Chapter 12 Unexpected Encounter
I submitted the photo at the last minute and flew home.
At the Civil Affairs Office, Lu Shijin looked dark. "You won't even answer your mother-in-law's calls? You isolated yourself over a small matter. Happy now?"
My heart was calm. "Think what you want, Lu Shijin. Goodbye."
I walked past Qiao Yining.
She pulled Lu Mingyu forward. "Shijin, the child needs a complete family. Let's get the certificate now."
The First Love he longed for was there. He should have agreed.
But Lu Shijin stayed silent.
He avoided her gaze. "It's too soon. The media will talk. Let's wait."
Qiao Yining's face fell.
Lu Mingyu stood quietly, eyes following me. When I looked back, his eyes brightened.
I looked away and got in the car.
In the mirror, he lowered his head.
I didn't mind. He used to have me when sick. Now he had his real mother. The change was normal.
Kids forget fast. He would soon forget me.
With "New Life", I won the international award and returned to the spotlight.
For the next six months, I traveled with my camera.
In the northwest, I captured desert plants and the last sheepskin rafts on the Yellow River.
In the southwest, I photographed Yi embroidery and Wa dances.
Qiao Yining got my number and called drunk.
"You shameless thief! You stole my life and now my husband and child!"
I cut in. "My parents gave their lives for you. How dare you say that?"
"I haven't seen Lu Shijin since the divorce. See a doctor if you're sick. Stop harassing me."
She cried. "After the Wen parents died, relatives took everything. I went to the orphanage. I thought things were good with Lu Shijin, but I got cancer. I beat it, became a painter, and the Qiao Family found me."
"But Mom talks about you. Lu Shijin won't marry me. He says we're past. Lu Mingyu cries for his mom in nightmares."
I didn't pity her. "Don't waste your second chance on the past. Cherish the life my parents gave you."
I hung up.
My last stop was a Jiangnan ancient town.
I stepped on the wet stones, ready to shoot the smoke.
A father and son long apart suddenly appeared in my lens.