Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

Even though she had always been feeling slightly guilty towards Xia Ruoxin and that she was an innocent girl four years ago, who knew if she would have changed four years later. She might be different now, more manipulative such that she would try and come between her son and his wife—not because of love but for revenge.

She changed into a new set of clothes and looked into the mirror for a long time. She didn’t know why, but she felt a little ashamed and unconfident. She wasn’t planning to catch the mistress though so she didn’t have to be confident, but she hesitated and halted.

“That’s enough. You’re already beautiful.” Chu Jiang couldn’t take it anymore. She had been there for so long, and no matter how much she looked into the mirror, it was still the same old face.

“Really?” Song Wan turned to the mirror dubiously, trying to find any signs of beauty. She couldn’t spot any. Instead, she noticed more wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, and her skin wasn’t as clear as before. The corners of her eyes had also sagged down, and her lips no longer curved in a smile. She had aged.

It didn’t feel good. After all, everyone was young once, and everyone was pretty once. It was no wonder she always thought of her past whenever she looked at her aged face. It was an inevitable stage of life.

Noticing his wife’s low mood, Chu Jiang put down the newspaper he was reading, stood up, and walked over to stand by his wife’s side. “Look, I’m so old now.” He pointed at the wrinkles on his forehead. “You’re still so beautiful. What if you fall in love with some other younger males? Wanwan, maybe I should go for some botox and do a facelift...”

“Pfft.” Song Wan laughed, her spirits lifting in an instant.

“Plastic surgery? Don’t. What if your grandson calls you Uncle in the future? You’re going to cry.” She joked, pinching her husband’s cheeks. Her eyes were slightly damp. They were both growing old and were not young anymore.

She gave everything to this man, including her youth. Now, at the age of 40, with white hair and wrinkles around their eyes, he still stood by her. She wasn’t the only one who had grown old. He had, too.

She sighed, taking her bag and heading out. Yes, she wasn’t going there to fight. There was no need to overthink this. She didn’t know where Xia Ruoxin was staying, but by a stroke of luck, she met her a few times at the market nearby. She just never made the first move to talk to her. After all, there wasn’t much they could talk about.

In the early morning, she stood outside the market and waited. It was a good thing she wore a plain shirt that day. Otherwise, she would stand out like a sore thumb.

True to her luck, she met Xia Ruoxin, who was there to get some groceries.

“Ruoxin...” She called out, her voice slightly hoarse. Saying her name made a wave of guilt wash over her. Song Wan closed her eyes and just smiled sadly. Indeed, doing someone wrong would make one feel inferior in front of said person.

Xia Ruoxin halted and looked back, catching sight of the person in front of the market. It was Song Wan, Chu Lui’s mother, her ex-mother-in-law. She was quite popular recently, seeing how every one of them looked for her to reminisce and talk about the past.

She understood that Song Wan was here waiting just for her. Otherwise, given her status, she wouldn’t lower herself and go to the market to fall prey to the mosquitoes.

Not long later, Xia Ruoxin took out her key from her bag and opened the door. She walked in, took out a pair of slippers, and put it on the floor.

“They’re new. I haven’t worn those yet; I just bought it.”

She finished and took out another pair. It was her old pair, and she was about to throw it.

“Thank you.” Song Wan slid her feet into the shoes, still feeling awkward.

“You’re welcome.” Xia Ruoxin smiled gently and entered, but as she turned around, her eyes landed on the shoe cabinet. She didn’t know whether Song Wan had noticed some things belonging to a child, but it didn’t matter if she found out anyway. It was not something that could be hidden forever.

Song Wan could tell that Xia Ruoxin wasn’t feeling hospitable, but she just entered with thick skin and sat on the sofa.

“Auntie, do you want water or juice?”

Xia Ruoxin asked Song Wan. Even though she didn’t really like the guest, it was still basic respect to serve a glass of water to a guest in the house. She hadn’t gone so far that she forgot all her manners, and Song Wan hadn’t really done anything to her before so she wasn’t feeling resentful towards Song Wan.

“Water is fine,” Song Wan replied awkwardly. Her eyes were glued at Xia Ruoxin. It had been four years, but she still appeared the same with her slim body and clear skin. Perhaps it was because she seldom put on make-up so her skin remained white and tender like a baby’s. In contrast, Li Manni put on too much make-up and ate too much good food so when she removed her make-up, her bare face instantly paled. Even though she invested a lot of money towards her face, the results were minimal.

Song Wan had to admit that Xia Ruoxin was indeed blessed in this aspect. Her looks made it hard for people to hate and gave her a graceful air. Of course, her skin was extremely good, and not all women could achieve that no matter how much they want it. Sometimes, even she envied her for her skin. She never had skin like that even when she was young. Xia Ruoxin would probably look much younger that people her age even when she reached forty-five.

Xia Ruoxin carried two glasses of water over, one for herself and the other for Song Wan.

“Thank you.” Song Wan took a glass and sipped from it. Water didn’t have any taste. It was only meant for filling one’s gut.

Xia Ruoxin took her own glass and looked down slightly. The indoor lights hit softly on her face, highlighting the gentleness in her eyes.

She looked like a beautiful young lady of noble birth, but her humility was really something most people lacked. Song Wan claimed that she had met a lot of people like in her social circle where most came from well-known families or graduated from famous overseas universities, and Xia Ruoxin was neither of a known family or a good school—or even a good educational background, but she emanated an air of affinity that made people like her. It was no wonder her son—

When that thought crossed her mind, she sighed softly inwardly. If only those things didn’t happen.