“You wanted to change, so what happened?”

“Later, I learned of his identity. His background is extraordinary and he belongs to the capital’s most prestigious household. Hence, the desire to marry him and bear his children became a complete fantasy. At that time, I was thinking that it’s probably impossible to stay with him forever, but despite this, I still foolishly stayed by his side and fooled myself every day. I lied to myself because I craved the warmth of his embrace. I did think of leaving him, but every corner of the big city is full of my moments with him, and when I finally left him, I felt that my life had become incomplete… Several times, I packed my bags, only to sneak back home like a loser. Eventually, I found myself pregnant, which is a happy and heart-breaking event for me. The joyful thing is that the child is his flesh and blood. Somehow, I felt then that my dream had gotten closer. Time and again, I’ve fantasized about him acknowledging the child, marrying me, and then setting up a family with me, but what I fear is the rejection from his family.”

“Did he want you to abort the child when he found out about your pregnancy?”

“No…” Meng Qingxue felt despondent. “He said that we can keep the child and he will acknowledge him, but he’ll never marry me. He said that he’ll buy me a villa, hire a nanny for me, and provide for me and our child well. He’ll also bear the responsibilities of a father… but it’s impossible for us to be married. He can give me everything but not the status.”

“What rarity,” remarked the policewoman sarcastically.

She replied in defiance, “It’s the status that I want! I wanna be his wife no matter how poor or lowly he is. I don’t want the villa or the generous support; I just wanna be with him.”

“How silly.”

“I thought so, too.”

“If that’s the case, why did you leave him?”

“Because…” She kept mum for a long time before revealing slowly. “One night, I wanted to have a final talk with him. If he doesn’t want me, then I’ll force myself to leave him and the city. I made many phone calls until a woman answered. She said that he had gone to bed and was feeling tired. At that point, my heart went completely cold and despondent… That woman was clearly provoking me. I felt tired, too, so I decided to have a clean break with him. As I was leaving, I sent him a message, saying I’ll have the child aborter and not to look for me. He wouldn’t try to find me, would he? When I left, I just took some money and belongings with me, returning everything else to him. Thereafter, I walked away without second thoughts.”

“Why did you leave?” asked Chu He, looking displeased.

She was stunned speechless by the question.

“Did you leave just because of a woman’s provocation?” The other woman retorted with amusement. “What was the purpose for your long-suffering persistence then? Did you hold on like a fool, only to walk away because of that woman’s words? Wouldn’t this make your past sacrifices seem like a complete joke? Well, you’re decisive in your action but not when you ought to be! You only made others happy when you walked away! You see how easy it was to drive you away without any effort? That woman is surely laughing in her dreams right now!”

Meng Qingxue could only look at her friend with wide-eyed bewilderment.