She efficiently cooked the meal, served it, and brought each dish to the dining table one by one. Consider this her repayment for everything he had done for her today.
Regarding the Bai Family’s matters and Jin Ruoxue’s affairs, she suddenly owed him a great deal so much that even years of work wouldn’t be enough to repay him.
As for his women, she decided to turn a blind eye. It was her own choice, and she couldn’t blame anyone. Yet, knowing he had allowed his woman to come here made her heart uneasy.
Once again, she went upstairs and gently pushed open the study door. He was sitting in front of the computer, focused on a document, so absorbed that he didn’t notice her entry. She reached out and covered his eyes, then asked in a gruff voice, “Guess who I am?”
“The Big Bad Wolf.”
“Wrong.”
“Little Red Riding Hood.”
“Wrong.” She thought he might ignore her, but instead, he played along with this childish game. She knew it was silly, but standing behind him, she couldn’t resist covering his eyes.
“Right, you are Little Red Riding Hood.” He abruptly broke free from her grasp and turned around, his face leaning close. It reminded her of the kiss in the car, but immediately, the image of the beautiful girl he had paid for at the supermarket flashed into her mind. She tilted her head away naturally and said with a smile, “A Xun, dinner is ready.”
“Oh, let’s go.” He seemed slightly awkward was it because of her evasion just now?
She wasn’t sure, but as they descended the stairs, his hand held hers tightly, as if they were a real couple.
But she knew they weren’t.
Never had been.
As they stepped down the stairs and approached the dining table, the aroma of food filled the room. He stood before the table, looking at her four dishes and one soup, bent down to take a whiff, and then sat down, asking her seriously, “Wanqiu, it smells wonderful. Should we have some wine?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t drink.”
“Then why did you push the wine cart earlier? Don’t let it happen again.”
She chuckled softly. “Now that you’re supporting me, I won’t. But when you stop, you won’t have a say anymore.”
His chopsticks paused mid-air, and he said strangely, “It should have arrived by now.”
“What?”
He evaded the question. “Just looking at it is enough, Wanqiu. I can’t bear to start eating.”
“Go ahead, it’s nowhere near as good as takeout.”
“That’s different. Takeout has loads of additives MSG by the spoonful, and some dishes even contain harmful ingredients we don’t know about. I’ve never liked eating out, but sometimes there’s no choice.”
Hearing him speak, she suddenly realized how little she knew about him and his family. The agreement they signed fit a trendy phrase nowadays: flash marriage.
Only theirs was a contractual flash marriage, soon to be followed by a contractual divorce.
“Ding-dong…” Just as she was lost in thought, the doorbell rang. As she stood up to answer it, he said, “I’ll get it.”
His long legs carried him quickly to the door. He opened it and soon turned back, hands behind his back, smiling mysteriously.
“A Xun, what did you sign for? A love letter?”
He walked to the dining table, picked up the empty vase nearby, and then, as if by magic, a bouquet of Gerbera Daisies appeared behind him. He carefully arranged them in the vase before sitting down again. “From now on, as long as you’re here, I’ll have someone deliver a bouquet of Gerbera Daisies every day.”
“Thank you.” She always felt there was something odd about these flowers, but since he liked them, she thought, let them be delivered daily it wasn’t her money being spent anyway.
She didn’t drink, so he refrained as well. After they finished eating, he leaned back comfortably in his chair. “Wanqiu, I really should thank you it was truly delicious.”
She stood up to clear the dishes, but he stopped her, saying, “Leave them. Don’t bother.”
Just as she was about to suggest he didn’t need to hire someone to clean up, he took her hand. “Come on, let’s go out for a stroll.”
“A Xun, don’t you have overtime work?” After a moment’s thought, she tentatively asked.
“No, let’s go.”
“Oh.” Letting him lead her, she followed him out and got into his BMW. As the car drove through the night illuminated by Neon lights, she wanted to ask where they were heading but felt it might be too forward to inquire further.
Leng Muxun seemed to be in high spirits. Soon, the car came to a stop. The flashy BMW drew countless eyes toward Leng Muxun as Zhong Wanqiu stepped out and without exception, they were all women.
“Whoa…” A sharp whistle sounded from a girl in her late teens, directed straight at Leng Muxun.
He responded with a faint smile, completely ignoring the attention. Only then did Zhong Wanqiu realize they had parked in front of a Parisian Lady fashion boutique.
Zhong Wanqiu halted. She figured Leng Muxun must be planning to buy a gift for the woman who had visited his mansion earlier that evening. She had no intention of going inside after all, even a pair of shoes in a place like this would likely cost thousands.
Leaning against his car instead, she immediately noticed eyes turning toward her this time, exclusively men of all sorts.
“Zhong Wanqiu, why aren’t you coming in?” Just as she was puzzling over whether the men were looking at her or the car, Leng Muxun, belatedly noticing she hadn’t followed, turned back to ask.
“No reason. You go ahead and buy your clothes; I’ll wait here.”
“Miss, I need you to try on some clothes.” At the very least, he wanted her to try one piece so he could gauge her size. That way, he could pick out clothes for her accordingly; otherwise, anything she chose might not fit or, worse, end up adorned with cartoon patterns just like the denim halter dress she was wearing now.
So it really was about using her as a clothes hanger. Well, since waiting around was boring anyway, she might as well give it a try. “Alright.” She quickly caught up. Even though she was just wearing an ordinary denim halter dress, the men’s gazes that had been fixed on her followed her movement as she left.
He seemed to notice and crooked his arm, signaling for her to link hers with his. She was about to refuse when he whispered, “Link arms. My grandfather’s people are over there.”
Immediately, she obediently slipped her arm through his. After all, marrying him was ultimately for his grandfather’s sake.
Once inside the boutique, Leng Muxun scanned the displays with a quick glance and pointed to a white chiffon dress. “I want this one. Take her to try it on.”
“Certainly.” The sales assistant assessed Zhong Wanqiu’s figure, selected a size, and guided her, saying, “Miss, please follow me to the fitting room.”
Zhong Wanqiu wanted to say no, but Leng Muxun’s sidelong glance out the window made her realize his grandfather’s men were likely still watching.
Fine, she would continue the act.
When she put on the Korean-style chiffon dress, Zhong Wanqiu could hardly believe the woman in the mirror was herself. She had never worn such high-end clothing before it was truly beautiful. Just touching the fabric felt luxurious. After twirling around a few times, she finally stepped out of the fitting room. At that moment, Leng Muxun was selecting shoes from the opposite rack, holding a pair of white high heels. He measured them in his hand before turning around, his gaze meeting Wanqiu’s. “Here, have her try these on.”
“Yes, sir,” the attendant replied, taking the shoes and approaching Zhong Wanqiu.
Only then did Wanqiu notice how mismatched her white dress looked with the black flats she was wearing. She obediently changed into the heels, and the transformation was instantly striking.
“OK, I’ll take this set. Please select her size. Once I’ve picked the rest of the clothes, just pack them in the correct sizes.”
Leng Muxun was remarkably efficient. In the ten-plus minutes after instructing the attendant, he managed to select over twenty outfits in various styles. The sheer quantity left Zhong Wanqiu dumbfounded as she watched the staff check sizes and pack them one by one.
Still, it was just as well. Leng Muxun didn’t need her to try them on after all, these were for his girlfriend. What would it look like if she modeled them all?
Men certainly shop faster than women. In under half an hour, the card was swiped, the clothes were packed, and the two stepped out of Paris Beauty laden with bags.
Outside, the night was deep, everywhere aglow with neon lights. As the BMW cruised through the bustling streets of T City, the view from the window evoked a sense of debauchery, as if nothing was quite real.
Seeing Leng Muxun drive her back to his residence, Zhong Wanqiu finally broke the silence in the car. “Leng Muxun, are you sure you want to bring me back?” He had plans tonight, after all.
Recalling his phone conversation earlier, she truly didn’t want to go with him. She was afraid of witnessing something she shouldn’t.
“Where else would you go?” the man retorted, raising an eyebrow, his voice low.
“But…” Remembering how he’d asked his girlfriend to bring condoms, her cheeks flushed. When it came to matters between men and women, Zhong Wanqiu was utterly clueless.
“We’re here.” Leng Muxun left no room for argument. The car swept stylishly into the parking lot, tracing a graceful arc before coming to a gradual stop.
Walking quietly by his side, their hands full of bags all gifts for his girlfriend her heart inexplicably ached at the thought.
Honestly, Zhong Wanqiu felt incredibly awkward. But since Leng Muxun didn’t mind her being a third wheel, she decided not to care either.
Watching him open the door, she followed silently inside, an inexplicable discomfort weighing on her heart.
*Thud.* She tossed all the bags onto the sofa. “A Xun, I’m tired. I’m going to sleep. Goodnight!”
She strode off without hesitation she had no intention of running into *that woman* later.
“Wait.” With a light laugh, Leng Muxun immediately caught her arm. Ignoring her struggles, he forcefully pulled and turned her, forcing Zhong Wanqiu’s face toward his. “Mwah.” His lips quickly brushed against hers, like a dragonfly skimming the water, then instantly moved away. “Now this feels more like a married couple. Goodnight.”