Imperfect Desires

Seeing that woman beside Francesca, Xiu's heart went cold. She had decided to forget the bitterness of past life but how was she supposed to forget the pain of feeling wronged? The pain that people like her brought to her, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Even when she wasn't the one in the wrong!

That woman's polite smile and elegant bearing reminded Xiu what was the difference between these two in the past life. One got the status of 'wife' and the other was labeled as 'mistress'.

"Child, don't just stand there. Come," Francesca was the one who noticed Xiu just standing there and gestured her to come out while the woman beside her also turned to look in Xiu's direction. "Oh, this looks good on you just as I had thought." While Francesca was assessing the dress Xiu wore, Xiu couldn't help staring blankly at the woman beside her.

"And who is this?" Xiu heard that familiar soft voice that she had come to hate at one point in her life. How sweet she sounded and yet how much poison she held in her heart only Xiu knew.

Francesca placed her arm over Xiu's shoulder saying proudly, "This is my daughter. Isn't she beautiful?" She didn't wait for a reply as she went on, "She is gorgeous." Francesca was like a mother flaunting her daughter around without any shame or hesitation. 

"Daughter?" The woman was startled a bit. "Auntie, when did you get married?"

Francesca gave her a displeasing look as she replied, "Liu Nuan, I didn't get married. She is my Regi's bride, Xiu. Bai Xiu." 

The smile on Liu Nuan's face stiffened as she heard the name and couldn't help repeating, "Xiu?" Then her eyes shifted to glance at Xiu's face who still wore a blank expression. But that look in her eyes shook Liu Nuan's heart as if her consciousness was shaking her and reminding of someone she was desperately trying to forget.

Francesca wasn't really paying attention to the strange tension between the two people beside her as she went around to look for some other dresses for Xiu leaving only Xiu and Liu Nuan alone.

Xiu was the first one to look away as she put on her indifferent look saying, "It seems like my name caught you off-guard, Ms. Liu."

"Huh?" Liu Nuan was taken aback when Xiu's voice broke her trance.

"Well, you acted as if you heard about a ghost or something. Your face paled," stated Xiu as she pointed at her face.

Liu Nuan touched her face while saying, "It's nothing like that. Your name just reminded me of an old friend."

"Old friend?" Xiu snickered in her mind at that reply.

~~

['Can't you let him go Ms. Chen?' Liu Nuan's words were still fresh in her memory. 'You're a superstar. Everyone loves you. Millions of people love you but all I have is him. Please, give Jinhai to me. I can't live without him.'

'I can say the same to you, Ms. Liu. You have a loving family, a loving home. You got everything in life, why can't you give up on Jinhai? Why do I have to give up my happiness for your sake?' Xiu had retorted in bitterness.

Liu Nuan fell on her knees as she pleaded, 'Please, I'm begging you. I really love him. I have loved him since childhood. This love is deep-rooted in my bones. I have only dreamed of marrying him for all my life. How can you be so cruel to break this dream of mine?'

Xiu could only stare at her falling tears in bitterness as she replied, 'The one you're begging for isn't mine though.' Liu Nuan looked up at her face. 'He already left me for you.'

'What?'

'Don't act so surprised. Before the young lady of the Liu family, how could a stupid lovesick person like me stand a chance?' Xiu took a pause to hold back her tears. She didn't want to cry before this woman. She didn't want to be the weak one before this woman. 'You can go back now. I don't think I have anything else to give you.']

~~

Coming back to the present, Xiu stared at Liu Nuan's face and wanted to blench at the hypocrisy of this woman. That innocent face actually fooled her once but this time around it wasn't enough. Especially because Xiu wanted to keep her distance from Liu Nuan. After all, now she wasn't Chen Xiu!

"I guess, you really like that old friend." Her voice was strained and had a sarcastic undertone which Liu Nuan couldn't catch.

Liu Nuan's eyes fell down as she whispered, "Or maybe I hated her the most." 

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here? I told you to wait at the food court." Just as Xiu saw another familiar face entering the store calling out Liu Nuan, she cursed her luck. What was it? Blast from the past or something?!

"Qiuqiu, I saw Auntie Francesca that's why I came here," answered Liu Nuan to the exuberant girl before her.

"Excuse me," saying that Xiu turned to join Francesca. She didn't want to hear the conversation between her ex-boyfriend's wife and sister. It wasn't that she didn't hear Liu Nuan's last sentence, she pretended like she didn't. Because it was no secret to her that Liu Nuan hated her the most. 

"Mom, let me change, and then let's go to another place," Xiu suggested to Francesca as soon as she came up to her.

"Why? You don't like this dress?" 

"I love it but I'm hungry now," Xiu half-lied. She just wanted to get out of here now. Since it seemed like a reunion of her past, she didn't want that ex-boyfriend to pop up from somewhere as well. She might really lose it otherwise and murder one of those people.

"Okay," Francesca didn't question Xiu's decision at all. She just agreed. The only reason she was so excited about shopping today was because she had someone's company and that company was none other than her daughter. Otherwise, Francesca as a working woman had rare chances to find time for herself how will she find time for hobbies like shopping?

Just when both of them were about to leave the store, Xiu turned once again to look in Liu Nuan's direction but her eyes weren't on Liu Nuan. She was looking at her ex's sister, Zhou Liqiu. That vibrant and buoyant girl whom she once considered as her own sister.

She could only sigh at her poor eyesight for not being able to recognize anyone's real face.