Chapter 5: Call From Home

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"Name your price and I'll pay."

Mei Xing could hardly believe her ears. She was getting a project out of coffee. It took her a moment before she could get words out of her lips.

"I, I can help you. Of course. Uhm–"

"You can start when you're ready. No pressure from my side."

Mei Xing smiled and nodded. "Alright. I can't state the price yet until I see what I'm up against."

"Okay. We'll..." The ringing of a phone interrupted him. He picked up his phone from the table and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's a call from work."

"Oh it's fine," Mei Xing said as she watched him gather his bag to leave.

Pulling out a white handkerchief and a pen from his breast pocket, he scribbled on the handkerchief and slid it to her.

"Let's meet again," his lips tilted a bit and dashed out of the shop whilst answering the incessant call.

Mei Xing turned back to the neatly folded handkerchief. "Aotian," she whispered the name written. Beneath it were a series of numbers arranged in a line– his phone number.

It's no wonder people say joy comes in the morning. Mei Xing could hardly stop herself from smiling as she worked away on her laptop.

After a few hours, Mei Xing finally left the shop with a mental promise to come back. As soon as she got back to Yi Chunhua's apartment, she busied herself with searching for an apartment.

The day grew darker by the minute, still, Yi Chunhua had not returned from work. Mei Xing decided to have dinner prepared. Then she called Yi Chunhua.

The call got connected after the first ring. "Hey, Chunhua. When are getting off from work?"

"In about half an hour. How was your day?"

"When you come home, I'll tell you how my day went. So hurry back here."

"You sound excited," Yi Chunhua pointed out.

"It's because I am excited," Mei Xing smiled as she remembered how she got a client.

"Let me in on that. What has got you excited?" Yi Chunhua probed.

"Get home and you'll find out. Bye," Mei Xing quickly ended the call before Yi Chunhua could make her spill the good news.

Dropping her phone on the counter, Mei Xing took up a knife and a fresh set of fruits she got from the grocery store on her way back. As she began slicing them into small pieces, her phone chimed.

Thinking it was her friend, she answered without checking who was calling. "I said I won't tell you about my..."

"Divorced?" The person on the line interjected.

Mei Xing's eyes shut close. She knows that voice. It is one she is very familiar with– one that instils cold fear in her.

"M-Mother."

"Are you so happy with your foolish decision, Luo Mei Xing? How dare you force divorce into your husband's hands?"

"Mother I..."

"Save it, you ingrate." Mei Xing winced at the harsh words of the woman known to be her mother.

"Do you know how shameful we felt when Feng Houyi called to tell us you left your marital home?" The woman questioned.

Feng Houyi had indeed called Mei Xing's family to give them the 'news'. He had gone home to meet the sight of her wedding ring on the kitchen counter and a note that said, 'Hope you sign those papers'.

"You even had the guts to leave a note like that despite how troublesome you have been to him."

"Troublesome?" Mei Xing frowned. "You think I have been troublesome? Since I married Feng Houyi, how many times have you seen or heard my name on any headline? I have been a quiet housewife. He is the one who is seen at different clubhouses and..."

"Shut up! Just stop it with your whining. You have until tomorrow afternoon to go back and apologize for this stunt you've made. Or else," she left the threat hanging and ended the call.

Mei Xing let out a shaky breath as she slid down to the floor, her phone clutched tightly in her trembling hand. She tried to blink back the tears that threatened to spill.

The call just now had left her with a feeling of despair. The memories of her loveless and unfulfilling marriage came flooding back.

She had mustered the courage to leave behind a life of frustration and embark on a journey to find her own happiness. But now, her mother's words echoed in her ears, reminding her of the expectations that had always weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Mei Xing knew that her mother's demands were driven by a desire for societal acceptance, but they clashed with her newfound sense of freedom.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head between her hands. Snow, her dog sat beside her, accompanying her in her sadness– also hoping to cheer her up with its presence.

"Why can't they just let me be, Snow? I don't want to go back," she cried.

As she sat there, tears streaming down her cheeks, Mei Xing felt torn between her mother's demands and hers. She longed to stand up for the choice she had made– to leave the marriage and pursue a life where her own happiness was the compass guiding her way.

Yet, the weight of her family's expectations bore down on her like an anchor, threatening to pull her back into the suffocating confines of a loveless marriage.

She had realized that her journey towards independence and love would be filled with challenges, not only from her own heart but from the expectations of her strict mother and the traditions that bound her. But how to go about it was still a problem she was not fully prepared for.

With a heavy sigh, she wiped away her tears. Even if it was just the beginning, she has taken the first step. So turning back and falling into regret for the rest of her life wasn't in the long list of decisions she wished to make.