Chapter 15

"Raina, hurry up, Dad called again just now!"

Samson Nan shouted towards his sister's room.

"Hmm, in a moment."

Today is the day to burn incense at their grandmother's house – all devout Buddhists, she observes this religious rite every year.

All the relatives from their mother's side will be there, no matter how busy. They said that one year, when their uncle couldn't make it, their grandmother was extremely cross.

Samson Nan had almost forgotten about the occasion. By the time he remembered and returned home, his parents had already left.

Only Raina Nan was waiting for him at home.

"Still not ready?"

He knocked on the door again, checking the time, it was almost noon.

"Just a moment!"

"I'll go hail a cab. Hurry up!"

With that, he clattered down the stairs.

Raina too wanted to be quick, but she realized before the mirror that her hair was a complete mess. Reluctantly, she had to attend to it.

Her hair was beautiful – she'd been told that many times. However, she often contemplated cutting it short. The time wasted on her hair each day could easily equate to listening to two music tracks. But Samson Nan had always opposed the idea, even reciting the old saying that one's body and hair are received from the parents. It was clearly none of his business...

In the end, she didn't cut it short. Not because of him, but because she too really wouldn't bear to.

Lost in her thoughts, the door was suddenly flung open.

"Hey, kiddo, are you doing a face mask or something?"

"You’re so annoying! If it weren't for you, would I be still getting ready?!"

Samson Nan moved his face closer, staring into her eyes:

"What's it got to do with me?"

"Get out of my way! You're so noisy!"

She was startled and swung her comb at him, but he caught it easily.

"I’ll wait for you downstairs."

Saying so, he trotted down the stairs again.

Raina Nan quickly changed into a knitted sweater and a checkered skirt, hastily put on her shoes, and was immediately dragged out, rushing towards the waiting cab.

The taxi was already there.

They squeezed into the back seat together as soon as the door was opened.

As a little girl, she'd always preferred to sit in the front when taking a cab. But after her brother scared her with the fact that it was usually the front passengers who died first in car accidents, she’d never dare to sit in the front again.

"East Mazi Street."

Samson Nan closed the door and instructed the driver:

"Please hurry."

As soon as the car started, the sudden momentum almost made Raina, who hadn't fully settled in, slide off the seat. But Samson Nan reacted swiftly and caught her.

"What're you doing? Drive slower!"

"Hey man, do you want me to drive fast or slow?"

"... I'm sorry, can we get there in 20 minutes?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t make you late for your date."

"There’s no....”

She murmured, peeking at Samson Nan, and found that he didn't seem to deny it. He was just looking at the time.

On a side note, the incredible skill of taxi drivers startled them. A usual forty-minute journey was accomplished in just ten minutes.....

By the time they reached their grandmother’s house, most people had already arrived.

Their grandmother had six children. Their mother was the eldest. She always advocated bringing their grandmother to live with them for better care, but was always refused, as were the other siblings.

"Samson Nan, where have you been, didn't you check the time?!"

On seeing her kids, their mother promptly ushered them to greet each of their elders.

"Whose fault do you think it is,” he murmured in Raina's ear.

"Hmph!"

She pouted at him.

"Oh, this must be little Raina! You've grown taller again." Their grandmother looked up at her with joy.

"Grandma, I haven't grown taller since two years ago."

"Samson Nan! When grandma says you're taller, you're taller!"

Their mother glared at him because their grandmother's vision and memory were deteriorating.

"Yes, ma’am."

"Raina, is this your boyfriend here? With my sharp eyes, I can tell! Ask the young man to sit down."

...The three of them were stunned.

"Oh, right, come on, girlfriend~ call me grandma."

Samson Nan said to Raina Nan.

"Go to hell!"

"Grandma, it's Xiao Yu! You really need to get your eyes checked, you've forgotten your own granddaughter!"

She was truly exasperated. It was one thing for the taxi driver to misinterpret, but now her own grandma...It was both frustrating and amusing.

"Oh my, look at me making such a blunder! It's Xiao Yu, I thought you looked familiar! Girls truly change rapidly as they grow up, you look different every day!"

The grandma was carefully examining Raina Nan, her face beaming with a smile.

"Changing every day, are you a demon or something?"

Samson Nan poked her hand, making a joke.

"You're the demon!"

She kicked him in the leg.

"By the way, Xiao Feng, didn't you find a wife? Why didn't you bring her over?"

"Wife? Grandma..."

He was puzzled by his grandma's random question when he noticed his mom giving him meaningful looks.

"Hey..."

He roughly figured out what was going on. No wonder his mom had been asking him recent questions around this topic; it wasn't her who was concerned, it was his grandma.

But did they really need to lie to comfort her? Could they truly keep this a secret?

"Hehe, she couldn't come today, you know hospitals don't usually allow time off~"

His eyes didn't even blink when he lied. How easy it was for him to fabricate a story to fool the elderly! He even enthusiastically set his 'girlfriend' as a nurse.

"Hospital? Your mom told me she was a music teacher, how"

His grandma turned to look at his mom in disbelief, while his mom was giving him a stern look.

He was speechless. Is there even a mother in the world who would corner her own son like this?

"Ha, busted!"

Raina Nan quietly chuckled, delighted in his embarrassment.

"Oh, she was feeling a little unwell and had to be hospitalised for a few days. Doctors won't allow patients to take a leave."

He gave a light smile, appearing calm and natural.

"Oh dear, what sickness required hospitalisation?"

"You don't need to worry, it's nothing serious"

"That's good then, Xiao Feng, you must treat this girl well! It's not easy to find a good girl these days!"

"Of course."

He finally exhaled in relief, shooting Raina Nan a smug look.

"By the way, Xiao Feng, what is the girl's name?"

"..."

He was momentarily tongue-tied.

"Playing-with-fire..."

She emphasised each word.

The new lies made to cover the old ones, leading to a vicious cycle of unsolvable errors. Those at their wits' end continue spinning their web of deceit.

"Her surname is York, name's Jocelyn."

He pondered for a moment before uttering the name.

"Jocelyn York? Her?"

Like an electric shock to her brain, Raina Nan shrieked.

"Xiao Yu? What is it?"

"No... nothing..."

She almost forgot, it was all an act. But why? That name...

"This girl can be quite dramatic sometimes!"

Her mom quickly covered, fearing they might give themselves away.

"That's not right, why do I feel like you two are playing me?"

Naturally, their grandma started seeing through their act.

"Xiao Feng, call your wife!"

"Mom, she's in the hospital, it's not appropriate to call her now."

His mother reasoned.

"No, I'm not at ease until this weight lifts off my chest! Besides, can't I talk to my granddaughter-in-law?"

Stubborn and obstinate, both the grandma and mom were strikingly similar in this way.

Mom shot Raina Nan a glare, blaming her for ruining their plan. Knowing she was at fault, Raina Nan lowered her head in silence.

"If it makes grandma feel better, of course I can."

Adding that, Samson Nan took out his phone.

"Brother?"

She looked at him, full of remorse.

He winked at her, assuring her there was nothing to worry about.

In his mobile phone, there was indeed a name 'Jocelyn York'. That was the only silver lining.

He switched to speaker mode for his grandmother to hear the conversation.

Idle tones... Would it not be great if no one answered the call?

At least that's what his nervously standing mother hoped for.

“Hello”

Unfortunately, a silver bell-like voice shattered his mother's illusion.

“Jocelyn, it's me.”

“Samson Nan?”

She sounded a bit surprised.

“Jocelyn, have you been listening to the doctor's advice in the hospital?”

“Eh? I”

“Have you been taking your medicine properly?”

He asked softly, his tone warm and caring.

Raina Nan and his mother dared not make a sound, afraid the call would go south in the next second.

“Uh-huh, I am taking them,”

She paused for a second then replied, her voice soft, as if she was smiling back at him.

“I'm at my grandmother's. She wants to say a few words to you.”

“…”

There was a brief pause.

“Okay.”

Samson Nan turned around and pointed the phone microphone towards his grandmother.

“Hello, Grandma. I'm Jocelyn York.”

“Oh, good good. Are you feeling okay, dear?”

“I'm fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“That's good. You've been through a lot, dear. Has our Samson been treating you well?”

The grandmother seemed to take quite a shine to this would-be 'granddaughter-in-law'.

“No, he…”

She seemed to ponder for a moment.

“He's been very good to me.”

“That's great, that's great. Make sure to rest well!”

“I will. Thank you.”

The grandmother was nodding approvingly at his mother.

“I'll pass the phone back to Samson.”

She handed the phone back to Samson Nan.

He took the call off the speaker.

“Jocelyn, make sure to rest well.”

No one knew what Jocelyn York said on the other end of the call, but he smiled.

He thanked her before hanging up.

He sighed a sigh of relief.

His grandmother felt quite satisfied with the would-be granddaughter-in-law she hadn't met, praising her for being sweet and polite.

His mother could only smile wryly.

Upon turning to Raina Nan, he found her staring at him in awe.

“Impressive, right?”

He nudged her lightly, standing next to her.

“Huh? Oh.”

She barely made a sound, not focusing on him at all.

The whole thing felt like a magic show, with Samson Nan as the magician and Jocelyn York, a confederate.

“Such a small reaction? Boring~”

“You just got lucky!”

She snorted. The tacit understanding between Samson Nan and Jocelyn didn't warrant her approval.

“It's all acting.”

He laughed.

“Your acting sucks!”

“That's sour. Jealous~”

“Huh? Why would I be jealous?!”

She stuttered, caught off guard.

“It's none of my business!”

“Little one, you're not running a fever, are you?”

He touched her forehead.

“Get away!”

She got up and ran out.

Only he was left, bewildered.