Tailsa stood outside her door for a moment before entering her home.
She wiped her tears, took a couple of deep breaths, and then walked in.
As soon as she stepped inside, her glamorous mother, sitting on the couch watching TV, began to scold her:
"You silly girl, finally decided to come home, huh?"
This woman, still charming with age, was Tailsa's mother, Aimee Hui.
Nearing fifty, her skin was well-maintainedâfair, smooth, and radiant.
Time had not left any significant marks on her face.
Only a faint hint of crow's feet at her eyes signaled her not-so-young age.
Her features were impeccable, reminiscent of Tailsa's, sharing the same oval face, delicate brows, and cherry lips.
Especially those lively eyes which didn't belong to a middle-aged woman.
Seeing her daughter, she glanced at her, continuing her chastisement:
"Where did you go last night? Almost thirty and still messing around. I try to set you up properly, but you refuse..."
"Mom! Please, stop," Tailsa protested, not wanting to hear it.
She removed her shoes, slipped on slippers, and headed toward her room, visibly annoyed.
"What's wrong with me saying something? Look at the types you've pickedâthe last guy got arrested eating noodles before you realized. You really don't think, do you..."
Aimee Hui frowned, her patience exhausted, scolding continuously.
That temper was headache-inducing; rejecting upright family men, pursuing the elusive rich ones instead.
Rich guys aren't that easy to find.
Back in the day, she was the village belle, and still couldn't snag a genuine wealthy suitor.
In the end, she settled down with a schoolteacher.
"I'm telling you, I arranged a date for tomorrow night with a young guy Aunt Wang recommended..."
"Not going," Tailsa coldly replied, not looking back as she entered her room.
Just as she was about to close the door, her mom stood up and sternly said, "Stop."
Tailsa grunted, too afraid to shut the door, expecting a reprimand.
Surprisingly, her mother didn't scold her.
Instead, her tone softened.
"What happened to your eyes? Why are they red?"
No one knows a child as well as their mother.
Aimee Hui needed just a glance to see something was off with her daughter.
She approached Tailsa, lifted her chin, and closely examined her faceâthose big eyes she inherited clearly showed signs of crying.
Furious, Aimee Hui declared, "What bastard bullied you this time? I'll make him pay."
Tailsa shrank back, muttering, "No one bullied me."
"Quit lying. I've known your antics since you were little. Of course, I know if you've been bullied."
"No, really, no one did."
"Don't think a few tears will stop me from disciplining you. Speak up. If you lie, I'll invoke the family law."
Tailsa pressed her lips, stealing a glance at her mother.
Though her mother stood hands on hips, looking fierce, she knew the concern was genuineâa desire to protect her daughter from harm.
Her heartache surfaced, tears welling up again.
Looking down to hide her eyes, she struggled to keep her voice steady, "No one bullied me, it was my choice."
Aimee Hui understood right away.
The girl must have been infatuated with some young master again, ran towards him eagerly, only to find him a jerk, and now ran back in tears.
Poking Tailsa's forehead with her finger, she reprimanded, "How did you become such a fool? Wasting such a pretty faceâalways ending up like this, not a hint of insight."
After a few scolding words, seeing her daughter's shoulders shaking, her heart softened.
She pulled her into a hug, stroking her head to comfort her.
"There, there, it's over. Rich people are all the same. Next time, find someone honest, who truly loves you. Life's too short. You're still young..."
Tailsa couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into tears:
"But I can't be content like this. Why? What's wrong with me?"
"Silly child, luck is unpredictable. Sometimes it's in your favor, sometimes it isn't. That's normal."
"But I really like him. I don't want to just give up."
"Holding on will just hurt you more. You're already 26, how much longer can you afford to waste?"
Aimee Hui patiently advised, "Once your youth is gone, looking back to find nothing but emptiness, even tears won't come."
After crying for a bit, as her emotions calmed, Tailsa hiccupingly added:
"I won't be left with nothing; he said he'll buy me a villa. If he leaves me when I'm old, I'll just sell it and travel around the country."
"Hmph."
Aimee Hui sneered, pulling Tailsa from her embrace skeptically, teasing:
"A man's word isn't worth a dime. Think your mom hasn't heard that before? He's dangling a carrot, using it to waste you away."
Aimee regarded her daughter, worriedly questioning:
"This boy didn't sleep with you last night, did he? Did you protect yourself?"
Tailsa's eyes flicked evasively, "Didn't have time to buy the pill."
"You... you... you're going to be the death of me," Aimee Hui threatened, reaching to pinch Tailsa's arm, scolding:
"Why aren't you cherishing yourself, why are you so besotted..."
"Stop!"
Unable to tolerate the pinching, Tailsa kicked off her shoe, fleeing to the bed, defiantly saying: "He said he'd buy me a villa; he will!"
"Fine, fine, fine..." Aimee Hui, placing one hand on her hip, pointing with the other, repeated.
Then turned to leave the room, intending to retrieve the long-dormant disciplinary stick.
"Mom!! Listen to me," sensing imminent danger, Tailsa quickly leaped down to cling to her mother's delicate waist, explaining:
"He's honest, true to his word. Yesterday, he promised a Porsche, and today he bought it. Really, the paperwork's in my bag."
Aimee Hui paused, turning with doubt etched across her face, "You sure it was a real Porsche dealership, not some staged play?"
"Oh come on, do I seem that gullible?"
Tailsa cozied back into her mother's embrace, squirming and pleading.
"Bring out the contract so I can see. If he dared forge purchase papers, I'll march down to the station for fraud." Aimee Hui asserted loudly.
She couldn't believe it was genuine.
Porsches aren't cheapâguys spending big just for romance only existed on TV.