My Youth Began With Him

Before Huo Mian could speak, Zeng Rou said with a smile, “I heard you’re three months pregnant. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Huo Mian appreciated the woman for her thoughtfulness because Zeng Rou had ordered warm water for her, knowing that pregnant women couldn’t drink coffee.

“I’ve seen lots of your pictures before I met you, but seeing you in person, I find that you look different from the pictures,” Zeng Rou said, still smiling.

“Oh? How different?” Hou Mian drank the water gracefully, looking as calm as usual.

“Cameras can show a person’s body shape and facial features but can’t capture their personality. You look nicer than in the pictures.”

“Indeed?”

“I’ve been curious what kind of woman can make a man like Su Yu love her so deeply… I don’t know you well yet, but I can feel a strong magnetic presence from you. It can calm down people; no matter how restless a person feels, they’ll calm down in front of you.”

“Miss Zeng, you think too highly of me. I’m only a mortal woman of the most ordinary kind, not so special as broadcasted by the media,” Huo Mian said modestly.

“The fans on your Weibo page call you Dr. Huo.”

“Yeah. They call me that because of my job. Many people are my patents and call me Dr. Huo as a habit. I like that they call me that.”

“Su Yu likes to call you by this name, too,” said Zeng Rou.

Huo Mian’s hand holding the water glass paused and she looked a bit awkward.

“I wasn’t saying that to make it awkward for you. I’ve lived in Su Yu’s house for a while now.”

“Yeah. I heard you two are dating now.” Huo Mian raised her head and looked at Zeng Rou.

“It’s fake. I play girlfriend for Su Yu and he does the same for me, so my family won’t introduce me to other guys. We’re helping each other,” Zeng Rou told Huo Mian the truth.

“Oh, I see.” Huo Mian lowered her head thoughtfully.

“But I appreciate Su Yu.”

“Yeah. He’s an excellent guy and is worthy of women’s love.” Huo Mian agreed.

“Even though he’s so excellent, you’ve really never loved him?” Zeng Rou asked her.

Huo Mian looked up, her eyes unreadable.

This question was very hard to answer.

“Don’t look at me like this. I don’t have a recorder or something on me to get words out of you. I truly think Su Yu’s good guy. But you’ve never loved him in the years that he’s stayed by your side?”

“Have you loved someone?” Huo Mian asked Zeng Rou.

“Of course.” Zeng Rou suddenly remembered her previous boyfriend who had betrayed her.

“No. I don’t mean the usual love, but the love that you can use everything to love, the love that you can die for.”

“Not really.” Zeng Rou shook her head. She had loved that scumbag, but not so deep that she’d die for him.

“If you loved a man with your life and would die for him, you’d understand me. Your mind and heart and eyes are so full of the man that you’d feel nothing about others no matter how good they are. After evolving for so many years, humans are now on the top of the food chain in nature and should be the most loyal creatures in the world, but some good features in people have been eroded by modern society.”

“I know what you mean. You’re saying you only love your husband no matter how excellent other men are,” Zeng Rou concluded for Huo Mian.

Huo Mian smiled. “Something like that.”

“Dr. Huo, you look beautiful when you smile. I saw one of your pictures on Su Yu’s cellphone. In the picture, you’re dressed in a doctor’s white coat and wearing a pair of glasses; you look pretty.”

“Are you praising me or mocking me?” Huo Mian looked at Zeng Rou quietly.