There was a man who went by the name, Shams Tabrizi. He once said: "Don't search for heaven and hell in the future. Both are now present. Whenever we manage to love without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven. Whenever we fight, hate, we are in hell."
But is there a love that doesn't expect anything? Doesn't seem to be. Is there a time when we don't try to calculate our benefits? Definitely not! What about negotiations? We live in an age where we even negotiate with our parents much less anyone else. All we do is spread hate and then we start fighting without any reason or rhyme. So are we living in our own personal hell?
And oddly, we seem to enjoy this personal hell of ours. The world has enough power to feed every single hungry person around the globe. But we use this power to destroy each other instead.
Xu Mey didn't want to live in her personal hell but people forced her to live in hell. It was up to her to decide whether she wanted to be burned by this hell and perish or to rule this hell like a devil. Xu Mey originally chose the former one. She wanted herself to burn and perish. Every person who blames himself for every wrong thing in life tends to choose the burning path.
Xu Mey was just a fortunate person to have met someone who made her realize that becoming the devil to rule this hell was a lot more exhilarating.
She stopped expecting anything from her father. She calculated her relation with Ye Jie before negotiating it with him. She only had hate in her and a fire that could burn everyone. A person like her was the true definition of living in hell.
Since Ye Jie accepted the invitation on behalf of Xu Mey, both of them drove to the Xu Residence. Ye Jie swiftly swapped his sports car with Audi today. He wasn't dressed in his usual tailor-made suits. Instead, he was wearing washed up jeans with a round collar full sleeve shirt in white color. He paired it with a checkered shirt in black and red leaving the buttons unfastened. He looked young and carefree.
Xu Mey was wearing a loose knitted sweater with checkered pants. Her long hair was tied in a low bun and face was clean without any make-up. During the car ride, both didn't talk much. Ye Jie could feel how much she despised going to Xu Residence with the way her body was fidgeting.
The housekeeper greeted them at the door and brought them to the living area where Fu Lan and Xu Chen were waiting for them. Xu Cheng greeted Ye Jie and walked to Xu Mey. He was intending to hug her but she instinctively took a step back. Xu Chen was disappointed but didn't say it.
Fu Lan, on the other hand, was gushing over Ye Jie. "Aiyo! Our Ye Jie is such a nice person. He even remembered to bring all these fruit baskets and gifts for his in-laws." She was looking at the stuff Ye Jie brought with him. The way he handled things showed his noble bearing. "Although, our Xu Mey should have been the one to do all this but... " She clicked her tongue making a disappointed face. "You don't worry. Xu Mey will learn with time." She maintained her hypocrite behavior.
She was praising Ye Jie while making him realize how much Xu Mey was lacking. But the drama didn't end here, she walked to Xu Mey's side stroked her hair lovingly and smiled sweetly. "Son-in-law! Even though our Xu Mey is a bit dense and doesn't understand things easily, you need to be patient with her. She's such an obedient child. All the rumors about her are completely untrue. You must not believe them." Actually, she was trying to bring Ye Jie's focus towards the fact that there were rumors about Xu Mey in their circle. She knew saying it like that will get Ye Jie's attention.
And she was right, Ye Jie was indeed curious now. But he wouldn't show it on his face that easily. "Auntie is too polite. Auntie and Uncle don't have to worry about a thing. I like my dear wife just as she is. I don't need her to change anything at all. But what Auntie said is true, my wife really is very obedient indeed." Only Xu Mey could hear the sarcasm in Ye Jie's voice and really wanted to laugh out loud. It took a bit of effort to not let her emotions control her.
"Oh this is my first time in Xu Residence, I was hoping Auntie will show me around." Ye Jie's politeness and respect were a perfect combination that struck Fu Lan's heart like an arrow.
'I'm definitely gonna have you as my son-in-law. Who doesn't want a son-in-law like him? I'll make you fall for Xu Liqing at all costs.' Fu Lan was making a happy house for her daughter in her dreams while Ye Jie just wanted her to stay away from Xu Mey. He could see how much repulsive Xu Mey was towards Fu Lan.
Fu Lan happily became the tour guide for Ye Jie showing him around the whole Residence. Only Xu Mey and Xu Chen were left behind. "Is he treating you well?" Xu Cheng asked with his fatherly concern visible in his voice and on his face.
"Does it matter to you?" Xu Mey retorted. "You already sold me for a damn promise. Why is it your concern how I am now?"
Her sharp tone and vexation in her eyes were hurtful to Xu Cheng but he had no way to reply. He couldn't tell her why he sold her for a promise. He couldn't tell her why he avoided her. He couldn't tell her why he couldn't be a father he was supposed to be. So, he stayed quiet instead.
Xu Mey and Ye Jie stayed at Xu Residence from noon till dinner time. At the dinner table, Fu Lan kept putting food in Ye Jie's bowl. "Our son-in-law is so thin. You should take care of your diet. I know, you're a diligent worker but let the employees do some work as well." Then she turned to Xu Mey. "Xiao Mey, you should take care of your husband's meals. You're his wife. It's your responsibility." She facepalmed herself. "I almost forgot, Ye Jie! Our Xu Mey doesn't know how to cook. So, don't mind ha. Xu Liqing spends hours in the kitchen but Xu Mey was pampered from the young age so she isn't well-versed in house chores."
Xu Mey and Ye Jie choked on their food at the word 'pampered'. but Fu Lan didn't think much about it. She picked up a pineapple cake with her chopsticks and stretched her arm towards Xu Mey's mouth. Since Xu Mey couldn't refuse at that moment, she ended up taking a bite.
She knew the consequences of eating the cake but sigh... She couldn't do anything at the moment. Taking actions too early and too late are both worthless, we have to wait for the perfect time. And if the waiting is not what you can do, we should just make this time as the perfect time.
Just as Xu Liqing entered the dining room, Xu Mey smirked. 'And our perfect time just walked right to us.'