Little Miss Witch: Revenge of the Tainted Angel

Mu Jianyu had been on the edge today. The day before, he unexpectedly received a phone call from Li Xiuying asking them to meet. She didn't mention the purpose of their meeting, but he'd been apprehensive about seeing her again after months of separation. Why would she want to see him anyway? 

He started his day as usual. After feeding Mu Jingyi her breakfast and bathing her, he dropped her at the kindergarten where she would be spending her day at. Promising to pick her up on time late, he kissed the little girl goodbye before rushing to work, hoping that time would flow faster so he could see Li Xiuying again. 

Every minute passed felt longer than usual as he stared at his watch in between his work. Even his assistant had noticed his unusual eagerness to finish his workload for the day. 

"Boss, are you meeting someone today? You seem in a hurry?" His assistant asked curiously. Of course, some of his office mates were aware that he used to be the husband of Lady Li, princess of the Li family. 

Mu Jianyu hummed but didn't say anything in return. He was excited to see his ex-wife, though he doubted that Li Xiuying would want him back. Her tone was cold and dejected at the same time, as it always had been since their divorce. 

He couldn't understand her at all. What was there to talk about? Didn't she already make it clear that she didn't want him back in her life, ever? That he wasn't worth her time? So why did she suddenly want to see him? 

Was it because of the news about Lin Meirong's death? Although that woman used to be his lover, Mu Jianyu didn't want to have anything to do with her. He also kept Mu Jingyi away from her, to spare the child from her mother's viciousness. A sweet child like her didn't deserve Lin Meirong as her mother.

The moment he was done with his work, Mu Jianyu drove towards the location where Li Xiuying said they should meet. He knew the lake she'd mentioned in her call because they used to visit the place whenever he had time off work to accompany her around. 

When he arrived at the place, he saw that she was already there, standing on the port of the lake, with a faraway look on her face. The weather today was cooler than usual, but he didn't think it was cold enough for Li Xiuying to dress like this. 

She was wearing a thick windbreaker that almost dwarfed her with its size. He also noticed that she'd gained a lot of weight since the last time he'd seen her. 

Was Shen Zichen taking good care of her? Was she happy with him? 

These were the questions that sprouted in his mind, but weren't voiced out. He knew he had no right to ask her about anything. 

He cleared his throat as he tried to get her attention. 

"Ying." Mu Jianyu called out but 'Li Xiuying' only looked over her shoulder before she turned her gaze back to the distant horizon. 

"I'm not your Ying," she said in a clear voice, which confused the hell out of Mu Jianyu. What did she mean by that? 

Did she call him right here just to remind him that she wasn't his anymore? What kind of nonsense was she up to? If she called him here just to slap him with reality, she didn't need to. 

His jaws hardened, fists clenched inside his coat's pockets. She need not remind him of how much of a failure of a husband he had became. 

"Ying, why did you call me here? Do you need anything?" He asked, not beating around the bush. 

Anything? Mu Jianyu laughed at himself. What could he have that Shen Zichen couldn't possibly give to his wife? 

"Didn't you hear what I say? I'm not Ying. I was never your wife." 

This time, 'Li Xiuying' turned around to face him with an unreadable expression on her face. Up close, Mu Jianyu noticed that her eyes were rimmed red as if she'd been crying before she met him today. 

"I don't understand…" 

"How can you be so stupid, Mu Jianyu? For fucking sake, how can you not tell your own wife apart from her twin sister." 'Li Xiuying' spat out venomously, freezing Mu Jianyu on his spot. 

It didn't take long for him to understand what Ying meant. 

No… Mu Jianyu corrected himself. The woman in front of him wasn't his ex-wife but his sister-in-law, Li Chuntao? But what was she doing here? Wasn't he supposed to meet Li Xiuying and not her twin sister? 

"Li Chuntao?" He looked around, trying to see where his wife was. "Where's Ying? Did she tell you to come here and meet me instead?" 

Li Chuntao didn't utter a word but looked back at him as if she was in some kind of pain. 

"She's not here. She would never be here anymore." She responded. 

It didn't clear his question at all. In fact, Mu Jianyu was more confused than ever. 

"What do you mean, Li Chuntao? Did Ying back out at the last moment? You could have just told me why we are here." He hissed back. He found no logical reason why he had to meet Li Chuntao today. He really wanted to see Ying, not her. 

Li Chuntao shook her head and laughed pitifully. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked down at the reflection of her face on the surface of the water. If she didn't know she was looking at her own face, she would've assumed that the woman staring back at her was her dead twin. 

"You are too late, Mu Jianyu. Ying would never come back. She'd been gone for too long, you haven't even noticed that you've been speaking to and looking at the wrong person." She paused and glanced towards him, her eyes cold. 

"Ying has been dead for a long time."