Chapter 8 - She's hiding something

"Why are we leaving just like that?" asked Callum once he started driving.

Guang Ying thought for a moment before he asked, "What did you notice in her house?"

Callum hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lots of picture frames, but oddly enough, the pictures in those picture frames were not theirs. At least, I'm pretty sure that one of the people in those photos was Albert Einstein."

Guang Ying nodded.

When he did not say anything, Callum continued, "There's something wrong with that house. When I walked in, one part of the wooden floor felt loose and there was a soft hollow thud. It could be a hidden compartment. She's hiding something."

Guang Ying agreed. "She's not a simple woman, that's for sure. That meek look of hers was a front. That pull-up bar? Even though her son said otherwise, I'm sure she used it quite often. There was dust on the shoe cabinet, and on some of the furniture, but there was no dust on the pull-up bar. Also, the sweat-stained handprint on the foam was too big to be her son but too small to be her husband's. I can't see her arms under her jacket, but I don't think that she has those chicken-wing flabby arms."

"He could be lying," said Callum as he made a turn at a corner.

"Maybe, but I doubt so. It's not something for a kid to lie about. I think she has a secret that her son knows nothing about."

"Then why did you tell her about the surrogacy?" asked Callum as he took a quick glance at Guang Ying through the rearview mirror.

Guang Ying shrugged as he looked outside the window. They were leaving the poor area and slowly heading back to the wealthier parts of the city. After a while, he said, "I'm still interested in her, and I'm not going to dismiss her just yet… But we need to get her real identity. I'm not even sure if Xiao Lei is even her real name. For a woman living alone in the kind of neighborhood, the lock at her house is pretty flimsy. Either she's dumb as f.u.c.k or she's confident in her own strength. And those picture frames? I think they are there to hide something. I saw some cuts on the floor. They looked like knife marks."

Callum nodded. He had seen those marks too. As the heir to the strongest underground family, he had seen his fair share of those cuts in training halls, so he was able to recognize them easily.

As for Guang Ying, he knew about it as he used to throw knives at walls as well. Mostly, at one of his closest friends, Lu ZiYan.

Callum thought about it for a moment before asking, "Wait, you're saying... she's someone from the underground?"

"Maybe. But it doesn't look like she's still in a gang if she ever were in one. Her husband might be in one as well. Lack of personal belongings despite having been here for years... They are probably living in constant fear that they might have to move quickly."

When he heard Guang Ying's speculation, Callum pulled the car to a stop. He narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at his lover, "Someone is after them?"

Guang Ying looked at him and nodded. "Or that they're worried about their enemies in the past. If they were in the underground world before, I won't be surprised that they have their fair share of enemies. I'm sure you know how hard it is to get out of one once you're in."

Callum frowned. This woman was someone that Guang Ying actually considered to be their surrogate, so naturally, he did not want anything to happen to her. Even if there was someone after her, there were not that many people that he could not deal with.

"Should I?"

Guang Ying shook his head and said solemnly, "She's a smart woman. She'd know what's best for her and her son. We'll give her a few days. If she can't think things through, then she's not the woman I want."

…

The same night, once they ate their dinner, Xiao Lei and Zhi Hao both refused to sleep in their own beds. In the end, they crammed into the small couch and slept together.

As Xiao Lei gently patted his son's arm, she thought back to the older days when she used to sleep on the couch with her husband. But now, it was with her son?

She smiled sadly at the turn of events.

"Xiao Yun Jie… Where the hell are you?" thought Xiao Lei as she looked at her son, who was growing to be more and more like his father. Zhi Hao's smile, the single dimple on his right side, the way he lighted up upon seeing her… Everything was from his father…

As she looked lovingly at her son who was sleeping, her gaze slowly turned to the name card that was on the coffee table.

"If I have more money, would people leave my son alone?" thought Xiao Lei as she stared at the name card. The world had always been unfair to the poorest and the weakest.

The only way for people like them to get out of poverty was through education.

A voice suddenly sounded in her head. "We'll get rid of her during this trip!"

Xiao Lei closed her eyes to get the voice out of her head. She did not want to remember anything about her past. Her only regret was when she escaped from that h*ll, she had left behind all her doc.u.ments.

She could have gone back to take what belonged to her, but she was afraid. Afraid that they would not let her go. Afraid that once she went back, she would never see the sun again.

Maybe, just maybe, there was also a small part of her that was also afraid to face them. Those people… The murderers who were also her... family…

It was them that caused her to be unable to finish her education. It was them that took everything away from her… Because of them, she became someone who did not even finish her primary education.

In a time where education was everything, she was unable to find a job that pays well because of her lack of education.

Thankfully, her son had always been mature enough to know that education was important. Even without her pushing him, he was already a smart and studious boy.

He was going to make it in this world, and she would never let anyone destroy his life. Not even herself.

Xiao Lei glanced at her dark blue wallet that was made from jeans-like material. More often than not, she would have less than $10 inside.

At that moment, she made up her mind. She might be greedy but she wanted more for both of them. She thought about the two men from earlier.

Even though it was not obvious, she could tell that those men were in love with each other. She could tell from the way they glanced at each other.

As for their relationsh.i.p.s, yeah, it was not what most people would consider as normal, but there was nothing wrong with it either. Love should not be based on a person's appearance. It should be something that came from within one's heart.

So, Xiao Lei did not feel disgusted by their love for each other. However, she had her own fear. She knew what being a surrogate mother meant.

After 9 months, she had to give away her child. How could she just give away the life that she carried for 9 months? How could she ensure that they would love the baby?

She knew that the man named Callum wanted to tell her things earlier and that he probably wanted to tell her that they just wanted a child that looked like them, that could remind them of their lover.

He probably had a hundred things to tell her in order to help her make up her mind.

Therefore, Xiao Lei was thankful that the grey-haired man, Guang Ying, stopped his partner from affecting her.

She could tell that "Mr. Luo" did not want her to make her decision based on pity. He probably wanted her to make her decision based on her own analysis.

"Urgh!"

Her loud sigh caused her son to stir in his sleep. With his eyes closed, he called out, "Mum?"

"Yeah?"

"You smell nice…" murmured Zhi Hao as he turned around so that he was hugging her now. He looked at her sleepily before going back to sleep again.

Xiao Lei smiled and kissed her son's forehead before hugging him tightly so that he would not fall off the couch.

He might be almost thirteen, but sometimes, he would still act like a little boy... This would not last forever, and Xiao Lei wanted to savor every such moment for as long as she could.

….