A black Mercedes was speeding through the streets of Q City. Looking out from the car window, Yu Xiao was staring at the cityscape that flashed past her eyes, his face full of melancholy. She had fought for two long months, there were tears, tantrums, and fights, yet she could not escape this inevitability. The thought of meeting and getting a marriage certificate with a man she had never met filled his heart with endless sadness, for herself and also for Luo Yi.
Suddenly, a vibration was felt. Looking down, she saw a message on her phone from Luo Yi. Casually stealing a glance at her mother sitting beside her, Yu Xiao casually opened the message.
"Find a way to the men's restroom at the hotel. I will come later to get you! Remember!"
The instant she saw the message, Yu Xiao's eyes sparkled, like seeing a ray of sunshine on a cold winter day. Her heart warmed up unconsciously. Yu Xiao had told Luo Yi from the start about her reluctant plan to go to the hotel to get a marriage certificate with that old man, so he knew which hotel and floor she would be on. Yes, she had persisted for so long, how could she just give up at the last moment?
Running away from the wedding is something she must do!
"Xiao Xiao, did you bring your household registration booklet?" Ren Zhiping, her mother, turned her head and looked at her daughter. She knew her daughter was unhappy with this arranged marriage, fearing it would be messed up again by her daughter.
"I brought it." Yu Xiao replied coldly, with no hint of emotion in her voice. From childhood, she was always the apple of her parents’ eyes. This time though, they were acting against their usual affection towards her and forcing her to marry a man 10 years her senior.
She really didn't understand whether they were doing this for themselves or for her?
"Xiao Xiao, when you meet people from the Kang family later, don't make that face, understand?" Ren Zhiping looked at her daughter with concern. Although her daughter did not like that man now, Ren Zhiping believed that her daughter would be happy.
For the Kang family, it's not accessible to just anyone.
"I got it, I got it!" Yu Xiao answered somewhat impatiently, then turned her head to look out the window again. But her mood was much better than before.
Ren Zhiping glanced at her daughter, knowing she was upset, but she could not help saying, "Xiao Xiao, mom knows more about life than you do. Trust your parents, Kang Shao Nan would definitely make a good husband." Ren Zhiping patted her daughter's hand comfortingly.
"You guys decide." She could not behave too outrageously, nor could she let the parents notice anything was amiss.
Ren Zhiping looked at her daughter with a smile; this brought her relief. Even though her daughter’s emotion wasn't great, it was already a great improvement.
The car stopped in front of the designated hotel, and under her parents' supervision, Yu Xiao entered the hotel lobby and then the elevator. Ren Zhiping pressed the number six. As the numbers changed, Yu Xiao started to plan her next move.
"Ouch, hiss..." Yu Xiao reached out and covered her lower abdomen, her face showing a rather pained expression.
"What's wrong? Xiao Xiao?" Ren Zhiping anxiously watched her daughter.
"Could it be a stomach upset?" Yu Jiahou asked worriedly.
"No... I'm fine..." Yu Xiao painfully responded, her expression clearly holding back to not worry her parents.
"You say you're fine, but you're obviously in pain," The elevator dinged to a stop. Ren Zhiping helped her daughter walk out.
"Mom..." Yu Xiao lagged behind, giving her mother a meaningful look, whispering, "I think my period has come."
"What? Then we better rush to the bathroom!" Ren Zhiping panicked upon hearing this. She waved at her husband, "Jiahou, you go ahead and meet our relatives. We'll catch up later."
"Alright, but don't take too long!" Yu Jiahou regarded his daughter's painful state, then nodded and walked away.
Guided by the hotel staff, the mother and daughter found the restroom. Ren Zhiping supported her daughter into it, witnessing her increasingly pained expression, she felt heartbroken, "It will be better after having a baby. I had the same problem, you have to hang in there today, understand?"
Yu Xiao’s face was scrunched up in pain like a steamed bun, clutching her stomach she looked at her mother, "Mom, I don't have any pads!"
"What? What do we do now?" Ren Zhiping was at a loss for words. It had only been a week since her cycle, her purse is devoid of such items. Looking at her daughter’s painful expression, she decided to go outside to call the driver to buy a pack, even though it’s an uncomfortable task.
"Okay." Yu Xiao obediently nodded and closed the restroom door.
As the sound of her mother's footsteps faded, Yu Xiao quickly grabbed her purse and followed behind her mother. Seizing the opportunity while Ren Zhiping was on the phone, Yu Xiao stealthily made her way into the men's restroom. Fortunately, the restroom was empty. She found a stall and retreated into it quickly while keeping an eye on the entrance.
Yu Xiao, her ear pressed against the door, could hear her mother's voice calling out from the restroom entrance. She sighed a breath of relief, knowing her mother had realized she was missing. She slid weakly against the door, relieved.
