Slow to mature after marriage

It's almost time to leave work.

Mu Siwan was compiling her final report when her phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

She clicked on it, and a line of text appeared on the screen:

—Let's go sit at a Chinese restaurant near your workplace. This is the last time I'll speak to you as a mother.

She stared at the words "last time" for two seconds, then locked the screen and placed her phone face down on the table.

Then I packed my things, told Xiao Qin I was leaving, and left the appraisal center.

-

The Chinese restaurant is near the testing center, less than a ten-minute walk away.

Xu Ruolin sat in the corner, with a pot of tea in front of her, which had already gone cold.

She wore a white dress with short sleeves today, revealing several old and new scars on her arms. Her expression was calm, even with a faint smile.

"Have a seat," Xu Ruolin said, gesturing to the table opposite her and handing her a menu. "What would you like to eat?"

Mu Siwan sat down opposite her without taking the menu.

"No need. I've already had dinner. Please feel free to speak your mind."

Xu Ruolin's smile froze for a moment. She stared at Mu Siwan's flawless face, her tone suddenly turning venomous: "I know you hate me now, hate Mu Cheng. You wish we had never adopted you."

"But the truth is, you have to admit that without us, you would have frozen to death in the winter twenty years ago."

Mu Siwan's expression remained unchanged: "What are you trying to say?"

Xu Ruolin took a deep breath and said coldly, "I'm not here today to beg you to spare Mu Cheng. In short, I'm completely disappointed in him now."

She initially thought that Mu Cheng treated Mu Siwan that way because Mu Siwan wasn't his biological daughter. But yesterday in the hospital room, she overheard him saying he was going to sell Meng Wan to that 45-year-old CEO Zhao—at that moment, she realized that this man had no heart for anyone. Even his own daughter was just a bargaining chip.

"I'm not asking you to let me go," Xu Ruolin's voice lowered. "You can take my life if you want. I only hope... that you can get Bo Yan to let Si Gui and Wan Wan go."

"They are both innocent."

"I owe Si Gui so much. I haven't cared about him since he was born. All I could think about was finding Wan Wan. And after you came along, I neglected him even more."

"And Wanwan is even more out of the question. If it weren't for my negligence, she wouldn't have been missing for so many years..."

Xu Ruolin spoke earnestly, word by word, about how much she owed them. Mu Siwan listened, feeling utterly disgusted: "So what? What does this have to do with me? Is this how you ask for favors?"

Xu Ruolin gritted her teeth and said, "What do you want? Do you expect me to kneel down and beg you?"

Mu Siwan nodded: "It's not that it's not possible."

Xu Ruolin's face turned ferocious: "If I had known this day would come, I should have let you freeze to death in the orphanage back then, rather than letting you swagger around in front of me like this."

Mu Siwan picked up her bag, turned around and left.

"Then it seems there's no need for us to continue this conversation."

"Mu Siwan! Do you even have a heart?" Xu Ruolin's expression turned flustered when she saw that Mu Siwan was unmoved. "Even if you and Wanwan have no feelings for each other, Mu Sigui is still your brother."

"Just pretend I didn't exist."

Mu Siwan kept walking.

After walking a few steps, a dull thud suddenly came from behind.

It took Mu Siwan a few seconds to realize that it was the sound of a knee hitting the floor tiles.

His body froze.

"I beg you, Mu Siwan, I'm kneeling down to beg you."

Xu Ruolin's voice changed; it was no longer sharp or cold, but sounded like it was being squeezed out of her throat, trembling and broken.

"Mu Siwan, I'm begging you... please let Sigui and Wanwan go. You can do whatever you want to me and Mucheng, just let them go."

People in the restaurant glanced at them.

Mu Siwan paused for a moment, then straightened her back and continued walking out.

The voices behind him grew softer and softer, until the woman's voice was almost inaudible, leaving only intermittent sobs and the repeated words—"Let them go," "Please."

Mu Siwan pushed open the door and went out.

The sunlight suddenly slammed down on her, warm, even a little hot.

But Mu Siwan felt cold all over, and her fingers were trembling uncontrollably.

In her heart, she thought that if people could travel through time, she would want to go back to that cold winter, like Xu Ruolin said, to die alone in a corner, or to return to every night she was locked in the attic. A dark, cold attic with only a small window letting in moonlight.

She wanted to smash every single bowl of porridge that Xu Ruolin would hand her with tearful eyes every time, leaving no trace of it.

Because in her impoverished life, she finally realized at this moment that those bowls of porridge were never the maternal love she craved.

Never has been.

And the way Xu Ruolin had just knelt behind her, crying and pleading for Meng Wan and Mu Sigui—

That's right.

Mu Siwan opened her eyes, stepped into the sunlight, and never looked back.

-

She didn't know how long she had been walking.

The sunlight was lovely, warming her shoulders. But she still felt cold, a cold that seeped into her bones. She didn't want to go back to the testing center. Nor did she want to go back to Muyan Garden.

Standing at the intersection, the light went red, then green, then red again. Waves of people came and went around her, but Mu Siwan remained motionless.

Finally, she flagged down a car.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

Mu Siwan opened her mouth and gave an address.

-

The bar's storefront is hidden behind sycamore trees, and there aren't many people there during the day. The "Y" on the sign looks rather pale in the sunlight.

Mu Siwan pushed open the door and went in.

Old Zhao was wiping glasses behind the bar when he heard the noise, looked up, and was stunned for a moment.

"Hey girl?" He put down his glass, walked around from behind the bar, and looked her up and down. "Why are you here alone today? Where's that kid Bo Yan?"

"He has to work overtime today," Mu Siwan said.

I sent her a WeChat message to let her know.

She walked to the bar and sat down on a high stool.

Old Zhao was still smiling, and without asking any further questions, he pushed the order over.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Bloody Mary".

Old Zhao: "Okay, would you like another order of creamy pasta?"

"No need," Mu Siwan shook her head. "I've already had dinner."

Old Zhao turned around and took vodka and tomato juice from the liquor rack, and began mixing drinks.

Mu Siwan sat there, her gaze fixed on the back of his hand. It wasn't Bo Yan's hand. The knuckles were thicker, the skin rougher, and the movements were faster, unlike Bo Yan's nonchalant accuracy.

The drink is ready. The glass is tall and slender, the liquid is bright red and clear, the rim is smeared with salt, and half a lemon slice is placed on it.

The plating was exactly the same as last time.

Mu Siwan picked up the glass, lowered her head, and took a sip.

His brows furrowed.

It's not the same taste. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but it just doesn't feel right.

It doesn't seem that exciting.

Mu Siwan frowned and downed the Bloody Mary in one gulp.

Old Zhao glanced at Mu Siwan, who was sitting on a high stool drinking silently, then looked down and took out his phone.

[Old Zhao]: Hey kid, your wife broke up with her boyfriend?

On the other end, Bo Yan had just finished dealing with a bunch of things and leaned back in the back seat to close his eyes. He was about to call Mu Siwan when the screen lit up first.

He opened the message, and his temple twitched.

[Bo Yan]: Do you want to see what nonsense you're spouting?

The next second, Lao Zhao sent a photo.

The bar lights were warm and yellow. Mu Siwan lay there, her face buried in her arms, only the back of her neck showing. It was so white it seemed to glow, like fine porcelain. The lines of her cervical spine were clearly defined, so thin that he could hold it in one hand.

Bo Yan stared at the photo, frowning.

[Bo Yan]: Look at her, I'll be there right away.