Gloves - Chapter 46

Wang Shili looked at Shang Zhuoxi, unsure of what to say. This was the first time someone had spoken about her like this.

“Do you regret it?” Shang Zhuoxi smiled and tapped her chin with her index finger. “I’ll treat you to this meal,” she said, motioning for the waiter and handing her the card.

“Hey! Shang Zhuoxi, what do you mean?” Wang Shili was confused. She was the one who invited Shang Zhuoxi, so why was she paying with her card?

“Have a safe journey,” the polite waiter said, returning the card to Shang Zhuoxi.

“Shang Zhuoxi, slow down and explain yourself,” Wang Shili called out. Maybe the thunder drowned out her voice, or maybe Shang Zhuoxi pretended not to hear as she opened her umbrella and walked straight towards the parking lot.

“Shang Zhuoxi!” Wang Shili ran to catch up, not caring about the rainwater getting into her mouth.

“I’m telling you, I’m not afraid of anything you say!” Wang Shili’s clothes quickly became soaked, but Shang Zhuoxi glanced at her watch and kept walking.

“Don’t always make me owe you favors, okay?” The high decibel noise coming from behind annoyed Shang Zhuoxi. She stopped and turned around, only to come face to face with the drenched Wang Shili.

“You were the one who said we should be friends. Friends don’t keep score of favors!” Shang Zhuoxi grew a little impatient, her speech quickening. The raindrops refracted the light into Wang Shili’s eyes, and she blinked her bright, shiny eyes before suddenly laughing.

“So, does that mean you agreed?” she asked.

“Why didn’t you bring an umbrella?” Shang Zhuoxi suspected that Wang Shili had been waiting for her for a long time, as it had been raining since she left her office.

“Oh, I’m not used to it,” Wang Shili waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s not good for your health to do this regularly, especially for girls,” Shang Zhuoxi gestured for her to come closer.

“Do you care about me?” Wang Shili lowered her head, concealing the smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Not specifically about you,” Shang Zhuoxi said coldly, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Oh~ So it seems Dr. Shang cares about everyone like this,” Wang Shili’s tone was a bit strange. As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Shang Zhuoxi’s expression, but she couldn’t read anything from that side profile.

“Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride,” Shang Zhuoxi furrowed her brows slightly as she put away her umbrella. She really didn’t like rainy weather.

“No need, I’ll wait here until the rain stops and take a taxi,” Wang Shili quickly declined. She didn’t want to trouble Shang Zhuoxi any further.

Shang Zhuoxi opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, honking the horn twice to signal for Wang Shili to get in.

“You still have to work in the afternoon, I can wait,” Wang Shili explained, leaning against the car window. Suddenly, an umbrella was thrust into her hand, followed by the closing of the car window. Without saying a word, Shang Zhuoxi drove away, leaving Wang Shili standing alone, holding the still dripping umbrella, lost in thought.

Not long after Shang Zhuoxi drove away, a text message came in from an unfamiliar number.

“President Shang, are you free tonight to…,” Shang Zhuoxi glanced at the screen. It was probably another dinner invitation. She had become numb to these types of social gatherings. Usually, as long as she showed up, it was enough. She didn’t pay much attention. While waiting at a traffic light, Shang Zhuoxi picked up her phone. When she read the last line of the message, it no longer seemed like a typical invitation. It said:

“…I want to talk to you about An Chujie.”

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“Zhuoxi, someone died in my house last night, and I’m really scared all by myself,” Xu Yuer said, her hands holding onto Shang Zhuoxi’s arm, her voice sweet and innocent.

“So, Yu’er wants me to come over and accompany you?” Shang Zhuoxi put down the pen in her hand and turned to look at Xu Yuer, searching for the fear in her eyes.

“No, can’t I just go to your place for a couple of nights? You have no idea, that man, he fell from upstairs and landed face down on the ground… it was so terrifying!” Xu Yuer’s pupils contracted, tears shimmering in her eyes, as if genuinely shocked.

“Is Yu’er that scared?” Shang Zhuoxi gently stroked the head nestled in the crook of her arm, taking out her keys from her pocket and removing two of them:

“Here, this one is for the outer electronic door, and this one is for the front door. I have something to do after work, so Yu’er can go by herself.”

“Mhmm, Zhuoxi, you’re the best,” Xu Yuer took the keys, tightly gripping the two pieces of metal in her palm. The tears in her eyes had already disappeared, and a smug smile appeared on her face, buried in the crook of Shang Zhuoxi’s arm.

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Shang Zhuoxi arrived at the restaurant specified in the text message, looking around for something. Just as she was about to call the unfamiliar number, a little girl bounced in front of her.

“Big sister,” the little girl smiled and tugged at Shang Zhuoxi’s clothes, blinking her innocent eyes. Shang Zhuoxi felt like she had seen this girl somewhere before, searching her memory. Suddenly, she remembered that there was a little girl in Kyoto who had asked her for her phone number. She resembled An Chujie a bit, so she left a deeper impression.

“Big sister, come with me this way,” the little girl said, turning around and heading upstairs. Throughout the process, she kept holding onto the edge of Shang Zhuoxi’s clothes. Shang Zhuoxi gently pushed her hand away, but the little girl seemed hurt by her actions, so Shang Zhuoxi had no choice but to let her be.

“Mommy, look, this big sister is here,” Shang Zhuoxi followed the sound of the little girl’s voice and saw a woman in her forties sitting upright at a table. Two faint laugh lines made her seem unapproachable. Upon hearing the voice, she looked towards Shang Zhuoxi and immediately stood up, a serious expression turning into a smile on her face.

“President Shang, please have a seat,” the woman said, pulling the girl next to her. She then poured a cup of tea for Shang Zhuoxi. Despite her age, her overall demeanor was still quite good, and she appeared energetic.

“May I ask…” Shang Zhuoxi was about to speak, but the woman on the other side cut off her doubts with one sentence.

“My surname is Zhang, President Shang can call me Auntie,” the woman sat down and said with a smile.

“Does Ms. Zhang know An Chujie?” Shang Zhuoxi quickly got to the point. She didn’t plan on calling her Auntie; it felt too familiar, considering they weren’t close.

“Know her?” the woman maintained her elegant smile as she shook her head, but that smile didn’t bring any joy.

“President Shang and Chujie have a good relationship, right?” Otherwise, you wouldn’t have hurriedly come to meet me without any hesitation. The seriousness in the woman’s eyes was completely replaced by a gentle expression.

Chujie? The woman easily omitted her surname, An.

“Or perhaps, you should know her well?” Ms. Zhang phrased it differently, unsure of the current relationship between Shang Zhuoxi and An Chujie.

“I… used to know her very well. What’s going on?” Shang Zhuoxi seemed to have realized something, and the woman’s next words confirmed her suspicions.

“I am An Chujie’s mother, her birth mother. When you use the word ‘know’ to describe the relationship between me and my daughter, President Shang, I find it somewhat ridiculous. But it’s true, and I only know her on my end,” Ms. Zhang took a sip of tea, and indeed, the tea was bitter.

Shang Zhuoxi’s gaze stayed on the woman, then shifted to the little girl beside her. The girl sat close to her mother, her face filled with anticipation for her big sister. Suddenly, Shang Zhuoxi felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t understand how a mother could be absent from her child’s life for over twenty years, no matter the reason. It was incredibly irresponsible!

Shang Zhuoxi knew very well what it felt like to not have a mother. If she hadn’t met An Chujie, she would have experienced a profound, insurmountable darkness and loneliness. At least she had once had a mother, but what about An Chujie? The person who gave birth to her and then abandoned her, how heartless could she be?!

“When Chujie was still in school, there were several times I came to this area and saw her with you. Seeing her smile put my mind at ease. But in these past two years, I haven’t come often. I’ve been hesitating whether or not to find her, whether or not to make her aware of my existence. I hesitated until one day in Kyoto when I saw you both. Chujie has grown up a lot, and I think we’re both adults. Maybe… there are things I should be honest with her about. I don’t trust myself, but I should trust Chujie, right? Trust that she can accept me as her irresponsible mother…” Ms. Zhang’s eyes became slightly red as she spoke.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Zhang, but this is a matter between you and your daughter. There’s no need for you to discuss this with me,” Shang Zhuoxi’s expression turned cold, and she felt an indescribable aversion and rejection towards the woman in front of her.

“Why wouldn’t it be necessary? It’s very necessary. I want to be prepared before meeting Chujie,” Ms. Zhang tightened her grip on the girl’s shoulder, and the girl looked at her and said, “I really want to meet my sister, Mom.”

“Ms. Zhang, do you think I can help you with something? To be honest, I don’t believe Chujie would be happy to see you. On the contrary, it might just bring her more pain,” Shang Zhuoxi said without hesitation, her mood becoming heavy.

“That’s why I asked you to meet me this time, hoping that you can help me understand Chujie better. For example, what she likes to eat, what she enjoys doing, what she’s afraid of, and what she’s currently doing for work,” Ms. Zhang folded her hands on the table, ready to listen attentively to what the other person had to say.

“I don’t really know much about her now, but I can tell you what she used to be like, as a reference…,” Shang Zhuoxi reluctantly spoke those words. Despite her reluctance, considering An Chujie’s feelings, Shang Zhuoxi carefully shared some information with Ms. Zhang.