128 The End of Fate

I drove to the gate of Sister Li’s villa and saw funeral charms posted on both sides. My heart sank; something terrible had happened at her home. Could it be her adoptive mother—my mother-in-law—who had passed away? No wonder she had called me dozens of times those past few days, but I had been in detention and unable to receive any of her calls.

Filled with unease and guilt, I pushed open the gate. White funeral couplets were plastered across the entrance: "A life of profound wisdom and vast talent, a legacy of nurturing others that will endure for eternity." It was indeed my mother-in-law.

"Feng'er, I'm back. Are you here?" I called out. To my surprise, it was Aunt Shen who emerged. She shot me a cold, icy glare and turned to leave.

"Aunt Shen, where is Feng'er? How is Mother?" I hurried to ask. She ignored me completely, and from her demeanor, it was clear she held me in deep contempt.

I rushed inside, but suddenly, a vase came flying toward my head. With a sharp "whoosh," I ducked just in time. The vase shattered against the courtyard floor with a deafening crash. Sister Li’s voice rang out, trembling with tears and rage: "Get out! I never want to see you again for as long as I live!"

I saw Sister Li, her face haggard and etched with grief and resentment, as she grabbed another plum-blossom vase to hurl at me. Having anticipated this, I quickly caught it. "Feng'er, please, don't be angry. Just listen to me," I pleaded.

"You scoundrel!" she roared. "I must have been blind to choose you! Get out of here; I don't want to hear your lies."

As she sobbed and cursed, she grabbed a glass and threw it at me. This time, I didn't reach out to catch it, nor did I dodge. It struck my forehead directly, and blood began to trickle down instantly. Sister Li froze, and the second glass she had grabbed slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor with a clatter.

I looked toward the funeral portrait of my mother-in-law in the center of the living room and sank to my knees. "Mother, I am sorry," I choked out. "I failed your expectations. When Feng'er needed me most, I wasn't by her side. I am a wretch..."

After the glass had cut my forehead, Sister Li seemed to calm down. She found a bandage and walked over. "Why didn't you dodge?" she asked.

"Why should I have?" I replied with a bitter smile.

"Why must you be like this?" she said sadly. She gently wiped the blood away and applied the bandage.

Looking at her haggard, beautiful face, I couldn't help but pull her waist and try to kiss her. Sister Li pushed my face away and turned aside. "Afeng, our fate has come to an end. Leave."

"Why?" I asked. "We are married."

"You still remember we're married?" Li Feng'er retorted. "But where were you during the days my adoptive mother was critically ill and finally passed away?"

"I was locked up; I had no choice..."

Li Feng'er looked at me with mournful eyes. "Right. You got into a fight for someone else, played the hero, and spent the New Year in a detention center. I was left all alone to handle the funeral arrangements. Did you fulfill your duties as a husband?"

I was rendered speechless. Li Feng'er shook her head. "Forget it. I don't want to blame you for the past. I have no right to interfere with what you do. From now on, we shall walk our separate paths."

"Feng'er, do we really need to end it like this?" I asked.

"If we don't break up, what can you do for me?" she asked coldly. "You left when my mother was ill, and you weren't here when she passed. What can I possibly rely on you for?"

I tried to explain, "Feng'er, this was just an accident. It won't happen again."

She shook her head. "How many accidents can one life endure? I can't take even one more. If you continue to pester me, I will leave this house to you and go elsewhere. Don't forget—ours was only a marriage of convenience."

With things said to this point, there was no reason for me to stay. I placed the BMW keys on the table and bowed three times before my mother-in-law’s portrait. "Feng'er, I am sorry. Take care of yourself."

"Don't call me Feng'er anymore," she said bleakly. "Just call me Sister Li."

I understood her meaning. Calling her Feng'er implied we were husband and wife; calling her Sister Li reduced us to a common relationship between siblings. I realized that for now, the only thing I could do was leave and give her time to calm down; perhaps there would be a chance to mend our relationship in the future.

As I walked out of the villa, I saw local residents pointing at me and whispering. I didn't need to hear them to guess what they were saying. To them, I was the ungrateful son-in-law who wasn't there when his mother-in-law died and now had the audacity to return and pester her. I was being branded as a man without shame.

Our wedding had been a grand, lively affair. I estimated Sister Li had spent over a million on it, mostly on free banquets and red envelopes for the local children. She and her mother were known for their charity, and the neighbors respected them deeply, which made my "ungrateful" behavior all the more detestable to them.

The women pointed and spat as I walked by, and the men were even less polite. Seeing me leave with my head hung low, nursing a bandaged forehead, it was clear I had been kicked out. Someone shouted, "That shameless wretch still dares to harass Miss Li! Let's teach him a lesson to avenge her!"

The call was answered by many, and a group of men suddenly began to surround me.