her sketchbook and started drawing, to pass the time.
Aunt Zhang had taken the night off to visit her son. Only Sister Li was in the house.
When it got dark and Gu Yunci still hadn't come home, Sister Li walked over to Meng Shutang, her voice smug. "Mr. Gu probably won't be coming home tonight, Madam. Let me tell you—being pretty isn't enough to keep a man. You need to know how to win his heart. Look at Miss Bai."
Meng Shutang stood up slowly, looking at her, her voice flat and icy. "Pack your things and leave. I'll pay you double your salary. I don't want to see you in this house again before Mr. Gu comes back."
For three years, Sister Li had thought Meng Shutang was meek and easy to push around. She never thought she'd hear her say something like this.
"Mr. Gu will never agree to this!"
"We're still married. I'm still his wife. This house is as much mine as it is his. I'm telling you to leave. That's final."
She sat back down and went back to her drawing.
Sister Li sniffled and dragged her feet to her room, but in the end, she packed her things and left, bitter and resentful.
It was nearly 9 p.m. Gu Yunci still hadn't come home.
Meng Shutang called him once. It went straight to voicemail.
She sent him a WeChat message. It was never even read.
At 9:30, he still wasn't home.
Meng Shutang hesitated, wondering if she should call him again. Grandma was expecting a photo, and she'd show up at the house if she didn't get it.
She opened her WeChat moments to pass the time, and saw a post from Gu Yunci's best friend, Shen Duan.
Caption: No limits tonight.
She clicked on the photo. It was a high-end club, lavish and opulent. Gu Yunci sat slouched in a leather sofa, his suit jacket tossed aside, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, lazy and debauched. The photo was taken from the side, showing his long legs crossed, his long fingers holding a cigarette loosely.
Bai Cixian sat right beside him in a white dress, staring at him with hearts in her eyes.
Meng Shutang closed the app.
With his beautiful first love by his side, he wasn't coming home tonight.
She still had to fool Grandma, though. She sat down next to the cake, holding up her hand to take a selfie to send.
*Bang.*
The front door slammed open.
Gu Yunci stumbled in, reeking of alcohol.
And bright red lipstick stain blazed on the collar of his shirt, impossible to miss.
He'd come home with another woman's mark on him, on her birthday. What else could possibly go wrong tonight?