An Xiulan quietly opened the door to her house. She was sneaking inside as if it was not her own ho. She didn't look here and there and ran to her room on soft feet. As she reached the stairs, she heard a sound and looked back.
"Where do you think you are sneaking to?" An Xiulan and Gu Yanzi were standing behind her, with their hands folded on their chest. They had seen the thief entering and trying to go upstairs.
"Hey, mom and uncle, "An Xiulan greeted them.
"Young lady, have you seen what ti it is?" An Qinyan narrowed her eyes and asked the question to her daughter. It had been so many days since An Xiulan ca ho and now that she decided to co, look at the way she was entering.
"Umm?" An Xiulan looked at the ti on her watch and sheepishly smiled. "I am kinda late."
It was not a little late. It was more than that.
"Kinda?" An Qinyan emphasis on the word, "It is eleven in the night and you say you are kinda late."
"Were you partying late at night?" An Qinyan asked. She knew that usually when her daughter would be partying with her friends, the latter would not return ho and chose to stay with her friends.
"Wait, no?" An Xiulan reacted. How did she tell her mom that she did not consu any alcohol? Moreover, she was not partying. Life was having a party at her expense. But she could not tell her mother anything right now as she had no energy and she was not sure what would be her mother's reaction.
An Qinyan advised, "Xiulan, it is not good to drink daily. I know that you are youngster and have your own way of dealing with things. But I just want to let you know that staying out late to party on weekdays is not a good habit."
The children thought that their parents did not know anything. They knew everything that went with their children. They knew about Gu Shangyan's alcohol problem and his struggle to get over it. They were just afraid that An Xiulan might fall into it. Of course, An Xiulan was a wise child but as a parent, she was just worried and wished for the best for her.
An Xiulan did not explain, "I will keep this in mind."
An Qinyan said, "Now go to bed. It is quite late. You have an office in the morning."
Only if An Qinyan knew that there was no office tomorrow or many days to co.
An Xiulan nodded and said before leaving, "Good night Mom and Uncle. I will see you in the morning."
When An Xiulan left, Gu Yanxi turned to his wife and said, "Why did it make feel that she got sad suddenly?"
An Qinyan sighed, "I scolded her. Naturally, she will be sad."
"Don't you feel bad that she is sad?" Gu Yanxi askee his wife.
"I do." An Qinyan let out, "But I am angry at her too. It has been almost four days since she ca ho. Today, she knew that if we saw her coming, she would get scolded. That's why she was sneaking into her own house. "
She was not a strict parent. She gave all the freedom to her children. Yet, she knew that sotis they needed so scolding so they would not deviate from the right path.
"Let's not worry about it, "Gu Yanxi hugged his wife and said, "They are young and have their way with their life. We were worse than them. Rember we used to live on our own when we were twenty-five and used to party every day."
An Qinyan said, rolling her eyes, "I don't know about you but I was a single mom at this age in a different country."
He kissed her hair and hugged her tightly, "I am sorry that you have to go through this at such a young age."
An Qinyan gave her a look, saying it was not ti to talk about her here.
On the other hand, An Xiulan fell into a depressing state after returning ho. Even though the environnt had changed, the bad mood and thoughts were not leaving her side. The night felt so long to her that it did not seem to be ending.
___
"Good morning, mom and uncle." An Xiulan greeted her mother and stepfather. They were both having breakfast. Usually at this ti, they had left for the office but today they were still having breakfast. It would not be wrong to say that she ca deliberately late so she would not have to explain a lot of things to them. Alas, her luck was not on her side these days. She was still dressed in her night clothes and her mother was going to scold her for sure. As much as her mother doted on her, she knew that her mother did not like people who did not take their work seriously.
"Xiulan, you are up a little late, "An Qinyan casually comnted as she saw her daughter walking to the breakfast table.
"I…" An Xiulan wanted to say sothing in explanation but An Qinyan did not allow her to do so.
An Qinyan added, "And you aren't even ready yet. Have breakfast quickly and then get ready, you have to leave for the office quickly."
An Xiulan answered, "Mom, I am not going to the office."
"Why?" An Qinyan asked, now giving all of her attention to her daughter.
"Is your health okay?" Gu Yanxi asked.
"My health is fine, Uncle, "An Xiulan smiled at his concern and answered.
Now it was An Qinyan's turn to speak, "Xiulan, this is not good behaviour. You partied till late and now you are not going to the office. You are not setting a good example for others. Think about your father. He will be criticized for your behavior."
A/N: Hey everyone! Enjoy the chapter.
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