Pretty Wife Insists I Live Off Her - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: My Mom Didn’t Make Things Difficult for You, Did She?

Yue Lei did her best to ignore the gardener’s curious look and managed a strong wave toward Ms. Mo Shu: “Thank you, Madam.”

Once Mo Shu’s figure completely disappeared, she scratched her head and explained to the gardener: “That’s my friend’s mom. She came back suddenly and had never seen me before.”

“I see,” the gardener looked at her teasingly. “It seems your friend isn’t very reliable, either, not telling her mom there was a stranger at home. It’s a good thing you were out here tending to the flowers with me. Just imagine her shock if she’d walked in and seen you lying on the sofa eating fruit, just like the lady of the house.”

Yue Lei imagined the scene and burst into laughter. Mo Shu would have been completely dumbfounded and probably thought she’d entered the wrong house!

After she had laughed enough, she took off her gardening gloves and told the gardener: “Sister, could you work on your own for a while? I need to call my friend and let her know.”

Yue Lei called Mo Yingxue several times, but she didn’t answer. Her phone was likely completely silenced to maintain quiet in the art gallery.

Seeing that Aunt Wang was genuinely bringing out the drinks, she awkwardly sidled up to her. She tugged at her sleeve and wailed in a low voice: “Aunt Wang, what should I do?! Xiao Xue hasn’t mentioned me to her mother. Now that she’s not home, it’s not appropriate for me to rush out and introduce myself to Auntie, and I can’t pack my clothes to move out!”

Aunt Wang got along quite well with Yue Lei. Compared to the cold and quiet young lady, Yue Lei was a good person: she wasn’t picky, didn’t cause trouble, and was great at providing emotional affirmation. Every time she cooked something delicious, Yue Lei would praise it enthusiastically. Aunt Wang felt more energetic while working. She was happy to see the young lady developing an intimate relationship with Yue Lei.

Aunt Wang thought for a moment, gripping Yue Lei’s sleeve, and suggested: “Actually, it’s fine even if you meet. Just act like a diligent worker. Given the Madam’s personality, she won’t ask even if she finds it strange. If she really asks, just say you’re the cat caretaker Xiao Xue hired. You’re living right next door to Xia Yu (Rain) and them, anyway.”

“Will that work?” Yue Lei anxiously scratched her hair again. This wasn’t the first impression she wanted to leave with Mo Shu, but there seemed to be no better option.

Aunt Wang smiled at her encouragingly: “Just try it for now. If you move out because of this, the young lady will probably be even more unhappy. You don’t realize it, but her smile has grown so much since you’ve been around. Compared to her former ‘ice sculpture face,’ she’s suddenly become a living person.”

That was a fair point. And if Yue Lei had a choice, she couldn’t bear to be separated from her wife. Already, simply not sleeping in the same bedroom was causing her to toss and turn and have difficulty sleeping at night. If they were further apart, she probably wouldn’t be able to close her eyes and would have to call her wife all night long.

Yue Lei nodded slightly: “Let’s stick with that for now.”

In the evening, the setting sun was burning red. After the gardener left and Aunt Wang also said goodbye, Yue Lei reluctantly dragged her body toward the ground-floor guest room. Luckily, she didn’t run into Ms. Mo Shu on the way.

Yue Lei lay down on the bed, exhausted both physically and mentally. Before she could relax, she heard a clamor of voices that grew louder and closer. She scrambled up, watching the door warily.

Knock, knock, knock.

A menacing voice from outside, like someone arresting a criminal, called out: “Who’s inside! Come out now!”

“What is it? What do you want?” Yue Lei frantically put on her shoes and opened the door, only to see a few familiar security guards standing outside the guest room. In the distance, Ms. Mo Shu stood with her arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, looking their way.

The security guards looked at Yue Lei, looking confused, and continued to peer into the room. However, their tone was much friendlier: “Why is it you? Is there anyone else inside?”

Mo Shu walked toward them step by step, standing behind the tall, strong guards, yet her demeanor was even more commanding than theirs. She pointed at Yue Lei, her tone harsh: “No one else, just her! I saw her tending to the flowers, and she didn’t leave. She sneaked in! I don’t know if she’s trying to rob the place! Be careful, she has gardening shears—those things are sharp!”

The guards exchanged bewildered looks: “Madam, you must be mistaken. Miss Yue has been staying here recently. Miss Mo even took her to the property management to register her face.”

“What?” Mo Shu’s formidable aura cracked slightly. She frowned, gazing at Yue Lei with sharp, cold eyes. A thin layer of embarrassment-fueled anger spread across her face: “What is going on?! I’ve been back for days! Why did Xiao Xue never tell me about such a big thing!”

“Auntie, please calm down. I’ll explain in a moment.” Yue Lei glanced at the security guards, who were pretending to look at the scenery but were actually watching the show. She braced herself and clasped her hands toward them: “I’m sorry. There was a misunderstanding within our family that disturbed everyone. Thank you for coming out in this heat. Everything is fine, completely fine. I’ll get you some drinks.”

After sending everyone away, Yue Lei turned to look at Ms. Mo Shu, who was sitting there seemingly calm but was probably furious inside. She nervously swallowed, clenched her fist to encourage herself, and walked over to greet her formally.

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Yue Lei. You can just call me Xiao Lei. I’m Mo Yingxue’s friend and have been borrowing a room in your esteemed house recently. I asked Xiao Xue if I should tell you, but she felt we wouldn’t have any interaction, so it wasn’t necessary. I’m truly sorry for disturbing you today.”

Yue Lei was very beautiful, making it naturally difficult for people to feel genuine dislike for her. Coupled with her sincere apology and humble posture, Mo Shu felt it would be pointless to maintain her stern demeanor. She lifted her eyelids, looked at her, and patted the opposite seat, signaling Yue Lei to sit down: “Xiao Lei, is it? I’ll remember that. That child Xiao Xue is truly something, not telling me that someone was staying in the house. I saw the gardener and Aunt Wang leave from the third floor. When you went inside and there was no movement for a long time, I acted impulsively.”

Yue Lei glanced at the ceiling, thinking: I should have gone out with them. Why did this embarrassing thing have to happen? However, she kept a polite smile on her face: “Xiao Xue was just trying to avoid trouble. She told me you leave early and come back late as soon as you return, so we would basically never meet.”

“She has a point. We really didn’t meet the first few days.” Mo Shu also smiled. “It’s just that my appointment this afternoon was suddenly canceled.” She remembered something, and her face flushed again: “You are too honest, child. I mistook you for the gardener just now, and you didn’t even correct me. If you had said something sooner, we wouldn’t have had to call the guards. Now the neighbors will be laughing at our family for ages.”

Yue Lei waved her hand, trying her best to appear virtuous and elegant. “It’s nothing. The environment here is nice, and the neighbors keep their distance. The security guards won’t gossip with the owners. Auntie, please don’t worry about it.”

“Alas, I’m rarely in the country, so I wouldn’t hear the gossip anyway.” Mo Shu looked at her, her expression troubled: “Xiao Xue has never had any very close friends since childhood, so I never thought she would invite someone to stay in the house. If there are any rumors, please be understanding and don’t stop spending time with her.”

Yue Lei had only ever seen Mo Shu like this when Xiao Xue was seriously ill in the previous life. Her heart warmed, and she waved her hand: “It’s nothing, nothing at all. I have a thick skin. Xiao Xue is letting me stay in such a beautiful house. I’m nothing but grateful. We’ll always be good friends.”

Hearing this, Mo Shu couldn’t help but smile, sighing: “It’s great to be young. You can throw ‘forever’ around so easily.”

Thinking that the soul inside her was only about ten years younger than Mo Shu, yet she still believed in “forever,” Yue Lei self-consciously touched her ear, lowering her head and focusing on her own breathing. However, she was stubbornly convinced that she and Mo Yingxue would have an eternal, indelible bond. Even after their divorce in the previous life due to objective reasons, she still had the courage to believe they would reconcile. In this life, she was determined to cling to her like a ghost.

With the crisis completely defused, Mo Shu had no more questions. She waved her hand: “Xiao Lei, you can go back to your room and rest. I’ll talk to Xiao Xue about this.”

Mo Yingxue finished viewing the art exhibition, declined Wu Jiajia’s dinner invitation, and took a taxi straight home. Looking at the countless missed calls on her phone, her head spun. Her eyes landed on the last message: “Xiao Xue, your mother’s appointment was canceled today, and she came home early. We accidentally ran into each other. She thought I was trying to rob the place and called the security guards, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Now I’ve told her I’m a friend staying at your house. Don’t forget when she confronts you, okay?”

Mo Yingxue dialed the number, and her first sentence was: “Sister, I had my phone on silent, so I didn’t hear it ring. My mom didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?”

When Yue Lei received the call, she had already been chatting with Ms. Mo for two hours, and her mood had long since stabilized.

She said nonchalantly: “It was fine. Let me tell you something funny: at first, I was with the gardener sister in the courtyard. She thought I was an apprentice, greeted me, and offered me a drink. Then, when she saw everyone else leave and I went into the house and didn’t come out, she thought I was trying to rob the place. She called the security guards to block my door! Luckily, I drive in and out every day, so everyone recognized me, or else I would have been hauled off to the station! My heart was beating so fast, it was so exciting! But it’s the kind of excitement I hope never happens again!”

Although Yue Lei sounded casual, Mo Yingxue could put herself in her shoes and realize how much she had been wronged. Her mother was such a dominant person.

She didn’t know how many sharp, cutting remarks she must have made.

If the security guards hadn’t recognized Yue Lei, she would have to bail her out of the police station right now. The thought of Yue Lei being mistaken for a criminal due to her poor arrangement made Mo Yingxue feel almost faint.

She bit her lower lip, her nose stuffy, and her tone was full of guilt: “Sister, it’s my fault. I didn’t tell my mom beforehand… I thought you two wouldn’t meet. I should have introduced you as soon as she returned.”

Yue Lei heard the sadness in her voice and laughed loudly, unconcerned: “It’s okay, Xiao Xue. It’s not too late to introduce me now. Just remember to put in a few good words for me in front of Auntie. If she asks about my job, just say I’m in the internet industry. Please, don’t say I’m a streamer or your hired model, okay? People who don’t understand the industry have prejudices against both those roles.”

Knowing that Yue Lei was not a hothouse flower and could live a wonderful, carefree life even without her, Mo Yingxue smiled through her tears, sniffing: “Okay, I’ll go talk to her when I get back.”

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