Chapter 080　 I’ll worry about it after this busy period is over.

  *

  Li Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Fine. If Engineer Su doesn't call to demand the money back, I’ll just play dumb. But you have to tell me exactly what happened. Otherwise, I’ll end up asking her sooner or later; you can’t keep following me around every second."

  Left with no choice, he had to make up an excuse. "She just got bored of me. It’s no different from those rich men playing around with women. Mom, we have our own pride. If it’s over, it’s over. I’m not going to cling to her." He took Li Xiao’s phone and deleted/blocked Su Xian’s WeChat account. "And don't contact her through Manager Liang. I don't want to be laughed at by her, and I doubt you do either."

  So decisive? It seemed her son had truly been mistreated. "Alright, I’ll listen to you. Mom will always be on your side."

  *

  Li Xiao helped him get a new SIM card and put it in an old phone. After logging back into WeChat, Li Chengshi discovered that Su Xian hadn't sent him a single message.

  That heartless woman!

  Or did she know that what she did was unforgivable, so she simply gave up? Or perhaps she was secretly relieved because the "obstacle" had removed himself?

  No, that couldn't be it. She loved me; I can't deny what she’s done for me. Her thing with Zhao Nanfeng was probably just a whim, a temporary excitement.

  But what did it matter? An affair was an affair. Having spent so much time around Zhao Nanfeng, he had actually become desensitized to the word. He was truly losing himself. That’s too bad.

  *

  The staffing agency recommended a few people for interviews. It was their busiest time, and they needed two people to replace Yoshida Wakaba and Li Chengshi. Zhao Nanfeng chose a man in his twenties named Matsubara, and Su Xian chose a woman her age named Shirakawa.

  She opened Li Chengshi’s computer to give Shirakawa a brief instruction. Shirakawa was very professional and could start working almost immediately.

  Su Xian found an empty cardboard box and cleared Li Chengshi’s personal belongings out of the drawers: a few books, various stationery, notebooks, a business card holder, a water cup, and snacks.

  "白川さん、この引き出し使ってください。(Shirakawa-san, please use these drawers.)"

  "はい、ありがとうございます。(Yes, thank you.)"

  Su Xian sealed the box, labeled it "Li-san’s Personal Items," and moved it to the warehouse for temporary storage. However, she gave the snacks to Honda.

  Honda was very concerned about what had happened. Su Xian could only tell her that Li Chengshi had family matters and had returned to China temporarily, so he wouldn't be coming to work for a while.

  *

  It was a busy day; dinner was the usual "standard three" at the office. Leaving the company around 9:00 PM and walking to the elevator hall, Zhao Nanfeng asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

  "No. You'd better stay away from me."

  "We still have to go on that business trip to Sendai together this week."

  "Work is work."

  The elevator arrived. "Has Li Chengshi contacted you?"

  "No."

  Good job! Zhao Nanfeng felt a secret joy. "Then what do you plan to do?"

  "I’ll worry about it after this busy period is over."

  *

  On the train home, however, she couldn't stop thinking: Even after this busy period, I still don't want to have children.

  Initially, she thought that if she dated him for three to five years, maybe he’d be moved by her, or she’d be assimilated by him—anyway, if at least one side compromised, they could continue. If not, they’d break up. He would still be young enough then to find someone his age to marry and have kids. And she, having had a serious relationship, would be around forty—able to live without regrets and devote herself entirely to her career.

  But his sudden breakup had completely thrown off her rhythm.

  Stinky puppy!

  Can’t you... suddenly come home?

  *

  He didn't.

  The large house was empty and quiet, which made her feel uneasy. On the way back, she had stopped at a pharmacy to buy a bottle of melatonin. She swallowed one before bed.

  **

  The next morning, while Li Chengshi was still in a deep sleep, Li Xiao suddenly knocked on the door and shouted, "Little Bear, get up! I have something to ask you."

  He had taken one of the sleeping pills left over from Li Xiao’s menopause the night before. His head hurt a little, and he found it difficult to get out of bed. "Mom, just come in and say it."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Li Xiao pushed the door open, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window. Although the breeze was a bit chilly, the weather was clear. The sunlight hitting the bed was almost too much for his gloominess to bear.

  He wrapped himself in the quilt. "Mom, what do you want to ask?"

  "What is this?" Li Xiao enlarged an image on her phone.

  Li Chengshi looked up and rubbed his eyes. He was startled. It was a screenshot of a video of Huang Pinghe and Ding Haiyan holding a "minimalist wedding" at a youth plaza. Both he and Su Xian were in the frame.

  "Mom, where did you get this?"

  "Huang Shan arrived in Japan yesterday. He was bored at the hotel last night and browsed those Japanese videos, and he found this. You all are something else!" She pinched Li Chengshi’s cheek.

  "Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his face. "What was that for?"

  Li Xiao sat on the edge of the bed and pinched his face again. "Why do you think? Partnering up to deceive parents and not feeling the least bit wrong about it!"

  Li Chengshi pulled her hand away. "I didn't lie to you."

  "Knowing and not saying is lying! Huang Shan is losing his mind over there; he didn't sleep all night. He’s gone to Xiao Huang’s place now. I just hope the father and daughter don't end up in a fistfight."

  Li Chengshi sat up abruptly. "Mom, call Uncle Huang quickly! Tell him not to do anything rash. If Ding Haiyan calls the police and gets him arrested, his visa will be revoked and he'll be deported! It might even affect Xiao Huang."

  Li Xiao panicked and immediately dialed the voice call. "Who is Ding Haiyan?" she asked.

  "Xiao Huang’s girlfriend. She has a very short temper."

  But it was too late. No one answered the call. On the other side, Huang Shan was using the video to interrogate and berate Huang Pinghe. Ding Haiyan stood in front of her to argue back. In a fit of rage, Huang Shan slapped Ding Haiyan. Ding Haiyan kicked him out of the house. Seeing this, the neighbor called the police.

  The argument was still ongoing when the police sirens wailed. All three were taken to the police station.

  *

  "Now all three of us are finished, Uncle." Ding Haiyan looked at Huang Shan with hatred.

  Huang Shan felt some regret, but he didn't understand Japanese and had no idea how to respond. Huang Pinghe wouldn't stop crying; she was completely at a loss.

  Ding Haiyan squeezed her hand. "Xiao Huang, don't be afraid. I’ll ask my friends if they know any powerful lawyers."

  This reminded Huang Pinghe that her only connections here were Li Chengshi and Su Xian. She immediately contacted Li Chengshi.

  Li Chengshi received the message, lied that he was in China visiting his mother, and told her to contact Su Xian directly. Huang Pinghe immediately reached out to Su Xian, explaining the situation and crying for help.

  *

  Hearing her say, "Little Bear said he went back home to visit his mom," Su Xian couldn't help but feel a bit happy. It seemed the "stinky puppy" hadn't told anyone about their unilateral breakup yet. That was a good sign.

  However, she didn't have many connections here either, so she had to call Zhao Nanfeng. Zhao immediately contacted a lawyer friend named Yamauchi to handle it.

  "Zhao Nanfeng, if this isn't handled well, Ding Haiyan’s visa might be canceled. Have Yamauchi put in some effort; don't let this ruin her future."

  "Tell Xiao Huang to convince her dad to take all the responsibility. Frame Ding Haiyan as the victim, or tell him she'll cut off their father-daughter relationship. If his visa gets canceled, so be it. Old stubborn fools like him are better off not coming back to cause trouble."

  Su Xian immediately contacted Huang Pinghe to explain the plan. She agreed, but the police had already called Huang Shan into the interrogation room. There was no way to tell him now, but he knew to remain silent until the lawyer arrived.

  Zhao Nanfeng stood up and grabbed his car keys. "Let's go. We'll head over there and meet Yamauchi."

  "I'm sorry to make you handle this when you're so busy," Su Xian said, feeling a bit guilty.

  "Aren't you also helping that little bastard? Let's go. As adults, can we really just watch them get into trouble and do nothing?"

  *