When I Stopped Acting Spoiled, My Arranged Husband Fell Apart - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day, I bought the newest phone on the market and took it to Zhuo Zhishu’s office myself.

He was in a meeting. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I went to the public restroom first.

Two female employees were chatting outside my stall.

“That’s strange. Mr. Zhuo used to move every meeting whenever she came by. How come she has to wait today?”

“They’ve been married almost four years, right? Maybe he’s finally sick of her.”

“You think?”

“Why not? She orders him around all the time. No man can stand that forever. And I heard from the executive assistant that Mr. Zhuo has been calling some woman a lot lately.”

“Seriously…?”

My unease deepened.

Once their voices had faded away, I opened the stall and walked out in a daze.

Zhuo Zhishu happened to pass the restroom just after his meeting. He called out, “Honey, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

The two figures in the distance stiffened, then hurried back into their office.

“I was in the area. I brought you a phone.”

I held out the shopping bag.

Zhuo Zhishu took it, his eyes lighting up. “You bought this for me? Thank you, honey. You’re the best.”

He led me into his office by the hand and took picture after picture of the new phone. He was probably showing it off in every one of his group chats again.

I watched distractedly.

There were two knocks at the door. His assistant entered carrying a box from Brand L.

“Mr. Zhuo, your local delivery.”

Zhuo Zhishu’s smile froze.

“Th-that isn’t mine. It must have been delivered by mistake.”

“Should I send it back?”

“Put it in the archive room for now. I’ll ask what happened when I have time.”

“Of course.”

The second his assistant left, Zhuo Zhishu scrambled to explain.

“My mother probably ordered it and used the wrong address. I’ll ask her later.”

His phone rang.

His expression grew even worse.

He rejected the call, but before he could say a word, it rang again. Perhaps refusing twice would have looked too deliberate, because this time he gritted his teeth and answered.

“Important call. Give me a moment, honey.”

Zhuo Zhishu hurried to the window.

Throughout the call, all he offered were distracted murmurs of “Mm” and “Fine.” But at the very beginning, I had clearly made out a woman’s voice on the other end.

Remembering what I had heard in the restroom, I tested him. “What was that about?”

“Uh, a business partner.

“There’s a dinner engagement tonight, and apparently I have to be there. Lin Xiao is going too. I can call him and prove it. I won’t be home late.

“But if you don’t want me to go, I can cancel.”

Zhuo Zhishu was a terrible liar. He hadn’t even noticed that his own story contradicted itself.

But I wasn’t clever either. I had no idea how to respond to something like this.

My father used to say that a good wife knew when to play dumb. It was the key to preserving a marriage.

So I said, “Go ahead.”

Zhuo Zhishu did return fairly early, but he was wearing different clothes.

“Lin Xiao got drunk and threw up all over me. I borrowed his clothes and tossed mine—they were disgusting.

“I’m going to take a shower, honey.”

With that, he fled into the bathroom.

When he emerged, he had already changed into pajamas.

I knew he was hiding something.

After every shower, he usually wandered around the house in nothing but a towel before putting on clothes. He hated the humid heat of the bathroom.

The answer was under those pajamas.

I rolled over, straddled his waist, and reached for his buttons.

The man who normally wanted to pull me into his very bones caught my wrist and mumbled, “Not tonight. I drank too much. I’m tired.”

“I’ll do the work.”

I leaned down and whispered it in his ear.

His ears flushed crimson. The hand I had slipped free from hovered in midair, utterly still.

I had undone the second button when he abruptly came to his senses. He grabbed the comforter, bundled me in it, and lowered me onto the bed.

“I really am exhausted, honey.”

Zhuo Zhishu kissed my lips. “Once this busy stretch is over, okay? I’ll make it up to you properly.”

I had my answer.

“All right,” I said calmly.

But I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned.

The warm, muted strip lighting should have made me drowsy. Instead, it outlined everything with brutal clarity—including my thoughts.

Sensing me move, the sleeping man instinctively reached out and pulled me into his arms with a soft sigh.

His pajama sleeve rode up, revealing a long, narrow scratch.

There were probably more across his back.

What an unusual, sharp manicure she must have had. One he wouldn’t soon forget.

My father was right. A marriage survived only if one knew how to play dumb.

It was all the light’s fault for making everything so clear.