What followed became cliché and simple.
A daughter’s heart is always with her husband, and her parents were powerless to stop her. After every trick in the book—tears, tantrums, and threats of suicide—and with the unborn child as a bargaining chip, the elders finally yielded. The price was Chen Zhizhong changing his surname and marrying into the family. The two held a simple wedding ceremony before Heling’s pregnancy began to show. The following spring, Xiao Heling successfully gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Xiao Zhizhong, however, felt little of the joy usually associated with fatherhood. The birth of a grandson seemed to delight Mrs. Xiao, who took it upon herself to be "lenient" with her new son-in-law. Having already received his doctoral admission and preparing to pack for America, Xiao Zhizhong instead received a unilateral notice from Singapore. He was ordered to head to Hong Kong after graduation to join an asset management company under the Xiao family's conglomerate.
"Did Mom really say that to you?" Zhizhong contacted Heling immediately. She was still in Singapore for her postpartum recovery, and her voice over the phone was jubilant. "I have to celebrate for you!"
Zhizhong choked on his words. "I... I thought you really wanted to go to America with me."
Only then did Heling notice his unusual despondency. She quickly tried to make amends. "Of course I want to go with you! But once you finish your studies and return to Singapore, you'll have to learn to help with the family business anyway. It's better to start sooner rather than later."
Zhizhong was stunned. "No one ever told me about this..."
Heling continued talking to herself. "My cousin-uncle is currently in charge of the asset management company. He's a very nice person. Once I'm out of recovery, I'll fly to Hong Kong to have dinner with him first and feel things out..."
His young wife chattered excitedly on the other end, but Zhizhong had no heart to entertain her and hastily hung up. Fortunately, Heling was still basking in the good news and remained oblivious to his unusual attitude.
Heling was a woman of her word; that evening, Zhizhong received a crate of expensive champagne she had ordered. However, he didn't throw the lively party she had envisioned. Instead, alone in his room, he silently opened bottle after bottle and drank them straight.
It was fine wine—crisp, fragrant, and smooth. Zhizhong had intended to get drunk, but the more he drank, the more sober he became. He sat by the windowsill, his mind replaying every moment since he had met Heling. The moon climbed the treetops and gradually vanished into the clouds. The first rays of dawn pierced the sky, falling upon the floor littered with empty bottles. Spilled wine had soaked the carpet, forming stains of varying shades that looked like a map of Europe.
An expensive mess, much like his life. It was only at this moment that Xiao Zhizhong realized he no longer had a future.
He had thought all the unbearable things were temporary—the arrogant Mrs. Xiao, the hypocritical and ostentatious social circles of the relatives, the tension of having to watch every step, the shame of being looked down upon and treated as an outsider. In his heart, he had quietly looked forward to a simple, happy life together in America, hoping to escape the cage and prove himself as a man once more. Yet today, he realized that from the moment he chose to be with Heling, the Chen Zhizhong who existed as an independent individual had vanished. He had become a cog in the Xiaos' massive machinery—parasitic upon it, assimilated by it, and existing for it, destined to sacrifice himself for its sake without hesitation.
No one had warned him that he would pay such a steep price for love. Perhaps only he would view freedom as a "price." Xiao Zhizhong stumbled from the window and threw himself onto the soft mattress. The duvet was plush and airy; he finally felt a hint of belated drunkenness, as if he were lying on a cloud.
For the past few months, he had been walking on clouds. He had stumbled along, led by passion and pushed by circumstances. His eyes had been veiled by a rose-colored filter, causing him to ignore every red flag in his life.
Heling had known it would come to this from the start. No, she had actively looked forward to it. So, of course, she wouldn't have warned him—wasn't it all a matter of course? Zhizhong realized with a pang of sorrow that beneath the surface, Heling and her mother were essentially the same kind of person. Her rebellion was merely a temporary lapse of judgment during her youth, yet he had been swept up in it, falling blindly into the trap.
Truly—how could he have expected her to be different? She, too, had been hatched from that world of vanity. But was it too late to pull away? Their child had just been born—innocent, naive dark eyes that crinkled into crescents at the slightest coaxing. Zhizhong had never seen a more adorable child.
And then there was the Xiao family. Zhizhong had already witnessed their methods. He didn't doubt for a second that if he dared to fail Heling, Mrs. Xiao had a hundred ways to grind him into the dirt, ensuring he would never rise again.
Drowsiness gradually surged. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into sleep, into a black, churning quagmire.
