I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 53
People shouldn’t stumble twice in the same place.
The call had ended at some point, seemingly disconnected by Zhou Youling.
He quietly set down the phone.
Fu Xunzhou glanced at the call duration: three minutes and fifty seconds.
Sitting in the car, he felt a faint sense of relief.
At least she was willing to give him some time to talk.
Soon, the new year would arrive.
In the hearts of the Chinese, it’s only after the Chinese New Year that a year truly feels like it’s turned a page.
Fu Xunzhou gently lowered his head, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
Before long, there was a knock on the car door.
Fu Xunzhou lifted his head.
Zhou Zhishan stood at the car door, smiling.
Fu Xunzhou immediately opened the door and got out, politely greeting Zhou Zhishan, “Dad.”
As the words left his mouth, he realized he shouldn’t be calling him that now.
Zhou Zhishan didn’t mind at all, smiling warmly as he asked Fu Xunzhou, “Why aren’t you coming in?”
“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be appropriate,” Fu Xunzhou replied.
Zhou Zhishan gave him a meaningful look, “But setting off fireworks in front of my house is appropriate?”
Earlier, Zhou Zhishan had stood at the door, enjoying the spectacular hundred fireworks display. He had to admit, Fu Xunzhou’s fireworks were indeed impressive.
Facing his father-in-law, Fu Xunzhou felt a bit embarrassed.
Zhou Zhishan chuckled softly and asked, “Just got back from a business trip?”
Fu Xunzhou nodded.
Having spent years in the business world himself, Zhou Zhishan patted Fu Xunzhou’s shoulder, saying, “Not easy, huh. Have you had dinner yet?”
Fu Xunzhou shook his head.
Zhou Zhishan raised an eyebrow at him, “Come on in.”
“Sorry for the intrusion.”
Despite his busy schedule over the years, Fu Xunzhou had always been considerate as a son-in-law. Whenever Zhou Youling wanted to visit her family, he would make time to accompany her. In some ways, Zhou Zhishan felt a sense of kinship with Fu Xunzhou. Looking at him, Zhou Zhishan often recalled his own younger self.
Some things, perhaps only a man can understand another man.
Thus, Zhou Zhishan was generally quite satisfied with his son-in-law.
Upon entering the Zhou family mansion, the first person Fu Xunzhou saw was Rong Huiying.
Seeing Fu Xunzhou, Rong Huiying didn’t hide her disdain, asking, “Why are you here?”
Zhou Zhishan spoke softly, “I invited Xunzhou. By the way, is there any food left? Xunzhou hasn’t eaten dinner yet.”
Fu Xunzhou turned and greeted Rong Huiying.
In the past, mothers-in-law often grew fond of their sons-in-law, but Rong Huiying was meticulous. Remembering the grievances her daughter had suffered in the Fu family, she didn’t want to show Fu Xunzhou any kindness.
Yet, Fu Xunzhou’s humble demeanor evoked sympathy.
Rong Huiying, with her soft heart, especially during the festive season, refrained from saying anything hurtful. But she made no move to offer Fu Xunzhou any food.
Today, the housekeeper was on holiday, leaving no one for Zhou Zhishan to call upon.
Zhou Zhishan invited Fu Xunzhou to sit on the sofa, saying, “I remember last New Year you were stranded at the airport in Germany because of heavy snow?”
Fu Xunzhou nodded, “Yes.”
“Not easy, not easy,” Zhou Zhishan murmured.
Rong Huiying shot Zhou Zhishan a glare.
Zhou Zhishan chuckled awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
On the TV, a comedy sketch was playing, with about half an hour left before the New Year.
Seeing that Rong Huiying seemed unwilling to move, Zhou Zhishan stood up and nudged her.
Rong Huiying simply got up and went upstairs.
Zhou Zhishan coughed lightly in embarrassment and invited Fu Xunzhou to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.
Once in the kitchen, Zhou Zhishan searched for ingredients while saying to Fu Xunzhou, “You know your aunt’s personality, don’t take it to heart.”
Fu Xunzhou stood obediently to the side, replying, “Of course not, it’s understandable that she doesn’t like me.”
“There’s no ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ about it,” Zhou Zhishan said, pulling out some noodles from the fridge. “Do you eat noodles?”
That’s about all he could cook.
Fu Xunzhou nodded.
He hadn’t eaten much all day.
Having lost his father at a young age, Fu Xunzhou had nearly forgotten what fatherly love felt like. After marrying Zhou Youling, he began to understand the concept of fatherly love through Zhou Zhishan.
Zhou Zhishan doted on Zhou Youling, treating her like a treasure. Consequently, he also cared deeply for his son-in-law, Fu Xunzhou.
Suddenly, Zhou Youling’s voice echoed through the house.
“Mom, Dad, where’s your phone charger? I can’t find mine,” Zhou Youling said as she came downstairs.
Fu Xunzhou’s heart began to race slightly.
Zhou Zhishan glanced at Fu Xunzhou and shouted, “There’s one in the kitchen!”
Zhou Youling descended the stairs, muttering softly, “Why did my phone suddenly go black? It won’t turn on.”
She was focused on her phone, pressing the power button repeatedly but to no avail.
As she approached the kitchen, Zhou Youling looked up and asked, “Dad, are you hungry? What are you cooking? Do you need help?”
Zhou Zhishan quickly replied, “Help would be great!”
After he spoke, the kitchen fell into a brief silence.
Zhou Youling looked at Fu Xunzhou.
Fu Xunzhou looked at Zhou Youling.
They hadn’t seen each other for a month. Meeting again felt as if nothing had changed, yet everything was different.
Zhou Zhishan glanced at his daughter Zhou Youling, then at his former son-in-law Fu Xunzhou, chuckling, “Ah, your mom seems to be calling me. I’ll go check. Lingling, there’s boiling water in the pot, remember to cook noodles for Xunzhou.”
With that, Zhou Zhishan quickly made his exit.
He hadn’t gone far when he ran into Rong Huiying, who was hurrying downstairs.
Rong Huiying had realized the situation while using the restroom and wanted to prevent her daughter from meeting Fu Xunzhou, but Zhou Zhishan intercepted her halfway.
Zhou Zhishan took Rong Huiying’s hand and led her upstairs, saying, “Don’t go playing third wheel.”
Rong Huiying exclaimed, “A third wheel? How am I a third wheel? I’m going to save my daughter from the depths of despair!”
Zhou Zhishan replied, “Let the young people handle their own affairs. Come on, let’s go set off some fireworks together!”
Rong Huiying angrily brushed off Zhou Zhishan’s hand, saying, “Who wants to set off fireworks with you!”
…
In the kitchen.
Zhou Youling quietly put down her phone, avoiding Fu Xunzhou’s gaze.
Fu Xunzhou found a phone charger and handed it to Zhou Youling. “Try charging it to see if it turns on.”
Zhou Youling took the charger and tried plugging it in.
Unfortunately, the phone still wouldn’t turn on.
At that moment, the water in the pot reached boiling point, bubbling away.
Zhou Youling instinctively said, “Time to add the noodles.”
Fu Xunzhou picked up the noodles from the table and asked, “How much should I add?”
Zhou Youling set her phone aside and walked over. “Who’s eating?”
Fu Xunzhou replied softly, “Me.”
Zhou Youling glanced at him and asked, “You haven’t eaten yet?”
“I haven’t eaten all day,” he admitted.
Knowing Fu Xunzhou’s appetite, Zhou Youling skillfully grabbed a handful of noodles and added them to the pot.
While the noodles were cooking, Zhou Youling turned her attention back to her phone.
It was strange; the phone had suddenly shut off during their call without any warning.
Fu Xunzhou came over and said, “Let me take a look.”
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Youling handed the phone to him.
“What happened to the phone?” Fu Xunzhou asked.
Zhou Youling answered honestly, “It just went black while I was talking to you.”
Fu Xunzhou nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He realized that she hadn’t intentionally hung up on him.
Seeing Fu Xunzhou grinning, Zhou Youling frowned and asked, “What are you smiling about?”
Fu Xunzhou shook his head. “Nothing.”
Zhou Youling noticed the smile at the corner of his mouth, and her defenses softened. She asked, not too kindly, “How did you get in here?”
“Dad let me in,” Fu Xunzhou replied, deliberately not correcting himself.
Zhou Youling shot him a glare. “He’s not your dad anymore.”
Fu Xunzhou replied earnestly, “Once a father, always a father.”
Zhou Youling was almost impressed by his shamelessness. She decided to ignore him and turned to check on the noodles.
It didn’t take long to cook the noodles.
But plain noodles didn’t look appetizing.
Being in the food business, Zhou Youling couldn’t serve a bowl of noodles that wasn’t up to par.
She glanced at Fu Xunzhou and asked, “What flavor do you want?”
Fu Xunzhou didn’t hesitate. “Seafood noodles.”
“Seafood noodles, huh.” Zhou Youling turned off the heat and rummaged through the fridge.
The kitchen was well-stocked, with seafood in the freezer.
She found some prawns and small squid, skillfully prepared them, and added them to the pot with the noodles. Then she tossed in some greens.
Once the noodles were done, Zhou Youling seasoned them and served them in a large bowl, arranging them simply.
Meanwhile, Fu Xunzhou handed the now-working phone back to Zhou Youling.
They exchanged items, one handing over the bowl, the other the phone.
Fu Xunzhou sat at the dining table with the steaming noodles, his appetite piqued, but he couldn’t help but sigh. That sigh carried a wealth of emotions.
This bowl of noodles seemed to span a great distance. He thought he’d never again taste something she made.
He looked at Zhou Youling, who was fiddling with her phone not far away, and said softly, “Thank you.”
In their three years of marriage, she had cooked for him many times, but he had never said thank you.
Zhou Youling paused, looking up. Under the dim light, her long hair cascaded, her beauty striking.
Fu Xunzhou had always known she was beautiful. He remembered being captivated by her looks the first time he saw her.
Zhou Youling smiled faintly at him, waving her phone. “Thank you too.”
“No need to thank me.” Fu Xunzhou hadn’t actually done anything to her phone, but it miraculously turned on in his hands.
The New Year’s bell was about to ring.
In the living room, the hosts of the Spring Festival Gala on TV began the countdown to the New Year.
Zhou Youling was about to leave when she heard Fu Xunzhou say, “Can you stay?”
Stay and share this bowl of noodles with him.
