27 Chapter 27- The Rockiest Paths are Lined with Good Intentions (1/2)
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.”