Chapter 2
Edward Quan ·
My head began to ache.
I'd been careless.
04
Once Qi'an had washed, I took his hand and led him to breakfast in the living room.
He ate with delight.
“Mommy, your vegetable egg pancakes and milk rice cakes taste just like Auntie Li's at home. They're yummy!”
“Then have some more.”
I handed him warm milk, afraid he might say something else to bewilder the viewers.
“Okay.” He nodded obediently. “Can I play with little Ningning's toys?”
“Of course. You can play with any toy in the house. Tell me what else you'd like, and I'll buy you some at the amusement park today.”
“Thank you, Mommy. It's so nice having a mommy.”
He finished the food in his bowl.
“Wasn't I good?”
He held out the empty bowl, waiting for praise.
“Very good! Mommy loves children who eat well.”
I stood to clear the dishes. His smile grew even brighter.
Our housekeeper had taken a few days off, so I was doing all the housework myself.
“Play on your own for a little while, Qi'an. I need to wash the dishes. If you're bored, go to your little sister's room and find some toys.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
He went to look.
When I finished washing up, he came over wearing a shirt and asked curiously, “Mommy, why is Daddy's shirt here?”
The comments exploded.
“So many coincidences? It's reasonable to suspect she arranged this.”
“She probably bought the razor beforehand.”
“Staging all this to get what she wants. No limits at all.”
“No wonder she's still stuck playing supporting roles after all these years. Her personality is awful.”
“She'll never make it.”
…
I almost wished they would believe it was a publicity stunt.
Then I wouldn't have to invent explanations.
“Shall we go to the amusement park now?”
I snatched the shirt from him, put it in the spare bedroom, and shut the door firmly.
“Mommy, you haven't answered. Why is Daddy's shirt at your house?”
“Two shirts can look alike without being the same shirt, Qi'an. This one isn't your daddy's.”
He tilted his head, apparently armed with a thousand questions.
“Then whose is it?”
“Well…”
I paused.
The viewers attacked again.
“That answer was so vague. She's dodging the question.”
“Either she's planted it to get attention from his fans, or she has a boyfriend.”
“Watch her make excuses!”
My heart skipped.
“It belongs to a friend. He left it here. I'll give it back when I have time.”
“Oh! Now I know. Let's go to the amusement park, Mommy!”
He probably hadn't understood what my answer implied.
On camera, I'd practically admitted I had a boyfriend.
What other sort of male friend would leave his shirt at my house?
It amounted to a barefaced lie.
The viewers understood at once.
“See? I told you she had a boyfriend.”
“Poor Qi'an, hoping she'll be his mother when she already has another man.”
Reality shows required a strong heart. I skimmed the comments and stopped paying attention.
05
I drove Qi'an to the amusement park.
He sat quietly along the way. Only while I waited at a traffic light did he speak.
“Mommy, I heard you were in a show with Daddy. Can we watch it together tonight?”
Fu Yanzhou and I had worked together only once.
He was the male lead. I played the second female lead.
Back then, I'd just made my debut, while he was already one of the industry's biggest actors.
That drama had brought us closer.
I had never watched it again. I'd finally moved on from that relationship and didn't want to dwell on the past.
When I remained silent, Qi'an asked cautiously, “Can we?”
“All right. I'll watch it with you tonight.”
A little wouldn't hurt. Only when I could face it calmly would I truly have let go.
Besides, I didn't want to disappoint him.
“You're the best, Mommy!” he cheered.
At the mall, I parked underground and took his hand as we rode the lift to the sixth-floor play park.
To my surprise, Fu Yanzhou stood at the entrance with Ningning in his arms, as though waiting for us.
“Daddy! Little Ningning!”
Qi'an pulled free and ran toward him.
Fu Yanzhou put Ningning down and looked up at me.
“Why are you here?”
Hadn't he made plans with Wen Tang?
“Ningning wanted to play with Qi'an,” he said calmly.
I said nothing. I went to buy tickets and showed my membership card.
Behind him, the children were talking.
Qi'an had called Ningning his little sister, and she wasn't pleased.
“I'm not your little sister. I'm your big sister! You have to call me Big Sister Ningning. Understand?”
He pouted and went to compare their heights.
“I'm taller, so I'm the big brother. You have to call me Big Brother Qi'an.”
“Taller doesn't mean older. It depends how old you are. Anyway, I'm the big sister.”
“I'm taller and older. I'm the big brother. I can protect you.”
Their voices rose. Neither would give way.
Unable to settle it, they each took one of Fu Yanzhou's hands and asked together, “Daddy, who's older?”
Now it was his turn to have a headache.
They were twins. Qi'an had been born ten minutes earlier, making him the older brother.
Fu Yanzhou picked Ningning up.
“Qi'an is older than you. You can call him your big brother. He'll protect you.”
Her determination to win only grew.
“I don't believe you. My birthday is in four days! I must be older!”
“So is mine!” Qi'an declared. “I'm older!”
Fu Yanzhou and I froze.
Sure enough, the comments erupted.
“What? Both their birthdays are in four days?”
“If I remember right, they're both four this year!”
“Born on the same day, month, and year? Coincidence?”
“They do look a little alike.”
“Could they actually be brother and sister?”
“No way. Qi'an looks like Fu Yanzhou, and Ningning looks like Ning Wanning. Calling them siblings is a stretch.”
06
After our membership card was registered, a park attendant opened the gate for us.
The moment the children entered, their quarrel and worries vanished.
Hand in hand, they ran to the slides.
Fu Yanzhou and I found a nearby seating area where we could watch them.
It was the first time the siblings had visited an amusement park together.
The crew had put up a screen displaying comments in front of us.
The viewers were still arguing.
“Have those two even spoken to each other?”
“There was so much behind-the-scenes footage from that period drama. She always looked at him with love in her eyes.”
“That was just her wishful thinking.”
“The drama was filmed seven years ago. The kids are five this year. If you think about it, the timing works.”
…
If they dug any deeper, I thought, there wouldn't be a scrap of privacy left to either of us.
“I'll get drinks.”
Fu Yanzhou got up and left.
With nothing else to do, I kept watching the children.
“He didn't even ask what she wanted?”
“Not very gentlemanly. What if he buys something she doesn't like?”
“Don't actresses all diet? They probably just want plain mineral water.”
“Stop arguing. We'll find out soon.”
About ten minutes later, he returned with five drinks: milk teas and coffees.
Someone was beside him.
I recognized Wen Tang.
She was a sizzling-hot A-list star and his rumored girlfriend.
They had recently starred in a big-budget film due for release soon.
The media said they had got together during filming. There had been no official announcement, but neither had denied it.
He had even told me on camera last night that he was meeting her. Surely he wouldn't have named her if she weren't his girlfriend.
I felt awkward.
The comments boiled over.
“Wen Tang's here! Oh my God, my ship is real!”
“They look perfect together! I'm losing it!”
“Now that's his real girlfriend. I'm embarrassed for Ning Wanning.”
Wen Tang smiled at me.
“Wanning, long time no see.”
“Long time no see,” I answered with a smile.
In fact, it had only been half a month. The drama we'd worked on together had wrapped half a month earlier.
In it, she played the gentle heroine and I the vicious one.
The show was a huge hit. She gained a mass of fans.
I was thoroughly vilified.
“Put Wen Tang and Ning Wanning together and it's the heroine versus the villain all over again.”
“Don't latch on to our Wen Tang. Ning Wanning isn't on her level.”
“You have to admit Fu Yanzhou has good taste, choosing Wen Tang.”
07
Fu Yanzhou took the drinks out of the bag and put them on the table. I called the children over.
I didn't usually let Ningning have milk tea, but since we were at the amusement park, I could let her enjoy herself a little.
He'd bought both children their favorite kind.
Of the three remaining cups, Wen Tang chose a cappuccino at half sweetness.
I knew he'd bought that one for me. He knew my tastes.
Ever since we began dating, however many years had passed, I'd always ordered a half-sweet cappuccino.
I said nothing and simply picked up another coffee.