The Epoch of Miyu

A conversation that began with "We need to talk" ultimately ended without resolution.

That night, Nie Yucheng slept on the living room sofa.

The next day, Xu Miyu woke up early but remained lying in bed without moving. Only after hearing Nie Yucheng get up, finish washing, and leave for work did she rise.

She went to the living room and looked around. There was no trace of anyone having slept on the sofa the previous night, and the house felt cold and desolate, devoid of any human warmth.

The wedding photo still hung prominently on the wall, with Xu Miyu in the picture smiling as if she had eaten honey. The Xu Miyu outside the photo gazed at her image in the picture, and sorrow welled up inside her.

She scanned the room. This small home, which she had once considered a warm harbor, still retained its fresh and elegant decor and furnishings, but in her eyes, it had become bleak and dilapidated, no longer able to offer her shelter from the storms of life.

After washing her face in the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. In just two days, the blows she had suffered had aged her. She stared at her haggard self—at thirty years old, her eyes already carried the weariness of a life fully lived.

Thinking about the mess at home now, she had no energy to deal with Jiao Xiumei. She needed to send her mother away quickly so she could calm down and carefully consider what to do next with Nie Yucheng.

So after washing her face, Xu Miyu turned on her phone.

Jiao Xiumei’s messages flooded into Xu Miyu’s phone like a burst dam. Xu Miyu skimmed a few—some scolding her for ignoring her mother, others urging her to call back quickly. Not a single one asked, "What happened that made you not answer the phone?"

Xu Miyu sighed and stopped scrolling, directly dialing Jiao Xiumei’s number.

As soon as the call connected, Jiao Xiumei began her tirade: "Little Xu Miyu, what’s wrong with you? I just asked you to help your brother buy a house, and you start shutting me out and turning off your phone. Is this your way of passive resistance?"

Jiao Xiumei grew angrier as she spoke and started using Xu Miyu’s full name: "Xu Miyu, you have to have a conscience. I, your mother, raised you with great difficulty—giving birth to you left me with a body full of ailments. If you’d been born into another family with so many kids, and you being a girl, the family would’ve been fined a huge sum. You would’ve been given away or tossed into a ditch long ago! But I, Jiao Xiumei, didn’t do that, so you should show some gratitude and not turn into an ungrateful wretch!"

Listening to Jiao Xiumei’s words, Xu Miyu felt so heartbroken that she laughed bitterly.

If she had no conscience, she would’ve long stopped caring for this entire family. Wasn’t it precisely because she was shackled by her familial ties, precisely because she had too much conscience, that her life with Nie Yucheng had ended up like this? How ironic—she had been so conscientious that she had driven Nie Yucheng to cheat, yet her mother remained unsatisfied.

She had no mood to argue with Jiao Xiumei and simply told her mother: "I’m coming to the hotel to pick you up now. Pack your luggage and wait for me."

Jiao Xiumei quickly asked: "Wait, what do you mean? Are you, you wasteful child, trying to kick me out?"

Afraid that Jiao Xiumei would persist, Xu Miyu had no choice but to explain: "I have an emergency to deal with here. You can come back after I’ve handled it. If you insist on staying now, I won’t be able to look after you."

After hanging up, Xu Miyu prepared to leave. There was only one car in the household, and she had originally planned to take a taxi to the hotel. But as she walked to the entryway to change her shoes, she spotted the car keys hanging by the front door.Nie Yucheng didn't drive to work today.

Xu Miyu recalled how Nie Yucheng had once told her that he shouldn't drive when he was upset, or else something might happen. Her heart suddenly felt as if someone had punched it.

Was he upset too? Shouldn't he be happy that the matter could finally be brought into the open, that he could finally use this opportunity to free himself from her?

Steadying herself, Xu Miyu picked up the car keys and went out.

When she arrived at the hotel, Jiao Xiumei had already finished breakfast but had only packed half of her luggage.

Xu Miyu had no choice but to pack for Jiao Xiumei herself.

Jiao Xiumei then settled into the massage chair, playing both the hands-off boss and the imperial spy, persistently asking Xu Miyu, "What exactly do you need to deal with?"

Xu Miyu closed the suitcase and briefly told Jiao Xiumei, "Nie Yucheng and I had a fight."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Xiumei immediately stopped the massage chair and stepped out, walking over to Xu Miyu. Her eyes, like searchlights probing for military intelligence, stared as she asked, "You had a fight? What, is it about buying the apartment for your brother? He doesn't want to pay? Third Daughter, this is the moment to test your skills. Hurry up these next few days, smooth your husband's feathers and make him comfortable, get him firmly under your control, and make him agree to buy the apartment!"

Xu Miyu irritably slammed the suitcase onto the floor. Unfortunately, the carpet absorbed all the force of her anger, making the heavy thud soundless, like a punch hitting cotton.

"You only care about buying an apartment for your son. You don't care about my life at all!" Xu Miyu accused Jiao Xiumei.

Jiao Xiumei raised her hand and poked Xu Miyu's forehead, making her head tilt to the side.

"Who are you picking a fight with, you wretched child? How can you say I don't care about your life? If I didn't care, could I have raised you this big? I could've saved myself some fines by strangling you when you were little! Tell me, did I ever shortchange you on food, clothes, or education?"

Xu Miyu didn't want to engage in any more pointless arguments with her. She could never win against Jiao Xiumei in such debates; each argument only made her feel more indebted to her.

She dragged the suitcase to the front desk to check out. When the bill was printed, Xu Miyu was shocked by the enormous amount.

Looking at the details, the old lady had really gone all out. In this luxury hotel, she had indulged in every possible service and amenity, as if spending an enemy's money.

Xu Miyu couldn't help but glare at Jiao Xiumei. "How could you spend so much?"

Jiao Xiumei quickly defended herself, "Why are you glaring at me? To show off your big eyes? To show off your double eyelids? Stop glaring already. It's not like I'm clueless. Your eldest sister told me that your husband's travel company has some kind of strategic partnership with this hotel, so staying in the executive suite and shopping all get discounts."

After a pause, Jiao Xiumei continued to justify herself, "Besides, to put it bluntly, your husband can find a way to expense all these charges. It's not like it's your own money anyway, so why are you bothering me so much? Are you the president of some thrift association? Third Daughter, I'm telling you, aren't you just siding with outsiders?"

Xu Miyu irritably turned away, not wanting to listen to Jiao Xiumei's nagging anymore. She wasn't in the mood to argue with her. All she wanted now was to send Jiao Xiumei off as quickly as possible and have some peace and quiet.On the way to the train station, Jiao Xiumei relentlessly alternated between persuading and pressuring Xu Miyu, urging her to quickly reconcile with Nie Yucheng so he would promptly provide money to buy a house for Xu Mibao and, incidentally, arrange a job for him. Only with these material conditions secured could Xu Mibao find a partner and continue the family line for the Xu family.

Xu Miyu let her talk throughout the journey, seldom responding.

Just before Jiao Xiumei passed through security to board the train, Xu Miyu asked her, "Mom, aren't you afraid that by pushing me like this, Nie Yucheng might get fed up with our family and divorce me?"

Jiao Xiumei immediately widened her eyes: "Then you mustn't agree to it! Third child, I need to emphasize this—you must learn more feminine wiles to keep Nie Yucheng firmly tied to you. A woman who can make her man obey her is truly capable. Look at your father—he might act tough outside, but at home, if I say one, he doesn't dare say two. You have to be like me: it doesn't matter if you're fierce outside, but at home, you must be so domineering that your husband trembles at your cough!"

Jiao Xiumei paused proudly to catch her breath, then continued imparting her remarkable life wisdom: "Third child, remember you were born to me, Madam Jiao Xiumei. Don't let me look down on you. Keep my words in mind—I'm your birth mother, I won't steer you wrong; everything I say is for your own good. Alright, I'm going in now. Remember: keep Nie Yucheng tightly under your thumb, and hurry up about getting him to agree to buy your brother a house!"

Xu Miyu laughed at this, her face full of self-mockery.

Water droplets dripped from her bangs, and nearby customers were secretly glancing at her, watching her humiliated disarray. She trembled all over, her teeth grinding in fury. She still had a trump card—she wouldn't let the person who had publicly shamed her off so easily.

Xu Miyu looked at Lu Zhenzhen's face, several years younger than her own. Youth was the most invincible cosmetic—that taut, elastic skin radiated vigorous provocation.

Xu Miyu thought, in this sullied three-way relationship, she hadn't expected Lu Zhenzhen to be the first one to lose composure.

Lu Zhenzhen's face paled slightly. She had been careless, forgetting to turn off her other phone before coming here.

"Did Nie Yucheng tell you he wants to leave, and that I'm using marriage as shackles to bind him?" Xu Miyu asked Lu Zhenzhen while observing her expression.

She was grateful she had washed her face and combed her hair before going out, preserving some dignity—otherwise, she would have been completely outshone by Lu Zhenzhen.

Lu Zhenzhen's face grew paler.

Dissatisfied with being ignored, Lu Zhenzhen continued, "Sister Mi Yu, don't be like this. We came out to solve the problem, right? It's pointless if you deliberately ignore me..."

Lately, Nie Yucheng had been sleeping on the living room couch when he came home. She hadn't figured out what to do next, and neither had Nie Yucheng, it seemed. So, for now, they had fallen into a mutually understood state of cold treatment.

How dare they ask her that? As if she were the one who had cheated.

Xu Miyu responded to Lu Zhenzhen's earlier remark: "Has it become interesting now?"She raised her hand to signal the waiter for more water. Then, with a smile, she said to Lu Zhenzhen, "When you went after a married man, did you ever think about preserving some dignity for yourself? You stole someone else’s husband, and now you’re asking his wife for dignity? How shameless can you be?"

Xu Miyu looked at Lu Zhenzhen and spoke each word clearly and deliberately: "The text messages you sent, and your bluster today, all prove that you have no real hold over Nie Yucheng. A cheating man is tainted—I might not even want him anymore. But thank you for your behavior today, because it confirms one thing I can be sure of: as long as I don’t file for divorce, Nie Yucheng won’t either. That means you’ll forever be nailed to the pillar of shame as the other woman!"

She never expected that Xu Miyu, who seemed so easy to manipulate, would be this formidable when pushed to the brink.

"Lu Zhenzhen," Xu Miyu’s smile faded, leaving only a trace of mockery, "let me guess what really happened. You and Nie Yucheng have been together for quite some time. He’s complained to you about his marital issues with me, making you think he couldn’t take it much longer and would eventually divorce me. But he never did. So you couldn’t stand it anymore—you couldn’t wait, right? That’s why you sent me those anonymous texts, staging a scene for me to catch you two in the act, tearing down that thin veil. You thought I was a brainless housewife, and if I made a scene, Nie Yucheng would get fed up and finally ask for a divorce. But days have passed, and there’s been no sign of a divorce between us. So you grew restless. You must have approached Nie Yucheng first, but got nowhere with him. That’s why today, you took the initiative to meet me."

Even though it was Nie Yucheng and Lu Zhenzhen who had cheated, why were they the ones asking her: "What are you going to do?"

She ended the call, and her phone screen returned to the two messages she had received, urging her to catch them in the act.

Xu Miyu curled her lips into a cold smile.

"Mi Yu, I hope we can both preserve some dignity. I reached out to you because I wanted to have a proper conversation about how we should resolve this. Please don’t let your emotions take over, okay?"

Lu Zhenzhen pursed her lips and said, "Mi Yu, feelings aren’t about right or wrong—it’s just that two people who like each other met at the wrong time. I think using marriage as a shackle to bind a man who wants to leave is the truly shameless act. Everyone has the freedom to pursue what they want and whom they like."

"You’re lying. Given your tendency to twist the truth, if Nie Yucheng had really said that, you wouldn’t have settled for just one brief word. You’d have eagerly written a detailed, dramatic essay to provoke me."

Lu Zhenzhen stiffened at her words.

"Yes," Lu Zhenzhen answered firmly.

Xu Miyu looked at the young, delicate face in front of her and felt an urge to laugh in disbelief.

As soon as Xu Miyu finished speaking, she abruptly picked up the water glass in front of her and splashed its contents into Lu Zhenzhen’s face.

"What are you going to do?""Perhaps you think I'm a useless woman, foolish and soft-hearted, always afraid of upsetting others, always trying to please people, never able to say harsh words—so I seem easy to manipulate, which is why you dared to target my family with such confidence. But Lu Zhenzhen, let me tell you, when I truly get serious and angry, I can make others extremely uncomfortable too. And now, I already know your bottom line."

Lu Zhenzhen's face grew even more unpleasant.

A few days later, Xu Miyu unexpectedly received a call from Lu Zhenzhen.

Her resentment toward Nie Yucheng suddenly lessened a bit.

They agreed to meet at a café they had visited together before.

Xu Miyu felt she must have been blind back then to have enjoyed conversations with someone like Lu Zhenzhen and even considered her a friend. At the time, she thought Lu Zhenzhen, though always asking questions, had her own unique perspectives that felt refreshing. Now, it seemed those "unique perspectives" actually reflected distorted values.

After saying this, she stood up and left, leaving Lu Zhenzhen sitting there awkwardly with a pale, damp face.

Lu Zhenzhen wasn't there to reminisce—she got straight to the point as soon as she sat down.

Lu Zhenzhen clenched her fists tightly. She hadn't expected to underestimate Xu Miyu. She had genuinely believed Xu Miyu was a brainless, spineless housewife with a people-pleasing personality.

Meanwhile, Xu Miyu and Nie Yucheng maintained a harmonious but cold stalemate. On the other side, someone else was growing restless first.

Xu Miyu smiled slightly.

Xu Miyu glanced at the water glass in front of her. If it hadn't been empty, she would have picked it up and splashed the water right in Lu Zhenzhen's face.

Xu Miyu found it bitterly ironic that she had once thought this café marked the beginning of her friendship with Lu Zhenzhen. Yet soon, it would witness something filthy.

Xu Miyu smiled without speaking. She picked up her phone from the table.

"Just as I thought—it was you who sent me those messages."

If they really gave Xu Mibao money to buy a house this time, Nie Yucheng would truly be dragged into her family's bottomless pit—supporting her sister and brother-in-law, her father and mother, her younger brother, essentially her entire family.

After seeing Jiao Xiumei off, Xu Miyu finally had some quiet space to think about her situation with Nie Yucheng.

As soon as she finished speaking, a string of phone rings rang from her handbag on the table.

"This glass of water—you deserve it."