Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first time we officially put on a show of being in love for outsiders was at a Zhou Family dinner.

Zhou’s Mother was harder to deal with than I’d imagined.

She wore a pearl-white suit, and when she smiled, she looked very gentle.

But every word she spoke came with a needle hidden inside.

“Miss Wen, your work keeps you so busy. After the wedding, will you still be managing your projects?”

Before I could answer, Zhou Yubai pulled out my chair for me.

“If she doesn’t manage them, are we supposed to hand them over to someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing and let them ruin everything?”

The dining table fell silent for a moment.

Zhou’s Mother’s smile faded.

“Yubai, is that any way to speak to your mother?”

“It’s the truth.”

After saying that, he switched the glass of ice water in front of me for warm water.

The motion was so natural that my heart gave a soft little jump.

Zhou’s Mother saw it all.

“You two do seem close.”

I immediately got into character.

I linked my arm through Zhou Yubai’s.

“He isn’t very good with words most of the time, but he’s a good person.”

Zhou Yubai lowered his head to look at me.

I smiled at him.

My meaning was obvious.

Act.

Zhou Yubai paused for two seconds.

Then he raised his hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

His fingertips brushed the rim of my ear.

They were cool.

But a tingle ran down my back.

“She gets stomachaches easily,” he said. “Don’t let her drink anything cold.”

The smile on my face almost slipped.

Zhou’s Mother stared at us for a long time.

That night, she tested us in many ways.

She asked how we met.

She asked who had brought up marriage first.

She asked whether I’d been able to sleep well after moving into his home.

Every question was like a fine needle, trying to pick out a flaw in this rushed marriage.

I handled it fairly well.

But a few times, I nearly gave myself away.

For example, when Zhou’s Mother asked, “Does Yubai still sleep with the window open?”

I didn’t know.

He and I slept in separate rooms.

I didn’t even know what he wore to bed.

But Zhou Yubai took my hand before I could answer.

“Mom.”

His voice had turned a little cold.

“That’s not something you need to ask her.”

Zhou’s Mother’s smile deepened.

“Protecting her that closely?”

As if something had suddenly occurred to her, she slowly added,

“Yubai has been like this since he was young. The more he can’t bear to let something go, the quicker he is to say he doesn’t want it.”

Zhou Yubai’s fingers tightened slightly.

“Mom.”

“Am I wrong? Back then, when your father wanted to send you abroad, you had that same expression. You clearly didn’t want to leave, but you insisted you didn’t care.”

For the first time, I saw a brief crack appear on his face.

It wasn’t embarrassment.

It was the chill of having an old wound exposed in public.

My palm was faintly damp with sweat.

Zhou Yubai’s palm was pressed against mine, his grip steady.

“I didn’t marry her and bring her home so you could interrogate her.”

All of a sudden, I couldn’t tell.

Was he acting, or did he genuinely dislike other people speaking to me that way?

On the way home, neither of us said a word.

Soft music played in the car.

When we reached the underground garage, I unbuckled my seat belt.

“Thank you for today.”

Zhou Yubai looked straight ahead.

“It’s what I should do.”

I nodded. “Mr. Zhou is very professional.”

I pushed the door open to get out.

He suddenly stopped me.

“Wen Yi.”

I looked back.

He sat in the driver’s seat, the light falling across his brow.

“If they ask you questions like that again, you don’t have to answer.”

I froze for a moment.

“Why not?”

He looked at me.

“You’re not here to hand in a test paper to them.”

My heart felt as if it had been gently touched.