Our realities, Our Dilemmas

Although Pingguo's elder sister disagreed with her younger sister's decision, it didn't stop her from doting on this little treasure. Taiyang was so cute and smiling; the baby welcomed this new face warmly. Agnès pampered him and even offered to babysit if her sister needed it. While Pingguo lounged on her sister's couch, the latter took care of Taiyang joyfully.

"And your boss, what does he think?"

"He thinks like you," replied the younger one. "He thinks I'm crazy and that I should give him to social services."

"He's right," Agnes asserted.

The debate ended there, but since Agnes had just talked about him, she brought up another topic.

"Hey?"

"Hmm," Pingguo responded, distracted by her phone.

"Have you ever slept with him, tell me?"

"Agnes! Oh my god, you're crazy!"

"What! It often happens between a boss and his secretary," justified the elder. "Besides, you've been friends since university; you're the perfect friends with benefits."

"Agnes Oya, please watch your language; I remind you that Taiyang is here."

"And so? Taiyang needs to know that his pseudo-mom is constantly with a sex symbol, like a saint who doesn't touch."

"Agnes," Pingguo yelled, giving her sister a kick in the back.

"Ouch! I'm right, tell me Oya, how long has it been? And don't lie, and I'm not talking about Kim Yeongwon either."

"It's none of your business, you crazy girl. My love life and sex life are none of your concern," Pingguo huffed, embarrassed.

As her sister tried to keep her out of her love life, Agnes felt offended and pouted. She had the right to know because after all, she is her only sister and her only real family. If Pingguo didn't confide in her, then who would she confide in?

"Taiyang needs a father if you want to keep him; there's no point in trying to avoid an unstable home if you plan to offer him an equally unstable home."

Pingguo thought for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

"Big sister, don't you think mom would have been a better mother if she had raised us alone?"

Agnes looked at her sister; once again, the discussion was heading in that direction. She tried to forget that time in her life to improve her life, but Pingguo was more fragile than her sister. That period didn't leave her; despite it being behind her, the younger one always tried to rewrite a scenario to fix the past. But the past couldn't be fixed. Their parents couldn't become better parents, and she had to learn to live with it.

"Idiot, you'd better focus on your life instead of worrying about your incapable parents."

This time, Pingguo kicked her sister. The latter winced and retaliated with a kick to the ankle; the two sisters bickered as usual. Agnes didn't mince her words when it came to blaming their parents, and her cadet didn't like it at all. The tension subsided, and to Pingguo's dismay, her sister was determined to discuss her love life.

"Hey? Let's talk seriously; you're not going to spend your whole life running away from Kim Yeongwon. You'll have to face him once and for all and tell him he's a jerk you don't need in your life, and that you love Yuanwei Hua."

"I don't love Yuanwei Hua," Pingguo reiterated. "And I'm not running away; I'm taking my time to think."

"Think about what? Listen to me, Oya. Abusive men never stop being abusive; on the contrary, the more your ties tighten, the tighter his grip on you becomes. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I thought Hong Wu would change, but today I'm divorced and broken from years of daily trauma. Things won't get better if you don't make the right choice, madam."

The younger one remained silent. She turned to Taiyang, who smiled at her immediately. The young woman reached out to him to caress his cheek.

"I don't know what the right choice is," admitted Pingguo. "In your opinion, what should I do?"

"If Yeongwon can't treat you properly, then break up with him and move on. There's so much better than him, starting with..."

"Yah!"

"What! In any case, if you don't plan to snag him, then introduce us quickly so we can get to know each other better, and who knows?"

"Listen to what I'm telling you, Yuanwei has been engaged since childhood, and they plan to get married. Besides, he's much younger than you, a cougar."

"And if he didn't love that fiancée," interrupted Agnes, "would you be willing to give a chance to a romance between you two?"

Pingguo had a blank moment, unsure of what to say. The question would never have crossed his mind, hence his silence. Yuanwei had been a good friend before being her tyrant boss, which is why the young woman never really thought about the possibility of a relationship other than friendly or professional with him. Besides, this thought blocked his entire brain because it was so improbable that his words would not be enough to describe it. But his sister interpreted his doubt differently, she understood it as reflection.

"Ah, I knew it, she cried. "Any woman would have the same thought, you are no exception."

"You're talking nonsense! Yuck, Yuanwei Hua is my boss, not to mention my worst enemy. I— You know what? I don't have to justify myself, I'm leaving."

"Ah! She chooses the path of escape!" teased the eldest. "Don't worry, we know each other. I know what your silence means, little naughty girl."

"Go to hell, Agnes! I hate you, seriously," the youngest grumbled as she left.

Pingguo chose not to continue this awkward and confusing debate, especially in front of her angel. She took Taiyang from her sister to give him a bath, and of course, Taiyang didn't like leaving the bath. Pingguo took a while to calm him down, so the two went out onto the balcony to soothe the angry infant. But still, Taiyang didn't calm down. Pingguo tried all the techniques to quiet him down, but none worked; it was becoming worrisome.

"Is he okay?" Agnes asked, equally worried.

"I don't know, he's not calming down. I don't understand why he's so agitated. Do you think he's sick?"

"I don't think so; he doesn't have a fever."

Pingguo had a realization.

"I haven't taken him to the hospital yet; maybe he has something I'm unaware of. Oh no..."

Pingguo was in a state of panic, completely distraught.

"Calm down, Pomme," reassured the older one. "Maybe he's just uncomfortable, and it will pass."

But Pingguo couldn't accept that idea. Seeing Taiyang suffer so much while she was powerless against his pain broke her heart. Anxious, the young woman dressed the child more warmly and left with him without bothering to inform Agnes.

"This girl... She didn't even take her phone or a coat!"

Agnes tried to catch up, but there was no trace of her. Exasperated, the young woman reluctantly decided to go upstairs to wait for her little sister's return. We was between February and March, winter had not yet passed, and Pingguo had ventured outside with just a light sweater. Moreover, she had left her cell phone.

...

At the same time, in front of his computer, Yuanwei was preparing a presentation for his next meeting. Surprisingly, his secretary had managed to fix his mistake regarding the loss of their previous contract. Now, an established online store wanted to sign a contract to sell their beauty line, offering twice the amount of the previous company. Too proud to thank her, Yuanwei chose to include her in the project. And since she had initiated the contract, he had to work closely with her. The CEO called his secretary to inform her of the news, but instead of Pingguo, another female voice answered his phone.

"Who are you," Yuanwei demanded, outraged.

The woman on the other end had roughly the same tone as Pingguo, but Yuanwei managed to discern a distinct background.

"Uh, I'm Pomme's sister. You must be Yuanwei Hua, her boss?"

Yuanwei was surprised; Pingguo had never mentioned a sister to him. He didn't know she had family in Beijing either. It was already confusing, and even more so that she could answer her phone.

"Yes. What's going on? Isn't Pingguo there? Has something happened to her? Why are you answering her phone?"

Agnes raised an eyebrow. This relationship was definitely ambiguous. It was clear that Yuanwei was already worried about her.

"Pingguo is fine, but the baby is not doing very well, so she went to the clinic with him."

Yuanwei jumped from his seat.

"What? Where did they go?" he inquired immediately.

"I don't know; she left hastily without telling me anything."

Before she could finish her sentence, Agnes thought she heard the sound of a car engine; Yuanwei might be searching for his sister.

"All right, I'll try to find her, and let me know if she comes home."

"Uh, okay..."

Without further ado, Yuanwei hung up to focus on the GPS in his car. In the vicinity where he had dropped her, there were only three clinics nearby. Meticulously, Yuanwei scanned the streets in search of the young woman and the baby.

"This idiot," he thought aloud. "She's going out in this weather!"

More anxiety, always more anxiety. Yuanwei knew only that with this Pomme Oya, she brought him nothing but worry and problems.