The Overnight Chosen Wife: Darling, Kiss Me Deeper

"You don't look particularly excited about it." Madam Jiang observed. 

Luna sighed. "Relationsh.i.p.s don't always last long. I mean, liking (or loving) each other doesn't always mean much, right?" After all, her own parents had divorced and in such a heartbreaking way even though they were rumored to have been deeply in love with each other. They were still enemies presently, despite the obvious love in each other's eyes. 

What about she and Jiang Xingyu who had not known each other for that long? 

Madam Jiang understood her concern. However, "You cannot judge your relationship based on someone else's. They are not you and you are not them; your relationship would never be like theirs–not even if that person is your identical twin. Just because your parents broke up doesn't mean you and your husband will break up." 

"H-husband?" Luna stuttered in a whisper. She was still talking about "like". How did it morph into marriage in a flash? 

"Look, you can be worried about other men but you will never have to worry about Xingyu." She reached over the table and planted her elbows on the surface, looking into the younger woman's eyes seriously. "I'm not just saying this because I'm his mother. I was not kidding when I said he couldn't live without you. 

When you left, it was as though his life had come crumbling down on him. He would hole up in his room all day, all night. Sometimes he would starve himself and drink himself almost to death, childishly hoping that your heart would ache for him, and that's not even the most stupid thing he did. Although I reprimanded him for being an idiot at the time, one thing is for sure: he will never bring himself to do anything that could make you leave him again." 

Luna held a hand over her mouth. She had left thinking that they didn't truly love each other. Never would she have thought that he was so deeply in love with her. Madam Jiang made a lot of sense, which made her wonder, "Why… why do you like me? I hurt your son so much. After everything he did to himself, aren't you supposed to hate me?" 

The latter squinted her eyes slightly. "I hated you before I met you. You know, I thought my son was heartbroken over some spineless gold digger who had left after accomplishing her mission. But when I met you and realized just what a sweet young woman you were, I realized one thing; why should the past matter? It does nothing but makes us bitter over things that will never change.

Why not enjoy the present and the future instead? So, I detached myself from the past and it made me realize something more important." 

"What?" Luna was curious. 

"That if we met under different circ.u.mstances and if Xingyu wasn't in love with you, I would still have loved you as much as I would love my daughter." 

"Aunty…" Luna felt her eyes sting. She circled the table and hugged Madam Jiang warmly. 

…

Later when they were done eating, they went back to the men who had just finished purchasing the groceries and whatever else they had been doing the whole time.

Madam Jiang went back to her husband's side, winked and mouthed 'good luck' to Luna. "I'll give you a call later, okay? Make sure to tell me if he bullies you." 

"She's the one always bullying me." Jiang Xingyu complained, while his father muttered something inaudibly. If Luna was a man, he would never let her get so close to his wife. He was almost getting replaced! 

Luna glared at Jiang Xingyu, making him shut his mouth, then mouthed a 'thanks' to Madam Jiang. The two pairs then split ways, each going their own way. 

The man was relieved when they were finally on their own. "I got everything we need. But do we even still need them?" He looked down at his huge bag of ingredients. 

"I'll help you cook something for you to eat. You can keep the rest in the refrigerator, of course." She led the way out, not reaching for his hand this time. 

"Is there something bothering you?" He observed. She was walking faster than usual, her lips occasionally moving as though she was chanting something, but she said nothing in the end. 

"No." She said curtly. Of course, something was bugging her! How the heck was she supposed to confess to a man? It wasn't that easy, okay? besides, that wasn't the only thing that was bugging her nerves. 

She closed her eyes for a second and let out a breath. "Give me a second." Without letting him respond, she disappeared back into the building. She went to the restrooms. Outside the doors to the restrooms, there was a trashcan. She observed it for a while and thought back to what Madam Jiang had said earlier.

"Why should the past matter? It does nothing but makes us bitter over things that will never change. Why not enjoy the present and the future instead?"

"Right. Why should the past matter? It's been twenty years." She muttered to no one in particular. Then, she opened her purse and took out a lipstick. It was the same lipstick that Flynn had given to her earlier. Making a firm decision, she dropped it into the trash can before entering the washroom. 

…

Five minutes ago. 

Jiang Xingyu was already concerned that Luna was acting strange, then she ran off just like that. Worried that something was wrong, he followed her back into the building. 

She used the staircase so it was easier to follow her. She stopped on the third floor and headed straight for the washrooms. He was about to call her out when she stopped for a moment and dropped something into the trashcan, muttering words he couldn't catch. 

What caught his attention was the fact that whatever she had thrown away was the lipstick that Flynn had given her. It seemed to be so important earlier. Why did it seem to bother her just a short while later? 

He had a feeling that it was no ordinary lipstick. Out of curiosity, he went over to the trashcan. Seeing that the rubbish had been emptied earlier and there was nothing but the lipstick inside, he took out a handkerchief and used it to pick it up. 

After wiping it for assurance, he twisted the cap open and cursed when he took a good look. "I knew it!" 

It was not lipstick. It was a USB flash drive.