Chapter 539 - Pandora Box

The first thing Song Xin'ai did after coming back to the penthouse was to get out of the dress she wore. After freshening up, she sat down in the living room and turned on the tv. But it seemed like the tv was just there to fill the void that silence had created. 

She went to get a bottle of wine and opened it for herself. Pouring herself a glass, she picked up the gifts she received from Xiang Wai and Xiang Weimin. She tore it open and paused as she looked at the exquisitely designed jewelry inside. She suddenly chuckled when she looked at these gifts that were clearly bought from the same place.

Just one look and Song Xin'ai knew that these gifts were bought by her dear daughter, Xiang Wai. And she also knew that Xiang Wai picked these gifts very casually. So casually that she must have looked for the best shop and chosen the artisan's most expensive piece. Because Xiang Wai's aesthetics had gone downhill in the last years. To her, anything expensive would be good.

However, even if these gifts were chosen casually, she loved them. Even if she hated jewelry, she still loved these two pieces that came from his children.

*Ring*

Song Xin'ai picked up the phone and before she could say anything, the person on the other side spoke up, "Wishing you a happy birthday."

Song Xin'ai was silent for a while and the person on the other side didn't say anything either after that one sentence. As if he had nothing else to say. But then again, perhaps he really didn't.

"Thank you," she said softly trying not to choke up and burst into tears. He didn't say anything out of the ordinary. She had heard plenty of people wishing her a happy birthday tonight. But how many of them were really sincere? She would say none. 

"Okay, then I'm hanging up," she heard him say like he did every year. 

"Hulin!" she called out to him.

"Hm?" Xiang Hulin stopped when she called out his name. 

"Don't you get tired of calling me every year just to wish me a happy birthday?" she asked.

"And why shouldn't I be wishing the mother of my children on her birthday? Is it wrong?" he asked in return.

"We have been divorced for far too long," she reminded him.

"I know that," he replied. "I can't possibly forget this. Never." He took a pause and added, "But just because you're not my wife anymore doesn't mean you're my enemy. Besides, the fact that you are my children's mother can't be denied."

"I'm not even a good mother," she sighed.

"You should stop drinking," was his response. 

Song Xin'ai smiled bitterly to herself. As always, he'd never comment on what kind of a mother she was. And as always, he even knew she was getting drunk now. After drinking at the party, she came to open a bottle of strong wine. It wasn't surprising that she was getting delirious.

"Wai and Weimin came to the party," she told him.

"I know," was his response.

"Right. They'd share things with you. Why am I not surprised?"

Xiang Hulin pursed his lips and didn't say anything. He didn't want to comment. Mostly because she was drunk. Even if her brain could work better than a sober person, that did not change the fact that she was drunk. 

Song Xin'ai chewed on the inside of her cheek and hesitated for a long while before questioning, "Have you... I mean..." she licked her lips and asked, "Have you met your father?"

"I'm hanging up Xin'ai," was his response. "You should stop drinking and go to sleep."

He didn't even wait for her reply before he really hung up the call. Song Xin'ai was left staring at her phone screen. She obviously wasn't surprised that he hung up like that on her. In reality, both of them knew that Song Xin'ai didn't want to know whether he met his father or not, she wanted to know if he met Raelle or not.

But Raelle was the topic that was really the breaking point for them. They could exist in peace and harmony together but once Raelle was mentioned, it'd be like opening a pandora box. One that would only reopen the wounds and hurt you like hell!

Song Xin'ai placed her feet on the coffee table as she sunk into the sofa and closed her eyes. The tv was still playing in the living room. But she had her eyes closed as if she was sleeping.

Song Xin'ai never called herself a good person. But the thing was that no one ever told her that either just for the sake of it. She was always told she wasn't a good daughter, then she wasn't a good sister, she couldn't even become a good wife or a good mother. Maybe she was a good friend but she couldn't confirm that either. Her only friend had left the world a little early. 

She suddenly opened her eyes and held the remote of the tv. She was watching animal planet but decided to just see some news before going to bed. As she changed the channels, she suddenly stopped at the entertainment news channel because the news report was too eye-catching.

[Shui Xian and Raelle Xiang confirmed on the red carpet that they are dating!]

Song Xin'ai didn't hear what the news reporter was saying. Her eyes were too focused on the woman in that photo on the screen. Dressed in black, she looked ethereal and a bit distant from the world. As if everyone was just her background. The way her chin was raised showed how she had innate arrogance that couldn't be denied.

She kept staring at the screen even when the news report had changed. Her eyes were unfocused though as if she was lost in thought. "Raelle Xiang..." the name rolled off of her tongue leaving an astringent taste. "Raelle... Yenay...."