Such a Rude and Noisy Woman novel Chapter 92

"Mom, stop kidding. I'm serious. Look at you, sitting in a wheelchair. Do you really think I can leave you now?" Rachel cried out to Fannie. Yes, Fannie could go out in a wheelchair. But how would she use the toilet or go to bed, let alone cook for herself? Rachel could never forgive herself if she left her mother like that.

"Don't worry about me, my dear. Haven't you heard? The girl next door is out of a job, so she's free at home now. I can ask her to take care of me until I can manage things myself. I'll pay her. Listen, go back to H City and wait for Hiram. I'm fine, "

Fannie said to Rachel briskly. In the village, a good neighbor was better than a brother. The neighbors had been getting along well for dozens of years. They wouldn't leave her alone in her time of need, they would look after her.

Rachel took a seat beside her mom. She took Fannie's hand in hers and said gently, "Dear mom, nothing happened between me and Hiram. We're fine. Even if there's been a misunderstanding, we will talk it out. Would you please just give me a month? I'll stay here and look after you. Now, calm down and don't worry, please!"

"No way!" Fannie exclaimed. "Of course I'm worried about you, and I'll keep worrying as long as you're here. Think about it. You've been here for half a month already. Hiram hasn't come to see you. In fact, he hasn't even called you. I don't know what will happen if things go on like this." Fannie was quite stubborn. She shoved a pair of chopsticks into Rachel's hands and urged her to have lunch. "Stop talking. Finish your lunch quickly, and then make your way back to H City."

Rachel didn't know what to say. It was hard for her to explain her situation to her mom, and anyway, she couldn't tell the truth about it.

Fannie was already overreacting to the lie that Rachel and Hiram had quarreled. If Rachel told her the truth that Hiram and her were divorced, it would drive Fannie so crazy that she might even kill her.

Rachel sighed to herself. This was the most flavorless lunch she had ever had.

After lunch, Fannie urged her to pack her things quickly. The bus heading to H City would leave at half past one. If she didn't hurry up, it would leave without her.

Rachel had no choice but to follow what Fannie told her to do. She packed up her luggage and went next door. She asked the girl Fannie had mentioned to look after Fannie, and handed her some money.

Now that she had been kicked out by her own mother, she had nowhere to go but finally went back to H City.

It had been half a month since she left her apartment in H City. She spent the whole afternoon tidying it up, not realizing that it was getting dark.

She was sitting on the sofa in the living room alone. She tried to avoid looking at her bedroom, but everything that had happened that night kept playing in her mind slowly, like a movie. She wanted to get it out of her mind, but it just started over and over again. What could she do?

Rachel wanted to find something to distract herself from it. She took out her phone and saw a text coming from Celine, asking whether she had returned to H City.

Rachel texted her back right away, saying that she had come back to H City.

A few minutes later, Rachel got a call from Celine. "Hey, Rachel, we're missing you so much. You're just in time. We're at a restaurant now, the whole team. Come and join us! Let's have fun!"

Lying down on the sofa and turning the TV on, Rachel said to Celine, "Sorry, I can't make it. I'm totally worn out. I can hardly get up from my sofa. Next time, maybe. Have fun!" A quite popular TV show was on now.

"No, we're waiting for you. If you don't come here now, we'll come to you. Hm, we'll take this chance to visit that fancy villa of yours! You decide!" Celine said briskly. It sounded like she would show up at any moment.

Rachel shook her head with a frail smile on her face. She turned off the TV and got up. "Okay, okay, you win. I'm coming. Where are you guys? Text me the address. See you soon."

Rachel went to the bathroom and took a shower. She got changed and put on some makeup. Celine had already sent her the address, so she grabbed her bag and left.

It was nightfall when she got to the restaurant. She got off the taxi and walked inside.

Suddenly, the whole room burst into applause, overwhelming Rachel. Everyone welcomed her so warmly that she felt flattered, even though she thought it was more than she deserved.

Celine and several female teammates rushed to her and smothered her in a hug. "Two weeks, what a long time! Rachel, we miss you so much! How are you doing? How about your mom? Is she getting better?"

"Thank you, all of you! She's fine now, she's getting better and better. I'm so flattered. People might think I just returned in triumph from a tough battle! I don't deserve this, really. You're embarrassing me!" Rachel quipped, laughing. She took a seat in the center of the room.

"You feel embarrassed? Please don't! You should get used to this as soon as possible. You'll be our boss in a few days. We're going to ride on your coattails and never get down, " Celine said eagerly, "Raise your glasses, everybody! To Rachel, and our brand new future! Bottoms up!"

Rachel raised her glass and toasted to the people around her before chugging it. Exhilarated, she looked around at the familiar faces. She was missing the past three years when they had worked together. She felt thankful for the days when all she had to do was to work hard without worrying about anything.

But those days were long gone. Time waits for no man, they said. Rachel wished she could go back and start over. This time, she would appreciate everything. But she knew very well that she was just daydreaming.

The excitement still hadn't died down after dinner, so everybody decided to spend more time together. They went to a bar to continue their party.

The bar was packed at that hour. Everyone inside seemed lost in the noise.

There was a rock singer on stage singing his heart out. Surrounded by the bright lights and loud music, young people were letting loose on the dance floor.

Rachel and her teammates made their way through the crowd and found a table in the corner to sit down. Celine asked the waiter serving them a few beers and a pack of cards.

"Come on, guys! Let's play cards. It's boring just watching people dance and drink beer. Here is the rule. It's straightforward. Everyone pulls a card out of my hands, and sees what number they get. Whoever gets the largest number wins. Whoever gets the smallest loses, and they have to either do something we say or answer one question we ask. You all get me?"

Fiona clapped her hands together when she heard Celine's idea. "Okay, let's do it. Since no one has objected to Celine's rules, there won't be any exceptions and everyone here must follow them strictly. Otherwise, whoever breaks the rules must buy us lunch for a month."

Rachel sat with them reservedly. They were talking loudly and having fun, but somehow she couldn't cheer herself up. She missed the days when she was really a part of the team, joking and laughing with them. It felt like a part of her heart was missing. She hadn't been intending to take part in their game, but someone slipped a card into her hand.

"Haha, Michael, you're losing! My card is bigger than yours, " Celine shouted triumphantly, "Has everyone gotten a card? No one left? Okay, then Michael lost this time. Are you ready? I'm going to say something and you must do exactly as you're told!"

"Wait! Wait a moment, please, " Michael said. "Look, there is a card in Rachel's hand, right? Rachel, show us, please! Mine is ten. What number did you get?" Michael stared at Rachel's hands without blinking. Nervous, he prayed in his mind that Rachel's number was smaller.

He couldn't imagine what Celine would make him do. It would probably be something so embarrassing that he would be laughed at for the whole year.

Seeing everyone at the table staring at her, Rachel sighed to herself and put the card in her hand on the table. She turned it over to reveal the number one. She forced a smile and waited for Celine to say something.

"One? Well, there you go! Although you're number one in our team, the winner tonight is decided by the number we've gotten. That's the rule, no exceptions. Since you've gotten the smallest, let's see what you can do, " Fiona said, unable to hide her laughter. Then she turned to Michael and said, "You got lucky this time. But it's a long night. Wait and see!"

Celine sipped her beer excitedly. "Dear boss, tell us, would you prefer to answer a question? The answer should be honest. Or, would you like to go up on the stage and sing a song for us? You decide."

Looking at her serious face, Rachel could barely control her laughter as she said, "Okay, what's the question?"

Celine looked around at her colleagues. Everybody looked back at her expectantly. She cleared her throat and said, "How does it feel? You married Hiram Rong. We want to hear something private. The more private, the better. Tell us, tell us!"

Hiram was the last person Rachel wanted to talk about. She opened her mouth only to find that she couldn't say a word, so she stood up and walked towards the stage.

It was clear that she had chosen to sing on stage instead of answering the question.

Rachel made her way through the noisy crowd with difficulty. She didn't even realize that she had grabbed a stranger's arm for a while.

When she reached the DJ, she asked them to play a song for her. They were pleased to help such a beautiful woman. Besides, it would improve the atmosphere in the bar.

The bright light turned soft, as did the music.

The light was focused onto Rachel's back. She seldom went up on stage, let alone sang in front of so many people. Even the time when she had hung out with Luke and Hiram, she hadn't opened her mouth to sing. The truth was, she wasn't that interested in music, but she knew a few songs.

She had decided to sing a melancholy one. She sat on stage with her back to the audience so that she could sing well without any distractions.

In the cold wind

You're holding me in your arms

All of those are my sweet memories

The warm light illuminated her hair while she sang.

The whole bar was silent in a moment, and people were either staring at her in awe or holding each other in their arms.

Rachel's voice was magnetic, with a unique quality to it. Her singing sounded more touching than the original singer's.

In a corner of the same bar...

Hiram was sitting there with his date for the night. When the woman on stage began singing, he was transfixed by her, forgetting to drink his wine. She was singing with her back to the audience, but he still couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Hiram, shall we..." His date trailed off, feeling annoyed at Hiram being distracted by the woman on stage.

"Hush! Quiet, " Hiram murmured, shaking his head slowly. He was attracted to the singer's voice, and he wanted to listen carefully.

He had never heard Rachel sing before, so now he began to wonder why this woman sounded so familiar to him. Did he know her?