My emotions fluctuated throughout the drive, thinking about the disputes with Lu Shiyan over the years and the days after my death when I became a spirit. A sense of unreality lingered.
The car stopped, and I clutched the steering wheel but didn't get out.
For a moment, my mind was in a state of confusion. Who was I?
Su Wan? A spirit? Jiang Wanwan?
The car door opened, letting in the wind and snow outside. Xu Lan's gentle voice rang out, "Why don't you come inside now? I've been watching you under the eaves for a while."
I looked up at her, a hint of confusion in my eyes.
The woman's warm hand rested on my forehead, and she muttered, "You don't have a fever. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Her warmth, piercing the cold of the snow, completely awakened my thoughts.
Yes, I've been reborn! The miserable Su Wan of the past is dead. I threw myself into my mother's arms. "I'm fine. I was just thinking too hard about other things."
My mother wasn't Mrs. Su, but the gentle woman Xu Lan.
She gently stroked the back of my head. "You haven't been like this in ages. You're a little like the child you used to be."
I said coquettishly, "In your arms, I'm always a child."
"As long as I'm around, my Wanwan can be a child again."
"Yeah," I smiled sweetly at her. "Mom, I brought you some little gifts."
I took the things I brought from the car. "They're some clothes. Try them on."
Meeting my smile, Xu Lan wasn't as disappointed as Mrs. Su.
In the past, I'd tried to ease the relationship between mother and daughter, buying things to please her, but she either wouldn't even look at them or just gave a perfunctory response. Xu Lan smiled and said, "Okay, my daughter's grown up. I'll have to try them all on later."
"Mom, you have such a great figure, but you're just a little too plain."
"I'm old."
"How old am I? God always favors beautiful women. You look only in your thirties. If we were together, people would think you were her older sister."
"When did you become so sweet? By the way, why didn't Yanchen come with you?"
There was a hint of worry in her eyes, perhaps thinking our relationship wasn't going well.
"He was busy before the New Year, so he'll be here soon."
"That's good."
Mom pulled me back to my room, and I surveyed the small villa. "Does Dad usually come over?"
"It's better if he doesn't. I hate seeing him."
I tried on the cheongsam for Mom and took the opportunity to test her attitude. "Have you ever thought about divorcing Dad?"
"Divorce?"
The woman in the mirror had a dazed look in her eyes. Her mindset was rather old-fashioned. Even if this relationship wasn't going well, for the sake of the family, for me, even if the marriage was scarred, she wouldn't even consider those two words. I stood behind her, clinging to her shoulders. "Mom, take a good look at yourself. You look so beautiful in the mirror. You're only halfway through your life. Do you want to spend the rest of it repeating the pain of the past?"
I understood her feelings, just like when the Lu family betrothed me.
From that day on, I labeled myself the future Mrs. Lu. Everything I did was centered around the interests of both the Lu and Su families.
I lived like a puppet, forgetting that I was Su Wan first, the daughter of the Su family second, and the daughter-in-law of the Lu family.
It's a shame I woke up too late, only realizing this after experiencing life and death.
Mom was clearly trapped by the shackles imposed on women by the world. Even though she was trapped in a confinement, covered in scars, she couldn't move forward.
"Divorce? Can I really do that..." A hint of confusion lingered in Mom's eyes.
I pulled her over to the dressing table, gently brushed her brows with an eyebrow pencil, and applied some lipstick. Xu Lan's features were naturally beautiful, and with a little dressing up, she looked bright and elegant.
"Mom, look how beautiful you are. It's a waste to let you wither away in the hands of a man like Jiang Qing."
Mom bit her lip. "But the Xu family hasn't been doing well in recent years, especially since your uncle has no business acumen and relies entirely on the Jiang family. If I divorce you, the Xu family will collapse. Your grandparents, and even your uncle's family, won't agree."
"Jiang Qing knows you have concerns, so he's acting so recklessly. Mom, Yanchen told me that if you're willing to divorce, he could help you with the lawsuit and aid the Xu family."
"But you just got married to him, and that's too much trouble..." Mom frowned.
People who are too kind always think of others first, neglecting their own interests.
She's so much like my past self!
I can't save my past self, but I can redeem her. "Mom, don't worry about anything. Just think about one thing: do you really want to divorce Jiang Qing?"
Mom stared at herself in the mirror. It had been ages since she'd gotten married, and she hadn't lived for herself once.
She bit her lip and trembled as she spoke: "I..."
The bedroom door opened, and Jiang Qing, dressed in a suit and tie, appeared. He said, "Honey, I'm home. Wanwan's here."
His words shattered Mom's hard-won courage.
"Honey, is dinner ready? Yanchen's here too. Let him try your cooking later."
At the mention of Lu Yanchen, Mom quickly stood up. "By the way, I'm going to the kitchen to check the fire."
As she passed by Jiang Qing, he visibly lingered on her curvaceous figure.
That was a man's possessiveness, and I knew it all. But after Mom left, Jiang Qing looked at me coldly, "Wanwan, you're a married woman, like spilled water. It's best for a child like you to stay out of adult matters. Do you think you're helping her? You're actually harming her and the Xu family. Do you want to be a parentless, wild child?"
These men have a sense of pride that they rule over humanity just because they have a dirty cucumber between their legs, and all women should bow down to their dirty cucumber.
Lu Shiyan, Fu Xici, and Jiang Qing are all like this. "Mr. Jiang, who gave you this illusion? That a woman can't live without a man?"
I slowly walked towards him. "Don't worry, this marriage is definitely over. How about we take a gamble and see if Mom is happier without you or locked in this cage?" "Jiang Wanwan, you're my daughter. Who gave you the guts to say that?"
"Mr. Jiang, you don't think that just because you provided a little sperm, you expect me to fulfill my responsibilities as a daughter, do you? Sorry, I can't do that. This marriage is over!"
He was so angry that he smashed a bottle of my mother's perfume. I snorted coldly, "He's unfaithful, has a bad temper, and is prone to violence. Why keep a scumbag like him around for the New Year without a divorce?"
I said that without even looking at his expression and went downstairs.
Lu Yanchen was sitting in the living room, holding a document. Seeing me come down, he put it away and looked at me gently.
They say nine out of ten men are bad, so the only good man is Lu Yanchen. "Wanwan."
My mood improved considerably. "Just arrived?"
"Yes."
Mom brought a fruit plate from the kitchen, offering a warm welcome: "Yanchen, this is your first time home. I'm not sure what you like to eat."
They say the more a mother-in-law sees her son-in-law, the more she likes him. This applies to both Mrs. Su and Mom.
"I'm not picky, anything's fine with me."
"Then you eat by yourself. The meal will be ready soon."
"Mom, I'll help you." I rolled up my sleeves and was about to follow.
But Lu Yanchen said, "Shen Ji cooks pretty well. I'll have him help in the kitchen."
"No, I can..."
"It's okay. We're family now." He let Shen Ji into the kitchen.
In my heart, I gave Lu Yanchen another star. See, the epitome of a good man.
He doesn't just say thank you for your hard work; he shows it through his actions. He took my hand. "You sit down and rest. Shen Ji will do it."
"Okay, then. I'll peel some grapes for you."
"Okay."
When Mom saw us, her lips curled up.
As if to dispel my previous thought, Jiang Qing forked a piece of kiwi and offered it to Mom's lips, flattering her.
"Honey, you have some too."
"I hate kiwis the most." My mom rolled her eyes.
What's the difference between this and flattering someone who hits the horse's hoof?
"Then tell me, what do you like to eat..."
Before I finished, two voices rang out from the door. "Sister, I haven't been here to warm your house since you moved in. I'm only here today. You don't mind, do you?"
Old White Lotus and Little White Lotus came in, insisting on causing trouble during such a happy occasion.
"You're not welcome here. Get out!" I said, my face sullen. Jiang Zhi came in, her back twisted. "Dad, look at your sister."
Jiang Qing patted her on the back. "It's okay, we're all family. Your sister and Auntie won't mind."
The word "Auntie" simply played on my mother's sore spot!
She went to the kitchen, unfazed. It was clear Jiang Zhi was doing this on purpose.
Lin Hui gave her a look, and she grabbed a grape from the fruit bowl and shoved it towards Lu Yanchen, flirting.
"Brother Yanchen, do you like grapes? I'll peel it for you."
Oh no! They're coming for me!
They're trying to steal my man.
Do they have some kind of mental illness?
The kind that would kill them if they didn't steal my man?