Disowned

************

"If you choose to walk out that gate with your decision, then don't you dare come back. I have no place for a child that's willing to bring shame to the family," Mrs Luo declared, her heart set on her sayings, like words engraved on a stone.

Mei Xing was taken aback by the words her mother spewed. She felt her heart sink as the weight of those words settled deep within.

She came to change her course of life, but she did not expect her mother to extremely turn the wheels, almost crashing her course.

In that short moment, Mr Luo and her brother had come out of the mansion as well. They must have heard what Mrs Luo had said. She was pretty loud about it.

But neither of them uttered a word. They just stood still, waiting for the play to unfold before their eyes.

"Will you really sever ties with me just because I'm fighting for the only thing I have come to wish for? Will you really let me go in the name of avoiding shame because I refuse to wallow in that same shame Feng Houyi brings upon me, Mother?" Mei Xing questioned.

Mrs Luo took a stance, chin higher than ever. "I have done everything I have for your own good. If casting out will put some sense into you, then I will not hesitate to go down that path. The choice is yours to make. The ball is in your court now."

Mei Xing looked at her mother, hoping to find a glimmer of uncertainty or concern, but the resolve in those eyes only intensified.

Even as the threat of disownment hung in the air, Mei Xing's determination remained unshaken. The love she felt for her family clashed with the desire for a life true to herself.

With a heavy heart, she spoke, "I love my family, but I can't sacrifice my happiness. Feng Houyi and I need to part ways."

Her mother's face remained stern, and the final terms echoed. Mei Xing, braving the storm within, made her decision. "I have to be true to myself... And if it means never coming just like you want, then I don't mind going down that path, as well."

"Mei Xing think this over. We are your family. Is wanting to be divorced, a talk of society more than family ties?" Luo Jun finally spoke, but it was not in her favour.

"I do not want to have ties with people who can't see where I'm coming from. People who choose to be blind to the wrongs of a man they think is a good enough husband for me. If these people, whom I thought of as family, do not want to support me for once, then I am good without them. You are the ones who don't understand the meaning of family and ties. Not me. So goodbye."

Mei Xing walked away with her head high, never once looking back to confirm if they regretted their words.

With determined steps, she ventured into the world beyond, the fading tone of family expectations, duty and image, were replaced by the promise of freedom and self-discovery.

******

Mei Xing returned home with a heavy heart, her spirit dampened by the encounter at the Luo mansion.

While she had initially intended to assert herself and stand up to her parents, the reality of the situation surpassed her expectations, leaving her disheartened and weighed down by the discord.

She brooded on the happenings of the afternoon when she got to Yi Chunhua's apartment.

"I don't think I'm my mother's daughter, snow," she lamented to her pet dog- an almost full glass of wine in her hand.

"And why do you think that?" Yi Chunhua asked. She had just arrived when she heard Mei Xing. She took off her coat and shoes, then dropped her bag on the table and sat beside Mei Xing.

Mei Xing sighed and pouted. "I got disowned today," she dropped the bomb.

Yi Chunhua's eyes widened. She tilted her head, her brows furrowed in confusion. "W-What? How? I mean... Why?" She asked.

Mei Xing chuckled in self-pity. "Because I refused to be with Feng Houyi. That scumbag."

"That's even more ridiculous, Mei," Yi Chunhua exclaimed.

"And quite harsh," Mei Xing added with a sigh. "I went to the house and laid out my decision, expecting any form of understanding and support. Instead, it turned into a confrontation, and I realized how hard it is for them to accept things."

"Yeah, I know."

After another sip, Mei Xing continued. "Mother, as usual, took it upon herself to threaten me. She said if I leave with my decision, I should not bother coming back. And my father and brother, couldn't say anything. Like puppets, they just watched everything unravel before them."

"That's awful. I'm sorry things are like this, Mei," Yi Chunhua sympathised with her.

"I wish things were different—my life, my family, even me." Mei Xing leaned back, gulping down half the content of wine from her glass of wine. "But it is what it is, and I really don't want to dwell on it right now."

There was a long punctuation of silence as the two sat there with the dog, trying to offer whatever comfort they could to Mei Xing.

Sitting up abruptly, Yi Chunhua took Mei Xing's free hand, grabbing her attention.

"You know what?" She asked. "How about we do just that?"

"Do what?" Mei Xing questioned back.

Yi Chunhua shrugged. "Let's not think about all the shitty things that are happening to us and just deal with the moment. The things we want to happen now. We can deal with our troubles later."

"And how do you suggest we do that, Chu? I don't want to binge-watch movies or play games or talk about... whatever," Mei Xing groaned.

"I'm not talking about any of those." Mei Xing eyed Yi Chunhua. "Mei, let's have a drink and dance... in a club."