To Covet (GL) - Chapter 2

Yu Hanyang hadn’t expected a sixteen-year-old girl to have so much random junk. He reluctantly took off his suit jacket and hauled a tape-wrapped cardboard box upstairs.

“You carry your own suitcase, save me an extra trip,” he said, entering the elevator without looking back, and the cardboard box in his hand landed on the floor with a thud.

The entryway, which had been quite spacious, was quickly filled with my crudely packed belongings. The frayed cardboard boxes and colorful burlap sacks looked so out of place against the exquisite decor of the house—just like me, suddenly intruding on and disrupting this perfect family of three’s happy life.

“They’re not back yet. Just have a seat,” Yu Hanyang said, handing me a glass of plain water. “When Auntie Shi gets off work, we’ll all go out to dinner together…” He looked me up and down. “You can pick out whatever clothes you want to buy.”

“Where do I sleep?” I picked at a toothpaste stain on the front of my school uniform and pushed open the slightly ajar door on my right.

“That’s your sister’s room.” He gently pushed my shoulder, guiding me toward the bedroom next door.

Before leaving, Yu Hanyang promised that a new bed would be delivered tomorrow and that I could ask him for any furniture or decor I wanted. I pretended to be too tired to reply and just gave him a vague dismissal.

I locked the door, threw my sweaty jacket and pants aside, and collapsed onto the single bed.

This room was a temporary conversion of a study, and it couldn’t compare to Yu Zhouwan’s clean and tidy room. With a slight turn, the bed frame creaked loudly.

I used the chair by the bed to reach the glass-enclosed shelf and the picture frames inside. They were all photos of Yu Hanyang with well-dressed, pot-bellied executives, along with certificates featuring fancy titles—all meticulously cared for and dust-free.

Just as I was intently trying to figure out what was written in the locked folder, I suddenly heard the beeping sound of a keypad lock from outside, followed by the main door opening and closing.

I didn’t open the door immediately but pressed my ear against it, listening for the sounds outside.

Yu Hanyang’s slippers usually made a dragging sound as he walked, but the footsteps outside were light and hurried. They came closer and closer, finally stopping right outside the study door.

I was holding my breath, trying to guess if it was Yu Hanyang’s wife or daughter when the person outside tried to turn the doorknob, startling me.

“Is anyone there?” The person realized the door was locked and instead gave a gentle knock.

Wearing my grandmother’s black floral print shorts and with my bare feet turned outward, I put my right hand on the doorknob and met Yu Zhouwan’s eyes with a blank expression.

In my loose loungewear, I looked like the true owner of this room, while Yu Zhouwan, standing neatly in her little blazer and plaid skirt, seemed like a restrained guest.

“Oh, it’s you. I thought you were coming tomorrow,” Yu Zhouwan said, holding a paint box and a drawing board. The surprise on her face quickly faded, replaced by a polite smile in the blink of an eye. “I thought no one was here and wanted to put my art supplies in. Well, I’ll just put them in my bedroom then.”

I glanced at the wooden easel in the corner, staying put, with no intention of letting her in.

But Yu Zhouwan didn’t seem to mind. “What would you like to drink? Orange juice, milk? Or maybe apple cider vinegar?” She casually placed her things against the wall and turned to open the fridge in the kitchen. “Can you drink it cold? If not, you’ll have to wait a moment.”

“Whatever.”

The normal plan was for me to arrive by bus tomorrow morning on time. But a malicious urge to take them by surprise drove me to pack my things and get on the bus on my own before Yu Hanyang came to pick me up.

Yu Zhouwan poured a bowl of warm water and let two cans of apple cider vinegar sit in it for a moment. While she waited, she took out a box of sandwiches and heated them. “Dinner won’t be for another two hours. Have a little something to tide you over.”

“Thanks.”

She pulled out the chair across from her, inviting me to sit down.

She wasn’t as distant as she was when we were children; she was very good at playing her part.

My mind had conjured up countless dramatic scenarios for this meeting—how I would justifiably tell her that my mom was the one who had a legal marriage certificate with Yu Hanyang, how I would mock her for being so easily fooled by him.

Even if Yang Chun hadn’t written down her final wishes in a will, I still would have come. I couldn’t let Yu Hanyang live a good life with a clear conscience, forgetting how he’d treated my mother and me.

Yu Zhouwan asked if there was anything else I wanted to eat. There was a 24-hour convenience store downstairs, and a commercial street just outside the complex. If I wanted to, I could go with her to buy something.

I was just about to find an excuse to refuse when Yu Hanyang suddenly opened the door. He was followed by a woman whose appearance and demeanor were strikingly similar to Yu Zhouwan’s.

“Xiaoya, this is Keyi. You’ve met before.”

I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for Yu Hanyang in this situation. It seemed Shi Yunya felt the same. Her eyes darted away, and it seemed to take a lot of effort to force her gaze back to me.

“Keyi, this is your Auntie Yunya.”

Yu Zhouwan called out “Mom and Dad,” quickly stood up to take Shi Yunya’s coat, and bent down to place their slippers in front of their feet.

I mechanically followed suit, saying “Dad” and “Auntie.”

It took the few seconds it took for us to walk from the entryway to the living room for Shi Yunya to finally recover, forcing out a distant smile and nodding at me.

It had been a long time since anyone had called me “Keyi.” At school, everyone just used full names. My grandma and mom only ever called me “Nannao.”

I doubt Yu Hanyang even remembered my name. To be accurate, he simply didn’t care what my name was.

Ever since he found out his first love had quietly raised their shared daughter, he’d been wrapped up in this feeling of sentimentality. Even now, he looked at Shi Yunya with a sense of guilt as she tried to make awkward conversation with me.

“Let’s go to Roman’s for dinner then,” Shi Yunya suggested. “Their steak burgers are very good.”

“Great, I’ll book a table now,” Yu Hanyang agreed without hesitation. “You two can order whatever you want.”

“I’m allergic to beef.” I put down the half-finished apple cider vinegar.

Yu Zhouwan looked at Yu Hanyang, then at me. “I’m going back to school tonight, so I won’t be eating with you,” she said. “Keyi is starting school soon, too. I’ll take her for a walk to get familiar with the area.”

Whether Yu Zhouwan was being genuinely helpful or just looking for an excuse to get me on her side, I was grateful to her. She saved the three of us from an awkward situation. I even felt like Shi Yunya let out a huge sigh of relief as she walked out the door with her arm linked with Yu Hanyang’s.

I let out a cold laugh. Yu Hanyang was still the same. When he arranged everything, his mind was filled with nothing but wishful thinking, always believing things would go exactly as he planned.

He’d secretly tested my attitude, and I’d acted like a little girl who desperately needed a father’s love and a safe home. He’d probably also asked Shi Yunya for her opinion, and he’d just assumed we could open up and accept each other over a single dinner.

I put on my shoes and followed my nominal sister out the door.

Shi Yunya was a wealthy heiress, an American returnee at that. But I wouldn’t call her smart. She was doing perfectly well raising her daughter alone. Why would she let a good-for-nothing like Yu Hanyang step in and get a piece of the pie for free?

It wasn’t like she couldn’t live without a man. Why would she bring all this unhappiness on herself?

It was just like Yang Chun used to say, wishing Yu Hanyang would just die a horrible death all by himself.

As for Yu Zhouwan, she was completely oblivious and uninterested in the details of her father’s previous marriage.

She had been raised by Shi Yunya since she was a child, and politeness and grace seemed to be the hallmarks of her every move. She was the kind of good girl who was beyond reproach.

I pursed my lips and let out a small “tsk.” I actually felt a tiny bit of similarity in our destinies.

If it weren’t for the messy love triangle of the generation before us, I probably wouldn’t dislike her so much.

Who would hate a person who was perfect inside and out?

Only me.

The more she was like that, the more I couldn’t look at her properly.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch a girl who shared half my blood enjoy a complete family while I was left to wear funeral clothes for a mother no one cared about.