"He won't find out. It's a white lie."
"No, it's asking for trouble," Jiangg Ning refuted.
"Then you co up with a better idea! I hate it when you just shoot down other people's ideas without offering one of your own. You're being a total hypocrite!"
"You—" Jiangg Ning's eyes widened in anger.
But Jiangg Yao instantly glared back, not to be outdone. "What? Was I wrong?"
"That's an insult to my character as your older sister. You're getting more and more disrespectful!"
"I'll listen to you on other things, but I won't budge an inch when it cos to Chen Yuan. Don't even think about it."
"That doesn't an you have to be so harsh."
"I'll say what I want! I'll say it!"
The two won both stood up, poking and prodding at each other.
Just as their hard-won alliance was about to collapse into another fight, Jiangg Ning took a deep breath and held herself back.
She lowered her head and thought it over carefully, deliberating for a long ti.
"No, just telling him won't be convincing enough. I can find soone I trust to get a fake docunt made. That would be safer."
"You agree?" Jiangg Yao blinked in pleasant surprise. "That's perfect!"
"Can you really guarantee he'll never find out?"
"Of course. I'm confident. After all, we've been together for a while now."
"Sigh... Abusing his trust... my conscience is bothering ," Jiangg Ning let out a faint sigh, her gaze drifting toward the closed front door in the entryway.
She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling. A look of pained deliberation appeared on her delicate face.
Just on the other side of that wall was the man they both loved.
...
Chen Yuan, who was being kept in the dark, was overjoyed.
After parting with Jiangg Ning that morning, he opened his laptop and started ticulously researching travel guides from bloggers recomnding a winter trip to see the ocean in Sanya.
For a wonderful trip, thorough preparations were a must.
Besides, once they were there, he and his lovely girlfriend would no longer have to be on edge, worrying about being discovered.
Admiring beautiful scenery along the way, staying in a hotel, the journey's end at a place they both dread of, spending their days together without a care in the world and without anyone to disturb them...
More importantly, this was Chen Yuan's first ti traveling with a girlfriend.
He was truly, truly happy, even feeling a dream-like sense of bliss.
Every little boy dreams of finding true love. Fortunately, he now had a girl who was completely devoted to him.
After reading through many guides, Chen Yuan compiled his findings into a very detailed plan. He was going to discuss it with his girlfriend later to see if the itinerary suited her.
DING-A-LING—
DING-A-LING—
Just then, the phone he had set on the table beside him started to ring.
Chen Yuan picked up his phone, thinking it was Jiangg Yao. But when he saw the caller ID "Mom," his head started to throb.
'Sure enough, what's coming is coming...'
Chen Yuan took a breath to compose himself, his heart almost instantly starting to race. Steeling himself, he tapped the answer button.
"Hello...?"
"Son, why aren't you ho yet?" ca the slightly anxious question from the other end of the line. It was exactly the kind of tone Chen Yuan dreaded most.
'She's asking the obvious!'
'If she had started yelling right away, that would have been better; he could have used it as an excuse to hang up.'
But an opening like this forced Chen Yuan to respond.
"Mom, didn't I tell you? I'm going on a trip for the break. I'm booking the plane tickets right now..."
"You actually dare to go on a trip?! Did I say you could go? You're taking your mother less and less seriously these days. I already told you to co ho first! The trip isn't urgent; you can go whenever you want. Why are you being so disobedient? I can't control you anymore, can I?"
Through the earpiece, Mrs. Chen's rapid-fire questions and urgent tone made Chen Yuan flinch.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, utterly exasperated.
After a mont, he retorted, "But you told to go."
"I was just saying that because I was angry! Angry at you! I never thought you'd actually dare to go! You've really changed since you went to college. Now you don't even need to ask for your mother's opinion before doing things. You're really sothing else, Chen Yuan!"
"It's just a trip. I'm an adult now, can't I make my own decisions?"
"You can, I never said you couldn't," Mrs. Chen's words ca out like a machine gun, leaving no room for him to speak. "But you still need to ask for opinions before making a decision! We're a family, shouldn't we discuss things? This just shows you have no respect for your mother."
"I do."
"You don't..." Then, a low, hoarse sob ca through the phone, making Chen Yuan feel utterly hopeless.
'Can't even get three sentences out without crying.'
'Why are a woman's tears so cheap?'
"I see it clearly now. You don't listen to , and your father doesn't listen to . You two are deliberately trying to make angry— What's the point of even living—"
Listening to her wailing, Chen Yuan felt like he was about to have a heart attack. But this ti, he didn't placate his mother obediently as he always had before.
'When you grow up, you start to understand a lot of things.'
'Before, Chen Yuan used to think his mother was genuinely sad. Now, he'd wised up and knew it was just a tactic won used to get what they want!'
"Mom, if there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up. I have to pack my clothes."
"You dare hang up! If you hang up, don't you ever bother coming ho again! I'll break your legs if you co back... Hello?! Hello?!"
BEEP—
BEEP—
After hanging up, Chen Yuan suddenly felt alive again.
It was the first ti he had ever so bravely defied an elder. The feeling... was amazing!
Having been a good, obedient child his whole life, Chen Yuan had never done sothing so disrespectful. But after breaking free and taking this step, he felt not guilt, but liberation.
BZZZT—
Just as he was privately gloating, a ssage suddenly ca through on Green Bubble.
It was from his mom, who was absolutely furious that he had hung up on her.
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