The Picture (2)

Xiu Ling put the papers aside and moved onto the entertainment section. When she saw the front page, her breath caught in her throat.

The picture of her best friend was featured right and center, and there was a handsome man, who was definitely not her husband, Xu Jing, sitting next to her.

They were seated at the corner table, in front of the wall with no one next to them. The two were laughing in the picture, looking like they were on a happy date, a speculation that was confirmed by the large headline that read, "Reel to Real: The two Main Cast of the upcoming movie, 'Bringing the Nation's Husband Home' out on a hot, private date.'

The article continued to provide some background on the movie adapted from the Ye Fei Ye novel of the same name but the main focus was on the supposed relationship between Joann and Lee Mu. The article was well-researched, it went back down their history, referencing the movies and projects they had done together.

It spoke of how they probably had good feelings for each other for a long time already but the relationship failed to blossom because of Joann's marriage. Then, the article included information on Xu Jing and his company, with special emphasis on the financial crisis it was facing. Even though the article did not state it explicitly, it implied that Joann planned to abandon her husband because he might not be able to provide for her for long and decided to begin a new relationship with Lee Mu who could give her a better future prospect. It definitely did not paint her in a positive light.

The article sounded so sure of itself that Xiu Ling, who considered herself a close friend of Joann, started to buy into it, compelled by its interesting narrative.

However, her rationality soon returned and she decided to get to the bottom of the truth and what better way to do that than to ask the source herself?

Xiu Ling stood up from her seat, grabbed her phone and left Lin Xi's bedroom. She was afraid that the phone call might wake her son up. When she was in the corridor, she leaned against the wall and called her best friend.

…

"Xu Jing, tell me. What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Xu asked as she dropped the piece of newspaper on the table between herself and her son, Xu Jing.

Mrs. Xu was seated at the table inside the study that once belonged to her husband.

The face of her daughter-in-law with an unknown man was featured proudly on the paper that she had just dropped on the table. She had half a mind to just call Joann over to have her lectured but she decided this time, she was going to deal with her through her son. After all, this affected his life and reputation as well. The woman had effectively shown the world she had cheated on her son. Through marriage, Joann had become a daughter of the Xu family, so it was on her shoulders to act like one. The conduct she had shown in the article was definitely not befitting of a daughter of the Xu family and a respectable married woman. As the single surviving elder of the house, Mrs. Xu felt like she deserved an explanation and she did not mind whether it came from Joann herself or from Xu Jing.

Xu Jing stood where he was, looking at the paper that landed before him. He sighed.

To be honest, this was not the first time he had seen that article that day. He had come across it when he was working in his room. It was rather difficult to not know your wife had cheated on you when that article was front page news.

Before reading the article, the first impression that came to Xu Jing was incredulity. He had faith his wife would not cheat on him.

However, that conviction crumbled in stages when he started reading the article. In fact, the picture alone had dealt a huge blow to his confidence. Xu Jing would not have been so concerned if it was some other man but this Lee Mu, he knew, was Joann's longtime friend, co-worker and on screen partner. At that point, the sex scene that he tried his best to forget bubbled up in his mind.

Then, an envious fire scorched through him. Just as he was brooding in his room, thinking about what to do, Xu Jing received a summon from his mother and that led us to where we were now.

Facing the interrogation from his mother, Xu Jing's envious rage dwindled. If he too lost his cool in this situation, they would simply feed off each other's anger and things would not be solved. Someone had to be the rational one and admittedly, he had more faith in Joann than his mother did.

Furthermore, infidelity was grounds for divorce. Xu Jing did not want to get separated from Joann over a piece of photography… no matter how convincing it looked.

He thus started to explain on Joann's behalf, "Mother, I am sure this is all just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Mrs. Xu challenged, "The proof is sitting right before your eyes and you are telling me it is a misunderstanding? Are you trying to tell me the picture has lied?"

Mrs. Xu shook her head and sighed, "Xu Jing, I know you adore her but facts are facts, you cannot let your emotions blind you to what is happening before your eyes."

"Mother, you are over-reacting, this is just a picture of Joann going out for dinner with one of her friends. It does not prove anything…" Xu Jing argued but the arguments themselves sounded weak to his ears. It felt as if he himself did not believe a word that he had just said. 'Perhaps mother is right, a picture does speak a thousand words.'

"Fine, let's say you are right. Let's give her the benefit of a doubt. Why don't you go and ask her what does she have to say for this shameful scandal?"