After Transmigrating as a Wealthy Woman: Don’t You Dare Touch My Baby! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 104

“So you two knew each other before this?” Mama Zhu looked between her daughter and Zhong Ying, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“We’ve met a few times. We’re ordinary friends,” Zhu Xingtong said as she pulled out a chair for Zhong Ying. She handed her a pair of chopsticks with a grin. “Here, Teacher Xiao Zhong, let’s eat.”

Zhong Ying sighed softly. “Auntie Bai, sorry for the intrusion.”

“Not at all!” Mama Zhu waved it off. “Since you already know each other, that’s even better. No need for introductions. Help yourself, don’t be polite!”

“Right, don’t be polite!” Xingtong echoed cheerfully. Then, she pulled out her phone and started playing a game right there at the dinner table.

Zhong Ying’s brow furrowed immediately. She wanted to say something, but held back. The “ding-dong” sounds of Candy Crush echoed through the room. Xingtong didn’t look up once, only occasionally reaching out to grab a piece of meat.

Before Zhong Ying could snap, Mama Zhu spoke up. “Zhu Xingtong! Put that phone away!”

Xingtong stuck out her tongue, shot a playful, teasing look at the expressionless Zhong Ying, and chuckled. “Sorry, force of habit.”

Zhong Ying: “…”

“Did no one teach you table manners?” Mama Zhu huffed. “Xiao Zhong is a guest. You’re being very rude!”

“Someone taught me, I just suddenly forgot. Don’t be mad, I’m stopping,” Xingtong said. She glanced at Zhong Ying’s cold face and thought: Hmph, woman. Prodding a piece of fatty beef in her bowl, Xingtong suddenly turned to her mother. “By the way, Mom, which one of those blind dates am I meeting tomorrow?”

Mama Zhu perked up. “Any of them! They’re all off for the weekend. Which one do you want to see?”

“The really pretty one! The Chinese teacher. I bet we’ll have plenty to talk about!”

The math teacher/support teacher, Xiao Zhong: “…”

“Is she very pretty?” Teacher Xiao Zhong was the first to ask, her voice dangerously calm.

“I’ll go get the photo,” Mama Zhu said, excited. “She probably works at the same school you’re assigned to. Maybe you’ll even teach the same class!”

“That would be wonderful,” Xiao Zhong said without a hint of emotion.

Wow, she looks like she wants to eat someone, Xingtong thought, stifling a laugh. She dipped a piece of beef into her own dipping bowl, then—with extreme thick-faced audacity—dropped the already-bitten/dipped meat directly into Zhong Ying’s bowl.

“Here, try this. It’s delicious.”

Xingtong felt a bit disgusted with herself. If a stranger did this to her, she’d flip the table. She waited with bated breath to see the reaction.

Zhong Ying stared at the piece of meat in her bowl. A fierce internal struggle ensued. Finally, she looked at Xingtong and said solemnly, “Thank you. But Miss Zhu, this has already been in your bowl. It’s not appropriate to give to others.”

Xingtong nodded innocently and pushed her own bowl toward her. “Ah, sorry. Then… you can give it back?”

Zhong Ying: “…”

“No need. Since Miss Zhu is so hospitable, I shall eat it.” Without another word, she popped the meat into her mouth before Xingtong could take it back.

Xingtong burst out laughing. “Teacher Xiao Zhong, is it good?”

“The taste is excellent. Auntie’s cooking is great,” Zhong Ying replied.

I haven’t kissed my wife in ages, Zhong Ying thought bitterly. Eating the food from her chopsticks is practically an indirect kiss. With that logic, she began eating even more enthusiastically.

Watching from the living room, Mama Zhu was stunned. Her daughter wasn’t usually this tactless. This wasn’t “hospitality”—it was picking a fight. Yet Xiao Zhong was eating it without a care?

There’s definitely something fishy going on, Mama Zhu thought, a sharp light gleaming in her eyes. She walked over with a photo. “Found it! This is the Chinese teacher!”

“Oh! Let me see,” Xingtong leaned in. “Does she look like a good match for me, Teacher Xiao Zhong?”

Zhong Ying looked at the photo of a gentle, pretty woman around 26. “She seems… very nice.”

Then, Zhong Ying turned to Mama Zhu and asked nonchalantly, “Auntie Bai, do you have any other candidates? Perhaps someone in their early twenties? Could you introduce a few to me as well?”

Zhu Xingtong: “???”

Mama Zhu blinked. “Xiao Zhong, you like girls too?”

“I do, Auntie. I trust your taste. If there’s someone suitable, please keep me in mind.”

Xingtong’s mouth pouted instantly. She buried her head in her bowl and started eating aggressively. How hateful! Zhong Ying smiled and placed a piece of meat in Xingtong’s bowl. “Is it good?”

“It’s. Great!” Xingtong chewed with exaggerated force, her eyes glaring like round saucers.

After dinner, the two went for a walk while Mama Zhu cleaned up.

“Why are you a teacher? You’re a cafe owner, you shouldn’t be short on money,” Xingtong asked as they strolled through the quiet county streets.

“Teaching is my real profession,” Zhong Ying replied calmly. “I opened the cafe later. Besides, teachers are more… approachable.”

“I see. And were you serious about the blind dates? You’re rich and beautiful; are you really lacking a partner?”

Zhong Ying shot her a look. “Being rich and beautiful doesn’t mean you don’t need a partner. I heard from Auntie Bai that you’re quite the stock market expert yourself. You’ve earned enough for a ‘wife-fund,’ haven’t you?”

“I’ve earned plenty,” Xingtong shrugged. “That’s why I’m going on the date tomorrow. If she’s nice… maybe I’ll marry her.”

Zhong Ying’s expression remained neutral, but her eyes were searching. “Actually… I already have someone I like.”

“Who?”

“It’s a secret,” Xingtong beamed. “A ‘cannot-be-told’ secret. Anyway, since you want to go on dates too, why don’t we go together tomorrow?”

Zhong Ying: “…”

“Are you serious?”

“Totally!”

“Fine,” Zhong Ying replied. “I’ll go with you.”

Xingtong looked up at the sky. If this woman wasn’t her cub, she’d do a handstand. But why wouldn’t she just admit it?

Back at home, Mama Zhu cornered Xingtong. “Spill it. I have the eyes of a hawk. What’s going on between you and Xiao Zhong?”

Xingtong blinked innocently. “Nothing!”

“Liar! Xiao Zhong moved in next door a month ago, and the way you two were acting at dinner… it’s like a drama where a girl moves next door to win over the mother-in-law because she’s afraid the parents won’t approve!”

Xingtong pouted. “Well, you were pretty easy to win over, Mom. You’ve been praising ‘Xiao Zhong’ every day.”

“Hush! Tell me the truth.”

Xingtong looked at her fingers. “Nothing is settled yet.”

“Nonsense!” Mama Zhu sat down. “From my perspective, Xiao Zhong clearly likes you. No one would eat food like that from someone else’s bowl unless they were head over heels. It’s gross!”

“Hehe,” Xingtong giggled. She’s definitely my cub. “What are you smiling about?”

Xingtong stood up straight. “Ms. Bai Ningning, what would you think if I decided to pursue Teacher Xiao Zhong?”

Mama Zhu froze. “For real?”

“Most likely… yes!”

Mama Zhu waved her hand grandly. “I support you a hundred percent!”

“Yay!”