"Knock, knock, knock."
"Fanfan, Mom's coming in."
Hu Fan had just turned on his computer to review the software architecture he had finished wrapping up recently when he heard a knock at his door.
"Mom, come in."
He spun his computer chair around and turned sideways just in time to see his mother walk in carrying a glass of milk.
Liu Mei set the milk down on the desk, casually pulled over a chair to sit down, and looked up at her eldest son, now in middle school. He had been sensible, obedient, and smart since he was little; it was simply her failing as a mother that she hadn't given them a good family environment, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
Watching his mother's conflicted expression as she hesitated to speak, Hu Fan pretty much guessed what she wanted to say.
"Mom, are you and Dad getting a divorce?"
Hearing her son ask so directly, Liu Mei was somewhat startled and suspicious. Then she saw his completely calm face and realized he must have already guessed.
Seeing that her son had accepted it and asked outright, Liu Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped beating around the bush. "Yes. Your father—that is, Hu Yitong—and I can't go on like this. We're getting a divorce." Her voice wasn't loud, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
Seeing that her son didn't have any major reaction, Liu Mei went on to tell him her arrangements. "When your father and I divorce, I won't ask for anything else, except that both of you will live with me. Hu Yitong is completely incapable of taking care of you."
Liu Mei was somewhat unsure how her independent eldest son would take this, but she certainly wasn't going to hand custody over to the good-for-nothing Hu Yitong.
Seeing the unease on her face, Hu Fan knew what Liu Mei was worried about. He looked at her and said firmly, "Mom, don't worry, Liu Xing and I will definitely stay with you." His tone carried an unmistakable resolve.
Hearing her son's reply, Liu Mei finally let go of the heavy stone that had been weighing on her mind ever since she started preparing for the divorce; the question of where the boys would belong had been tormenting her, but now she could finally rest easy.
"All right, then the two of you brothers will live with Mom from now on," Liu Mei said with a smile, and turned to leave. Just as she opened the door, she looked back at Hu Fan and urged, "Don't stare at the computer too long. Get to sleep early."
Seeing her son obediently nod, Liu Mei walked out with peace of mind.
Watching his mother's steps look so much lighter than when she had arrived, Hu Fan felt genuinely happy.
His mother had not had an easy life, married to a husband like Hu Yitong. As a son, there wasn't much he could say, but his heart ached for her. Now she was finally escaping this sea of bitterness—after all, Xia Donghai from television seemed a hundred times more reliable and treated Liu Mei very well.
When he had first become an infant in this life, likely affected by the newborn phase, he had been filled with insecurity. It was Liu Mei's daily meticulous care that gave him the feeling of what a mother should be.
When he was a little older, although his grandmother mostly came over to take care of him at home, the moment Liu Mei got off work, she would immediately step back into the role of mother.
She might not be perfect, but she was already the mother in Hu Fan's heart, and naturally, he wanted her to live a better life.
After a brief moment of inward reflection, Hu Fan got back to typing on his keyboard.
With his rich computer science knowledge from his previous life and years of experience as an office drone, he had started writing software and making programs to make money very early in this life.
He was just waiting to save up a large sum so that when Bitcoin came out, he could sit back and enjoy a massive fortune.
"Hahaha."
This was the motivation for his hard work every day.
After talking with his eldest son, the more Liu Mei thought about it, the happier she felt. The matter was finally settled; she hadn't bothered asking the younger son at all, because Liu Xing would definitely follow his older brother.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Well, just as Liu Mei was about to enter her room, she heard a sound coming from the kitchen. Could it be a rat? she muttered to herself, turning her steps toward the kitchen.
She saw the refrigerator door open, and a little head was hugging something and happily chewing away. Taking a look, she confirmed it: it was her vexing younger son.
"What are you doing?" Liu Mei walked right up to him. Liu Xing was startled, looked up at his mother's face, and stammered, "I was hung... ry, so I got some... food."
Seeing Liu Xing looking like a little mouse, Liu Mei speechlessly rolled her eyes at him, turned around, and poured him a glass of milk while grabbing a small piece of bread. "Eat this. Chugging snacks in the middle of the night is unhealthy."
Seeing that his mother actually wasn't scolding him felt as surreal as the sun rising in the west. He grabbed the food and fled in a panic, terrified that his mother might change her mind and come after him.
"Eat up quickly and go to sleep, stop running around everywhere," Liu Mei called out as a parting reminder. "Today is a good day, oh, a good day..." Happily humming a tune, she went back to her room to sleep.
……
In a rare occurrence, Hu Yitong came home today, though he looked to be in a rather foul mood. Carrying a black briefcase, he had been silent from the moment he walked through the door.
Hu Fan came out to pour a glass of water and saw his father sitting on the sofa. Surprised, he said, "Dad, you're back."
Hu Yitong managed a forced smile at his eldest son. "Yeah, I'm back," and then fell silent again.
Watching the standoff between his mother and Hu Yitong, Hu Fan raised an eyebrow, knowing full well what was going on.
He took a sip of water from his cup, poured two more glasses for his father and mother, and left them on the coffee table. "Dad, Mom, you guys talk. I'm going to take Liu Xing out to play for a bit."
With that, he pulled up Liu Xing, who was still playing with toys by the sofa. "Let's go, Big Brother is taking you out to play."
"Yay, going out to play!"
Liu Mei felt somewhat relieved watching the two sons head out; after all, with the boys around while they were trying to discuss a divorce, things would still be awkward.
Liu Xing looked up at his older brother. "Bro, where are we going?"
"That newly opened large shopping mall nearby. There's an arcade on one of the floors. We're going there."
"Oh yeah! Arcade!"
……
Meanwhile, Liu Mei and Hu Yitong were already discussing the various terms of their divorce. There was no intense hostility; things actually looked quite calm.
"Both children stay with me. I'm not asking for anything else, and I figured you couldn't afford child support anyway, so there's nothing more to discuss. Just sign here."
With that, Liu Mei pushed the divorce agreement across the table toward Hu Yitong.
Hu Yitong wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin. His lips opened and closed, unable to force out a single syllable.
He wanted the kids, but he also knew what kind of person he was—he struggled just to support himself and had barely paid any attention to the two boys as they grew up. He couldn't bring himself to contest it, and following Liu Mei was probably for the best anyway.
Having thought it through, he signed his name.
Seeing Hu Yitong be so straightforward, Liu Mei didn't put on a sour face either; after all, he was the children's father.
"Alright, you can leave now. Remember to get to the Civil Affairs Bureau early tomorrow."
Hearing Liu Mei's dismissal, Hu Yitong curled his lip, picked up his bag, and turned back to look at her. "I'm going to come visit the boys often, you know. Don't try to stop me."
"Don't worry, I won't stop you. We'll see how many times you actually show up. But you can visit the kids—just don't teach my boys any of your bad habits."
Hu Yitong felt rather aggrieved, but he didn't pick a fight with her. He opened the door and walked out.