Chapter 7
That weekend, Madam took the Young Miss to a new photo shoot, and we ran into the first love.
She no longer wore dresses that reached her ankles. Dressed in comfortable trousers, she stood downstairs waiting for us.
As Madam and I approached, she stepped into our path.
At first, she looked embarrassed. Then she bowed over and over, apologizing to Madam.
Madam waved her off. “Men are everywhere.”
“He calls you ‘the dream of his youth’ and his ‘white moonlight,’ but all he really wants is for other people to praise his devotion and charm.”
“If you like him, take him. You don’t have to worry about me. He should be single again very soon.”
The first love froze, then waved both hands frantically.
“No, no, no! I don’t want him. He’s your husband.”
Madam shook her head just as hard. “No, no, no. Not for much longer. I had terrible taste.”
They looked at each other and smiled, reaching the same conclusion.
“Why waste wonderful resources and precious time on a man?”
Once they started talking, they could not stop. Madam eventually invited Bai Qingqing to join us for dinner.
Halfway through the meal, I became so full that I went to the restroom. When I came back, the two women were arguing again.
I hurried to ask the Young Miss what had happened.
Gnawing on a huge bone, she mumbled, “Auntie asked… Mommy to sell you to her.”
Me?
Mrs. Wang?
What did that mean?
Madam slapped one hand on the table and wrapped the other arm around me.
“Listen to me, Bai Qingqing. You can steal my husband, but you cannot have my housekeeper!”
Bai Qingqing shot to her feet.
“Who wants that awful husband of yours? I told you, my business is doing well now. The ten breakfast shops downtown and the bakery in the city center are all mine, understand? Give Mrs. Wang to me, and I promise she will never suffer.”
“Business? You think you’re the only one with a business? Mine is doing far better than yours. Mrs. Wang can only live a good life with me.”
“You… You are impossible!”
Bai Qingqing paced in fury. At last, she snatched up her purse and glared at Madam.
“Just wait. I won’t give up on getting her from you.”
After that, Bai Qingqing began appearing at Madam’s house all the time.
Whenever the two women met, sparks flew from their eyes.
The CEO thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere.
He sat in the living room, propped his cheek on one hand, and arranged his expression into a perfect pie chart: thirty percent aloof, forty percent blissful, and thirty percent resigned.
“Being loved by two women is such a burden.”
He sipped his coffee and turned to me.
“Mrs. Wang, bring me tea instead.”
Bai Qingqing’s eyes lit up as though she had discovered the decisive point.
“I don’t have a husband. If Mrs. Wang comes with me, no man will ever order her around.”
Madam fell silent.
On that point, she had undeniably lost.
Bai Qingqing grinned and clapped the CEO on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Mr. Fu.”
Coffee splashed all over him, but he did not get angry. Instead, he looked Bai Qingqing up and down.
“You’ve changed a great deal too, Qingqing.”
“Trousers give you a special charm. I see the effort you’ve made.”
Bai Qingqing’s grin grew wider. See how greasy your husband is?
Madam closed her eyes and massaged her forehead. That very night, she found a lawyer and ordered an expedited divorce agreement.
The CEO was stunned.
“You want to divorce me?”
“Liu Jiangjiang, have you lost your mind?”
“Without me, what are you?”
Madam answered calmly, “The general manager of the country’s largest publicly listed maternity-and-baby clothing company.”
The CEO froze.
He turned to Bai Qingqing. “You’re leaving me too?”
She stared at him. “Didn’t I leave you ages ago?”
His eyes reddened with rage.
“Without me, what are you?”
Bai Qingqing considered the question.
“The pastry queen who makes more than a million yuan a day.”
The CEO’s mind went completely blank.