It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 100

On the west side of Tong City, in Tong’an Village, a family at the foot of a mountain had their house brightly lit.

In the living room, four people sat around a square table.

A middle-aged couple, and a young couple about to face an unspoken “judgment.”

Hands gripping their pants were clenched tightly, the delicate bones on the backs of their hands standing out and trembling, nearly convulsing with the shaking.

“Before I say anything, I need to apologize… I’m sorry. Because…”

Her words choked up:

“I can’t be the person you expected me to be, marry a man, and have children. Because… because I like women.”

At last, she spoke the secret she had hidden for so many years.

Ye Hua didn’t make a sound because he didn’t know what to say. Chen Meijuan also stayed silent, overwhelmed as if she were dreaming.

Only the hand holding the chopsticks trembled like a sieve, and the chopsticks resting against the bowl rattled violently.

“You…” After a long pause, Chen Meijuan’s throat produced a hoarse voice. “What you said… Mom can’t understand.”

Ye Wanjia kept her head down as big tears splashed onto her legs. She didn’t dare look at her mother’s collapsing expression, but she had already drawn the arrow that couldn’t be retrieved.

“I like my senior. We’ve been together since college, through graduate school, and into work. We’ve been together the whole time. I’m sorry, Mom… but I really love her, and she loves me too. We… we—”

Smack!

A loud sound echoed as the chopsticks were violently slammed onto the table.

Almost immediately, Pei Suye leapt up and embraced Ye Wanjia, shielding her head against her own chest to take the incoming slap.

“You… you…”

Yet the slap never fell. In fact, in 27 years, Chen Meijuan had never struck Ye Wanjia. Seeing Pei Suye rush up to protect her daughter, her hand froze in midair. Her frostbitten fingers trembled but ultimately drew back one by one.

Ye Hua quickly pulled her down, trying to calm her:

“You’re saying this… it’s the New Year, why get mad at the child?”

As he spoke, he placed the chopsticks back in her hands and waved at Pei Suye and Ye Wanjia, reassuring them:

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Let’s eat first, and we can talk after the meal.”

However, everyone knew that meal would no longer be eaten.

Chen Meijuan immediately broke down, her eyes full of both accusation and heartache:

“Mom has never hit you. Today, when you say these things, Mom just… couldn’t bring herself to. Wanjia…”

Her voice quivered. “How… how could you be like this?”

When parents first hear their child come out, the immediate reaction is: My good child… why suddenly like the same sex?

Then comes endless self-blame:

“Is it because your father and I weren’t right, so you think marriage is bad, and that’s why…?”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Ye Wanjia said from Pei Suye’s protective arms, her tear-streaked face looking up. “I’ve liked girls since high school. Even before meeting my senior, I knew I liked girls.”

“You…” Chen Meijuan fell into an unknown, painful abyss. Her pale lips trembled, but she couldn’t say a single word.

At this point, Pei Suye slowly released Ye Wanjia, stood upright, and bowed deeply—ninety degrees—toward Chen Meijuan and Ye Hua. Her gray coat traced her tall figure; under the yellowish incandescent light, her shadow appeared blurred and old, yet conveyed solemnity.

The fabric of her coat rustled slightly, narrating the resolve in her chest.

“Uncle, Auntie, I’m sorry.”

She apologized sincerely and with dignity. Even as she straightened, her head slightly bowed, showing the respect of a younger generation:

“I’ve been with Wanjia for so long and never formally visited you. That was my oversight. Today, for you, it may have been a bit abrupt. My mother also took a long time to accept me liking women. So I can understand your feelings.”

Her forthrightness only deepened Chen Meijuan’s anguish—because she realized that this young woman standing in front of her was even more outstanding than her daughter, in character, temperament, and education. There was no aspect from which she could argue that Pei Suye was not a good influence or unsuitable.

“Xiao Pei… I know you’re excellent, but you aren’t a parent. You can’t understand my feelings.”

Her words choked and fragmented.

“But…”

Pei Suye nodded slightly, her heartbeat quickening. Still, because she valued Ye Wanjia more than life itself, she remained calm.

“Wanjia and I are sincere. You know her—she is genuine and long-lasting in her affections. We’ve been together for years, not just for fun. We genuinely want to spend our lives together.”

“A lifetime.”

Chen Meijuan uttered the three words, seeing no hope. “You’re so young. Do you know what a lifetime is? When you’re old, sick, unable to work, with no children—who will take care of you? If someone bullies you and you can’t defend yourself, who will help?”

Pei Suye pursed her lips and answered each concern patiently:

“Wanjia and I both have stable jobs, and our retirement funds should be fine. As for children, if we have the energy, we may adopt a girl from an orphanage. Even then, we can’t rely entirely on a child; they have their own life. When we’re older, we could live in a retirement home with friends we know. It should be quite pleasant.”

After patiently addressing all concerns, she bowed deeply once more:

“Wanjia hasn’t returned home for two years. You finally reunite as a family, and I shouldn’t have intruded. I booked a hotel near the station, so as not to disturb your family time. Again, I apologize to you and Uncle. I’m sorry.”

Having spoken, she straightened up to get her bag, but Ye Wanjia quickly pulled her back:

“No. You can’t leave.”

Pei Suye held Ye Wanjia’s small arm gently and smiled kindly: “Xiao Wanjia, this isn’t something to rush. You need to give your uncle and aunt time. My leaving now is only going to create negative effects. Don’t forget, your aunt is still unwell.”

At this, Ye Wanjia’s tears flowed again, and her voice trembled:

“It’s already dark… how can you go out? You don’t want me anymore, do you? You don’t want me anymore, right?!”

Pei Suye choked instantly—she couldn’t bear to think of not having Xiao Wanjia!

Seeing Ye Wanjia cry, her parents panicked. Chen Meijuan grabbed the edge of the table helplessly, and Ye Hua stood up, urging:

“Xiao Pei, it’s already dark. It’s dangerous outside. This place is mountainous, unlike your city where there are lights and police. We aren’t trying to kick you out.”

Pei Suye smiled apologetically: “I understand. I just think we all need to calm down. Wanjia came home after so long, and I feel guilty for causing unhappiness.”

Ye Hua looked at the two young people pitifully, then back at Chen Meijuan, weighing his options. He finally made a decision:

“Then, I’ll drive you and Wanjia together. It’s not safe for you to stay alone in a hotel. This way, you can calm down together, and my wife and I can also think things over. Is that okay?”

Pei Suye hesitated. She had intended to step back for the sake of family harmony, but now Ye Wanjia insisted on going with her, and Ye Hua even produced the tricycle keys.

Understanding that her safety was a priority, she nodded:

“Then, thank you, Uncle.”

That day, Ye Hua drove them to a hotel near the station and confirmed they were safely checked in before returning home on the tricycle. Once home, he messaged Ye Wanjia that they had arrived safely, then went to Chen Meijuan, who had sat at the dining table without moving since he left.

“Wanjia and they are settled. Don’t worry.”

“Wuuu…”

Next, Chen Meijuan collapsed onto his arm, finally releasing the pent-up emotions. Her crying was like a lone wolf that had fallen into a hidden trap in the deep mountains:

“What will happen to the children in the future…?”

“Sigh.” Ye Hua comforted her, hugging her. “They have their own thoughts. Young people today think differently from our generation.”

Chen Meijuan cried harder, sobbing:

“When they get old, without children, who will take care of them… Hua, what will happen to them? What will happen… what do you think will happen…?”

Unlike some parents, she didn’t complain: “Why was my child led astray?” or “That lesbian is deceiving my child!” She simply worried that Ye Wanjia would be with Pei Suye forever, with no descendants, no support.

First, because she knew Ye Wanjia had her own ideas and determination, and once decided, no one could sway her.

Second, because when Ye Wanjia left, she looked back at her parents, and spoke each word deliberately:

“Mom, I love you. But I also love my senior.”

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