64 Zhang An Na

Linlin sat on her bed, stretching her torso. She rubs her sleepy eyes to chase her sleep away. She yawned for the umpteenth time before she stood up.

"Eh? Why are you still here at this time, Hua'er?"

She glanced at the wall clock several times to ensure her eyes does not playing tricks on her lagging mind. Still, the clock showed 9.20am.

"Hehehe..I just came back after submitting my assignments an hour ago. The lecturers said our class is cancelled for today. So..I don't have any class."

Linlin sulked when she heard the news.

"Why don't my lecturers cancel our class too?"

"Hahaha..hey, you can sulk later. It's 9.30am already. You'll be late if you still dilly dallying now."

Linlin glanced at the clock again before she rushed towards the bathroom.

Moments later.

"I'm going first, Hua'er."

"Bye-bye Linlin. Stay focus," she teased.

Wang Hua continue to do some revision until it was 12pm. She decided to cook some lunch for her and Linlin. She just finished all the dishes when the front door was slammed open.

"Hua'er..Hua'er..I got a good news for you," Linlin shouted from the front door.

"What, what?"

"This..this.." LinLin passed her the flyer while bending over her knees to catch her breath.

"Cooking competition?"

"Yes, yes..read, read.."

Wang Hua read every information on the flyer and gaped.

"This is a great opportunity."

"Yes, yes..we can have more pocket money if we managed to win. Imagine if we win and get the small rental cafe, we'll get more money thus lessen our family's burden."

"Yes, yes..you're right, LinLin."

"We need one more person to make a group."

"Right~ who should we ask?"

"Let's ask Xiaoxi. But we need to be fast. Eventhough the competition is only held after the final exam, three weeks later, we need to register before 12am tonight."

"Okay, we'll discuss everything later. Come, let's eat first."

...

"You agreed, right?"

"Sure, when do we register?"

"I just registered our name on the residential web page..hehe.. So, let's discuss what we want to cook. Here they stated that we need to mention what appliances or anything we want to use during the competition. They'll prepare all."

"Really? They'll provide all?"

"That's what they stated here. Come on, come on."

They brainstorming for over an hour to discuss and argue about the menu that has more potential to win and all the necessary appliances that they needed.

"Alright, that's all, right?" LinLin asked.

"Let's double checked everything."

"Okay, I'll read all the things that I listed here, you both check the list that we made before."

"Okay."

"Stove, oven, microwave,...."

"Everything checked."

"Alright, I'll update our registration now and print the letter of confirmation if our application was approved."

Wang Hua and Xiaoxi nodded.

"Done. Here. Store it properly, as we need it during the competition."

...

City C. Zhao Villa.

Zhang An Na strode inside the house and startled to see Zhao Sheng sitting on the armchair.

"You're back."

"Yes. You always came back early than me nowadays, don't you have any work?"

She sat on the nearby couch and turns to him.

"I do, but it's not that urgent. I passed them to my subordinates. Have you eaten?"

"I did."

"That's good. Don't work too hard, take better care of yourself."

"I have too if I don't want to be drowned in the past abyss."

"You still have Shufen. Don't get caught up in the past..it's already sixteen years. There's Jingren too."

Zhang An Na did not reply. She recalled some of her precious memories then the nightmares that came later. Her life changed drastically after that incidents.

"Father asking about you."

Zhao Sheng statement jolted her from her train of past memories.

"What does he want now?"

"Nothing, he just missed you, An. It's been so long."

Zhang An Na pursed her lips. It's not she did not missed her father, but the pains and heartbreaks that he caused years ago still fresh in her heart, although some was unintentionally. As if everything happened only yesterday. She lost everything in a week.

She felt great despair, adding by Zhao Sheng asked for her hand in marriage a week after. She was forced to accept it by her selfish father and she adamantly refused. But one private meeting with Zhao Sheng, when he told her the marriage is just a sham, she agreed as she also found out she was pregnant at that time.

The presence of seven years old Jingren and the birth of her son, Shufen brought some life and sunshine back into her dead and dull life. But a big portion of her heart still feels empty. So she try to fulfil it with more works.

"An..An..An..hey..earth calling An."

She looks at Zhao Sheng and pondered.

"Why don't you tell me the reason for our marriage, Sheng?"

Zhao Sheng was taken aback by her sudden question. He composed himself quickly.

"I told you several times, An..I need a mother for my son."

"I felt there's something that you hide from me, Sheng."

She looked pointedly at him, try to gauge some clues from his expression but she saw nothing.

"I don't know what you mean. Go upstairs and get refresh, An. You're stinking."

"You..! You changed the topic."

"Am I?"