Both Are

Chen Zhi had absolutely no idea that his own mother had caught him red-handed in the supermarket.

When the car turned into the residential compound, he glanced out the window.

It was still that same old neighborhood. A few old bicycles were piled up at the entrance of the building, property management notices were plastered on the wall, and an old man sat under the shade of a tree, waving a palm-leaf fan.

Pei Ningxue was also looking out the window, not saying a word.

"What's on your mind?" Chen Zhi turned his head.

"Nothing," Pei Ningxue withdrew her gaze. "I just think... it's quite nice."

"What's quite nice?"

"The place where you grew up."

Chen Zhi paused for a moment, not replying.

Lao Zhao parked the car downstairs by the unit. Chen Zhi got out to open the trunk and grab their things. Pei Ningxue followed him out and reached for a bag.

"Don't carry that, let me."

"It's not like I'm disabled," Pei Ningxue said, picking up a bag of fruit and holding the milk with her other hand.

Chen Zhi couldn't talk her out of it, so he shouldered the rest of the stuff himself, and the two walked into the stairwell.

Pei Ningxue followed slowly behind Chen Zhi.

"Are you nervous?"

"Who's nervous?"

Chen Zhi chuckled and continued upstairs.

They arrived at the front door.

Chen Zhi freed up a hand to press the doorbell.

No one answered.

He pressed it again.

Still no one.

"My dad should be home..." Chen Zhi pulled out his keys to unlock the door.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the living room was empty. The TV was off, and half a cup of cold tea sat on the coffee table.

"Dad?"

No response.

Chen Zhi put the things down in the entryway, changed into slippers, and walked inside. No one was in the kitchen, and no one was in the bedrooms either.

He took out his phone, just about to make a call, when he suddenly noticed a note pressed on the coffee table.

"Went fishing, will be back tonight."

Chen Zhi flipped the note over. There was another line on the back, added by his mother.

"There's mung bean soup in the pot, serve yourself. Your dad went fishing, ignore him, he'll probably come back empty-handed again."

Chen Zhi put the note down and turned around, waving Pei Ningxue over.

"Come on in. No one's home. My dad went fishing, and my mom probably went out for groceries."

Pei Ningxue changed into the slippers Chen Zhi found for her. Shuffling in the cotton slippers that were clearly two sizes too big, she walked into the living room.

The apartment wasn't large—two bedrooms and a living room, a typical layout for an old neighborhood—but it was kept spotlessly clean. A family portrait hung on the living room wall. In it, Chen Zhi looked to be about twelve or thirteen, standing between his parents with a smug look on his face.

Pei Ningxue stood in front of that photo and looked at it for a few seconds.

"Were you always this cocky as a kid?"

"What attitude?"

"That cocky attitude."

Chen Zhi ignored her and began sorting the groceries they bought into the fridge. He washed a plate of cherries, brought them out, and set them on the coffee table.

Pei Ningxue sat on the sofa, picked up a cherry, and looked around.

"Which one is your room?"

"The one furthest in."

"Can I take a look?"

"Be my guest."

Pei Ningxue stood up, walked over, and pushed the bedroom door open.

A single bed, a desk, and a bookshelf stuffed with high school textbooks and reference materials. Next to the desk drawer stood an old pen holder containing a few worn-down pencils.

Pei Ningxue stood in front of the desk for a moment, reaching out to trace the scratches on the surface.

"How many years did you spend doing homework at this desk?"

"From elementary to high school, twelve years," Chen Zhi said, leaning against the doorframe.

Pei Ningxue didn't speak, her fingers slowly gliding along the scratches.

"Let's go, stop looking. It's not like it's anything rare," Chen Zhi patted the doorframe.

Pei Ningxue returned to the living room, sat down, and ate two cherries.

Chen Zhi went to the kitchen, scooped out two bowls of mung bean soup, and handed one to her.

"Have something to tide you over, we'll wait for my mom to come back and cook."

Pei Ningxue took the bowl and took a sip.

"It's really sweet."

"My mom always uses rock sugar when she makes mung bean soup. She thinks white sugar is unhealthy."

The two sat on the sofa drinking their mung bean soup. The TV wasn't on, and the living room was completely quiet.

The window was open, letting in the sound of cicadas chirping outside, along with the Peking opera playing on an old man's radio downstairs.

Pei Ningxue suddenly spoke up, "Do you think your mom won't like me?"

"How could she not?"

"I'm being serious," Pei Ningxue put down her bowl. "Your mom knows Lin Wanwan, and your families are neighbors. I just popped out of nowhere. If I were your mom, I'd feel awkward about it too."

Chen Zhi thought about it and couldn't find a reason to argue.

"Then just... try to act a little sweeter?"

Pei Ningxue shot him a glance.

"When have I not been sweet?"

Chen Zhi wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the front door.

They both looked toward the entryway at the same time.

The door opened.

Zhang Guifang stood in the doorway holding shopping bags, her expression very calm.

Too calm.

Chen Zhi stood up. "Mom, you're back?"

Zhang Guifang changed into her slippers, placed the shopping bags on the shoe cabinet, and looked up at the living room.

Her gaze moved from Chen Zhi to Pei Ningxue on the sofa, lingering for two seconds.

Then it shifted back to Chen Zhi.

"You came back without even calling ahead," Zhang Guifang said, her tone giving away neither joy nor anger.

"I wanted to give you a surprise—"

"It's certainly a surprise all right." Zhang Guifang carried the bags into the kitchen, her voice drifting out. "Did you drink the mung bean soup?"

"I did."

"Wash the bowls yourself."

Chen Zhi turned his head to glance at Pei Ningxue.

Pei Ningxue had already stood up. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, her posture impeccable.

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and walked to the kitchen door.

"Mom, let me introduce you—"

"No need for you to introduce her."

Zhang Guifang walked out of the kitchen, still gripping the bunch of scallions she had just bought at the supermarket. She stood in the middle of the living room, looking Pei Ningxue up and down.

"Miss, what is your name?"

"Hello, Auntie. My name is Pei Ningxue."

Pei Ningxue's voice was much softer than usual, carrying a sweet, well-behaved tone that Chen Zhi had never heard from her at the company.

"Pei Ningxue." Zhang Guifang repeated the name and nodded. "Have a seat, don't just stand there."

Pei Ningxue sat back down on the sofa.

Zhang Guifang didn't press with immediate questions. She turned back into the kitchen and began prepping the vegetables.

Chen Zhi followed her in.

"Mom—"

"Get the cutting board out."

"Mom, listen to me—"

"The knife is in the second drawer."

"Mom!"

Zhang Guifang put down the scallions and turned around.

She stared at Chen Zhi's face, keeping her voice very low.

"Did you break up with Wanwan?"

"No."

Zhang Guifang wiped her hands on her apron.

"You didn't break up? Then who is that girl out there?"

"She's also my girlfriend."

The kitchen fell silent for three seconds.

Zhang Guifang picked up the cutting board and slammed it onto the counter with a loud smack.

"Chen Zhi, say that again?"

Chen Zhi took a half-step back.

"Mom, calm down first—"

"Why would I need to calm down? My son has a foot in two boats, what do I have to be worked up about?" Zhang Guifang wanted to yell, but she was afraid Pei Ningxue would hear her outside. "What is wrong with you? Is this how your father and I raised you?"

"Mom, it's a long story—"

"Then make it short."

Chen Zhi organized his thoughts.

"She's my business partner at the company. She graduated from Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, comes from a very good family, and we—"

"Did I ask about her family background?" Zhang Guifang interrupted him. "I am asking what exactly is going on between you and Wanwan. That girl from the Lin family grew up with you. Now you are seeing someone else on the side—how can you do that to her?"

"I didn't replace her with someone else. Wanwan is still my girlfriend."

Zhang Guifang froze.

It took her several seconds to process his words.

"Are you saying... you are dating both of them?"

Chen Zhi said nothing.

Zhang Guifang took a deep breath, picked up the kitchen cleaver, and started chopping green onions.

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack—the knife struck the cutting board with rapid, heavy blows.