Using the upcoming final exams as a reason, Tang Xuexian finally left his parents alone at home, returning to the school dormitory to spend the last week of the semester.
The final exams weren’t particularly difficult, especially since Tang Xuexian had always been comfortable with schoolwork. He just felt he should give his parents some time together. He didn’t quite understand what else existed in the adult world besides living happily. But Uncle Shi just smiled, saying the three words “I love you” have magical effects. Secretly loving each other between spouses is useless; they need to say it out loud for both to feel truly at peace and happy.
That seemed strange – doing something doesn’t count, only saying it counts? But Uncle Shi said matters of emotion are complex, beyond the knowledge he currently understands, so he could only watch quietly.
He hoped his mother would be happy. Thinking it over, perhaps returning to school to prepare for exams would help his mother, so today he returned to school accompanied by his parents.
“Mom, you need to work hard to get Dad’s love. If I could help you get it, that would be great, but such things can’t be obtained through others,” Tang Xuexian said to his mother while sitting on the dormitory bed during the moment Tang Hua went to speak with the class advisor.
Xiao Susu’s face slightly reddened. Recently, her concerns weren’t just about how to tell Tang Hua she loved him or whether he would love her, but rather… had they divorced or not?
The former girlfriend of Tang Hua was no longer around, but did that necessarily mean they were happy and harmonious? Perhaps he simply no longer liked those women, no longer liked her, had given up everything, and would find someone else to date later.
“What if, Mom can’t get Dad’s love?” she asked, feeling dejected.
“It’s okay, then you can love me. I’ll give you my love. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, hugging her son, touched by his thoughtfulness, maturity, and constant desire to protect her. She truly was a useless mother.
Tang Hua entered with the dormitory supervisor, approaching them with a laugh: “We should go. Xuexian can just make it to the afternoon study session with the dormitory teacher after lunch, if he’s not tired.”
“Not tired,” Tang Xuexian shook his head, looking at his father for a long time.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Hua crouched down.
“Will the three of us be together forever?” he asked.
Tang Hua looked steadily at his son, whose serious expression was full of sincerity.
“We will. Rest assured and take the exam. Next week we’re going to Canada to play. Don’t think too much.”
After his son nodded, Tang Hua stood up and held his wife’s hand as they left the dormitory.
He’s light and shallow answer is to detect whether she cares so much? Does he think that divorce is not a big deal?
His response time and tone were really strange, but she didn’t have an appropriate word to describe his peculiarity; moreover, most importantly, he didn’t explain further, just saying they weren’t divorced.
Based on his usual domineering style of controlling everything, if he wanted a divorce, he would have completed all procedures long ago. However, he hadn’t finished the final step – handling the household registration transfer at the household registration office. Could she secretly guess that he still very much wanted to live a married life with her? Or was he reluctant to transfer her household registration out of the Tang family, leaving her alone on the single-person Xiao family household register?
Is it kindness or lingering feelings?
This question became her new worry, troubling her all afternoon, her brow unable to relax.
Du Feifan’s sudden phone call was undoubtedly exactly what she urgently needed at that moment.
“Feifan…” she joyfully took the receiver from Chen’s hand.
The other side had already started speaking without ceremony:
“Finally found you! My goodness, Tang Hua really knows how to hide. He whisked you off to Taipei in one go, and even using my connections, I couldn’t find your exact whereabouts. If Chen hadn’t been going to Taipei and gave me the Tianmu phone number, I think we would have truly lost contact and never see each other again. Have you and your husband reconciled? If so, I bless you, and that’s one less thing to worry about. If you’re just being soft-confined, give me the address. I’ll visit you when I’m in Taipei.”
“No, Feifan… I have a question I want to ask you,” almost stunned by her rapid-fire speech, she tried to regain her composure.
“Oh, go ahead.”
“I haven’t divorced Tang Hua…”
“That’s great!” Du Feifan said cheerfully.
“He hasn’t gone to handle the procedures, but I can’t guess… why… I don’t understand…” she stammered, unable to express her desire to be loved, her face turning as red as the crimson twilight.
Until half an hour after hanging up the phone, Xiao Susu’s blush had not faded. In her twenty-seven years of pure life, today was the most shocking – hearing so many intimate details about marital “sexual” matters, and that women could also take the initiative?!
Oh… Heavens!
If her parents were still alive and knew someone had told her these things, they would definitely faint from shock, she secretly thought with her hands pressed together.
Are we divorced?
Why would she ask such a question?
After arriving home at nine o’clock, the question that had haunted him all afternoon still lingered.
They had been getting along well for over a week. Their long-awaited family life was finally taking shape. He was extremely satisfied with the current situation, dating her every day, gradually and carefully pursuing her without frightening her, allowing her to gradually accept him, to not fear him, until they became a compatible couple, where she could rely on him with peace of mind and be cherished by him.
He knew she liked him, but her question still raised a slight uncertainty in his heart. After a long meeting, he retrieved the agreement from Lawyer Wang Li and drove home, preparing to have a serious conversation with her. He would not scare her, but necessary declarations must be made. She needed to understand the difference between gratitude and love, and that she was Tang Hua’s wife, unchangeably so.
Even if his efforts this time were as futile as seven years ago, he did not intend to separate from her or let another woman take the title of Mrs. Tang. Susu must understand this – she would always be his wife.
How could her reaction be different from what Feifan said? Feifan said that men would definitely agree and laugh heartily. But Tang Hua did not; he had no expression at all. Was it because time had passed, or because he could no longer love her?
Tears quietly welled up in her eyes. She felt she had let him down for seven years, causing him to stop loving her. It was her own fault. She was so sad. “Don’t cry! Don’t cry! Susu—”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I no longer have the right to love you! I—”
He stopped her choked apology:
“You haven’t done anything wrong, don’t apologize, don’t cry. I just don’t understand what made you say you love me, and whether you truly understand what loving me means.”
She nodded and mustered her courage to speak her mind.
“I love you. I now realize that my previous ‘fear’ wasn’t really fear. Since no strange man had ever touched me, I couldn’t distinguish the tingling, warm feeling when you touched me. I always thought it meant discomfort, so I was afraid of you touching me because my body would feel strange. Later, Feifan told me many things. And a few days ago, when the flower shop owner accidentally touched my finger, I felt nothing, just my usual dislike of being touched.
