Couple of Mirrors – Chapter 52: Baby Bottle Smashing Machine
At the police station, Jiang Bin is being berated by Commissioner Song. ‘Did you fire the shot that killed Zhou Heng?’ Commissioner Song demands, banging his desk.
Jiang Bin tries to explain. ‘Sir, it was an emergency situation. If I hadn’t fired—’
Commissioner Song cuts him off. ‘Stop talking rubbish! You know perfectly well how powerful the Zhou family is in Shanghai—’
Jiang Bin cuts him off. ‘Of course I do! They can get a murderer a light sentence! They can sneak a prisoner out of jail with no one the wiser! But tell me, Commisioner Song: what is a police officer’s duty?’
‘What kind of attitude is this, Jiang Bin?’ Commissioner Song demands. ‘Do you still want to keep —’
Jiang Bin cuts him off again. ‘Do I still want to keep my job — is that what you were going to say?’
‘What is the meaning of this, Jiang Bin?’ asks Commissioner Song.
‘Even if I did want to keep my job,’ says Jiang Bin, ‘would you speak up for me once Director Zhou and the Chief of Police start looking for someone to blame?’
He turns to leave. ‘In that case, it’s better for me to walk out myself!’
Meanwhile, at Maria Hospital, Xu Youyi is having uneasy dreams. Across her mind flash images of herself breaking the IV bottle over one doctor’s head and threatening the other doctors with a shard of glass, of Zhou Heng lying dead, of Yan Wei bleeding and unconscious…
‘Weiwei!’ she screams.
Her eyes open and she sits up, only to realise that Yan Wei isn’t in bed.
‘Weiwei?’ she calls. Then, looking around frantically, she shouts, ‘Weiwei!’
Yan Wei steps into view. ‘I’m here.’
‘Where did you go?’ asks a worried Xu Youyi. ‘Why didn’t you wake me up?’
Yan Wei looks a little shifty. ‘Er, I just went to the bathroom.’
Xu Youyi reaches out and touches Yan Wei’s hospital gown, just above her wound. ‘Does your injury still hurt?’ she asks. ‘You should go back to bed!’
‘It’s just a flesh wound,’ says Yan Wei. ‘I’ll be fine. You, on the other hand… you’ve gone through so much, and so soon after giving birth too.’
‘Doctor!’ they both call out simultaneously, then stare at each other in surprise.
The doctor comes in. ‘What is it?’
‘Her IV needle has come off, can you reattach it?’ asks Xu Youyi, just as Yan Wei says, ‘She’s very weak right now, please do something for her.’
The doctor holds up both hands nervously. ‘One at a time please… one at a time, all right?’
It’s a month later. In the studio’s front room, Xu Youyi rocks the baby in his pram. ‘Oh… you’re hungry, aren’t you, baby?’
She calls out to Yan Wei. ‘Weiwei, is the formula ready?’
Just then, there’s a resounding ‘SMASH’.
Xu Youyi’s head whips round.
‘Yan Weiwei, what’s going on?’ she demands. ‘Did you break another bottle?’
In the kitchen, Yan Wei is frantically nudging pieces of a broken bottle under one of the mats with her foot. ‘No! It was just a teacup!’
‘I don’t believe you!’ Xu Youyi calls from outside.
Yan Wei lifts the lid of a basket. Inside are several baby bottles. She takes one of them out and smiles to herself. Luckily, I was prepared for this.
Yan Wei walks into the front room, where Xu Youyi is, and holds up the bottle triumphantly. ‘Look, the bottle’s right here!’
As she sits down, Xu Youyi tells her, ‘You bought ten new bottles yesterday and hid them in the kitchen — don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to!’
Yan Wei is reduced to speechlessness.
Xu Youyi holds up the bottle, which has been filled right up to the top. ‘And also, why do you always make so much formula?’
‘I’m worried he might not have enough to eat,’ says Yan Wei.
Xu Youyi pokes her in the middle of the forehead. ‘You’re worried about what? Do you think he’s you?’
Just then, the baby chuckles.
Yan Wei looks down at him grumpily. ‘Are you laughing at me?’
She jiggles his arm. ‘Who said you could laugh at me? How old are you? How do you know how to make fun of other people already?’
She tweaks the baby’s cheek.
Xu Youyi smiles, looking at them. ‘How old are you, Yan Weiwei?’
‘Your milk is here!’ someone calls from outside.
‘Coming!’ says Xu Youyi, getting up and heading to the front door.
She opens the door, clearly expecting to find the milk delivery boy. She sees a basket on the doorstep, but there’s no one in sight. ‘Where’s he?’ she wonders.
She crouches down to open the basket. ‘Since when did Xiao Pang…’
Inside the basket are two bottles of milk and a white rose.
Xu Youyi picks up the rose, delighted. ‘…learn how to give these little surprises?’ she finishes.
She walks back into the studio, basket in hand. ‘Look, Weiwei, Xiao Pang brought us this!’ She holds up the rose.
The sight of it seems to give Yan Wei a shock.
‘Weiwei, what is it?’ asks Xu Youyi perceptively.
‘Oh, no… nothing,’ says Yan Wei with a forced smile.
She looks away, her expression suddenly downcast. ‘I just remembered, I have to go to a client’s house later for a photography session.’
***
Please view the original manhua here.
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