Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter with a Homeless Man
1751 Words
Qiao Mo had no choice but to pull out her phone and once again dial that familiar number—the one she had called countless times before but never received a response from.
Just like always, the ringtone rang out to the very last tone before the system calmly informed her: No answer.
This time, Qiao Mo finally gave up. She had done all she could. If Xiao Xu came back one day and found his mother gone… at least she could face him with a clear conscience.
At that moment, the doors to the operating room swung open. Qiao Mo rushed forward and grabbed the doctor’s hand.
“How is she? How’s the patient?”
The doctor pulled off his mask with a sigh and shook his head.
“She held on longer than we expected. That in itself was a miracle. You can go in now and say your goodbyes.”
The word goodbye hit Qiao Mo like a punch to the chest. She felt hollow, her mind blank with shock.
Xiao Qing stormed forward and grabbed the doctor’s arm, her composure unraveling.
“Name your price! We have money—plenty of it! Just go back in and keep trying!”
The doctor calmly replied, “She’s at the end. No amount of money can change that. Don’t waste time here—go be with her while you still can.”
Qiao Mo pushed the door open and ran inside. She hurried to the bedside and clutched her mother-in-law’s frail hand.
“Mom, it’s me, Qiao Mo. Can you open your eyes and look at me?”
The old woman forced her eyes open just a crack. Her head weakly turned toward Qiao Mo, lips moving but unable to form words.
Qiao Mo immediately understood what she wanted to ask and nodded through her tears. She was sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down her face.
Seeing her nod, the old woman’s eyes softened. Her face finally eased, and she turned to look at her daughter.
Then her gaze swept across the room, taking in her surroundings one last time. The light in her eyes slowly dimmed, and a single tear slid down her cheek as she gently closed her eyes.
“Mom—!”
Qiao Mo collapsed onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. In the past three years, they had become closer than mother and daughter. Raised in a single-parent household, Qiao Mo had never known maternal love—until this woman gave it to her.
And now, that love was gone. Just like that.
Beside her, Xiao Qing sneered. “Crying like that—anyone would think your own mother just died.”
Qiao Mo ignored her. She straightened up slowly, fighting to stay composed. Then she pulled the white sheet over the old woman’s still body.
A moment later, a nurse entered the room and told them to go back to the ward to collect the patient’s belongings.
Back in the hospital room, Qiao Mo found a bag and began carefully packing all of her mother-in-law’s personal items, leaving nothing behind.
Xiao Qing looked at her with obvious disdain.
“What are you even doing? None of this junk is worth anything. Taking it home is just bad luck.”
Qiao Mo said nothing. In her heart, one thought echoed loudly:
If Xiao Xu turns out to be just like her… there’s no way I’m letting my child stay in this family.
Suddenly, Xiao Qing’s voice pierced the silence.
“What’s this?!”
She held up a piece of paper, her voice rising to a shriek.
“You’re pregnant?!”
She shoved the ultrasound slip in Qiao Mo’s face and snapped, “Tell me! Who’s the father?!”
Qiao Mo had absentmindedly left the ultrasound report on the nightstand when she returned. She hadn’t expected Xiao Qing to find it.
She snatched it back and stuffed it into her pocket, expression cold and unreadable.
“It’s your brother’s.”
Xiao Qing stared at her, incredulous.
“Liar! My brother’s been gone for three years. What—did you get pregnant by telepathy?”
“Believe what you want,” Qiao Mo said flatly.
She went back to packing the rest of the belongings. Even the sheets and blankets her mother-in-law had used—she carefully removed them one by one to take home.
But Xiao Qing yanked one of the blankets from her hand and threw it to the floor, stomping on it furiously.
“You’re finished. I’m going to tell everyone you cheated on my brother and got yourself knocked up. Just wait—my dad’s going to throw you out of this house!”
Qiao Mo didn’t reply. With her mother-in-law gone, there was no reason to stay in this toxic household. Once the funeral was over, she would leave on her own.
From the cremation to the funeral service, Qiao Mo handled every last detail alone. The rest of the Xiao family acted like spectators, watching from the sidelines with cold detachment.
Chapter 3: A Chance Encounter
On the day of the funeral, the Xiao family all showed up—just to go through the motions. But that didn’t stop them from pointing fingers at Qiao Mo, accusing her in front of everyone.
“Your husband’s been gone for three years, and you expect us to believe this baby is his?”
“Wait till my brother gets back. I’ll make sure he divorces you!”
“How dare you cheat on my son! You must have a death wish!”
After the funeral, Qiao Mo returned to the Xiao house to pack her things. She had already made up her mind to leave.
In the past three years, she had barely spent a dime of the Xiao family’s money. The few pieces of jewelry and clothing she owned were gifts from her late mother-in-law.
Before leaving, she went into her mother-in-law’s room and retrieved a small box the woman had asked her to give to Xiao Xu once he returned.
Back then, her mother-in-law must have known she wouldn’t live long enough to see her son again. Even her final affairs had been arranged in advance.
Just as Qiao Mo reached the door, suitcase in hand, Xiao Qing returned and blocked her path.
“Open that suitcase,” she demanded. “I want to see if you’re trying to sneak out anything that belongs to the Xiao family.”
Qiao Mo lowered her gaze. Her voice was quiet but firm. “There’s nothing.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll be the judge of that.”
Xiao Qing waved over a few housemaids and forced the suitcase open. They rummaged through every item inside.
One of the maids whispered, “Miss, there really isn’t anything valuable in here…”
Xiao Qing lifted her chin arrogantly. “Fine. You can go. But from now on, don’t you dare tell anyone you’re married to my brother. When he gets back, I’ll make sure he divorces you.”
Qiao Mo said nothing, but thought to herself, If a family like this raised your brother, I don’t need to wait—I’ll divorce him myself.
It was raining the day Qiao Mo left, just like the day she arrived. She had the same suitcase, the same lonely figure.
But this time, she wasn’t alone.
She stood under the bus stop awning, hand on her belly. A faint smile touched her lips as she whispered, “Baby, I promise I’ll work hard to give you a good life. Let’s hang in there together.”
Even though her mother-in-law was gone, she had never once considered giving up the baby. No matter what happened, this was her child.
A husband could become a stranger. But a child? A child was hers—forever. And if Xiao Xu ever tried to take the baby from her, she would fight him to the bitter end.
Thankfully, she had already rented a place online. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even have a roof over her head.
The apartment complex was in a rundown neighborhood, far from the city center. It took her over an hour by bus to get there. The building was old and the surroundings didn’t feel safe.
But she had no choice. After quitting her job to care for her mother-in-law, she had no income, no savings. This was the cheapest option she could find.
After dropping off her things, hunger hit her hard. Things were different now—she wasn’t just feeding herself anymore.
She headed to the nearby supermarket and picked up a few essentials—some noodles and a few vegetables. She planned to make a simple veggie noodle soup: cheap, but healthy.
Her time wandering the streets with her gambling father had taught her how to survive. She could cook, clean, and even handle herself in the wild if she had to.
But as the sun began to set, her steps quickened. This neighborhood didn’t feel safe after dark.
Suddenly, she heard shouting from a nearby alley.
“You punk! How dare you steal from me on my turf? I’ll kill you and no one’ll care!”
Fearing trouble, Qiao Mo took off running.
Just as she reached the end of the alley, a bloodied figure stumbled into her path. The man’s body was covered in wounds, his clothes torn and filthy. He stared at her, eyes wild and intense.
Terrified, Qiao Mo backed up, pressing her palms together in a pleading gesture.
“I didn’t see anything. Please, let me go. I won’t say a word.”
The man looked like a homeless drifter, dangerous and desperate. People like him were unpredictable.
But Qiao Mo had studied psychology in college. She knew how to read people, how to de-escalate.
She swallowed her fear and spoke in a calm, low voice.
“Think about your family. Your friends. Maybe you have a child waiting for you to come home.”
“If you hurt me, you’ll go to prison.”
“And if that happens, your kid won’t be able to become a civil servant, or work in a state-owned company someday.”
Something in her words struck a chord. The man’s face twitched, and his dry lips parted.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He took a breath and continued, “I was just passing through. Someone stole my phone and wallet. Can I borrow your phone to make a call?”
- Writer
