The text provided appears to be a complex narrative with elements of drama and interpersonal conflict, involving characters such as Su Mo (Mexican cinnamon), Su Mo's brother-in-law, Lan Xin, and others. Below is the translation:
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Thoughts and rumors swirled like rain. Su Mo’s arrival felt like a storm because, in his eyes, his own sister-in-law was like the wind—fickle, fleeting, and unable to settle. If it were really like Su Mo suspected, then the days leading up to the New Year would pass quietly. This tranquility, however, made Su Mo uneasy. He used the New Year holidays as an excuse to return home to visit his parents.
Lan Xin had proactively sent pork over earlier that day when she came back, saying something about envy mixed with reluctance. Su Mo could sense her intentions through Lan Xin’s words, believing that her son would be reluctant to leave home after marriage, forgetting his mother entirely. Su Mo knew Lan Xin’s concerns were excessive but didn’t refute them outright. Instead, he reassured her: “Wenwen isn’t the spineless type. When she gives birth, I’ll move back home; you just wait patiently for your grandchildren.”
Anxiety weighed heavily on him, but the biggest disturbance was the fact that the house had been lent out. So, he seized the opportunity to return home. Since the house had been lent to Su Yang, Su Mo hadn’t planned to come back again—not only because of time constraints but also because he didn’t want to feel like his uncle was favoring Su Yang against him.
Su Mo directly opened the door with a key. As soon as the door shut behind him, a woman's voice emerged from the bathroom: frozen in place at the threshold, Su Mo stood perplexed. The woman stepped out from behind the glass door of the bathroom, her wet arms stretched out holding a towel, next to which lay a purple underwear set—size 34A, Su Mo noted mentally.
He quickly grabbed a towel and handed it to her carefully, unsure how to proceed as the glass door still separated them. The woman screamed upon seeing him. Her head wrapped in a towel, her body covered by a bathrobe, one slipper missing while the other clutched tightly in her hand like a defensive weapon. She instinctively grasped the bathrobe around her chest with one hand while aligning herself toward Su Mo, ready to flee if necessary.
Her terrified eyes looked at Su Mo quizzically, trembling as she asked, "Who... who are you?" Confusion clouded her mind, delirious thoughts swirling until she remembered this was her home. Then, realizing her mistake, she softly questioned, "Are you... Fishes?"
"Who are you?" Su Mo countered, equally bewildered.
The woman relaxed slightly, putting on the slipper before replying nonchalantly, "I didn’t expect Su Yang to bring someone here either." She seemed perfectly comfortable, acting as though she owned the place, leaving Su Mo feeling awkwardly intrusive.
Seeing this unfamiliar woman standing there shivering slightly, Su Mo momentarily forgot why he had come. To ease the tension, he said, "It seems we’ve both had a misunderstanding."
Just then, the elevator doors opened, revealing none other than Su Yang himself, nearly colliding with Su Mo. Both exclaimed loudly, startled.
Su Yang noticed the bag of sanitary napkins in his hand and immediately understood the situation. Turning to the woman, he asked, "Why are you embarrassed? It’s your house!"
Su Yang then turned to Su Mo and asked casually, "Who’s that woman?"
Su Mo hesitated, explaining, "She lost her dormitory key today and wanted to stay here for a night since it’s New Year's Day."
Doubtful, Su Yang left without another word.
"Uncle, how could you do this? If you want to play tricks, go home and prank my father," Su Mo muttered under his breath.
Su Yang seemed to read Su Mo’s thoughts and pitifully replied, "You can't bring a girl home."
Every move Su Yang made seemed calculated to avoid her gaze. Earlier, Lan Xin had mentioned that Su Yang had only arrived yesterday. Su Mo didn’t personally ask Su Yang about the matter, knowing full well what human nature could entail.
Later, Su Mo learned that the house had already been checked out, making it impossible to retrieve their belongings. With no way to verify who touched what, Su Mo could only drive away bitterly.
After New Year's Day, Zeng completely collapsed due to the economic crisis hitting this year. The company's performance plummeted compared to previous years, and the Board of Directors decided to give employees small red envelopes instead of substantial bonuses. On top of that, Zeng had endured countless hours stuck in his office BS-ing with colleagues. To make matters worse, he ended up drinking too much during an unfortunate gathering.
In desperation, Zeng sold some shares to raise money, hoping to avoid meeting the woman entirely and finalize their separation cleanly. Meanwhile, Su Mo secretly filmed the transaction between Zeng and the woman using his phone camera, not to document his heroic deeds but to safeguard against any future accusations from her.
Ironically, Su Mo himself was also collapsing. He had never anticipated waiting anxiously for the year-end bonus, especially since Mai Jing Wen held several IOUs from him, reducing him to indentured servitude. Each day felt like being stripped of personal freedom, relegated to chauffeuring Roland around town.
Despite everything, Su Mo couldn’t help but witness Zeng’s antics daily. Yet, Zeng argued that helping others out of misfortune was noble, regardless of the outcome. Even without spilling blood for the Union or enduring hardships together, true friendship meant standing by each other in times of need.
From a distance, Su Mo captured the ugly transaction process between Zeng and the woman on his phone. Su Mo always doubted Zeng’s judgment, and now his suspicions were confirmed—if the woman disrobed in front of him, Su Mo wouldn’t react physiologically, perhaps due to past experiences or unresolved emotional baggage tarnishing his reputation.
Zeng, however, had spent thousands, determined to exact eternal vengeance. Thus, in the car, Su Mo held a piece of underwear in admiration, wanting to tell Zeng, "This year’s medal belongs to you. Look, she’s already prepared a crib. By tomorrow, she’ll be waiting for your year-end bonus payment."
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The story continues, exploring themes of betrayal, loyalty, and familial expectations.