Love's Ambition

Chapter 5

Less than a month after returning from Beijing, Qiao Lin gave birth to a daughter. The baby arrived over a month early but was healthy. Qiao Lin sent a few photos - the infant was tiny but had long limbs. Shen Haoming glanced at the pictures and remarked, "She looks a bit like you."

That month, Xu Yan was extremely busy. The TV station was preparing a new show to air during the New Year. She spent long days recording, often repeating the same lines for hours. During this time, she visited Shen Haoming's home once. Shen Jinsong wasn't there, only Yu Lan and the other ladies were playing mahjong. Xu Yan joined for a few rounds, losing 6,000 yuan. As she left, Yu Lan suggested they play again during the New Year. Xu Yan thought this might be a good way to please Yu Lan, so she convinced Shen Haoming to stay home for the New Year instead of going to Koh Samui. She hoped they might even see Uncle Gao at the family dinner.

Xu Yan received the call in the evening. It was three days before the New Year, and she had just bought fireworks with Shen Haoming that afternoon. It had started raining on their way back, with forecasts predicting snow and a ten-degree temperature drop by midnight. The weather in Beijing had been unusually warm lately, giving a false sense of spring's arrival.

Her phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar number. She was in Shen Haoming's greenhouse, directing the housekeeper to move orchids indoors. Shen Haochen had been called to help too; Xu Yan thought some physical work would be good for him, keeping his mind occupied. He grimaced, saying the flowers were ugly. She put her hands on her hips and asked what flowers he liked. "Fake ones," he replied. As she told Shen Haochen to move a pot to the living room, she answered the call.

It was her mother, wailing loudly. She informed Xu Yan that Qiao Lin had committed suicide, jumping into the river on the outskirts of town. "Is she still being resuscitated?" Xu Yan asked repeatedly. Her mother said it had happened yesterday; Qiao Lin was already gone. Xu Yan hung up.

Silence enveloped her. She brushed the dirt from her hands and picked up an orchid pot, walking outside.

The air was damp, and it seemed snow had begun falling. Something cool and sharp, like claws, gripped her scalp. She reached out, trying to touch the snowflakes. Suddenly, the flower pot crashed to the ground. Ceramic shards spun on the floor. A buzzing filled her ears.

Shen Haochen approached, looking at the broken pot at her feet. "Ha!" he said smugly, "Fake flowers wouldn't shatter like that." "Go away!" she shouted, crouching to gather the orchid from the debris. Shen Haochen, startled, remained motionless. Xu Yan shook the dirt from the orchid and walked away, cradling the flowers.

She placed the flowers on the passenger seat and drove out of the villa complex. Outside, the wind howled, and snowflakes struck the windshield like desperate moths. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her body shaking. Tears welled in her eyes as she furrowed her brow, focusing on the road ahead. Why had Qiao Lin done this? Anger surged through her. On their last night in Beijing, hadn't Qiao Lin promised to wait for her news? Why couldn't she have waited just a little longer?

The car sped off the highway, barely missing a truck. After several reckless turns, it came to a stop in an empty parking lot. She pounded the steering wheel furiously, the horn blaring. Hadn't she said she'd find a way? Why didn't Qiao Lin trust her? Leaning back in her seat, she broke into loud sobs.

Her phone rang several times in the passenger seat. It was Shen Haoming. Sitting in the darkness, she waited for the screen to dim before whispering, "My sister is dead."