Chapter Seventeen — Choices

When the car stopped at the entrance of the building, Chen Kai was still sitting in the front passenger seat, squeezing blackheads in front of the mirror!

The doorman came over to open the door, but Chen Kai didn’t get out. Still, he smiled politely at the doorman… then closed the car door again!

In the back seat, Cheng Yishu looked as if he had just woken up, squinting at Da Lingzi beside him.

“Why aren’t you getting out?”

Da Lingzi glanced at Cheng Yishu, then at Chen Kai who was putting away the mirror, looking just as bewildered.

At that moment, a middle-aged man came jogging out of the hotel lobby, his face beaming with a smile, and hurried over to the car. He bent down to open the passenger door first…

Only then did Chen Kai step out, adjusting his suit and tie, nodding briefly to the man, then personally opened the back door…

——

Lunch was braised ribs and beef stewed with potatoes, brought by Xu Ningning from her mother’s house!

As soon as the microwave dinged, Lin Xiaowen began setting the table, calling Xu Ningning over from the front to eat.

“Coming!” Xu Ningning closed her laptop, grumbling as she walked toward the storeroom,

“Renovation companies nowadays are just too unreliable. I’ve explained my requirements so clearly, yet they still can’t get the color scheme right. Since it’s a chain store, the décor has to be consistent, doesn’t it…”

The storeroom, piled high with baby formula and diapers, was filled with the delicious aroma of food, making anyone’s mouth water.

“Wow, Auntie’s cooking is simply amazing!” Lin Xiaowen praised after tasting a piece of beef.

“Of course! My mom could be a head chef at a five-star hotel… By the way, did you save some for Ranran? Don’t eat it all!” Xu Ningning mumbled, gnawing on a rib.

“It’s saved!” Lin Xiaowen replied. “Don’t worry, I haven’t touched your daughter’s portion!”

Though she joked, warmth filled Lin Xiaowen’s heart.

“Of course, Ranran’s growing now! With a penny-pinching mom like you, I can’t help worrying!” Xu Ningning gave her a mock stern look.

That reminded Lin Xiaowen of what Cheng Yishu had said last night, and her chopsticks paused over the rice…

“What’s wrong?” Xu Ningning asked gently, spitting out a bone and noticing Lin Xiaowen’s change in expression.

“It’s nothing…” Lin Xiaowen put down her chopsticks. After a moment’s thought, she decided to share her thoughts.

“Ningning… I want your advice on something.”

“Go ahead!”

Xu Ningning looked at her, amused. “You look so serious—don’t tell me I guessed right?” Xiaowen was rarely so solemn, and after having dinner with Cheng Yishu last night… could something have happened?

But Lin Xiaowen didn’t respond to the teasing, speaking quietly.

“Autumn is when I have to apply for Ranran to start school next year, you know that. My household registration isn’t here, and I certainly can’t… take Ranran back home! So I need to find a way to solve the issue of her registration… Su Nian has offered more than once to help, and I…”

“No way!”

Xu Ningning’s face changed dramatically. She put down her chopsticks and looked at her seriously.

“That Su Nian has always liked you but never said so, and now he wants to help? How exactly?”

“Well, it’s just a marriage certificate, really. We get the certificate, register Ranran, and then immediately file for divorce…”

“Forget it! Su Nian’s a mama’s boy. If his mother finds out, won’t she come raising hell? The reason he hasn’t confessed to you all these years is that meddlesome mom of his…”

“That’s not fair,” Lin Xiaowen said gloomily. “If my son wanted to be with a woman who already had a child out of wedlock, I wouldn’t agree either! Every mother would feel the same.”

“But you’re different…” A hint of sadness crossed Xu Ningning’s face, but she stopped herself in time. She was afraid of accidentally touching the wound Lin Xiaowen tried so hard to hide.

Even though she understood it all, she still didn’t want to bring it up again.

“How am I different?” Lin Xiaowen forced a bitter smile. “To the world, I’m just another unwed mother.”

“Oh, stop it, please!” Xu Ningning’s heart ached. She took Lin Xiaowen’s hand and spoke softly,

“Xiaowen, don’t rush into anything desperate. Let’s think it over. There’s still half a year, isn’t there? At worst…”

Xu Ningning’s eyes sparkled as she broke into a smile.

“At worst, we’ll put Ranran on my household registration—just say she’s my daughter, or my little sister!”

“Pfft…”

Lin Xiaowen burst out laughing at her suggestion. Seeing Xu Ningning’s smiling face, she poked her on the forehead and said,

“You’re full of ideas. Isn’t it enough to have one single mom—you want to join in too! Your little sister… only you could think of that. If Auntie finds out, won’t she scold you to death…”

“Heh…”

Xu Ningning thought, if her mom really found out about this idea… Well, at the very least, a beating with the rolling pin was inevitable!

“Forget it, let’s see how things go! I can give birth to a daughter, raise her, and I will definitely find a way to solve whatever comes next. I believe in myself!”

Having a friend who cared and worried for her like this, Lin Xiaowen felt filled with strength once more.

“That’s right! We’ve been through so many hardships all these years, haven’t we made it through? What else could stop us? Let’s fight life head-on…”

Xu Ningning’s heroic pose, as if she were about to go valiantly to her doom, made Lin Xiaowen laugh again.

“All right, enough about me!” Lin Xiaowen picked up her chopsticks again, placing a rib in Xu Ningning’s bowl.

“The new store renovation—the mall wanted the floor plan finalized quickly, didn’t they? Is it still not done?”

“Don’t get me started. The layout is fine, but the colors are way off from what we use now! I told them the wallpaper code, but they said it’s not the same brand, so the code is different… Communication is just breaking down. I’ll have to go to the renovation company this afternoon!” Xu Ningning frowned, clearly frustrated.

“Alright, go after lunch. I’ll watch the store,” Lin Xiaowen nodded.

Xu Ningning continued, “Right! I need to meet with the mall tonight, too. We can only start renovations after the mall staff get off work tomorrow. Stocking and organizing can wait until later.”

“Okay…”

“And it’s going to be busy these days, so you’ll have to help me out… My mom will watch Ranran—is that alright?” Xu Ningning asked, hesitating.

“What’s the problem?” Lin Xiaowen replied, amused. “Auntie’s looked after Ranran before! If she doesn’t see Auntie for a few days, that little imp will start asking, ‘Why hasn’t pretty granny taken me home for mung bean cakes and pumpkin pastries…’”

“Haha…” Xu Ningning clapped her hands, laughing. “She gets that from me—always thinking about food!”

Lin Xiaowen only smiled at her.

“I’ve told Su Mo I won’t be going to the bar these days, not until we’re done here. Also, I’ve sent out the recruitment ads—you just need to check for applications and calls!”

Xu Ningning declared, with mock affection,

“Xiaowen, you really are my ‘domestic goddess’—you’ve arranged everything so perfectly… If I were a man, I’d want to marry you myself!”