Chapter 5: There is Something Wrong With Her

Wang Xiaoxiao suddenly slumped over the table, slapping it as she burst into wild laughter, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

"Li Hong, oh Li Hong, how is it that you always run into such bizarre people? Could it be that the heavens intend for you to remain single for the rest of your life?"

Li Hong grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at her. If that were really the case, her mother would kill her, and she couldn't afford to lose face like that. Just thinking about her sister-in-law, who would scan her with the whites of her eyes, and her younger brother back home, made her scalp tingle.

She didn't eat their food or live in their house, so what right did they have to look down on her like that?

Is it really a crime not to get married?

With a huff, she stood up abruptly, giving Wang Xiaoxiao a start.

"What are you doing?" Wang Xiaoxiao shot her a look, then rubbed her own arms, wondering why she suddenly felt goosebumps.

"Nothing," Li Hong sat back down powerlessly. She sighed, "I was just thinking, if I were given another chance, I would definitely choose to get married early. I would never let myself drag it out past thirty. A woman's age is something you really can't afford to delay, and you can't afford the consequences."

Furthermore, she reached out and poked Wang Xiaoxiao’s head. "You lazy woman, be more diligent in the future. Don't be such a lazy woman; do you think you're sleeping in a pigsty?"

Wang Xiaoxiao made a huge grimace and sprawled out on the sofa. "You’d better worry about yourself first, lest you end up not even daring to go home."

That really hit a sore spot for Li Hong. Every time she thought about these things, she felt as if a cat were constantly clawing at her heart—it was as uncomfortable as it could possibly be. It was like having swallowed her most hated twice-cooked pork; she wanted to vomit it out, but couldn't.

After leaving Wang Xiaoxiao’s place, she felt she had nowhere to go. It was clearly her home, yet she had no home to return to. She bought a bottle of water at random, found a bench, and sat there for the entire afternoon. Why did she feel so miserable? Back in her university days, she was, at the very least, a minor figure who had countless upperclassmen and underclassmen bowing to her. She had truly been in her prime then, but after passing thirty, she had become "tofu dregs"—no one cared about her anymore.

She took out her mirror and looked at her face once more. *Sigh*, she had truly aged; the weathering and wrinkles on her face were clearly visible. Of course, she pinched the flesh on her waist—there was more and more fat, and getting back to her former figure was truly not easy.

She sighed again, sitting there in a daze like a fool, watching the pairs of people coming and going. She really wanted to cry, but she couldn't.

Looking up, she saw a bank not far ahead. It seemed she was out of money; she needed to withdraw some, or she would be out of food by tomorrow.

She stood up, brushed off her clothes, and swaggered into the bank. After withdrawing some cash and stuffing it into her wallet, she didn't know what came over her, but she felt a strange impulse to transfer all the money in her bank account to her mother's card.

"What is wrong with me?" She touched her head, wondering if she had a fever.

Forget it. She slung her bag over her shoulder casually. In any case, this money was meant for her mother to save. As for her good-for-nothing brother and that sister-in-law who would sharpen her head just to drill into a money pit, believing in them would be like seeing a ghost. She’d rather provide for her mother herself.

Coming out of the bank, she looked ahead and then behind her—still no home to return to. Forget it, she would go back to Wang Xiaoxiao’s place to hide. She was afraid of running into that "top-tier" mother who was looking for a match for her son. She didn't know how long she could hide, but she would take it one day at a time.

She looked at her wristwatch absentmindedly, wondering if she should go buy some groceries to avoid eating instant noodles later. That woman Wang Xiaoxiao was absolutely unreliable in that regard; it was a miracle she had survived this long on her own.

Fine, she would go buy groceries first. Just as she turned, she was blinded by a flash of light, and then a piercing screech of brakes filled her ears...

A car was rushing toward her at high speed. She looked up at the traffic light not far away and saw that it was clearly red. Before she could even curse, she felt the whole world go black, followed by a violent impact. She knew that this time, she was truly finished.

In that final moment of losing consciousness, she was still feeling relieved. At least she had sent the money in her account to her mother. The money she had earned, though not much, was enough for her mother to enjoy her later years. Also, she would never have to go on blind dates or endure the cold glares of others again.

She had had enough. She really had enough...

Slowly, she closed her eyes, and a trace of a relieved smile could even be seen on her lips...

Wang Xiaoxiao had asked, "If you had a next life, what would you do most?"

Without even thinking, she had replied, "Get married early."

Wang Xiaoxiao glared at her. "You really have no ambition."

*Yes*, she thought with a self-deprecating smile. And the bitterness of that, only she herself knew what it tasted like. For a woman to be nearing thirty and still not married, there really must be something wrong with her...