My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 31

Since the shop was located not far from the city gate, the three of them walked only a short distance before returning to the store.

Guo’er and the others, who had already set the dishes and were waiting in their chairs, quickly stood up to greet their boss and the boss’s wife as soon as they saw them return.

Cui’er glanced over at the sound and was startled. Oh my! Why was the boss’s wife with that person who had tried to flirt with her earlier?

“Alright, go wash your hands in the back. Once you’re done, we’ll eat,” Cheng Yi called out as soon as she entered, urging Lu Jiahe to go wash up.

“Boss’s wife!” Cui’er stood up and walked over to her, calling out softly.

Cheng Yi stopped and looked at her, while Lu Jiahe, hearing the voice, also paused and turned to look.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Yi asked, puzzled, having already forgotten about the incident from noon.

“Boss’s wife, I need to speak with you alone,” Cui’er said, her eyes darting toward the person standing behind Cheng Yi.

Seeing the unease in Cui’er’s eyes, Cheng Yi suddenly remembered what had happened at noon. She told Lu Jiahe and Lu An to go wash their hands in the backyard and pulled Cui’er aside to the corner of the stairs.

“What is it?”

Cui’er clasped her hands together, looking troubled as she stared at Cheng Yi. “Boss’s wife, are you very close with that frivolous Young Master?”

She hadn’t wanted to be so blunt, but if Cheng Yi and that person were friends, she had decided she wouldn’t continue working there. She didn’t want to risk being harassed or humiliated by him while on the job.

“You really don’t recognize who she is?” Cheng Yi sighed, thinking that while Cui’er was excellent and hardworking in every other way, her one flaw was her face blindness.

Cui’er shook her head. “Boss, when I first came to work here, it was because I thought you were a good person and assigned everyone fair tasks. But if you’re really friends with that Young Master, then I won’t be able to continue working here.”

Cheng Yi had intended to tell her the truth directly, but hearing Cui’er’s words piqued her curiosity. “Why don’t you want to work here anymore? Just because I know her?”

“Boss, it’s not that I have any issue with you. I just don’t trust that young master. And now you’ve even brought him back for dinner. I came out to work to earn some money to support my family, but more importantly, I need to protect my own safety.”

Cheng Yi fully agreed with Cui’er’s concerns. “Silly girl, that’s Lu Jiahe! You met her last night.”

“Ah?” Cui’er suddenly understood. “So, it’s the boss? Then why was she winking at me so much at noon? I didn’t recognize her and thought she had improper intentions toward me!”

“She was trying to get you to bring her the lunch I made for her,” Cheng Yi chuckled at Cui’er’s reaction. “Don’t worry, she’s not that kind of person. If she ever dared to have such thoughts about anyone, I would have broken her legs long ago.”

“I’m sorry, Boss’s wife!” Cui’er’s heart sank. She had spoken ill of the boss in front of the boss’s wife. Surely, she wouldn’t be able to keep her job now. “I’m sorry, Boss’s wife. It’s my fault. I didn’t recognize the boss and even called him frivolous and accused him of having improper intentions.”

Cheng Yi watched as Cui’er’s face fell and quickly reached out to stop her from bowing in apology. “It’s alright. I know you have trouble recognizing people. But now, at least, you’ll remember her face, right?”

“I’ll remember, I’ll remember! Boss Lady, please put in a good word for me with the boss so I can keep working here!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m the one in charge here. Just keep working here with peace of mind. She knows you have face blindness, so she won’t mind.” Cheng Yi looked at the young girl before her and reached out to pat her shoulder like an older sister, offering comfort.

“Thank you, boss lady.” Cui’er pressed her lips together and bowed to Cheng Yi in gratitude.

“No need to be so polite. If you work here, we’re like family. If anything comes up in the future, just say it directly. If you run into someone you don’t recognize, go ask Panda Eyes and his brothers.” Cheng Yi reached out to pull Cui’er upright, she really couldn’t stand such formalities.

“Alright, go out and get ready. We’ll be eating soon.”

“Understood, Boss Lady.”

Lu Jiahe had been waiting in the backyard for Cheng Yi ever since she finished washing her hands. She was still thinking about what had happened at noon.

“Why did it take you so long? What were you and Cui’er whispering about?” Lu Jiahe hurried over to Cheng Yi as soon as she arrived, eager to ask.

“What? You want to know?” Cheng Yi bent over to wash her hands, but her gaze lingered on Lu Jiahe’s face.

Seeing that her little scheme had been exposed, Lu Jiahe straightened up and put on a different expression. “I’m not curious, just asking.”

Cheng Yi, noticing how deliberately indifferent the other was pretending to be, decided to tease her. “Oh, since you’re not curious, I won’t say anything then. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Lu Jiahe pressed her lips together and stared at Cheng Yi for a long moment before finally blurting out, “No way. Even though I’m not that interested, we agreed on three rules earlier. No hiding things from each other.”

Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lu Jiahe. “That was a one-sided agreement from me to you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who can’t hide things from me.”

Lu Jiahe frowned at this. “That won’t do. The agreement didn’t specify who can’t hide things from whom, so you can’t keep things from me either.”

Cheng Yi, unable to resist the other’s childish demeanor, stood up and dried her hands. “It was nothing. She was just talking about how you teased her at noon.”

She said it lightly, as if it were no big deal, but the person in question immediately grew anxious upon hearing this.

“I didn’t tease her!” Lu Jiahe followed Cheng Yi’s steps toward the main hall. “I just wanted her to bring up the lunch you made for me.”

Cheng Yi nodded indifferently. “I know. I explained it to her.” With that, she stopped and turned to scrutinize Lu Jiahe. “Didn’t you know about her face blindness? I told you about it, last night, didn’t I?”

“Ah?” Lu Jiahe halted and looked at Cheng Yi. “I forgot. But at the time, they were all there, and I didn’t want them to know I have any connection to this place.”

Cheng Yi looked at her with interest. “Why?”

Lu Jiahe hesitated for a long moment before answering, “I was afraid it might affect your business. Besides, Gap-tooth didn’t expose your identity at noon either. Don’t you also not want people to know you’re the boss here?”

“You’re quite clever.” Cheng Yi laughed and reached out to pat Lu Jiahe’s head. “Good thing all that studying wasn’t for nothing. Don’t overthink it. I’ve already cleared things up with her, and this time she’ll remember you. Don’t give her a hard time, she’s a good worker.”

“I won’t. I’d never do something like that.”

Cheng Yi gently pinched and tugged the other’s cheek. “Such a child. Alright, hurry back to eat. We still have to go home soon.”

After Cheng Yi explained the matter clearly, it was considered closed in Lu Jiahe’s mind.

After the two finished their meal, they took Guo’er and Lu An back to the Lu residence. As soon as they entered, a servant came to report, urging them to go to the front hall immediately, saying someone had come to the house to cause trouble.

Having already been tired all day, Cheng Yi couldn’t help but complain upon hearing the servant’s words. “Who is it, causing trouble so late at night?”

Upon hearing the servant’s words, Lu Jiahe was almost certain that the troublemaker was most likely Wang San. “Let’s go take a look first.”

As soon as the two stepped into the front hall, they heard crying and shouting inside. Listening carefully, huh? Why did the voice sound so familiar?

“Master Lu, you must stand up for me! I just had lunch with Jiahe at noon, and that girl, using the Lu family’s name, made a fool of me. How can I still have the face to stay in the academy, or even in Bianjing?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Seeing Wang San sitting on a chair, crying and shouting, Cheng Yi couldn’t help but let out a mocking sound.

Wang San turned his head at the noise and, seeing it was Cheng Yi, cried even more dramatically. “Master Lu, Uncle Lu, look at her!”

Lu Zhengliang frowned as he looked at Cheng Yi. He knew her temperament well, but Wang San had brought his father to the house to make a scene. If he didn’t give them an explanation, there would be no way to settle this.

“Miss Cheng, Wang San has come to our house and told us about what happened between you. Is there some misunderstanding?”

Cheng Yi glanced at Wang San and replied, “Father-in-law, we did run into him at noon. However, he kept insulting Jiahe with his words. I couldn’t hold back my anger and said a few words to him.”

Lu Zhengliang’s expression darkened as he looked at Cheng Yi, but the way she addressed him as “father-in-law” made it hard for him to speak too harshly to her. “What exactly did you say that made Young Master Wang bring his father to the Lu residence late at night to demand an explanation?”

Seeing Wang San staring at her with a smug smile, Cheng Yi immediately understood that he had come to the Lu residence to embarrass her. She thought to herself, if he could pretend, she could pretend even better!

“Father-in-law, Young Master Wang said in front of Jiahe and me that he wanted to be the master of the Lu residence, saying. saying.” Cheng Yi covered her stomach and weakly collapsed into Lu Jiahe’s arms. “He said he wanted to be Jiahe’s father.”

Lu Jiahe held Cheng Yi, about to ask what was wrong when he felt her lightly tapping his arm.

“Oh! Daughter-in-law!” Lu Zhengliang rushed to Cheng Yi’s side and, together with Lu Jiahe, helped her onto a chair.

Lu Zhengliang glanced at Cheng Yi’s stomach, then turned and glared fiercely at Wang San and his father. “How dare you! You disrespect me in front of my son and daughter-in-law, and still have the nerve to come here demanding an explanation!”

“I didn’t! They’re lying!” Wang San, flustered and exasperated, had thought that since Lu Jiahe was not favored, Lu Zhengliang would surely make them apologize to save face. He never expected things to take such an unexpected turn.

Wang San’s father, hearing Cheng Yi’s words, also stood up to defend his son. “Master Lu, my son has always been prudent in his actions. He and Jiahe have been classmates for so long; he would never say anything disrespectful to you.”

“They’re the ones lying!” Wang San hadn’t expected Cheng Yi to be even more dramatic than himself. Fortunately, he had kept an ace up his sleeve. The incident at noon where she had swindled a thousand taels of silver from him during lunch was solid, undeniable fact. “Master Lu, not only is Miss Cheng lying, but she also cheated me out of a thousand taels during lunch today. Everyone in the shop can testify to that.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yi shot him an almost imperceptible glare. She thought to herself how fortunate it was that she hadn’t revealed her identity back at the shop; otherwise, it would have been hard to pin the blame on Wang San.

“You. I merely asked who you think you are to act like the master of the Lu family, and here you are, coming to the Lu residence to demand an explanation. Don’t tell me you actually want to become the head of the Lu family?” Cheng Yi clutched her stomach and leaned against Lu Jiahe, putting on a show of seeking justice for the Lu family as she stared at Wang San.