Indifference

The Truth

June

Life seems to be finally going back to normal in Beijing, a strange sense routine is in the air. However, Yue is still teaching online, the school year will soon end, and Dylan's classes are also still held virtually.

The parents of the couple seem delighted that Yue and Dylan are getting along and behaving as a marriage. They believe the time has come to inform them of the other clauses in the will, the truth that was concealed to prevent them from rejecting the deal.

Ding dong. Dylan opens the front door and unexpectedly finds his parents and in-laws there.

"Hi, mom. Why are you all here?"

"We need to talk to you kids."

"What is it?"

"Call your wife" his father tells him.

"Princess! Come down!"

Everyone thinks that his calling her princess is sweet, especially the moms, and they giggle. These two have come a long way.

Yue arrives downstairs and she considers it a little odd to her that the Shens and Wangs showed up unannounced. She greets them and they all sit down in the living room.

The couple is told that there is more to Mr. Wang's testament, but it could not be disclosed sooner because they would have been alarmed. However, now they seem ready.

"Just tell us already!" exclaims Dylan, holding Yue's hand as tight as he can.

"The will says you need to stay married for 10 years, otherwise the terms will go back to square one."

Dylan looks at Yue, she seems a little uneasy about the news; he worries this might scare her away since she has not been able to admit her real feelings yet.

"Staying together isn't that bad, right love? You two make a beautiful couple!" Yue's mother exclaims concerned about her daughter's face.

"But there's more."

Yue starts to feel impatient and uncomfortable. More? What else can there be?

"You need to have a child within the first 5 years of marriage, unless proven medically that you are unable to. If so, you are required to start an adoption process."

"What is wrong with Grandpa Wang, seriously! Why can't we decide by ourselves what we want to do with our lives?"

Yue feels suffocated and oppressed. She stands up brusquely and leaves. Children? She never thought about getting married and now she is forced to have kids?

Dylan realizes that the delicate balance he has worked so har to achieve with his runaway bride has been completely disrupted. This was uncalled for. Will he be able to fix it?

In the next few days, Yue becomes elusive. She avoids physical contact and appears to be absent-minded. One night she even fell asleep in her old bedroom, which made Dylan feel miserable; his empty arms at night were awfully lonely.

Dylan does not force Yue to talk or be with him in any form. He hopes that, as long as she remains with him, things are still manageable. She just needs time to adapt, he supposes.

One morning

Dylan wakes up early because the bed feels cold. When he opens his eyes, he notices that there is no sunlight and it's raining outside. He glimpses at Yue's side of the bed and finds it empty. She must be working out. He turns around to the other side and, as he closes his eyes to fall back asleep, he observes a card on his nightstand. What is that? He sits up and opens the piece of folded paper.