The Day My Daughter Celebrated Her Birthday I received photos of my husband Ryan cheating on me. Ryan couldn’t come home due to a company dinner. After putting our daughter Mia to bed, I kept scrolling through the photos on my phone. [Buzz—] A text message vibrated. Unknown number: [Interested in talking?] I typed a reply with trembling fingers. [Who are you?] Unknown number: [We can meet and talk about your husband’s affair.] Then, they sent me an address for a coffee shop. I looked at the address information and tried to calm myself down. When Ryan came home reeking of alcohol, I pretended nothing was wrong as I helped him take off his coat and brought his slippers. He hugged me from behind as usual, smiling and asking if I had missed him. If it were before, I might have flirted back a bit. But now I had no interest in entertaining him. Because I needed to know if my husband was really cheating on me. While washing up, I checked his clothes in the laundry basket, not missing a single item from his shirt to his socks. When I saw the lipstick mark on his pants zipper, I felt sick to my stomach like I had swallowed a dead fly. I took out my phone and replied to the message. [I’ll be there at 3 pm tomorrow.] Within three minutes, they replied “OK.” That night I lay awake clutching my phone, with only one thought in my mind. Divorce! But I wouldn’t let Ryan get away with any benefits! I wanted him to leave with nothing, and I wanted this sponging cheater to be utterly disgraced! To be honest, I never thought Ryan would cheat. Because when Ryan proposed to me, he had nothing. It was only by marrying me that he gained a foothold in the expensive city of New York. His friends all thought he had scored big by marrying me. Even his mother, my difficult mother-in-law, thought so. At 3 pm the next day, I arrived at the coffee shop as agreed. At a table by the window, I met the stranger who had texted me. It was a woman, not particularly beautiful, but with a good figure and mature charm. She said her name was Lily and told me to call her Lily. As soon as I sat down, Lily pushed an envelope towards me. Lily said: [Take a look at these first. You’ll need them if you file for divorce.] Although her words seemed helpful, the certainty in her tone about me getting divorced was unsettling. I didn’t open it, but asked her: [Why are you helping me?] [No reason, I just don’t want him to get away with it.] She glanced at me and continued: [Also, you were the other woman back then, interfering in our relationship.] Lily stirred her coffee casually as she answered, but I nearly spilled my coffee on her. The other woman? You must be joking! I had never interfered in someone else’s marriage. Ryan and I were legally married. How could I possibly be the other woman?! [Don’t misunderstand, you were unknowingly the other woman.] Lily explained with a smile, [Ryan and I were college sweethearts. He made up an excuse to break up right after graduation. I only found out later it was because he had hooked up with you.] My nails dug into my palm as I gripped the coffee spoon, my mind filled with images of Ryan’s sweet words to me back then. I wanted to rush to his office and strangle him. Using the word “hooked up” was indeed accurate, because besides the car and house, even Ryan’s position at the company was arranged through my family connections. But arguing about this now wouldn’t do me any good. It might even play right into that scumbag’s hands. [So why are you contacting me only now?] I took a deep breath and questioned her, [Is it because he’s in touch with you again, or because you’re not willing to let him go and want to win him back?] Lily lit a cigarette, smiling and giving me a meaningful look. She said: [You can guess more boldly. For example, maybe he’s been secretly involved with multiple women behind our backs. Or maybe this time I’m just one of the women interfering in your marriage.] I let out a cold laugh. It was pretty much as I had guessed, otherwise Lily wouldn’t have suddenly sought me out. But what I felt more was sorrow. The marriage I had maintained for five years turned out to be just a joke.
Lily told me that Ryan wasn’t just cheating with her, but that the private investigator’s photos showed at least three women. She hoped I could work with her to deal with Ryan and not give a scumbag like him any chances. That afternoon we added each other on SnapChat, agreeing to join forces. As I was leaving the coffee shop, Ryan happened to call. He first asked what I was doing, then sweet-talked me for a while. But he probably didn’t know I was standing right next to his mistress. Fighting the nausea rising in my stomach, I only told him I was having coffee with a friend. [Alright then, you go ahead. Mom bought a ticket and will arrive tonight. She wants to see Mia.] Ryan said: [She can be a bit temperamental at her age, so try to be patient with her.] I rolled my eyes without responding. Because his mother was no saint either. She claimed to be coming to see Mia, but in reality she came asking for money every time. I was already being polite by not chasing her out with a broom. And he wanted me to be patient? How thick-skinned could he be? Before leaving, Lily said she would give me the private investigator’s contact. I neither refused nor agreed. I didn’t refuse because this private investigator who could take photos must have some skills. I didn’t agree because the situation now felt like a game of Werewolf, and I might be the next one to be eliminated. At 6:30 pm, I picked up my daughter from school. My mother-in-law was already squatting by the door with her bags, her face darker than a pot bottom when she saw me return. [Always running around outside, what’s wrong with staying at home properly?] My mother-in-law glared at me angrily, [A little girl that big doesn’t know the way? You still need to pick her up? If you’re so free, hurry up and give me a grandson!] I kept a cold face and didn’t respond, just taking Mia into the room. This made my mother-in-law even angrier. She started yelling through the door: [What kind of attitude is this? I’m your mother! Who are you giving attitude to?!] If I hadn’t confronted Ryan yet, I definitely would have gone out and torn her mouth off. But my mother-in-law was quick to tattle. Just as I opened WeChat, a message from Ryan came through. Ryan: [Honey, don’t be upset with my mom. She’s your mother-in-law after all. Apologize to her later.] I almost sent back “Fuck off!” Damn it! One eating from multiple women outside, one freeloading off me – did they think I was the Buddha blessing all beings? But Ryan didn’t notice my change, still sending sweet messages as usual. Unfortunately, in my eyes now, those words were just nauseating. If I hadn’t seen the photos, I probably would have believed his bullshit and thought he was a good father and an even better husband. I held back my anger and typed: [Are you coming home for dinner tonight?] Ryan: [Not coming back. I have a work dinner tonight.] Work dinner? Those two words disgusted me the most now. Who knows who he was really “dining” with? Though I knew he was lying, I still replied out of habit. [Be careful and come home early.] After I put Mia to bed and helped her with homework, I opened the door only to find my mother-in-law eavesdropping right outside. She stumbled and almost fell, but still started cursing. [What are you doing closing the door! We’re all family, what is there that I can’t hear? Were you talking bad about me behind closed doors? Have you ever seen a daughter-in-law like you, not even knowing to bring slippers for her mother-in-law when she visits?] I frowned and looked down. Sure enough, my mother-in-law was wearing the new slippers I had just bought for Mia, stretching them out of shape. [Mom, there are slippers prepared for you in the shoe cabinet…] I had told her this at least four or five times, but it was always the same result. But this time I didn’t back down, and continued coldly: [These slippers are Mia’s. What will she wear if you take them?] [So what if they’re Mia’s? I’m her grandmother! Everything in this house belongs to my son, why can’t I use or wear it?] My mother-in-law rolled her eyes and scolded shrilly: [You know there are slippers in the shoe cabinet, why didn’t you take them out for me to change into? What, you think I’m dirty?] My mother-in-law was a typical rural woman, but I had never looked down on her for that. But ever since finding out about Ryan’s affair, I felt disgusted with their whole family. Thinking that Mia still hadn’t had dinner, I couldn’t be bothered to argue further with her. After washing my hands, I started preparing to cook. Just as I opened the refrigerator door, my mother-in-law started yelling again. [Oh my god! You really are a wasteful woman! You don’t treat the money my son earns as money at all! Buying so much fruit, can you eat it all by yourself? What a waste!] I clenched my fists and said, [I bought this fruit with my own money. It has nothing to do with Ryan.] But my mother-in-law kept nagging and following me, [What? Your money isn’t my son’s money? There’s only three of us for dinner tonight, why are you taking out pork ribs? Put them back! Just stir fry a couple small vegetable dishes and that’s enough!] [You’re really pampered, eating pork ribs so late at night? My son works so hard every day but can’t even eat this well. You sure know how to enjoy yourself.] She kept muttering while trying to grab the pork ribs from my hand. I slammed the ribs hard on the counter. [What kind of attitude is this? I can’t even say anything to you now?] I said nothing and took out the cleaver.
I started chopping the ribs, putting all my strength into each cut! [Can’t you hear me talking to you!] My mother-in-law shouted, [I’m calling my son right now. What use is a daughter-in-law like you? Only knows how to spend money, not how to save for my son. It’s been years and you still can’t give birth to a son. It’s still me, his own mother, who cares for him most!] If murder wasn’t illegal, I really wanted to give this old lady a chop. But reason prevailed over anger. I held back my temper and smiled sweetly at her: [Mom, I was wrong just now. I won’t cook these ribs. Why don’t you go rest in the room first?] My mother-in-law snorted disdainfully, but looked quite pleased with herself. She thought she had me under control, and went to rest in the guest room with a victorious air. I quickly blanched the ribs in boiling water to remove the blood, ignoring the constant buzzing of my phone on the counter. I said I wouldn’t stir fry them, but I never said I wouldn’t stew them. Rather than let Ryan and his mother continue to walk all over me, I might as well become a saint right here and now. At dinner time, my mother-in-law almost flipped the table in anger. I ignored her and first ladled a bowl of rib soup for Mia, before leisurely opening my WeChat. 99 unread messages. All from Ryan. Probably trying to coax me into apologizing to his mother again. I pretended not to see and smiled as I called out to my mother-in-law: [Mom, why aren’t you eating? This rib soup smells so good.] My mother-in-law glared, [Eat? I’ll eat your mother’s X! Cooking such a good meal when there’s no man at home, who has such a greedy mouth like you? Aren’t you ashamed!] She finished cursing and reached out to take away the soup pot. I immediately smacked her hand with my chopsticks! I used to put up with her because I didn’t want to fight too early, but now that she’s bullying my daughter and me in front of Mia, how could I still tolerate her? My mother-in-law’s voice nearly broke from yelling, [You dare hit your mother, have you lost your mind!] I ladled myself a bowl of rib soup right in front of her, deliberately scooping up the biggest pieces. My mother-in-law’s face turned red with anger. I smiled and said: [Mom, if you’re full and have nothing to do, why don’t you go for a walk downstairs? Mia and I still need to eat. I bought these ribs with my own money, so how I eat them is my business. Don’t worry about it.] But of course she wouldn’t give up. In her eyes, no one deserved to eat well except her son Ryan. In this family, I was just a freeloader spending Ryan’s money, including Mia. My mother-in-law was used to throwing her weight around before, and couldn’t swallow this. She reached for the soup pot again. This time I didn’t stop her, because the pot base was still heating. She yelped in pain when she touched it. Seeing that bullying didn’t work, my mother-in-law resorted to playing the victim. She slapped her thigh and sat on the floor wailing, [There’s no justice! What kind of daughter-in-law is this, even daring to hit her own mother-in-law!] I couldn’t be bothered to pay her any attention. But Mia was scared and ran to her room to do homework without finishing her meal. I listened to her howling dramatically as I slowly cleaned up the dishes and went to my room. I knew exactly what my mother-in-law was like. She would definitely go complain to Ryan next. As soon as I opened WeChat, Ryan’s video call popped up. I hung up immediately. But Lily suddenly sent me a message, along with several photos. The photos showed Ryan drinking with his buddies. Sitting next to him was an unfamiliar but pretty young girl. Lily: [Didn’t he tell you he had a work dinner and couldn’t come home tonight?] I replied with a “Mm.” Lily typed quickly. Lily: [Haha, he told me he was at home. Said you and his mom were fighting and he was complaining that you don’t know how to behave.] I didn’t respond to that, just asked where she got the photos. Lily said the private investigator took them. Right now he was following them at the SOHO bar. [What about this young girl?] Lily: [New intern at his company. Poor family background, but pretty and sweet-talking. See how she’s the only woman at the table?]
With Lily’s explanation, I finally noticed the oddity in these photos. I have to say, Ryan is quite photogenic. Otherwise I wouldn’t have fallen for him and been willing to support him financially. Lily sent several more messages in quick succession. I didn’t reply, switching to Ryan’s message window instead. Looking at the messages he sent, I didn’t even have the urge to sigh. This mama’s boy who likes to eat from multiple bowls, how could he be any good? I thought for a moment, then typed and sent: [Honey, are you tired from the work dinner tonight?] He was probably looking at his phone, or maybe replying to someone else. Ryan: [It’s alright. This boss kept making me drink for him. I’ll probably be too drunk to come home tonight, might have to crash at a colleague’s place.] Oh, he’s already got an excuse ready for not coming home tonight. I held back my anger and sweet-talked him for a bit like usual before getting to the point. [Drinking so much, I bet there are female colleagues there you want to impress?] Ryan: [Haha, what are you saying? It’s just a bunch of guys, how could there be women?] Seemingly afraid I would get suspicious, he immediately sent a photo. One look at the photo and I knew I had him. The background and number of people were the same as in Lily’s photos, but his side of the table wasn’t shown. [Then drink less and take care of your stomach.] Ryan sent another message, basically just saying how tired his mom was and telling me to apologize, etc. I didn’t even look before closing his chat window. I was afraid if I kept chatting I would throw up. Simply put, this mama’s boy was just trying to mediate, stopping just short of listing all his mother’s great deeds in raising him over the years. I scrolled through my social media feed in frustration for a bit, then sent Lily a message. [Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to meet you.] [Yes.] She replied quickly. [Same place.] I sent the message and didn’t look again. It’s not that I wanted to ally with someone like Lily, because a woman who could be a mistress wouldn’t be a good person either. Not everyone has morals. Or principles. Ryan didn’t come home until nearly dawn. I heard his mom complaining about me to him. She might as well have used a megaphone to declare war on me. [Honey.] The covers were lifted and hands started roaming my body. [Did you miss me?] I almost couldn’t hold back from cursing. I never realized before how selfish Ryan was, but ever since his affair came to light, I became more and more aware of his flaws. Like disturbing my rest right now. I pushed him away. [Stop it.] But Ryan quickly pressed close again, grinning as he tried to take off my clothes. At that moment, three words popped into my head. Marital obligation. But obviously I didn’t want to disgust myself, much less give him a chance. I turned over stiffly. [Your mom is eavesdropping outside.] Sure enough, he stopped moving. I continued asking: [When is your mom planning to leave this time?] Ryan didn’t say anything. But his shocked expression clearly conveyed his thoughts. Yeah, I used to treat the old lady like royalty, how come I’m fighting and trying to get rid of her now? Before he could answer, the door was banged loudly! [This is my son’s home, I’ll stay as long as I want!] My mother-in-law raised her voice, [You hurry up and give me a grandson. My son can’t end up without an heir!] I couldn’t help but laugh. [Did you hear that? Your mom wants you to give her a grandson. The throne in your family needs an heir after all.] This was the first time I had ever mocked Ryan, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last. [Honey, my mom didn’t mean…] [Go to sleep.] I cut him off. The next morning, I used the excuse of taking Mia to tutoring to go out. My mother-in-law followed behind, making cold remarks. She just couldn’t stand me spending so much money on my daughter. In the car, I contacted Lily and asked about the private investigator she had introduced to me, inquiring if he could get evidence of my husband’s affair. My requirements weren’t high: First, I wanted to know how many women Ryan had cheated with, for how long, and I needed photos and recordings if possible. Second, whether Ryan had any financial dealings with these women, or if he had given them any expensive gifts. As long as I had this evidence in hand, I would essentially have the leverage to make Ryan leave with nothing in the divorce. The private investigator Lily introduced charged quite a lot, but I could afford it. However, I’m not an idiot. I didn’t trust Lily, nor did I trust him. It was the same coffee shop as last time, but this time I met a young man in a trench coat. To be honest. The moment I saw this private investigator, a woman’s sixth sense told me something was off. He reeked of perfume, and his mannerisms were nothing like a real private investigator’s. He first enthusiastically ordered me a coffee, and when he handed it over, he seemed to deliberately brush my fingers. Years of housework and taking care of my daughter had taken their toll, and despite spending money on skincare, my hands were no longer like a young girl’s. In contrast, this “investigator’s” hands were truly white and delicate. Either he was very young, or he had never done a day of manual labor in his life.
[Mrs. Gao, you really don’t look like you’ve had a child. So young and beautiful.] He complimented me, but I didn’t respond. He then started discussing my husband Ryan’s affair with me. I listened for a while before interrupting him, [How do you know Lily?] He was taken aback for a moment, but quickly composed himself with a smile, [Miss Lily? She was referred by another client.] With just that one sentence, I smiled and put down my coffee, understanding most of the situation. Every time the “private investigator” said something to me, his phone buzzed with a notification. In the less than three minutes we had been talking, his phone had gone off seven or eight times. I glanced over and saw that all the chat avatars were colorful and feminine. In other words, they were all women’s profile pictures. [Business is good? All female clients? I guess they’re all hiring you to catch cheating spouses?] I asked with a smile. He put away his phone and nodded hurriedly, [Yes. Mrs. Gao, I suggest you prepare for divorce in advance. I’ve seen many cases like your husband’s. With a new flame by his side, how could he remember what his old lover looks like?] I nodded, [I understand. How long will it take you to get the photos and recordings to me?] He didn’t expect me to end the conversation so quickly and stammered, [T-two… two weeks.] [Alright, we’ll be in touch in two weeks then.] I picked up my bag and stood up. [Mrs. Gao, don’t you want to chat more?] [Chat?] I looked at him, [Chat about what? Haven’t we already discussed everything?] My attitude was probably too cold. He stood there for a moment, not saying anything more. I stared at his fairly handsome face, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and smiled. Interesting, very interesting. The person Lily introduced to me was almost certainly not a real private investigator.
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