Chapter Fourteen: Discord

Perhaps it was because he’d heard about Xia Ying’s pregnancy; at this moment, Fang Da no longer carried the previous air of indignant rage. When the police questioned him about the child, although his face was still etched with worry and anxiety, he now appeared rather conciliatory toward Xia Ying, as if afraid of upsetting her. Where before he’d sternly reproached her for being irresponsible, now, when Xia Ying’s words scathingly implicated both him and Fang Wan, he merely kept silent. It was only when he realized everyone’s eyes were upon him—including Xia Ying’s—that he reluctantly sighed and said, “Blame me, blame me. As a father, I haven’t fulfilled my duties, nor have I asked others to consider things from her perspective.”

Hearing Fang Da take her side, the anger on Xia Ying’s face eased a little.

“Is your relationship with Fang Wan usually tense?” Qin Ruonan asked Xia Ying.

Xia Ying replied expressionlessly, “It's all right.”

“May I ask how long you two have been married?” Qin Ruonan pressed gently.

“Not quite two years,” Fang Da answered for her.

“During these past two years, have you tried to get along with Fang Wan?” Qin Ruonan continued, directing her question back to Xia Ying.

At first, Xia Ying stayed silent, clearly wishing to ignore Qin Ruonan’s question. But with Qin Ruonan’s gaze unwavering and even Fang Da at her side looking as though he wanted to know the answer, Xia Ying finally, albeit reluctantly, began to speak. “At first, I tried. I bought him things, took him out to play arcade games, took him to eat nice food. But every time, as long as he was having fun, he’d smile at me. Yet every time he went to his mother’s, when he came back it was as if we were right back at the start—no, even worse than the start! After a few times, I lost my patience. A wolf in sheep’s clothing that can never be tamed. Why should I waste my feelings? No matter how much effort I put in, it can’t compare to a few poisonous words from his own mother!”

“Xia Ying, don’t say such baseless things,” Fang Da quietly hinted at her to stop.

Xia Ying shot him a fierce glare. “What? Your heart aches when I mention your ex-wife? If you care so much, why did you marry me? Go make up with her, reunite your broken mirror—wouldn’t that be so satisfying for everyone? Then I wouldn’t have to keep playing the villain here!”

“What did I even say?! Must you twist every word? Fine, fine! I won’t speak! I’ll shut up!” Fang Da, displeased, gave up arguing with Xia Ying and turned away, remaining silent.

“If being a stepmother is so thankless and unrewarding, why did you choose to marry Fang Da in the first place? Was it that you didn’t consider how difficult it would be to be a stepmother, or was there another reason?” Qin Ruonan’s question grew pointed. “You’re only twenty-five. When you got married, you were just twenty-three. By all rights, you had plenty of choices.”

Before Xia Ying could answer, Fang Da already looked offended, his brows knitting together. He was about to speak up in protest, but An Changpu raised a hand to signal him to restrain himself. Glancing at An Changpu, Fang Da’s rising anger seemed to subside, perhaps out of deference to An Changpu and Qin Ruonan’s positions, or perhaps because he, too, wanted to hear Xia Ying’s answer. His gaze shifted from the two of them to his wife beside him.

Xia Ying waited a moment, not hearing the protest she’d anticipated from Fang Da. She seemed disappointed, turning to lash out at him, but upon meeting Fang Da’s eyes, she hesitated. After a long pause, she sighed deeply. The sharpness and aggression vanished, replaced by a heavy sadness.

“I like men who are mature and steady.” She twisted her hands together, lowered her eyes, and spoke softly. “I may appear a bit forceful, but that only happens when I feel insecure—it’s a kind of self-defense. What woman really wants to be a hedgehog? But if no one can protect you, you have to protect yourself.”

Hearing this, Qin Ruonan’s expression flickered for a moment, but she quickly refocused.

“But no matter how strong a woman is, having to rely on herself for everything is exhausting,” Xia Ying said, her face full of sorrow. “My family wasn’t well-off. I graduated from technical school after middle school and started working right away. People around me either bullied me for being young and dumped all the hard, thankless jobs on me, or tried to take advantage of me. I was really struggling, physically and mentally. Later, I met Fang Da. He hadn’t been divorced for long and wasn’t very happy either. We comforted each other. Gradually, I found out he was stable, reliable. He was busy at work and couldn’t spend much time with me, but I felt I had someone to depend on. That sense of security—a twenty-something guy couldn’t give me that! You can doubt me, you can believe his ex-wife’s gossip and call me a homewrecker, but I have a clear conscience.”

When she finished, Xia Ying lifted her head and stared at Qin Ruonan and An Changpu like a fighting cock, waiting for them to challenge or question her further. Fang Da, meanwhile, was visibly moved; the hand he’d withdrawn now clasped Xia Ying’s again, his arm wrapping around her shoulders so she could half-recline against him.

An Changpu said nothing. He had let Qin Ruonan take the lead all along, and indeed, when facing a young, emotional, and uncooperative pregnant woman, it was easier for a woman to speak.

Qin Ruonan was silent for a moment, then abruptly shifted topics, dropping any discussion of Xia Ying and Fang Da’s marriage. Instead, she asked matter-of-factly about their everyday family life. “From what I’ve heard, the child’s father is busy with work and doesn’t know much about his daily life. As the stepmother who’s with Fang Wan every day, do you know about his habits and preferences? For instance, does Fang Wan like sports? Who does he usually play with?”

“Play outside?” Xia Ying gave a sarcastic laugh. “You really think his life is that healthy? When he’s not at school, he barely leaves the house! He hardly even comes out of his room, just sits there alone. Who knows what he’s up to!”

“And you? I imagine you spend most of your time in your room as well?” Qin Ruonan glanced at the bare marble coffee table in the living room, recalling the magazines splayed on the windowsill in the master bedroom, the remote, the water rings on the bedside table, and the fruit pits and food wrappers in the small bin by the door.

Xia Ying didn’t deny it. “Yes, basically, if Fang Da’s not home, Fang Wan and I each stay in our own rooms, minding our own business. He used to at least knock on my door if he was going out, but now he doesn’t even bother. It’s better this way—peaceful. Saves us from getting on each other’s nerves. If I, a grown woman, go around sulking at a kid, people will say I’m immature. If I just put up with it, I feel wronged. If things blow up, it only adds to Fang Da’s troubles. He has it hard enough outside as it is. I’m not some great person, but I do want my husband to have an easier life.”

Fang Da hugged Xia Ying closer, looking moved, and said to An Changpu, “The reason I chose Xia Ying is because she gives me the warmth and care I could never get from Qian Yuling! Xia Ying genuinely cares about me. Unlike Qian Yuling, who could only ever see my shortcomings, always dissatisfied, always finding fault. I work so hard outside, and when I come home, it’s still endless criticism. Just thinking about those days is painful.”

“When the child is found, you can reminisce about all that as much as you like,” Qin Ruonan said coldly.

Her words were like a bucket of ice water, shocking Fang Da out of his emotional haze; he suddenly realized, with his son still missing, how inappropriate his behavior was. He was left awkward and at a loss for words.

“How often do you give the child pocket money?” An Changpu asked.

“Once a week, usually on Sunday night or Monday morning,” Xia Ying replied.

“How much do you give him each week?”

“One hundred yuan.”

“Two hundred yuan.”

Xia Ying and Fang Da spoke simultaneously, but their answers were completely different.

“What’s this about? Every month when I give you the household money, I always set aside two hundred a week for Fang Wan’s pocket money. Why have you only been giving him one hundred? What about the other hundred?” Fang Da asked in surprise, withdrawing his arm from her shoulders.

“He’s just a ten-year-old boy! Two hundred yuan a week is way too much; there’s simply no need! With prices rising like this, the money you give me for the household is already tight. I just kept the rest to help with expenses!” Xia Ying replied, her tone assertive, though her eyes darted uncertainly, betraying her lack of confidence.

“What do you mean, the household money is tight? It’s not as if you don’t work! You—fine, fine, I won’t mention your salary! If you think it’s not enough, just tell me! How can you quietly dock money meant for the child? Don’t you realize his school is so far away? He has to eat there! When it’s hot, he might want a popsicle or a drink! And he goes to a private school—the other kids all have plenty. If he’s pinching pennies, isn’t that unfair to him?”

“Unfair to the child, unfair to the child! In this house, nobody can be wronged—except me!” Xia Ying shot to her feet, shouting at Fang Da, then turned and stormed back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

“Be careful with the baby!” Fang Da called after her, trying to stop her but then thinking better of it. He sat back down on the sofa, burying his head in his hands in dejection.

[Thank you, Shisan Yantongzi, for the pink vote—hugs and kisses~]