Feng Xuan honestly thought that things would go as planned. There was nothing else that she wanted to achieve this day other than to get Qing Chen and his siblings to talk to their mother without causing too much of a commotion with all the people.
In a public place, they were not allowed to act out. In her mind, this was a foolproof plan. The worst thing that could happen was a not so pleasant conversation between them.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#'s-rose-married-the-ceo_15939261805465305/at-least-once-more_52342134908437961">#'s-rose-married-the-ceo_15939261805465305/at-least-once-more_52342134908437961</a> for visiting.
But that was the least of her worries. The important thing was, they could converse and get some things off their chests, no matter how small chippings they were.
"You really are Wuming's mother," Qing Chen said.
"What do you mean?" answered Feng Xuan's mother-in-law.
"You both got the same idea on how you're going to disguise your faces today. Prosthetics."
"I haven't seen him," she sounded alarmed, like a mother whose child got lost in the middle of the mall. Her eyes quickly scanned the place.
"He's just across the room," said Qing Chen, looking straight at Wuming. Feng Xuan was sure they were already having a silent conversation in their heads.
She heard her mother-in-law's slight intake of breath. She really was surprised that she had not recognized her son. Feng Xuan wished that she was not beating herself up about it yet again. The last thing that Feng Xuan wanted was for her to get discouraged into mending broken relationsh.i.p.s with her sons.
"I know you've already seen Lok. Have you talked to him?"
Hao Suyin shook her head. "Not a chance. I think he recognized me first and steered cleared out of my way."
Feng Xuan felt the pain deep in her bones at that. At least Qing Chen was being civil.
"So, what are your plans?" he asked his mother. "Leaving?"
"We are already making plans for that. Your father and I. It depends."
"Depends on what?"
Hao Suyin took a shaky deep breath. "On how the three of you are going to act."
"Well, just so you know, we are not going to stop you from leaving. We get father's health reports from the doctors themselves anyway."
Feng Xuan could just feel Qing Chen's walls were unshaken.
"It's nice to see that you're back on your feet," Qing Chen added when his mother didn't answer. Feng Xuan knew he was just being polite. "We really have to get going."
"We'll see you soon," Feng Xuan said with a smile.
Qing Chen's mother nodded at her with a somehow thankful smile. "You enjoy the rest of the day."
The shouting and the punching were gone. That was enough trying for the day.
====
Finally, Feng Xuan allowed herself a bathroom break. She was finally done with her rounds among the guests. Soon, they would all be leaving.
When she was done with the toilet, she pulled at the strings from her back to loosen up her corset. She took a deep breath and felt like her lungs were back in their full function.
While she was washing her hands, the hair on her neck stood up. The whole bathroom was quiet but she knew that she was no longer alone.
"Stalker much?" she asked. She already knew who this was. Hell, she was the only one who had enough guts to do this. "I should really file a restraining order against you, you know?"
"Oh, they won't catch me," said Ma Min. "I'm… uncatchable."
"Really?" Feng Xuan asked Ma Min from the mirror. "There are a lot of others words and you use that one?"
"My mind malfunctioned a little bit," Ma Min said and stepped inside the bathroom. She was wearing a bustier and skin tight pants. A huge pair of shades sit on top of her nose and her hair flowed down in soft waves beside her.
"I've never seen you look prettier," said Feng Xuan. "What's your cover for today?"
"What else? A-crying-for-attention 'social media influencer'. You really need to tighten security. I just came up looking like this, pretended that I lost my invitation and they let me in."
"I don't need security," Feng Xuan turned the faucet off and took paper towels from the dispenser. "I'm very capable of defending myself."
"In that dress?"
"Would you like to try?" she joked. "I don't think you can move much in those pants either."
"Well," Ma Min said, producing a small knife out of nowhere and spun it on her hand. "I'm not so against cutting clothes into pieces if it meant comfort."
Feng Xuan only grinned. "What is it that you want?" though she was annoyed that Ma Min kept on showing up out of nowhere, she found that she really did not mind having these short exchanges with her. "On another try to convince me to come join you?"
"Of course, it never changes," she said and flicked her hair to the side.
"When are you going to stop?" Feng Xuan threw the crumpled tissues in the trash.
"As long as Auntie is sending me here, I am not going to stop."
"How many times do I have to decline?"
Ma Min shrugged. "At least once more?"
"Well. No to infinity. I'm never going to change my mind, Ma Min."
Ma Min looked at her from top to bottom. "You certainly looked bored earlier, but who am I to judge anyway?"
"Killing people doesn't excite me, you know?"
Ma Min laughed out loud, it echoed through the whole tiled room. "Lies."
Feng Xuan rolled her eyes and stepped towards the entrance. Surprisingly, Ma Min did not try to stop her. "I hope I never see you again."
"Oh, I'll see you soon," she said, knowing all too well that she would.
Feng Xuan was already past her when she spoke again.
"Just remember, Xuan," said Ma Min, "I have answers that you're not going to find anywhere else. Keep that in mind before you reject me next time."
Then she was gone.