Chapter 45 Part 2

During lunch break, Liu Ran searched nearby driving schools. Pricey ones ran over ten thousand; cheaper four or five thousand. Many offered morning, evening, and noon slots for working folks.

She settled on one and called to inquire. They enthusiastically asked if they could add her on WeChat for details.

Liu Ran was about to agree when she recalled Ming Siyu’s sharp scolding for adding someone else’s WeChat without permission. It’s just the driving school’s staff, right? But fearing Ming Siyu might make an issue of it, she chickened out. “I’ll discuss it with… someone first and get back to you.”

The rep, used to this, replied breezily, “Talking it over with Mom? Totally fine. Call anytime once she’s okayed it, pay up, and we’ll schedule around your availability.”

Mom? Ming Siyu isn’t my mom.

But she definitely needed to run it by Ming Siyu first.

Back home, Liu Ran brought it up at an opportune moment. Ming Siyu listened while replying to emails, responding with a few “mm-hmms” of approval. Liu Ran booked with the school and transferred the fee. They asked her schedule and set practice for noon and after work daily.

In September, with students back in school, practitioners were mostly office workers like her. The coach car served seven or eight learners; the instructor was a middle-aged woman with wheat-toned skin from sun exposure and a bit of road rage. She’d curse bad drivers—whether learners or others.

She roughly scheduled everyone: twenty to thirty minutes each, next up on time to avoid a beggar-line wait.

Delays happened if someone was late.

That day, Liu Ran arrived early. The previous learner wasn’t done, so she squatted by the roadside waiting. Another young office worker waited too—mid-twenties, light makeup, black-rimmed glasses, coffee in left hand, bag in right, badge showing she audited for a firm.

The woman’s slot was right after Liu Ran’s. Liu Ran had seen her several times but never spoken. She was voice-messaging complaints about work: no overtime pay after seconding to the consulting team, when would evil capitalists die, etc.

As she cursed, she smiled apologetically at Liu Ran. “Sigh, work, you know. I still have to go back to pull an all-nighter after practice. Have you started working too? How’s the workload?”

Liu Ran returned a polite smile. “It’s pretty good. No overtime.”

The woman said enviously, “Oh my god, a dream job. Which company?”

When Liu Ran named her company, the woman let out a “wow.” “Is your boss surnamed Ming? I almost got your company’s project back when I was in the IPO group, but then they said no IPO. Sigh, now I’m just counting down to thirty, hoping to jump to a good client-side company. Is your company hiring? The benefits must be great too, right?”

“You’d have to ask HR, but it seems like no department is short-staffed right now,” Liu Ran said cautiously.

Liu Ran’s phone vibrated. It was a call from Ming Siyu.

“Hello—”

“Liu Ran, where did you go?” Ming Siyu sounded a bit unhappy.

“I’m practicing driving.”

Ming Siyu scolded, “Practicing driving? You just up and went off to practice without a word?”

Liu Ran felt wronged. “I told you about it, and you agreed. I’ve been practicing for days now.”

Had Ming Siyu forgotten her own words?

There was a two-second pause on the other end before Ming Siyu softened her voice. “I’ll come pick you up later.”

The call ended. Staring at the disconnected screen, Liu Ran was speechless. So all those minutes she’d spent talking about driving lessons had gone in one ear and out the other? Ming Siyu had agreed so readily back then, but those “mm-hmms” that sounded like agreement were just perfunctory.

A sour feeling settled in Liu Ran’s heart, an inexplicable emptiness.

Ming Siyu had always paid extreme attention to her every word and action. Liu Ran forgot many things herself, but Ming Siyu kept meticulous records of old debts, pulling them out anytime they argued as evidence. Ming Siyu had an almost pathological need for control, wishing she could cover Liu Ran in cameras from head to toe. She couldn’t add contacts freely, had to report her whereabouts, and Ming Siyu had even checked her chat logs once. That time, it led to their fiercest, most painful fight.

But this time, she’d proactively reported her driving lessons to Ming Siyu. Why had Ming Siyu suddenly stopped caring? Sure, Ming Siyu had been swamped with the movie issue lately, but she couldn’t have just stopped paying attention to her entirely, right?

This wasn’t her first day practicing; it’d been almost a week. They lived under the same roof every day, yet Ming Siyu knew nothing about it?

Even Qi Zhen had noticed she’d tanned a bit and gained a touch of wild beauty compared to before. Liu Ran had thought Ming Siyu noticed too but just hadn’t bothered saying anything. Now it seemed Ming Siyu didn’t even know if she was tanned, pale, fat, or thin.

Liu Ran couldn’t help but reflect carefully on recent events. Ming Siyu’s neglect wasn’t just about the driving lessons. Ever since returning to the country, Ming Siyu’s oversight had turned into a hands-off “free-range” style. She’d dumped Liu Ran at the company with Secretary Lin and hadn’t shown up once in over a week. Even when they were both home, she didn’t ask what Liu Ran had done at work or check her phone. Aside from occasional tail-stroking and asking about her ear injury, there was little interaction.

She hadn’t eaten lunch with Ming Siyu in a while.

Liu Ran figured she should be happy. Ming Siyu not managing her was the freedom she’d always wanted.

She was just unaccustomed to the sudden shift from strict to lax. She wasn’t so pathetic as to feel uncomfortable without someone controlling her.

She checked her phone—it was six-thirty. Ming Siyu had said she’d come pick her up but hadn’t specified what for or when. Worried Ming Siyu might not even know where she was practicing, Liu Ran sent her location.

A hand waved in front of her face.

Liu Ran snapped back to reality. The young woman she’d been chatting with looked at her concernedly. “Hey, miss, the coach is calling you. You’ve been yelled at several times and didn’t hear. Are you okay?”

“Oh.” Liu Ran shook her head. “I’m fine. Sorry, I was lost in thought. Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem. Hurry up, or the coach will chew you out.”

Liu Ran usually practiced well—the coach had said she could schedule her test next week. But today, she kept zoning out. The coach, normally mild with her, finally lost patience after she clipped the curb twice in a row and started cursing. Chastened, Liu Ran pulled herself together, ran through all the test maneuvers in one go, and finished early.

She got out of the car. The young woman from the agency was waiting nearby, ready for her turn. Noticing her shoelace undone, she asked Liu Ran to hold her bag and coffee while she squatted to tie it. Once done, the woman smiled at Liu Ran, eyes crinkling. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Liu Ran smiled politely back.

Just as Ming Siyu pulled up and lowered the window, she caught sight of Liu Ran handing coffee to the strange woman and flashing her a sweet smile.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

No matter where Little Wolf went, she couldn’t shake her knack for attracting admirers. Out for a driving lesson and she hooked up with another woman—standing so close, smiling so happily. The moment Ming Siyu wasn’t watching, she started acting freely.

She only cried in front of Ming Siyu because she’d already used up all her smiles on others.

Ming Siyu hadn’t even parked properly when she saw this. What about the times she couldn’t see? How many others had Liu Ran smiled at like that? How many had she chatted so intimately with? Next step, would she take off her hat to show her ears?

Busy as she was, Ming Siyu hadn’t checked on Liu Ran much that week. She hadn’t even read Secretary Lin’s Little Wolf observation logs. Today, she’d finally wrapped up most things early, planning to head home for some quality time with Little Wolf. Qi Zhen was on leave visiting her family grave, so after chatting, they could go out for a bite.

Instead, home was empty. Liu Ran, who should have been off work, wasn’t there. Her first thought was that Liu Ran had run off. Furious, she’d called to interrogate her, only to learn she was practicing driving. Racking her brain, Ming Siyu vaguely recalled it and changed plans: pick up Liu Ran for dinner first, then home.

The passenger seat held the gift for Liu Ran—that massive, lustrous gold pearl He Qiange had brought back from afar. Ming Siyu had it made into a long necklace. It’d been ready for days in Secretary Wen’s desk drawer. Today, rummaging for a USB drive, she’d spotted the fancy gift box and remembered. Perfect timing to give it.

The thorny issues were mostly handled, the gift was ready, her foot was better—no more crutch or wheelchair—the weather was nice, the evening breeze refreshing, not even much rush-hour traffic, all green lights. Everything smooth, Ming Siyu arrived in a light, excited mood to pick up Liu Ran. She hadn’t felt this good in ages, even looking forward to seeing her, pinning her in the car for a good rubdown.

Little Wolf would whimper and protest about the car, but welcome it all the same, face flushing, body trembling. Ming Siyu pictured the vivid scene and pressed the accelerator harder.

Instead, she arrived to this intimacy. Anger flared unbidden.

The two- or three-second exchange dragged out endlessly in Ming Siyu’s eyes. Enraged, she snatched the gift from the passenger seat and flung it to the back. The box thudded against the window.

Ming Siyu honked sharply. The piercing sound echoed across the empty practice field for seconds. Liu Ran wondered who the jerk was, then turned and saw the familiar car.

Oh, Ming Siyu. Not surprising.

No driver—Ming Siyu had driven herself.

Liu Ran told the coach and hurried over in double time. “Why’d you drive yourself to pick me up?”

Ming Siyu sneered coldly. “If I didn’t come myself, how would I know you and the other students get along so well?”

Liu Ran caught the edge in her tone and glanced back at the coach and student diligently practicing. Her heart sank. “Can’t you stop being so filthy-minded? We just talked normally and I helped with her stuff. That’s not allowed now?”