Chapter 2 — Wife Is Your Destiny

4 After the results of the paternity test were announced, I was taken to the Kieu family in Beijing to live together for a week. At that time, my parents suddenly had to go abroad for work, leaving only my brother Kieu Xuyen Dich and sister Kieu Nguyet Tam in the house. They held my hand and led me around Beijing for a week straight, sightseeing and trying to build relationships. Back then, my brother was not as upset as he is now. He always patted my head and gently reassured my insecurities: "Kieu Hue, I'm your biological brother, don't be afraid to bother me!" "Let's go, let's go, I'll take you for a walk around Beijing, eat well, drink well, have fun, let you get used to your future home." — A week later — The housekeeper took me back to my hometown, helped my grandmother check in to the nursing home, and then packed my bags for me to officially move to Beijing. It's just... I came at the wrong time. As soon as I arrived at the door, the whole family was preparing to go abroad. I stood in front of the gate, carrying two old straw bags in my hands. Everyone looked at me, then glanced at each other. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Mom and Nguyet Tam glanced at the bags on the floor, frowned slightly, and instinctively took a step aside. My father coughed lightly, then said: "Kieu Hue, I already talked about this on the phone. The whole family is preparing to go abroad for a month, but you don't have a passport so you can't go. This matter will be made up for you later." "My house is also preparing to be renovated and redecorated. It's not convenient for me to stay here right now. During this time, I'll temporarily stay at Hoa's house next door. I'll wait for the whole family to come home and then officially move in later." "Dad and uncle Hoa have been close friends since childhood. You can just treat it like your own house. They are traveling around the world, only their son is in the house, dad called Hoa Chau Can to take care of you..." My dad turned to tell his brother: "Let's take you over there first, by the way, take him to buy a new suitcase." The excitement and joy of having just found my biological parents were completely extinguished by one sentence. I was a bit disappointed, bowed my head and followed my brother to Hoa's house. Kieu Xuyen Dich took me to greet housekeeper Hoa and Aunt Vuong, introduced them once, then left. My brother took me to the second floor. Obviously everything was arranged in advance. "I live across from Mr. Can's room. He's my best friend. If you need anything, you can ask, but if it's not urgent, don't bother him, do you hear?" I nodded slightly. Hesitating for a moment, I opened my mouth to tell my brother about the tuition for the college re-examination class - 30,000 yuan. Two years ago, I scored 700 points in the university entrance exam, but because my grandmother could not afford to pay tuition, plus she was starting to show signs of old age and needed someone to take care of her... So in the end I had to drop out of school, bringing with me many regrets. Now that I have the opportunity, I really want to go back to school. That was also my grandmother's biggest wish all these years. But Kieu Xuyen Dich did not have the patience to listen to me finish. "Okay, let's wait until we get home to figure out those things. If we're late, we won't have time to get to the airport." He interrupted, gave a few instructions, then turned and left without looking back. 5 I turned over, burying my tear-soaked face in the pillow. Since the day I was welcomed back to Beijing, my life... has not been as happy as when I raised chickens in the countryside. I I feel very clearly - it seems like none of my "family members" really like me. Seven o'clock in the morning. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up, planning to go to the company early. As soon as I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, I bumped into Hoa Chau Can. He obviously just got back from exercising. His whole body was dressed in a gray sports suit, the fabric of the shirt was drenched in sweat, sticking tightly to his body, clearly outlining every line of his strong chest muscles. Drops of sweat followed his sharp jawline and rolled down, sliding into his collar. The moment their four eyes looked at each other, Hoa Chau Can paused for a moment, his voice slightly hoarse: "Good morning, Kieu Hue." I... my eyes were almost uncontrollable, silently sliding down to his abdominal muscles that were heaving with his breathing. Is that… really an eight pack?! Hoa Chau Can's eyes flashed with a rare smile: "Getting up so early... what are you looking at?" "I was looking—" I blurted out, then panicked and changed my words: "I mean... hello, good morning! Hello!!" My ears felt hot like they were about to burn. Hoa Chau Can has the aura of a mature man, a kind of appeal... it's hard to take your eyes off him. He doesn't try to appear attractive, but every move, every look, unconsciously makes it difficult for others to look away. Hoa Chau Can laughed softly, his voice carrying a light joke, but very serious: "From now on, you can jog with me in the morning." I immediately understood the meaning of his words, my face felt hot like it was on fire. “Umm um!” — I nodded quickly, my heart beating so much that it felt like it was about to jump to 120, stammering: "Go wash your face and change clothes... be careful not to catch a cold..." "Kieu Hue." Hoa Chau Can nodded, his eyes stopped for two seconds at my red eyes, then softly said: "Wait for me ten minutes. There is something I want to give you." —— Those ten minutes… were like a movie that dragged on endlessly. I rushed into the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face. In the mirror, even my ears were red. Right on time, there was a knock on the door. Hoa Chau Can had changed into a clean white shirt, his hair was not completely dry, and in his hand was a vinyl box of Dimoo. “A gift to the company, even though it's a bit late.” He gave it to me, his voice calm: "You gave it to me, just lending flowers to Buddha." “At your age, you should have fun and live your life a little.” I was stunned for two seconds. Then he smiled slightly and said softly: "Thank you." Reaching out to take it, my fingertips accidentally touched his hand, I jumped and quickly pulled back as if burned. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that it felt like it was about to burst. 6 Late afternoon a week later. Sunset gradually falls. I walked out of the office building with light steps. Today is my last day working at Hoa Thi. Summer vacation is about to end, college re-exam preparation classes are about to start. The pocket money that Kieu Xuyen Dich transferred at the right time really helped me get through the urgent period. Debt to my brother is more comfortable than debt to Hoa Chau Can. I took a deep breath, trying to relax. The night I moved to Hoa's house, Hoa Chau Can gave me a red envelope worth 188,000 yuan. I immediately intended to return it, and opened my mouth— He swallowed slightly, his throat moved slightly, and his low voice rang out: "It's just a small meeting gift from my brother, no need to refuse." “Welcome home, Kieu Hue.” Hoa Chau Can's eyes looked straight at me, the corners of his lips curled slightly, carrying a vague smile like no. He arbitrarily added another sentence: "I still have a pink supercar in the garage, or should I exchange it for you?" I immediately widened my eyes and frantically waved my hand: "No no no, no need, brother... brother..." Hoa Chau Can just smiled faintly and said nothing more. I hesitated for a moment, thinking that registration for the exam preparation class was about to expire, but in the end I still gritted my teeth and accepted the lucky money bag. Anyway, I was really shy, so the next day I went out to find a part-time job, both to be independent and to find an opportunity to pay him back later. Every time I think about going back to school, my heart flutters. I'm a little excited. Before returning to Hoa's house, I stopped by the convenience store. Buy grape juice, vodka, sparkling water, and even glasses of ice. Lately, the homepage keeps showing recipes like this. I've been curious about that flavor for a long time! Besides... today is my birthday, consider it a little reward for yourself. When we got back to Hoa's house, it was already past ten o'clock at night. I sat by the kitchen island, took out the mini birthday cake I had bought, and quietly closed my eyes and prayed in my heart. 【Happy birthday, Kieu Hue. Hope your second university entrance exam goes smoothly!】 After eating the cake, I started sipping a glass of homemade wine. The intoxication came on very quickly. After I finished cleaning up the trash, I staggered to the railing and walked upstairs. Opening the room door— A familiar but unfamiliar scent, cool and elegant like snow white and pine wood, suddenly came. At this point, my mind was no longer able to think, I only relied on instinct, groped my way to the bed, and crawled under the blanket. Today's sheets are softer than in memory, and also carry a bit of coolness, which is truly extremely comfortable.