Bathed in dazzling, radiant light, the whole Yang Family sat together in the living room. John Yang, Susan Morrow, Kathy Yang, and even Bobby Brooks had somehow squeezed into the mix. The group completely surrounded the young woman, the atmosphere so lively it was practically bursting at the seams. Some were chatting, some cracking jokes—everyone was cheerful and the vibe was pure family bliss. The woman instinctively started putting her best foot forward, as if terrified John Yang or Susan Morrow might spot something unsatisfactory.
Wait, what was she even here for again? That little question had already flown clean out of her mind.
And the song stuck in her head?
Ha! Put it this way—Huang Pin Yuan was long gone, and all those heartbreak ballads had been tossed straight out the window.
Now, her mind felt like a riot of blooming flowers—like she’d somehow stumbled onto the set of a fantasy version of the Spring Festival Gala. Lanterns blazing red, steaming dumplings flying through the air, and in the middle of all that, a dozen TV hosts suddenly appeared.
One looked just like Zhu Jun, another like Dong Qing, and there was Zhou Tao, Li Yong—you name it, they were all there. Each one grinning from ear to ear, as if their faces were about to burst with festive cheer. They held microphones, but instead of their usual Gala catchphrases, they broke out into a joyful song to the tune of Flirting Scholar’s classic music:
[Grilled... chicken wings, I... love to eat them most!]
Watching Zhou Tao and Dong Qing belt out the Grilled Chicken Wings Song in her hallucination, the woman was totally stunned. She had no idea why she’d suddenly fallen into such a bizarre daydream.
All in all, her mental landscape was one big, absurd, festive mess—so much so that she was starting to feel a little dizzy.
"Come on, come on, try this!" A warm voice snapped her back to reality. She jolted, just in time to see Susan Morrow get up to pour her tea and hand her some snacks. The Queen of the House had totally dropped her regal air—her smile was every bit as wide as the TV hosts in her daydream, her mouth practically forming a gold ingot. "I’ve been living here for a while, and honestly, I can’t get used to Hong Kong food, but this stuff is actually pretty tasty. Go on, try it!"
"Oh no, Auntie, please, you don’t have to fuss—I can do it myself!" Maggie Monroe panicked, jumping up to take the snacks. Not only that, she rushed to grab the kettle, determined to pour water for everyone, radiating pure, sensible, and generous daughter-in-law energy. "Let me pour tea for all the elders."
"No way, Maggie, you’ve come such a long way—you must be tired. Sit and rest, let me handle it." Susan Soo was famously strong-willed, rarely doing chores for outsiders. But this time, she was pouring tea with pure joy—so happy, she’d fight anyone who tried to take the kettle from her.
John Yang was still a bit reserved, sitting in the patriarch’s seat with all the dignity of the head of the household. But his face was gentle and kind, and he adjusted his glasses with a cheerful smile. "I’ve heard so much about Miss Monroe, but I never thought I’d actually meet you today. They talk about you all the time, and now that I’ve seen you—well, you’re even more graceful and lovely than they said. Much better!"
Maggie’s cheeks flushed instantly, a wave of joy bubbling up inside her. She ducked her head, shy but smiling. "Uncle, you’re too kind..."
"Oh, I was just playing chess with your uncle, so I’m not dressed up at all—sorry for the mess." Susan Soo switched into full-on hostess mode, expressing her happiness the simplest way: by piling all sorts of snacks in front of Maggie. "Here, try this! I made it myself, copying their style—see how you like the taste?"
Hearing that it was Susan Soo’s homemade treat, Maggie didn’t dare refuse—she tried everything, one bite after another, and honestly, it was all delicious. Next to her, Kathy Yang was propping up her face with both hands, eyes sparkling as she stared at Maggie. After a while, she shook her head and sighed, "Cousin-in-law, you really are gorgeous—absolutely perfect! No matter how I look, I can’t spot a single... hmm... sign of plastic surgery! Hey, why don’t you join my Miracle Club? I’ve got a goddess role that would be perfect for you."
"Haha!" Maggie stuffed a pastry into Kathy’s mouth to keep her busy, then patted the little cutie’s head, grinning. "You’re adorable, Kathy—and you’re a club president, too! You’ve got dreams and you work hard. That’s awesome!"
"Of course!" Kathy’s head shot up, nose practically in the air. "Hmph, my Miracle Club is going to be the number one group in the world someday! Oh, by the way, cousin-in-law, ever since I heard about you, I’ve been asking around—Bobby Brooks said you went on a business trip really far away. Where did you go, anyway?"
"I..." Maggie glanced at the older relatives, and saw all three of them discreetly shaking their heads. She caught on instantly: "I went... to Northern Europe."
"Northern Europe?!" Kathy was hypersensitive to any place with mythological connections, and immediately got excited. "I heard there are goddesses in Northern Europe—did you meet any? Oh, and those Valkyries who fly around in aurora chariots—did you see them? What about Belldandy and the Three Sisters of Fate, did you run into them?"
"Well..." Maggie hesitated. She couldn’t lie, but she couldn’t spill the whole truth either, so she dodged the question. "There were definitely lots of cute and beautiful girls where I went, but none of them drove chariots. I did make friends with someone named Verdandi, but she’s not a goddess of fate, you know."
Kathy Yang drooped her head, a little disappointed. "Oh..."
[She’s not a goddess of fate—she just holds a first-class deity license, type II, that’s all...] Maggie mentally added. The conversation with the family was going great, everyone chatting and laughing. This surprise round of "meet the parents" was going so smoothly, Maggie was genuinely happy.
This chapter isn’t finished yet~ Please click next page to keep reading!
After a while, Maggie started to relax and couldn’t help but laugh behind her hand. "Uncle, Auntie, I was so nervous before, afraid..."
Snap! It was like a flash of lightning in her mind.
Afraid? Afraid of what? Why be afraid? What was I even here for?
Maggie’s pupils shrank, her mind blanking out. The rest of her sentence trailed off.
"Afraid of what? You don’t have to be scared of anything here." Susan Soo didn’t notice Maggie’s momentary weirdness. She was still cheerful, then remembered the real reason for the visit: "You came to see Jack, right? When you came in, you looked in a hurry—was there something important you wanted to discuss?" She knew her son and future daughter-in-law weren’t ordinary people, so maybe there really was some big secret to talk about.
But Susan’s words lit up a lamp in Maggie’s mind.
I came to see Jack Young... but what for, exactly?
That question was like a lighthouse, giving Maggie a direction in the sea of her confused emotions. Her eyes flashed with a frequency no normal person could catch, and in that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She pulled herself out of the mental fog, unraveling the confusion in a blink.
[You again! Always up to your tricks!]
Maggie sent a frustrated thought inward, then raised her mental sword high and swung it down hard. This time, she meant business—one slash, and the Spring Festival Gala, the flying lanterns and dumplings, the singing TV hosts—all vanished in a snap. Her mind was clear again, the interference gone, and she snapped out of that weird "meet the parents" trance.
Maggie shook her head lightly, and when she opened her eyes, they were cold and resolute. "I came to see Jack Young because I have something important to discuss. Do you know where he is now?"
John Yang immediately sensed the shift in mood, frowning slightly, suspicion rising in his heart. Still, he kept his composure. "He’s... ‘not here’ at the moment."
"Not here?" Maggie glanced at Bobby Brooks—hadn’t the chubby guy just said Jack was back? She didn’t realize John meant something else—Jack really wasn’t here, or at least not the Jack they knew. But Maggie didn’t care about the details. "Doesn’t matter. Telling you is just as good."
"So what’s the matter?" Susan Soo sensed something was off and instinctively sat up straight. "Tell us first, and we’ll pass it on to him later."
"Alright, I’ll be blunt." Maggie’s gaze was icy, no hesitation at all. "I’m here to break up with him."
"Wha...?!" Everyone was stunned, eyes wide, staring at each other. No one expected Maggie to say something like that. The mood had been so warm and friendly—how did things flip so fast? Talk about whiplash!
Kathy Yang tugged lightly at Yang Shu’s sleeve, whispering, "Did I just walk into a live split personality episode?—Ow!"
Yang Shu tapped the little cutie on the head, then turned anxiously to Maggie. "But... why? What happened?" She’d been rooting for Jack and Maggie’s relationship the whole way, so this was a total shock—especially since it made no sense at all.
Susan Soo was even more flustered, about to say something, but John Yang kept his cool and stopped his wife. He spoke calmly: "Miss Monroe, your relationship is your own business. Whatever you decide, as elders, we’ll respect it."
"Thank you, Uncle, for understanding." Maggie felt guilty, so she bowed her head and gave a deep, respectful nod.
"But this isn’t something you can just pass along in a message. I think you should wait for Jack Young to come and tell him directly. Also, as a father, I can’t help wanting to know the reason. If my son did something wrong, I’ll make him fix it. If there’s a misunderstanding, we can clear it up." John Yang spoke slowly but with authority. "So, I’d like to know—why do you want to break up with him?"
Maggie looked around at everyone, her heart aching. She hadn’t spent much time with them, but her intuition told her they were all good, kind people—she really didn’t want to hurt them. Especially Yang Shu, her beloved and admired aunt, who looked so worried she was about to cry. Maggie’s heart broke a little.
But no matter how much it hurt, she had to do what needed to be done.
Her mind made up, Maggie decided to give the most final, no-room-for-discussion reason possible. If she had to be the villain, she’d do it quick—better a sharp pain than a lingering one. This way, at least, she could be merciful in her own way.
So Maggie took a deep breath and, without hesitation, said, "Because—I’m gay."
"Whaaaaaat?!" Everyone was stunned. Yang Shu was especially incredulous: "Maggie, you’re joking, right? You? Gay? No way!"
"Auntie, you know—I’ve awakened, so everything’s changed." Maggie nodded firmly. "I just can’t fall in love with men, so I’m breaking up with him. I’m sorry, but yes, I really am gay."
Suddenly, everyone’s expressions got weird—especially John Yang and Susan Soo.
[You’ll hate me for this, won’t you? That’s fine. If I’ve chosen to do something people hate, I’ll accept the consequences. The more you hate me, the easier it is to cut all ties and move on!] Maggie thought, then spoke her final, powerful line: "Uncle, Auntie, please tell Jack Young: We can’t be together, because I only like women."
Once she said it, there was no turning back.
But to her surprise, John Yang and Susan Soo didn’t explode in anger. Instead, they exchanged strange looks, and Susan Soo finally spoke, choosing her words carefully: "Maggie, you kids are... unusual, I get that. But I don’t think you need to rush into a decision. Being gay—well, it’s not like there’s no hope for change..."
"Hope? What hope could there possibly be?" Maggie was baffled—she’d just said it as bluntly as possible! But before she could process it, there was a loud bang as the living room door flew open. She turned to see a platinum-blonde woman poke her head in. "Heard some juicy talk from way down the hall—who’s gay? Dad, Mom, are you trying to set me up again? You found a lesbian? Wow, you guys are really ahead of the curve... Wait, wait, wait—what?!"
The white-haired witch swaggered in, but the moment she saw Maggie, she jumped like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. At the same time, Maggie was struck dumb, like a lightning bolt hit her forehead. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open—she could’ve fit a whole goose egg in there. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!"
Susan Soo patted Maggie on the shoulder. "That’s your hope."