"Mrs. Gu, please, there's no need. I'm not actually... that into..." Angela could feel how damaging what she wanted to say was.
Her pain was ineffable, and no-one could truly understand it the way she did. Yes, she liked Arvin's lab, but it meant nothing compared to being with Arvin.
Even though - she detested the thought - she knew that Arvin loved another, someone who for whatever reason had left him to his own devices to live in the haunting that was her memory, Angela still wanted to immerse herself in the tenderness and happiness that Arvin brought to her life, even if it broke her.
Though there was still the issue of Nita, who was doing pretty well in the medical sphere. But Angela no longer feared her as an opponent. She was used to being surrounded by medical talents like her. More importantly, she wasn't afraid of her because she was sure that at that moment, she knew she had wholeheartedly fallen in love with Arvin too.
She loved Arvin, regardless of any rival or any setback...
The idea that she had lived with Arvin in secret wasn't because she was afraid of Teresa, it was because she wanted everything to go smoothly with Arvin.
Angela was silent for a long time. Arvin had no way to plumb her depths. Her eyes became red and puffy, and that's when Arvin jolted up to her and dragged her into his arms. "Don't pick on her, mom. Leave her alone. She agreed to live in my house because I forced her to do so!"
"Well, have you considered Angela's reputation? If Rosa came back one day, and you two married, what would happen to Angela?"
The shock of this realization hit Angela like a bomb, making Angela's mind blank in an instant.
If Arvin married someone else...
... What sorrow!
As Arvin fought with Teresa, Angela regained her spirit, and stood against his mother once more. "Mrs Gu. You may call me a shortsighted person, because I only focus on what's happening right now. But I've given myself over to Arvin. And I will stick by him, through anything. Even if that union will be short-lived, or I'll get humiliated."
Teardrops fell from her eyes, making everything obscure to her. Teresa's face lost its clarity to the hazy translucency of tears. She wiped the tears away as casually as she could and continued to make her declaration. "If Rosa comes back, I'll leave Arvin."
Angela was pretending to be relaxed, but she knew it was easier said than done to up
Falling from nobility, Zen Luo became a humble slave and served as a human punchbag for his former cousins. Inadvertently, he found a way to refine himself into a weapon and a legend started because of that. With a strong belief in never surrender, he strove for revenges and pursued big dreams. Warriors from various clans contended for hegemony and the world was stirred. Relying on the body that was comparable to a powerful weapon, Zen beat his numerous enemies on his way to the immortality. Would he succeed eventually?
head with a shy look. "I was afraid, but it got replaced with annoyance. I find him hateful. I have stopped feeling afraid altogether."
Nancy smiled unconsciously. "Oh yeah! We have to go! It's time to have lunch. I still have to change needles for patient number nine!"
"Okay."
One night at Shengfeng Mansion
Arvin was preening over Angela, hugging her tightly. He carried her in his tree-trunk sized arms to the bedroom, and flung her down upon the king-sized bed.
Angela's heart was pounding. She pressed her hands against his chest. "What are you doing?"
"Putting a baby in you, " he said, sincerely.
"... What?"
"You and I are making a baby." He kissed her lips.
Angela covered her face, and told him in an icy voice, "I was only joking with your mother!"
"Yeah. I'm joking with you, too!"
Angela relented, and said nothing. The night overcame the room like the presence of a dark monster.
The autumn days brought with them a cold wind. Angela was changing her clothes after work one afternoon and sent Arvin a message. "I'm going shopping with Nancy tonight. Have fun with your work Mr. Gu!"
His reply came swiftly. "I have some social dealings tonight. I'll pick you up after."
"Okay, " she texted. Then, she lost herself in the sweet imagination.
At the gate of the shopping mall
Angela put the stuff she bought into Nancy's trunk. They went to a shop and bought two cups of tea. She sucked a mouthful of hers, and when she put the cup down, She saw through the window a figure not too far away. She touched Nancy excitedly. "Nancy. Nancy. Isn't that Stanley?"