Sori finally got to have a cozy lunch with her mother, Soo Hyang, after a long time. Thanks to Hyun Woo’s consideration, they had a hearty meal at a nearby duck soup restaurant and then moved to a café.
Sitting opposite each other, they sipped on their favorite fresh strawberry juice.
“When are you heading back home, mom?”
“Tomorrow.”
“So soon? How can you even think about dating when you’re this busy?”
Teasing her mother, Sori received a playful eye-roll from Soo Hyang.
“I can handle my own affairs, don’t worry about me.”
“But still, shouldn’t you start taking it a bit easy with work?”
“And bug you to play with me all day?”
“Then I’ll play with you.”
“Like a busy resident like you could spare the time.”
Sipping her strawberry juice, Sori giggled.
“I prefer being busy like this. Everything has its time.”
Sori wondered who could possibly change her mother’s strong-willed nature.
“Still, you look better.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Is Professor Seo treating you well?”
Soo Hyang felt reassured seeing her daughter’s face, which seemed to have more vitality.
“Yeah, he takes great care of me. Really looks after me.”
Sori wasn’t just saying this to comfort her mother. Hyun Woo often brought her snacks, and thanks to his frequent mealtime inquiries, she rarely skipped dinner even on her busiest days. If she ever missed a meal, they would find time to eat something in his office.
“On my way here, I heard from the professor. We’ll discuss with you and set a date for the formal meeting.”
“Right. It seemed best to fit into Professor Seo’s schedule.”
“So when?”
“Maybe next week or the week after.”
Sori was surprised by the momentum of Hyun Woo and her mother.
“Wait, let me show you something.”
Soo Hyang pulled out something from her tote bag and placed it on the table. It was a catalog from a well-known bedding brand.
“What’s this?”
“I thought even if you just move in, you should have new bedding.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“Choose something. I want to buy it for you.”
They weren’t going to share the same bed, but she couldn’t say that out loud. Sori awkwardly flipped through the catalog.
“They all look bright and pretty.”
What caught her eye was a pastel pink bedding set, reminiscent of spring and strawberry milk.
“Professor Seo wouldn’t like this, would he?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Hyun Woo seems to prefer more modern styles.”
“Hyun Woo?”
“It sounds awkward, right? I’m practicing calling him that. Ended up calling him ‘Hyun Soo’ instead of ‘Professor’. It’s hard to get used to.”
Soo Hyang chuckled at her daughter’s cute efforts.
Suddenly, Sori started flipping through the catalog more actively, thinking of Hyun Woo’s preferences.
“When are you planning to have the wedding?”
“The wedding?”
Sori was a bit startled by the unexpected question.
Avoiding her mother’s gaze, she pretended to be more focused on the catalog.
“Why? Don’t want to have a wedding because dad’s not here?”
“No, it’s not that. We’re just too busy, and weddings need a lot of attention, you know.”
Sori, feeling a bit awkward, had finally gotten the chance to have a leisurely lunch with her mother, Soo Hyang. Thanks to Hyun Woo’s thoughtfulness, they enjoyed a fulfilling lunch at a nearby duck stew restaurant and then moved to a cafe for their favorite refreshing strawberry juice.
“So, when are you going back?” Sori asked.
“Tomorrow,” her mother replied.
“Leaving so soon? How do you even plan to date when you’re this busy?” Sori playfully remarked.
Soo Hyang chuckled and replied, “I can manage my own affairs, so don’t worry about me.”
“But shouldn’t you slow down with work?” Sori suggested.
Soo Hyang playfully countered, “And have you entertain me all day?”
Sori laughed and sipped her juice. “I prefer being busy. Everything has its time.”
“You look happier though,” her mother noted.
“Really?” Sori asked.
“Yes. Is Professor Seo treating you well?” Soo Hyang inquired, noticing a newfound vitality in her daughter.
“Yes, he’s very caring. Extremely attentive,” Sori confirmed.
Soo Hyang felt reassured seeing the lively expression on her daughter’s face.
The conversation then turned to the upcoming formal meeting between their families, with Soo Hyang suggesting next week or the week after, in line with Hyun Woo’s schedule. Sori was surprised at the rapid progress.
Soo Hyang then presented a bedding catalog for Sori to pick from, considering the upcoming wedding. Sori found a set that seemed to match Hyun Woo’s taste and pointed it out, shifting the conversation.
“We think alike. I was also drawn to that one,” Soo Hyang said.
Sori, excited at the thought of gifting it to Hyun Woo, agreed. “Then let’s send this to my place. You can use my number.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Sori said, smiling brightly, unaware of her mother’s ulterior motive.
The next day at the NS department, Sori, having been on night duty, had not returned home and spent the night at the hospital. That morning, there were quite a few new patients (new admissions) to be reported at the NS meeting.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
