No Longer On Her Side

Hen Qing pondered as she stared at her black phone screen. When she pressed the power button again, Ying Ying's contact popped up on the screen. For the past hours, she's been staring blankly out of space with Ying Ying's contact on her phone, hesitating to call or text. Before she decided on coming back from overseas, she thought of countless ways from hugging and crying to begging Ying Ying for forgiveness. Yet, she has never considered the possibility of coming back to an old dusty place with no traces of liveliness. It was like entering a haunted house and seeing nothing but darkness and spider webs. Dull.

Finally, she decided to send out a text to Ying Ying. She started pacing around the living room while biting on her crystal manicure, waiting for a response.

Ding

She practically threw herself on the table when she heard her phone's notification tone. When she saw that it wasn't Ying Ying, she felt utterly disappointed. "Could mom be mad at me? What should I do? What if she never comes back to me? How will I find out about them? What if she isn't on my side anymore?" She started biting pieces of the nails off and spitting it onto the clean floor she had recently mopped.

Suddenly, the main door to the house slammed open wide and loud; startling Hen Qing greatly that she jumped back a few steps. All Hen Qing could hear were heavy footsteps barging into the house and barely any breathing sounds. The next moment, she saw Ying Ying's breathless figure catching her breath.

"Mommy!" she cheered delightfully and ran to give her a tight hug. Ying Ying didn't have enough time to rest when she received the hug and after a few seconds later, she reciprocated the same actions. She patted Hen Qing's back with a smile on her face.

Afterwards, Hen Qing gave her an official apology for her immature thoughts back then and they reunited happily. While she spoke about her overseas experiences and her great accomplishments, Ying Ying listened patiently and reacted with the warmest smile seeing Hen Qing's happy face. They ate dinner together, and Ying Ying got ready to go back to Yang residence.

"Mom! I'm back now! Why don't you stay with me? We haven't seen each other for years! Don't you think we have a lot to catch up on? Like guys I've dated and who I am chasing after now?" she pushed her bottom lip forward and clung onto Ying Ying's arm acting like a spoiled brat.

"Be good. Mommy can't suddenly take off from work. I need some time before I can come back to stay with you. Okay? You're a big girl now. Mommy will come to see you again soon." She typed quickly on her phone, wanting to go back before anyone gets worried.

"Then tell me where you're working at now! I'll come to take a peek at you once in a while when your boss isn't looking! I want to see which household you're working for." She tugged on Ying Ying's sleeve.

"You! Mom already told you that I can't tell you where I'm working at. It's against the set conditions if I gave it out. I wouldn't want to breach the contract and pay compensation. Besides, this family is very secretive with their personal information. I can't tell you." Ying Ying shook her head, refusing to expose the address. She raised her up for all these years, how could she not know what Hen Qing's thinking?

Since they've reunited, Hen Qing had been chatting in circles, avoiding Huan Hei and Ya Nuo's topics for a while. However, whenever she spoke, she always ended up relating it to where Ying Ying was staying at. 'There must've been a catch to her question. Maybe she knows something...probably not.. did I think too much? Either way I won't let her know.'

After a while of playing tug-of-war, Ying Ying managed to free herself from Hen Qing's grip and called a cab. She made sure to tell the driver to drive off first before telling him the address.

'No matter if she did it purposely or it is an actual coincidence, sorry darling, I can't help but have my guards up around you. You think you covered your thoughts perfectly, but I could see it in your eyes. Sigh. I'm not going to tell you anything about Ya Nuo and Hei. Not, at least until their marriage is official.' Ying Ying determined to keep everything related to the Yang's a secret from Hen Qing.

After waving goodbye, Hen Qing gnashed her teeth together harshly, "Mom, you think I can't find out just because you refuse to tell me where you're living. I already knew. I only wanted to see if you were the same as before or you've changed. Seems like, you are no longer standing on my side...mom."

She walked back into the house and made a phone call, "It's me. I want you to set it up. Yes. I am absolutely sure that I want to do this. I'll send you her information later. Her name is Yang Ya Nuo. Yes. Okay. I will prepare those. I know the circumstances already. Bye."

She sent a followed up text to a mysterious number and marked it for deleting. A sinister smile appeared on her slightly aged face. If someone looked close enough, they would realize that her wrinkles could be compared to some eighty year old granny's facial feature.

After the call ended, she breathed a sigh of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, "Heh... Heh... even if there's that slim chance of... Never mind. It won't ever happen. Nobody will ever know. Nobody.. hehehe.. hahahaa. Did the two of you think that you would happily get married to each other so easily? Let's see if the bride could even show her pretty little face at her own wedding."

Meanwhile, Ya Nuo shivered with goose bumps covering all over her body. Huan Hei covered her with a blanket and rubbed her arms on the couch, "Cold?"

"Nnn.. Now I'm not. Just a sudden chill. Nothing much." she leaned her head on his chest as they continued enjoying their night with cuddles and comedies in the living room. What the couple couldn't foresee was an incoming disastrous event; one that would change their lives greatly.