"Um, where are you?" Li Man asked.
"I'm at the beauty salon washing my face, do you want to come over?" Tan Xi Yuan replied.
Li Man hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um...I won't come over."
Tan Xi Yuan sensed that something was off with Li Man today. She was hesitant and stuttering, not saying much on the phone, so Tan Xi Yuan asked, "Is something wrong? How about this, I'm almost done washing my face, where are you? I'll come find you."
Li Man thought about it and said, "Never mind, I'll come find you instead."
"Okay, come over, see you in a bit," Tan Xi Yuan said before hanging up.
Li Man went to find Tan Xi Yuan at the beauty salon. Tan Xi Yuan had already finished washing her face and asked Li Man, "Do you want to wash your face too?"
Li Man wasn't in the mood for that and shook her head, saying, "No need."
Seeing that Li Man was troubled, Tan Xi Yuan suggested they go for coffee.
Li Man nodded and they sat down at a window seat in a nearby café.
As soon as they sat down, Tan Xi Yuan asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
Li Man looked at Tan Xi Yuan and didn't know how to start. She shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
"Who are you trying to fool? You wouldn't have that expression if you were fine," Tan Xi Yuan retorted. "You know what, Li Man? You're the worst at lying because your eyes and expressions have already given you away."
Li Man touched her nose, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's just some personal stuff, there's nothing to say. How about you and Lu Feng? How have you been lately?"
"We're just okay," Tan Xi Yuan replied nonchalantly. But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt something was off. Why did Li Man suddenly ask about them for no reason?
Tan Xi Yuan looked at Li Man and said, "If there's something, just say it. You're really annoying when you act like this, you know that?"
Li Man made up her mind and said, "Let me show you something first."
With that, Li Man sent a few photos she took to Tan Xi Yuan's phone.
Tan Xi Yuan was stunned when she saw the photos Li Man sent. The man in the photos, whom she recognized even if he turned to ashes, was her husband, Lu Feng. But the woman he was embracing was not her!
Tan Xi Yuan's mind went blank for a moment. That man who professed his love for her, who said it didn't matter if they didn't have children, and that they would grow old together, had betrayed her.
Tan Xi Yuan couldn't accept this fact for a while and broke down in tears.
Seeing Tan Xi Yuan crying uncontrollably, Li Man suddenly regretted telling her this news. She knew the pain of being betrayed by someone she deeply loved.
Li Man took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to Tan Xi Yuan. "I'm sorry!"
Tan Xi Yuan shook her head in agony, tears rolling down from her eyes. "It's not your fault, why are you apologizing? If anyone should apologize, it should be him."
Li Man understood who Tan Xi Yuan was referring to.
"These few photos don't necessarily mean anything. You should go back and talk to him, maybe it's just a misunderstanding," Li Man comforted.
Tan Xi Yuan looked at the photos on her phone, tears streaming down her face. "What else is there to say? The truth is right in front of me. I can't give him a child, so he found someone else to have one. It's only natural. If I have to blame someone, it's myself for not being capable enough."
