Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âWeâre open for business. Giving free spas every time will incur a loss. Just apply for a card, then you will get discounts. We can make it our meet-up place in the future. What do you think?â said Mrs. Zhou. âI agree. We donât lack money, after all.â âLin Wan, what about you?â
âSure, but Iâm not free every day, though.â
âGreat! Mrs. Li is on board! As long as you can make it some of the days, weâll be happy. We know you have three children, and you have your livestreams. Youâre pretty busy.â
âLetâs go to the clubhouse!â
âYou all can go ahead. Iâll put my luggage in the house and come find you in a while,â said Lin Wan. She had been gone for a long time and hadnât visited Royal Water Bay Villa in that time.
âOkay. Weâll wait for you. Hurry.â
When the ladies left, Lin Wan went inside. Auntie Huang poured her a cup of tea.
âMadam, it seems you are different with them now. In the past, you were so unwilling to spend time with them, but today, you agreed readily.â
Lin Wan smiled. âYeah. I mean⦠Iâll probably see them more often. Other than you, Mr. Li, and the children, theyâll be the ones I will have to talk to. Itâs better to get along with them. Besides, they seem like decent people.â
âYes, Madam.â
âIâll go up and drop my luggage in the room. I might not be having lunch at home.â
âIâll help you.â
âItâs okay, Auntie Huang. You already did so much. You should take a break.â Lin Wan looked at the bedsheets and blankets drying in the yard. Auntie Huang must have arrived early to clean the house and everything.
âOh, yeah⦠Li Yanchen is on a business trip and wonât be coming home tonight. Donât make too much to eat.â Lin Wan went upstairs.
Lin Wan put down her luggage in the room, changed into something nice, and then left the house.
At the clubhouse, the ladies headed to the private bathroom to shower. After that, they were led into the common room where they could relax.
One of the staff was surprised. âXiao Huan from the Sweet Little Circle? I know you! I loved the Black Pearl cake you made last time.â
Lin Wan smiled. âThank you.â
âI didnât know you visited this club. Iâll try to make it so that you have a good time here. My friends are your fans too!â Mrs. Zhou interrupted the staff. âYou should be working.â
The staff lowered her head and left.
âWanwan, youâre a celebrity now!â said Mrs. Zhou. âYou have fans everywhere!â
âYou should be careful, Wanwan,â said Mrs. Wang. âI donât know if Mrs. Zhouâs staff care about personal space. There are only the three of us here, and then the staff. If word gets out you are here, itâll probably be one of the staff.â Lin Wan ignored them and closed her eyes.
âWanwan, Iâm going to be honest. We are all women here, after all. My husband doesnât come home every day.â
âMrs. Han, youâre still so young. Why isnât Mr. Han running home to you every day? For me, I think Iâm close to menopause. What should I do? Will my old Wang find me less attractive?â Lin Wan pretended to sleep.
âMrs. Zhou, whatâs wrong?â
âThe three of you can leave,â said Mrs. Zhou to the staff.
âWanwan, you havenât been at the Royal Water Bay for the past six months. You probably donât know that Mr. Zhou had an affair⦠in his own home,â said Mrs.
Han.
Everyone had kept quiet about it because Mrs. Zhou hadnât talked about it with anybody else.
Lin Wan turned around and opened her eyes.
She felt sorry for Mrs. Zhou. She realized that the other ladies must have gone through something like this at one point in their lives. They only wished for someone to love them dearly, and this is what they got in return.
âMrs. Zhou, Iâm in the same boat as you,â said Mrs. Wang.
Lin Wan couldnât pretend to sleep after listening to the ladies talk about their struggles. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWanwan, your Mr. Li is simply the best. Everyone used to say when I was young that ugly people pull this kind of stupid sh*t. I didnât believe them at first, but⦠Mr. Li is handsome, and he walks his own path. He doesnât try to do stupid things. I mean⦠look at how he stayed true to himself despite the things
Ji Hanzhi did.â
âThatâs right. Mr. Li rejects everyone. I have never seen him making side eyes with anyone. When she came to your house to make a scene, he just sent her to prison. He is a no-nonsense man and only has eyes for you. He truly seems to love you. If it was my husband, he would have happily thrown himself into her arms.â
Mrs. Zhou finally spoke. âDo you know what he said when I found him⦠like that? He said it was all my fault because I couldnât keep him happy.â
The other ladies fell silent. They all had heard something like that from their husbands at some point in their lives. Men did not reflect on their mistakes. Instead, they blamed their wives for doing something like that as though it justified their actions.
âIt was the same for me. He said the same thing.â
âThen why donât you ask for a divorce?â asked Lin Wan. âIt isnât worth it to live with a man like that.â
âDo you think marriage in our culture is only between two people? The community will make our life hell. They will obviously blame us! There are so many implications for a divorce!â
âHow do you do it, Wanwan? How do you make Mr. Li love you so much?â asked Mrs. Wang.
âI also want to know, Wanwan. People say that two people in love and in marriage get tired of each other after a while, but I see you and Mr. Li getting closer every time. Everyone says that Li Yanchen has changed so much. Even I noticed it. He used to be cold and aloof, but now, whenever I see him outside, he actually stops to greet me.â
Lin Wan told them about her life with Li Yanchen. She gave them small details.
âHow often do you⦠do it?â
The question shocked Lin Wan. She was embarrassed to answer it. Her face turned red.
Mrs. Han gasped. âDonât tell me⦠every day?â
âOh my god⦠Iâm so envious. How do you guys manage it every day?â
âI heard some people can go at it all night. Is that true for you, Wanwan?â
Lin Wan covered her face. âJ-just⦠try the method I told you about.â
âIt was the right choice to talk to you about it, Wanwan,â said Mrs. Han. âMaybe Iâll try to build a career first. If Mr. Han⦠does something stupid, Iâll at least have a backup. We should all try to find something to do to earn money..â