My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 34

Cheng Yi, who was still picking up food to eat, frowned at the sound and craned her neck to look toward the door, as if trying to see past Lu Jiahe to identify the person standing in front of him.

Lu Jiahe sized up the woman before him, then with a loud ‘Bang!’ slammed the back door shut.

“Huff! Huff!” Lu Jiahe turned around and leaned against the door, seemingly trying to block the back entrance and prevent the woman outside from entering the courtyard.

Seeing this, Cheng Yi grew even more puzzled. She set down her chopsticks, stood up, and slowly walked over to Lu Jiahe. “Who is it? Why did you close the door?” She raised her eyebrows, scrutinizing Lu Jiahe and then glancing at the tightly shut back door. She wondered if he had stirred up some romantic trouble outside and the woman had chased him all the way home.

“N-no one. Weren’t you going to help out in the front? Why don’t you go now?” Lu Jiahe acted as if he had done something wrong, avoiding Cheng Yi’s gaze the moment he felt her eyes on him.

Noticing the cold sweat of nervousness on his forehead, Cheng Yi grew increasingly suspicious. She reached out and pushed him aside from the door.

Creak!

The back door opened, revealing the girl Cheng Yi had helped outside the city a few days earlier, standing foolishly outside with a food box in hand.

“Oh? Aren’t you the young lady from outside the city the other day?” Cheng Yi pointed at Xue Wanning but made no move to let her in.

Xue Wanning was quite surprised to see Cheng Yi in the courtyard. However, since Cheng Yi had also helped her that day, she smiled and answered the question cheerfully.

“Yes, Miss Cheng. Are you here to see Young Master Lu as well?” Xue Wanning lifted the food box in her hand. “Miss Cheng, have you eaten? Would you like to join us?”

“Huh? Ah?” Seeing that the other’s intentions were so clear, Cheng Yi felt it would be impolite to keep her outside any longer. She stepped aside and led her into the courtyard. “Come in first.”

Lu Jiahe watched as the woman entered the courtyard and felt Cheng Yi’s icy gaze fixed on him.

It felt as though his wife had caught him fooling around outside, and the other woman had come to confront him at home.

“Are the two of you having lunch together?” Xue Wanning looked at the unfinished dishes on the stone table and then at the two of them. She tightened her grip on the food box, wondering if her timing was inappropriate.

“Yes, that’s right. Should I have the kitchen prepare something else so you can join us?” Cheng Yi sat back down on the stone stool, looking up at the other with an air of authority, like a wife asserting her position.

Xue Wanning smiled at this. “No need. I came today to bring Young Master Lu his lunch.”

?

Hearing this, Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow and stared at Lu Jiahe, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “Oh my! How many people have you asked to prepare lunch for you, Young Master Lu? Why didn’t you inform me earlier? And here I went out of my way to make lunch especially for you.”

“No, no, no. I didn’t.” Seeing that Cheng Yi had misunderstood, Lu Jiahe quickly waved his hands in denial.

Xue Wanning watched their interaction with curiosity. She remembered clearly that on the day they first met. Miss Cheng had beaten up Young Master Lu. How had the two of them become such good friends that they were now eating together?

Seeing the fear on Lu Jiahe’s face, she quickly spoke up to explain for him, “You’ve misunderstood, Miss Cheng.” Xue Wanning bit her lip, her cheeks flushed as she said, “I followed Young Master Lu here. He didn’t know I had prepared lunch for him.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at the two standing before her. “Oh, I see.” Noticing Xue Wanning’s shy demeanor, she couldn’t help but shoot Lu Jiahe a glare. “Our Young Master Lu is quite the charmer, isn’t he? Impressive, impressive.”

Lu Jiahe listened to Cheng Yi’s sarcastic remarks but didn’t dare retort. After all, the person who had come looking for him was her, not the other way around.

“Miss Xue, don’t just stand there. Please sit down and join us. Let Young Master Lu taste your cooking as well.”

Xue Wanning blushed and took a seat, then opened the lunchbox and laid out all the dishes she had prepared.

Wow! Cheng Yi eyed the food spread across the table and thought to herself that Xue Wanning was quite skilled in the kitchen.

“Young Master Lu, would you mind going to the kitchen to fetch a bowl and chopsticks for Miss Xue?” Cheng Yi called out to Lu Jiahe, who was standing awkwardly to the side.

Not daring to refuse, Lu Jiahe hurried into the kitchen and brought back a set of utensils, placing them in front of Xue Wanning.

“Miss Xue, would you mind if I try some of your dishes?” Cheng Yi was curious about the exquisitely prepared food before her. It wasn’t just an ordinary lunch. It was a lovingly made bento, artfully arranged to look so beautiful.

Xue Wanning smiled sweetly at Cheng Yi. “Of course, Sister Cheng, please help yourself.” She watched with anticipation and added, “By the way, Sister Cheng, you can just call me Wanning. There’s no need to be so formal.”

Cheng Yi nodded. “Alright.” With that, she picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth.

It was savory, tender, and smooth, absolutely delicious. It had been a long time since she had tasted fish this good.

Although there were fish vendors in Bianjing, and Cheng Yi had bought fish a few times, no matter how she cooked it, she could never replicate the flavor she had enjoyed in modern times. Every attempt ended up with a fishy taste that killed her appetite.

“How did you make this? There’s no fishy taste at all.” Cheng Yi hadn’t had such delicious steamed fish in ages and couldn’t resist taking another piece.

Seeing how much Cheng Yi enjoyed it, Xue Wanning pushed the other dishes closer to her. “These are all homemade. If you like them, please have more. I can even bring some for you every day from now on.”

Huh?

Cheng Yi looked at her in confusion. Bring me food every day? Isn’t the one you have a crush on Lu Jiahe?

“No, no, that’s too kind of you. I already have three meals provided daily, so there’s no need to go out of your way,” Cheng Yi declined with a smile.

“It’s no trouble at all, Sister Cheng. If you ever want to eat it, just let me know,” Xue Wanning replied, her face still flushed as she gazed at Cheng Yi.

What’s going on? What is she trying to do? Shouldn’t she be at odds with me in every way?

Cheng Yi felt a bit awkward under her gaze and wondered. Just whose love rival is she, anyway?

Sitting on the other side, Lu Jiahe remained completely oblivious to the subtle tension between the two. He kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth, not daring to touch the dishes Xue Wanning had brought for fear that eating them would upset Cheng Yi and she’d stop making novel and delicious food for him in the future.

Lu Jiahe was wolfing down the lunch Cheng Yi had made like a whirlwind. To avoid having the conversation turn to her while Xue Wanning was present, she hadn’t let her mouth rest for a single moment.

Xue Wanning glanced sideways at Lu Jiahe but didn’t say much, quietly filing the matter away in her mind.

“By the way, Sister Cheng, did you take over this shop?” Xue Wanning asked, hearing the noisy chatter from the front hall and thinking there must be quite a few customers. Yet, why was Cheng Yi able to sit here so calmly, having a meal with Lu Jiahe?

Cheng Yi was momentarily taken aback by the question. She glanced at Lu Jiahe before replying with a smile, “No, Young Master Lu knows the owner here, so he introduced me to work at this place.”

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Lu Jiahe. Seeing that the girl was focused on her meal and showed no reaction to her words, Cheng Yi couldn’t suppress her temper and secretly stepped on Lu Jiahe’s foot under the table.

Lu Jiahe had been lost in thought, mulling over what Xue Wanning had said to her earlier. She had grown accustomed to being with Cheng Yi and didn’t want a third person to come between them and affect their relationship.

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes,” Lu Jiahe said, looking up cautiously at Cheng Yi before setting down her chopsticks and turning her attention to the two women.

Cheng Yi shot her a dissatisfied glare. “Are you full? If you are, hurry back to the academy and study.”

“Oh,” Lu Jiahe replied, puzzled by Cheng Yi’s tone. Though she didn’t quite understand the underlying meaning, she had grown completely obedient to Cheng Yi. If told to go west, she would never head east. “Then I’ll be off. Enjoy your meal.” With that, Lu Jiahe stood up, grabbed her book bag, and headed to the front hall to find Lu An.

It was terrifying. She feared that staying even a second longer might lead to some “unforeseen trouble,” so when Cheng Yi told her to leave, she seized the opportunity and scurried away as fast as she could.

Xue Wanning frowned slightly as she watched Lu Jiahe’s retreating figure, a trace of disappointment flickering in her eyes.

“Miss Cheng, I’ve had nothing to do at home these past few days. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Xue Wanning said, composing herself and turning to gaze gently at Cheng Yi, who seemed to be studying her intently.

Though Cheng Yi wasn’t sure whether Xue Wanning’s words were meant literally or carried some hidden intention, she realized that since she and Lu Jiahe would soon be leaving for the capital, the shop could indeed use some extra hands. “Are you from Bianjing originally, Sister Xue?”

Xue Wanning was momentarily taken aback, having expected to be turned down. “Yes, but I moved to the capital when I was older.” As she spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on Cheng Yi’s face, as if trying to detect any hidden clues in her expression.

Cheng Yi nodded. “So, you grew up in the capital.” She considered asking more about the capital but decided against it. “Do you happen to know any reliable accountants or shop managers?”

“Of course, but would the owner here agree?” Xue Wanning pressed her lips together. Her gaze fixed on Cheng Yi. Whatever Cheng Yi requested, Xue Wanning was determined to fulfill to the best of her ability.

Cheng Yi smiled faintly. “It’s fine. The owner is planning to travel far, so they asked us to keep an eye out for someone capable of handling the work.”

The Lu Family Bank had a prominent reputation in Bianjing. Although there were many capable individuals within the bank who could manage Yiju, Cheng Yi never trusted anyone from the Lu family aside from Lu Jiahe and a few others.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I find a suitable candidate, I’ll bring them here for you to meet.”

“Very well, thank you in advance.”

After chatting with Cheng Yi for a while longer in the backyard, Xue Wanning rose to take her leave and departed from Yiju.

Once the woman had left, Cheng Yi shuddered all over. Recalling the way Xue Wanning had looked at her earlier, she wondered whether the other woman saw her as a rival in love or regarded Lu Jiahe as her rival.

Upon returning to her residence, Xue Wanning hurried straight to the study. She picked up a brush and paper, meticulously recording every detail of her encounter with Lu Jiahe and Cheng Yi earlier that day. Then, she took out another sheet of Xuan paper and wrote down the task Cheng Yi had entrusted to her.

Late at night, a figure clad in black appeared on the roof of the Xue residence. Moving swiftly, the shadowy figure made its way toward the study.

“Quickly deliver this letter to our master and have her send someone over immediately,” Xue Wanning said coldly as she handed the sealed envelope to the black-clad figure. With a flick of her sleeve, she urged the messenger to depart without delay.