My Wife Always Thinks She's Right - Chapter 2

Sun Heng’s talk of a blind date was not just empty chatter; she had truly arranged to meet a woman for coffee.

Sun Heng had wanted to find someone to date, and since Su Nian was not an option, it was time to find someone else. She happened to know a woman named Ruan Xin, a thirty-year-old executive director in the medical aesthetics industry. Ruan Xin had a hot body and a beautiful face, though she had undergone so many cosmetic procedures that even her own mother would likely not recognize her. Sun Heng felt as though Ruan Xin had a new face every time they met.

This woman also liked women and would often invite Sun Heng out to drink at bars or dance at nightclubs. When Sun Heng was not busy, she would occasionally go, treating it as a way to check on the business of her own shops. Today, Ruan Xin happened to be meeting a client near Sun Heng’s bar and invited her for a drink afterward. Sun Heng agreed and walked over without driving.

“Xiao Heng, over here!”

The curvaceous Ruan Xin, sporting big wavy hair, spotted Sun Heng the moment she entered and waved her over.

Sun Heng took one look at her and, after sitting down and staring for a long moment, finally said, “Sister Ruan, your eye corners…”

“Look good, right?” Ruan Xin picked up her glass and smiled. “I just got them done. Aren’t they natural?”

Sun Heng gave a dry laugh. “Very natural. I didn’t even notice; I thought you were born with them!”

Ruan Xin covered her mouth, laughing happily. “Don’t make me laugh, Xiao Heng. I can’t laugh too much, or my face will freeze.”

Sun Heng stopped smiling immediately and turned to call the bartender. “Boss,” the bartender greeted as he approached.

“Bring Sister Ruan a glass of our new special, and then bring me the bottle I have been saving,” Sun Heng instructed.

“Understood.”

Once the bartender left, Sun Heng turned back to Ruan Xin. “You have to try our bar’s new creation. It is called Mermaid’s Tears. It is beautiful, and it isn’t even on the menu yet. You are the first customer to taste it.”

Ruan Xin said happily, “Really? Then I won’t be polite.”

After a few drinks, Sun Heng felt a little tipsy. Ruan Xin, meanwhile, had begun to cry while leaning her head on her hand. Sun Heng squinted at her, listening to her curse her boss, her clients, investors, suppliers, and even the apartment complex’s property management. She even cursed a cat in the alley for scratching her new seven-thousand-yuan lace skirt.

Sun Heng felt something buzzing in her pocket. It was a call from Su Nian. Why is she calling now? Isn’t my life messy enough? Sun Heng did not want to get involved with the child, so she hung up, silenced her phone, and placed it face down on the table, ignoring it.

Ruan Xin leaned on her shoulder, crying and asking, “Why don’t we have any chemistry? I really want to move in with you. You provide the money to support the family, and I will be responsible for being beautiful. We should be a natural pair.”

Sun Heng wondered the same thing. They were both of the same ilk, and Ruan Xin met all her criteria for a partner, but the longer they spent together, the more they felt like bros. Chemistry was non-existent; even if they were naked, it would just be a pure friendship.

“Alright, that is enough,” Sun Heng comforted her. “Dating isn’t like buying groceries at the supermarket where you can just take it home if you like it. It requires fate.”

Ruan Xin sobbed, “I am already thirty! Who would believe I have never been in a relationship?”

Fearing they would both lose control if they kept drinking, Sun Heng called the bar manager to help take the intoxicated Ruan Xin to the staff dormitory to rest so she would not disturb the business.

The manager helped Ruan Xin into the dormitory and turned to Sun Heng. “Boss, since you are here, why not look at last month’s report? It would save you a trip.”

Sun Heng waved him off. “I cannot look at it now. I am dizzy. I will come back another day.”

“Do you want me to call a car for you?”

“No need, I am not drunk. I can get back myself. You go back to work and take good care of Sister Ruan.”

“Got it, I will take good care of Ms. Ruan.”

Sun Heng stepped out of the bar, feeling much clearer once the wind hit her face. Her phone had stopped buzzing, but she checked it anyway and found over ten missed calls from Su Nian, the last one coming in an hour ago.

Sun Heng scratched her cheek and called back reluctantly, intending to give the kid a piece of her mind if she was just harassing her for no reason.

The number you have dialed is powered off.

Sun Heng blinked, then hung up and called again, but it was still off. She sent a text, but there was no reply. She had no idea what was going on.

“What does that have to do with me?” Sun Heng muttered resentfully.

“Driver, stop at the gate, please. Don’t go inside.”

Sun Heng paid the fare, opened the door, and stepped out in front of the gate where she had dropped Su Nian off the day before. Looking at the cold, quiet entrance, she paced back and forth twice, then slapped her forehead and walked inside.

A child is a child. Their minds are not mature at all. Don’t they know how worrying it is to turn your phone off after making a call? This is exactly why I hate kids.

Sun Heng did not know where Su Nian lived, so she wandered aimlessly through the villa area. At first, she was annoyed, but she eventually came around. The houses here were quite pretty; maybe she could buy one later and turn it into a bed and breakfast or a place for team-building events. With the large yards, it would be perfect for barbecues.

After wandering around for a while, she made a few more calls to Su Nian. Just as she was about to give up and go home, the call went through.

The ringing made Sun Heng’s heart race. Once Su Nian answered, she unleashed a barrage of scolding: “Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? Like your life depends on it! Don’t you kids sleep?”

Su Nian sobbed on the other end. There was a sound of wind, but she did not speak; she just cried. It made Sun Heng’s heart ache.

“Stop crying, ancestor,” Sun Heng stood on the curb, hands on her hips. “Where are you right now?”

“By the lake in the park, hiccup…” Su Nian cried. “Sister, I am so cold.”

She knows she is cold, so her brain is not completely frozen.

Sun Heng breathed a sigh of relief. She requested a location share via WeChat, saw that Su Nian was in the small park she had just passed, and kept the line open as she walked toward her.

Su Nian had been crying, but having someone to talk to gave her a sense of relief. She quietly recounted what had happened that evening. It turned out that Su Nian’s father had found out about her meeting an online friend yesterday and scolded her, locking her at home. Su Nian’s family was a blended one with a father and stepmother; the stepmother had just had a baby daughter who was learning to walk.

Feeling miserable while locked up, Su Nian was in a bad mood when her little sister came to find her. She gave the toddler a small push, causing the child to fall on her bottom. The baby cried, and when the stepmother heard it and came over, she slapped Su Nian across the face. They fought, and after the stepmother shouted that this was her house and Su Nian should get out, Su Nian actually ran away and had been wandering in the wind ever since.

Listening to the child’s weak voice on the phone, Sun Heng could not quite identify her own feelings. When she entered the dark park and saw Su Nian curled up into a ball by the side of the road, hugging her arms, her heart melted.

She hung up, and Su Nian looked up at her. Sun Heng noticed her eyes were red.

“Are you stupid?” Sun Heng put her coat on the girl and scolded her. “If someone hits you, why didn’t you hit back? That is her house, but it is yours too. Why should you have to leave? You ran out and sat here in the cold wind; didn’t you know you could just go to a convenience store, buy a bottle of water for two yuan, and sit there all night?”

Sun Heng nagged at her, and the child just stared at the person in front of her. Her nose felt sour, and she started crying again.

“Sob, sister…”

“Don’t call me sister, it gives me a headache.”

Sun Heng wrapped the girl up tightly and looked down. “Are you going home?”

Su Nian shook her head.

Then, she hugged Sun Heng’s waist tightly, burying her face in her chest. Sun Heng told herself that she was only seventeen.

Seventeen.

“If you don’t want to go home, then come with me,” Sun Heng brushed the girl’s cold hair and asked softly, “Are you afraid?”

Su Nian hesitated for a long time before saying, “I am not afraid, sister.”

Sun Heng closed her eyes. You are not afraid, but I am, thank you very much.

She knew what kind of person she was; she was afraid she would not be able to control herself if she agreed. That would lead to overwhelming trouble. Sun Heng felt sorry for the child, but she did not want to ruin her future. Still, she took a taxi to her apartment and settled the girl in the master bedroom.

“It is almost three in the morning. Wash your face and brush your teeth, then go to sleep,” Sun Heng gave her some pajamas. “Wear these and get some rest. I will send you home when you wake up tomorrow.”

Su Nian opened her mouth, sounding aggrieved. “I don’t want to go home. Can I come with you?”

“No,” Sun Heng rejected her decisively. “You have to wash your feet before you get into my bed, understand?”

Su Nian nodded obediently.

Seeing Sun Heng turn to leave, Su Nian followed her like a little tail, standing at the guest room door. “Sister, where are you going? Aren’t you sleeping with me?”

Sun Heng rolled her eyes. “Sleep by yourself. What? Are you too old to sleep alone?”

Su Nian lowered her head. “No…”

“Then sleep by yourself,” Sun Heng told her. “I am sleeping in the guest room.” Seeing Su Nian about to speak again, Sun Heng added, “I am old, and my heart is not great. Staying up late gives me palpitations, and staying up all night could lead to sudden death. Just let me go to sleep, okay?”

Su Nian blinked. “Then sister, go to sleep. I will be by myself.”

Before she could finish, Sun Heng closed the door. Su Nian tilted her head, listened at the door for a moment, and finding she could hear nothing, she walked toward the master bedroom, turning back to look at the door with every step.

Because she did not fall asleep until past three, Sun Heng naturally could not wake up early the next day. When she opened her eyes, it was already past ten. Her assistant had sent her some tasks, so she replied to the important ones before climbing out of bed.

The moment she opened the door, Sun Heng saw smoke filling her kitchen. Upon closer inspection, she saw Su Nian busy flipping a spatula in the haze.

“Eh?”

Before Sun Heng could speak, she saw Su Nian jump back. A black object, resembling a fried egg, stuck to the marble wall with a splat, leaving a long, trailing line as it slid down.