Chapter 4: I Won’t Fall in Love with an Older Man Either
“Who was Sir talking to on the phone…”
Song Chi walked to the door, trying to listen more carefully, only to find the man had already ended the call.
She muttered to herself, “Uncle and I just met not long ago. It’s reasonable he doesn’t like me. That Luo Wanwan… was she his ex-girlfriend?”
Song Chi pouted. “If he doesn’t love me, so be it! I wouldn’t fall for an old man anyway!”
What she didn’t realize was that, as she spoke, her tone carried a hint of jealousy.
Meanwhile, Mu Yin finished his phone call and was preparing to go to sleep when he heard a few beeps from a phone.
He glanced over—it was Song Chi’s phone on the table. He walked over to grab it but accidentally saw a pop-up message on the screen:
[Baby, I miss you…]
The rest of the message was cut off. Mu Yin’s expression darkened. So before him, she already had a boyfriend?
He vividly remembered that night being her first.
However, this message made him uncomfortable, though oddly, he didn’t feel too strongly about it. After all, everyone has a past.
“Song Chi, you forgot your phone.”
“Oh.”
Song Chi opened the door to retrieve it.
Mu Yin gently reminded her: “Good night. Get some rest.”
“Good night, Sir!”
[A notice from tler: the word she is using to call him from the beginning is directly translated to Uncle. But I felt too uncomfortable with that title, so I changed it a bit.]
Song Chi checked her phone and saw a message from her best friend, Luo Tiantian. She replied, and just as she sent it, her phone rang again.
She answered: “Hello, Auntie.”
Aunt Song Yulan’s voice was soft, as if she was secretly making a call. Her voice was filled with concern.
“Xiao Chi, I heard you got married? Why so suddenly? Do you know that man well? Be careful not to be tricked or taken advantage of!”
Song Chi gave a bitter smile. “Auntie, I have no car, no house, and no savings. What could he possibly scam me for? Besides, last time he and I…”
Her cheeks flushed as she trailed off.
“What happened last time?”
“Well… it’s like this…”
She explained the incident from before.
Hearing it, Song Yulan went silent for a long while before suddenly crying,
“Xiao Chi, I’m sorry. I didn’t know your uncle would do something so vile and inhuman… It’s my fault, if I had known, even if he beat me to death, I would’ve stopped it…”
Before marriage, Aunt Yulan had been a fair-skinned beauty. But a tragic marriage was like an invisible knife, it had transformed her looks and personality.
Now she was overweight, her face worn and tired. Though only 38, she looked like she was 50.
Song Chi felt wronged, but more than that, she felt deep sorrow for her aunt.
“Auntie, I’m married now. Don’t blame yourself anymore.”
Still crying, Song Yulan said, “Xiao Chi, marriage is a serious matter. There are things I need to tell you. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
“Okay, let’s meet at the café downstairs.”
Suddenly, a shout came from behind her aunt, followed by the sound of objects shattering.
“Song Yulan, you b****! Where the hell are you? Get over here and serve me!”
Song Yulan trembled, saying, “Xiao Chi, I’ll talk to you later. Get some rest.”
Just as Song Chi was about to say something, the call ended.
Judging by the voice, her uncle was drunk and raging again—and she didn’t know if her aunt was being abused.
Worried, Song Chi couldn’t sit still. She left the room, planning to go check on her aunt.
Mu Yin heard the door open and knew Song Chi had gone out.
So late…, where was she going?
To see her ex-boyfriend?
Mu Yin was suspicious but didn’t jump to conclusions. Still, he didn’t want to be made a fool of, so he quietly followed her.
Song Chi took a taxi to an old apartment complex.
Her aunt and uncle lived on the second floor. The lights were off, and it was quiet, no signs of a fight. They must have gone to bed.
Relieved, she didn’t want to disturb them and took another taxi back to Mu Yin’s home.
At that moment, Mu Yin stood beneath the apartment building, looking up at the second floor.
He murmured to himself, “So she went to visit her family…”
But why didn’t she go up?
Suddenly, Mu Yin felt that Song Chi was a woman with a story and he suddenly wanted to know just what kind of person she really was.
***
The Next Day
Mu Yin dressed and got ready to leave for work.
Song Chi had gotten up even earlier. She prepared two lunch boxes for him and packed them up.
“Sir, your work is tiring, and eating takeout all the time isn’t good for your health. I made these. They are clean, healthy, and affordable. Just heat them up at lunch and dinner.”
He, the mighty President Mu, was used to eating expensive, customized meals and now he’d be eating homemade lunchboxes?
But remembering how her cooking tasted last night, it wasn’t bad. So he accepted it.
“Song Chi, I’ll take the lunch boxes. But you’re pregnant—don’t keep going into the kitchen. The fumes are bad for you and the baby. No need to overwork yourself. I’ll find a suitable housekeeper in a few days to help take care of you.”
Song Chi smiled. Wasn’t it normal for a wife to cook for her husband? Hiring a housekeeper would cost a lot. Was he just being polite?
Thinking that, she didn’t take his words too seriously.
Mu Yin then asked, “Do you know how to tie a tie?”
“Tie a tie? Let me try!”
Song Chi took the tie from his hand and stood on tiptoe to help him.
As the distance between them closed, their breaths mingled. The atmosphere grew warm and ambiguous.
Standing so close to him, she couldn’t help but recall that night and her cheeks turned red like a boiled shrimp.
Mu Yin looked at her bashful face, and memories of that night surfaced for him too.
Their eyes met.
Song Chi froze, her hand accidentally brushing against the skin of his jaw.
That brief touch sent a shiver down her spine. Like she’d been shocked, her body tingled and burned.
Her hands trembled slightly, and in her distraction, she messed up the tie. Mu Yin chuckled softly, his voice low and charming.
“Song Chi, the way you tied my tie… is certainly unique.”
