Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had made too much food, and a whole table of leftovers remained. I hate waste, but eating leftovers is also quite unhealthy.

Having a sudden brainwave, I packed it all up and found someone to deliver it to Yun Chu.

He was very moved to receive the leftovers and posted a photo on his WeChat Moments: “Wifey’s love-filled bento [Happy].”

Uh, well, sigh…

There wasn’t much to say, so I just gave him a like.

I had just comfortably opened my takeout from a five-star hotel when my phone rang.

It was an unknown number. When I picked up, a frantic, middle-aged woman’s voice came through: “Yue Chu! How did you bewitch my son? He even fired Aunt Bai for you? You-”

“Auntie, please calm down.” I moved the phone a bit further away and spoke calmly. “As for how I bewitched your son, you should ask him, because I don’t know either.”

“You! Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She sounded livid. “Don’t think that just because you’ve married into the family, everything is fine. I never agreed to this marriage, and I will never acknowledge you.”

“I know, Auntie. If your words actually carried any weight, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

She hung up in a rage. Well, I hope she’s okay.

This marriage was orchestrated by our respective fathers-two social climbers who had spent half their lives scheming. One had deep pockets and was looking to expand, while the other had a vast network of connections but was on the brink of bankruptcy. Thus, they hit it off immediately.

Even if my mother-in-law liked Bai Rou and had her heart set on her as a daughter-in-law-even going so far as to help her plan the kidnapping that day-such emotional whims were utterly useless in the face of profit.

I was happily eating steak out of my thermal container when the phone rang again.

I sighed and picked up. “Auntie, if you have something to say, please say it all at once, okay?”

“…Chuchu.” It was Yun Chu’s voice on the other end, sounding slightly urgent. “Did Mother say something unpleasant to you? I’m sorry. You don’t need to pay her any mind. I’ll talk to her and make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”

“Oh.” I felt a bit embarrassed. “I’m fine. As long as she can handle it.”

“Chuchu, regardless of how it started, our marriage is between the two of us. No one else has the right to judge it.” His voice was firm, yet it softened into a coaxing tone. “Don’t worry about her, okay? I’ll come home early tonight.”

“Sure… I guess…” I subconsciously rubbed my waist.

“Will you make more good food and wait for me?” He let out a low chuckle. “I originally called to thank you. It was really delicious. I want to eat it every day.”

“Don’t.” I felt a jolt of alarm. “I didn’t cook. Tonight… let me take you out to eat.”

He was pleasantly surprised. “Then I’ll come pick you up.”

Sigh, I’m going to have to splurge on a meal.

But in order to maintain my lifestyle of doing absolutely nothing, I had to delegate housework whenever possible.

That evening, I took him to a star-rated restaurant I used to frequent before my family’s fortunes declined.

I had pre-ordered a date set menu. The booth was quiet, the lighting was warm, and candles and a vase of flowers decorated the table.

“Chuchu, you’ve put so much thought into this.” Yun Chu sat opposite me, looking moved again. “As your husband, I haven’t even been as thoughtful as you.”

“It’s nothing.” I pointed at a plate. “Try the food. Their fish is quite good.”

As he ate, he looked at me tenderly. “I’m starting to feel more and more that marrying you was a stroke of luck.”

“That’s true. At the very least, I’ve done my research on food. I can take you out for good meals every day…” I said, leading him on.

He leaned forward slightly, his smile reflected in the candlelight. “Alright. For the days to come, I’ll be in your care.”

“Easy enough.” I made a gesture. “Want to meet their sous-chef? He’s considering a job change. If we hire him to come home, we’ll have delicious food every day.”

After dinner, Yun Chu drove with a look of hesitation. I sat in the passenger seat, while the back seat was occupied by the sous-chef and his pre-packed luggage as we headed home together.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Yun Chu broke the silence. “Chuchu, are you free next week? Let’s go to the Northeast to escape the heat.”

“Isn’t next week the Dragon Boat Festival? The housekeeper said your mother usually comes over for the holiday.”

“She’s not coming this year…”

“It’s fine, let her come,” I said with a smile. “We won’t get into a fight.”

He didn’t speak. While waiting at a red light, he took my hand.

I turned to look at him, and he looked back at me. The colorful, vibrant streetlights illuminated half his face. I could vaguely see the soft curve of his lips as he leaned his head in, signaling for me to kiss him.

A rustling sound came from the back seat as the sous-chef adjusted his sitting position.

Yun Chu gave a slight tremor and quietly sat back.

The atmosphere turned awkward once again.

Back home, after settling the chef in, we went upstairs. Yun Chu maintained an aura of stoic abstinence; if I didn’t know better, I’d think he’d joined a monastery.

But as soon as the bedroom door closed, he immediately hugged me from behind, his breathing deep. “Chuchu, are you doing this on purpose?”

I supported my waist and struggled out of his grip with a forced laugh. “I… I haven’t watched my dramas in three days.”

He could only stay on the bed and watch dramas with me. “What about your dead Hubby?”

“He’s dead, so I replaced him,” I answered nonchalantly. “This is a new drama already.”

Recalling my cyber-ex-Hubby who died in his prime, I still couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. How should I put it? I’d be willing to crowdfund ten years of life from all you netizens’ Hubbies and boyfriends just to have him live for one more episode.

Yun Chu seemed to take a deep breath, but I didn’t pay it any mind, fully immersed in the plot. The new drama was boring, and as I watched, I fell asleep leaning on his shoulder.