บท 27: Chapter 27- The Rockiest Paths are Lined with Good Intentions
Relating to Episodes 20-21 of Love O2O (behind the scenes)
Hanging up from a conversation with his mother, Hao Mei leaned against the wall next to his door. It was the first time- in what felt like forever- that Mei had come straight home from work... and by himself. When he'd left the offices, Xiao Nai and KO had been squirrelled away in laosan's office. He'd managed a wave at the pair before his phone rang. Anyone else and he'd have ignored the call so he could say goodbye properly. If he ignored his mother's call though... he shuddered at the thought. As it was, the conversation had left him drained.
He thumped his head back on the wall. It was his first year out of college. He was only just establishing his career. Why was she so desperate to marry him off? Ever since his parents had come to visit after graduation- when he, and his three brothers, were all working around the clock to get the game developed enough that they could relax a title and concentrate on the bid for Dreams of Jiangshu 2- his mother had been determined to mind him a wife. And not just any wife... a proper wife. Which, when he read between the lines, was a meek female who would obey her mother in law, with the added benefit of family money. So they knew she wasn't a gold-digger. Every phone call with his mother was like a list of attributes for whatever candidate she currently had in mind.
Groaning, Mei put his keys in the lock and froze. His door was unlocked. There was the possibility that he had accidentally left it unlocked, but he was sure he remembered thinking KO would be proud of him for getting a bit more conscientious with locking the door.
Slowly pushing the door open, he slid his laptop bag onto the hallway table and slowly crept into the apartment.
"Finally. You're home. I made dinner."
The scene was so familiar that the differences were immediately jarring. He'd come home several times to KO cooking dinner, the smell of scrumptious food permeating the air and drawing him in. In contrast, while he wouldn't say it smelled bad, there was a distinct lack of spice in the scent currently filling the air. Where the stone faced hacker should have been; standing in the kitchen and caught in the middle of plating up the food, was an overly cheerful person of the female persuasion.
She was wearing a pink apron with white cherry blossoms, and her hair was pinned up in an artfully messy style. Mei internally scoffed. She'd spent more time looking 'careless' than she had on the food.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Wang Fang."
Mei waited for further explanation, and when it wasn't forthcoming, decided to take a page from laosan's book. "Who?"
The girl's eyes widened dramatically and she brought a manicured hand to her mouth. "Oh my... I thought your mother would have told you already."
"My mother?" A hard lump started to form in his stomach.
"Hmm. She's been telling me all about you and when you said you were willing to meet, she suggested cooking you dinner."
"I was willing to meet?" He rubbed his forehead and felt the lump in his stomach grow bigger.
"I was surprised too: it was so quick." The girl- he couldn't think of someone so naive as a woman- smiled at him, completely oblivious to his lack of enthusiasm.
"How did you get in?"
She held up a key. "Your mother made me a copy. She said to just let myself in and surprise you with a home cooked meal. Oh, and I did your washing. There wasn't as much as I expected. Your mother made it sound like I'd find a pile of dirty clothes but all I really needed to do was fold the clothes already dry on the balcony."
"You folded my clothes?"
"And put them away."
"What?" Hao Mei's horror grew. Put them away? In drawers? Don't say she went through all the drawers in bedroom?
"Just the shirts and pants that needed hanging. The rest are folded on the end of your bed."
"I need that key back." He held out his hand and the girl's face fell.
"Oh... but your mum..."
"My mother doesn't live here. My spare key was given to her while she visited,; not so she could make copies of it without my knowledge." Maybe it was wrong of him to speak that way about his mother but the lump in his stomach seemed to have turned his filter off.
The girl, Wang Fang, stared at him blankly. "But... it was supposed to be..."
Her voice trailed off at the look on Hao Mei's face. Had she really thought breaking into a stranger's house, and cooking him dinner, folding his clothes, invading his personal space, was romantic? What sort of idiot was his mother trying to marry him off to? He looked at the food she'd cooked and blanched. Is there anything left in my fridge? There was good for a week in there!
"You know what... you can stay."
Her face brightened but Mei cut her off before she could speak. "I'm sure you have friends. Invite them over. You've made enough for an army- don't let the food go to waste."
"Really? You're so sweet!" Without thinking any further, Wang Fang pulled out her phone. She was busy buzzing at her friend as Hao Mei stormed into his bedroom.
Grabbing his backpack, he shoved the folded underwear inside before reconsidering- he would swear he could smell her perfume... did she spray his underwear with something? He sniffed the cloth. Yup. They raced through the air into the dirty clothes basket. He sniffed again. The sickly sweet smell in his room was stronger than the smells coming from the kitchen and he could only suppose she'd liberally doused the room in her perfume. He'd overheard a conversation between two staff at one of his shoots, when he was still modelling, about spraying perfume in the bedroom as a feminine scent marker. The male in question would either have to completely strip the bedding and wash all clothes and sheets, or go out with a feminine fragrance still lingering; effectively advertising that he was taken.
The lump in his stomach started to heat.
When he'd overheard the conversation, he'd laughed at the poor shmuck who'd shown interest in such a predator... being on the receiving end was making him regret his laughter. Screw the clothes. I'll buy what I need. Wang Fang was leaning against the kitchen counter, still bubbling away and suggesting that whoever was on the other end of the phone needed to stop for drinks on their way.
She didn't seem to notice when he grabbed his laptop and keys and let himself out. He stopped briefly in the foyer to request that security make sure his apartment was empty in the morning. And to get a locksmith in.
Tired, frustrated, and with the hard lump burning away at his centre, Hao Mei wondered where to go. Obvious escape route was KO's place... but he wouldn't be there and Mei didn't have a key. The office? No, KO and Xiao Nai would be there working; he didn't want to disturb them with his minor domestic disturbance. Which left a hotel. Fortunately, there was one near the office and if he remembered correctly it was within walking distance of a department store: he could buy a change of clothes after he checked in. Satisfied with his plan, Hao Mei headed off. He'd deal with his mother in the morning.
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