Pretty Wife Insists I Live Off Her - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: I’ll Treat You to a Fancy Meal.

The private dining room was brightly lit and filled with the scent of flowers. When Mo Yingxue entered, she glanced at the wall. Famous paintings were recreated with shell mosaic. The artist who did the mosaics had a good aesthetic sense and captured the spirit of the originals; they looked quite convincing.

“Hello, Auntie. Long time no see,” Mo Yingxue greeted the unfamiliar middle-aged woman in the room, put down her handbag, and sat next to her mother.

Aunt Xue looked at her several times and chuckled happily: “Xiao Xue has grown up so big now! Still fair, slender, and pretty. Unlike my girl, who was a chubby child and is a big girl now.”

Mo Yingxue didn’t reply.

Mo Shu patted her daughter’s shoulder: “She always takes a while to eat, since she was little.”

As they were chatting, someone entered. Mo Yingxue turned her head and saw a girl with honey-colored skin, a tall, well-built physique, and taut muscles. Her appearance was vaguely familiar. She looked like she had just come from the gym, wearing a sports tank top, leggings, and a short jacket. Her sculpted abdominal muscles were very eye-catching, and Mo Yingxue couldn’t resist glancing at them several times.

Duan Xiyu was incredibly enthusiastic as soon as she walked in. She quickly took a seat, leaning two feet forward to look at Mo Yingxue and her mother: “Sorry for the wait, everyone! Hello, Auntie! Hello, Xiao Xue! Do you still remember me?”

Mo Shu, being a professor, usually maintained a cool attitude toward younger people. But she was adept at social graces and didn’t let Duan Xiyu’s words fall flat. A faint smile touched her lips: “A woman changes a lot as she grows up, and you’ve become even more beautiful.”

Duan Xiyu laughed twice, accepting the compliment. She then leaned in and pressed Mo Yingxue: “What about you, Xiao Xue? Do you still remember me?”

The direct, bright gaze made Mo Yingxue slightly uncomfortable. She forced herself to say: “You went home very late when we were in kindergarten, and the teacher often kept us both playing in the courtyard.”

Duan Xiyu burst into laughter: “That’s right! My parents were busy with work and always came late, and your family must have been the same. At the time, I pretended to be annoyed at home, but I was actually quite happy because I had such a cute little sister to keep me company.”

Mo Yingxue found her words a bit strange. But with both mothers watching, she felt uncomfortable saying anything, so she just nodded.

However, Duan Xiyu had opened her floodgates. She looked at Mo Yingxue: “I remember you were so shy when we were little. You would play alone all day and wouldn’t even respond when I talked to you. But after school, maybe because there were fewer people or something, you would answer me when I spoke.”

Mo Yingxue’s memory of her was minimal. She couldn’t fabricate any more recollections, so under the table, she tugged at her mother’s sleeve for help.

Mo Shu understood and interjected: “She’s not shy. Xiao Xue takes after me; she’s naturally quiet.” Mo Shu then checked her phone. “Li Yan and Wang Hongmei’s families are arriving soon. Let’s order first.”

Duan Xiyu’s attention was instantly diverted. She stood up and called out the door: “Waiter, please bring the menu.”

With Duan Xiyu no longer hounding her, Mo Yingxue finally relaxed, looking at the table and focusing on her meal. The children brought by the next two aunties were boys at the age where they eat so much they could bankrupt a father. They were lightning fast at turning the table and grabbing food. Away from Yue Lei, Mo Yingxue was like a dispassionate person—she didn’t compete for anything, and it didn’t bother her when the dishes were moved away.

Mo Shu was busy reminiscing with her friends and didn’t pay attention to Mo Yingxue. Mo Yingxue failed to grab food several times against the boys, and her mood soured a bit.

Suddenly, the table stopped in front of her. Mo Yingxue looked up. Duan Xiyu held the table steady, smiling warmly at her.

Mo Yingxue nodded apologetically in thanks, quickly picking up several bites of food. However, she felt intensely uneasy, like her tail was on fire, unsure what Duan Xiyu’s intentions were.

She finished the meal feeling restless. When the mothers started discussing their next activity, Mo Yingxue quickly texted Yue Lei. The latter was in the restaurant next door and soon appeared outside the window, waving at her.

Mo Yingxue tried to ignore Yue Lei bouncing and jumping outside the glass window. She picked up her bag and excused herself: “You all enjoy. I’m meeting a friend soon. She’s almost here, so I’ll be going.”

Before she finished speaking, Duan Xiyu also stood up, grinning: “I’ll leave too. I didn’t stretch properly after my morning workout, so I need to go back and use my massage gun.”

With no other choice, the two walked out side-by-side.

Duan Xiyu struck up a conversation: “Xiao Xue, where did you go to elementary school? I thought we’d go to the same school, but I never saw you again after kindergarten.”

Mo Yingxue: “International Experimental Primary School. My mom wanted me to go abroad with her, so she enrolled me there.”

“No wonder.” Duan Xiyu looked enlightened: “I searched all the nearby elementary schools at the time and couldn’t find you.”

Mo Yingxue couldn’t stand her behavior anymore and couldn’t help but ask: “Why were you looking for me? We’re not friends.”

Despite her words, Duan Xiyu didn’t grasp her meaning at all. She took out her phone, opening the “Add Friend” page: “Scan my friend code, and then we’ll be friends.”

Mo Yingxue felt like she was looking at Yue Lei when they first met. But back then, her heart was empty, and she was looking for someone to fill it. Her first impression of Yue Lei was good, so she gave her a chance. Now, facing Duan Xiyu, she felt annoyed.

But what if the person genuinely just wanted to make friends? Duan Xiyu’s mother and her mother were friends. If she refused too abruptly, it would be difficult for the two families to interact normally in the future.

With this thought, Mo Yingxue took out her phone and added her. “Done, I added you.” She turned to the door, waved, and said: “My friend is here. See you later.”

Yue Lei’s sense of crisis was always very sharp. The moment she saw Mo Yingxue and that woman walking out side-by-side with intimate postures, her internal alarm bells started ringing. When she saw them both pull out their phones, seemingly to add each other as friends, her mood plummeted.

As soon as Mo Yingxue came out, Yue Lei hooked her arm through hers to assert her claim, complaining non-stop in a wronged tone: “You ate for so long! I was embarrassed to sit in their store! You didn’t even check my messages.”

Before Mo Yingxue could answer, the suspicious woman spoke up, smiling: “Hello! We were busy eating. Auntie Wang and the others brought some middle and high schoolers. They spun the table so fast that you couldn’t get any food if you didn’t focus.”

“Is that so?” Yue Lei looked away, ignoring her: “Xiao Xue, are you full? Should we go get something else to eat?”

Mo Yingxue didn’t answer. She saw Yue Lei half-clinging to her, which looked tacky. So, she shook off her hand and said to Duan Xiyu: “Goodbye. We’re leaving first.” Then, as if afraid of being stuck, she walked quickly away. Seeing Yue Lei didn’t follow, she looked back and gave her an eye signal to “hurry up.”

Yue Lei followed her wife, gazing at her own hand, lost in thought for a long time. Only when Mo Yingxue pulled her to the car did she pout and accuse her: “Why wouldn’t you let me hold your arm? And why didn’t you answer if you were hungry?”

Mo Yingxue sat in the passenger seat and pinched the bridge of her nose: “That was the entrance to the hotel, with so many people coming and going. You were practically hanging on me. It looks bad.”

That was true; Yue Lei had nothing to refute. Noticing that her wife seemed genuinely a little upset, she didn’t dare say anything else and started the car obediently.

Seeing Yue Lei’s sulky expression, Mo Yingxue found it amusing. She asked: “What did you eat?”

Yue Lei answered honestly: “A latte and a slice of red velvet cake.”

The thought that she had been eating and drinking luxuriously while Yue Lei sat there drinking coffee made Mo Yingxue instantly guilty: “So you haven’t eaten properly after all this time! I didn’t eat enough either. Let’s go to the mall and have a fancy meal.”

“I’ll treat you then!” Yue Lei felt her wife’s attitude soften and immediately seized the opportunity. Mo Yingxue had paid for all their meals this life, and Yue Lei felt quite awkward about it.

As expected, Mo Yingxue looked confused: “Why? Didn’t we agree I’d cover food and lodging?” She was very satisfied with this arrangement and happy to spend the money.

Yue Lei insisted: “That was when we first met and weren’t close. There’s no need to be so distant now. Friends should reciprocate.”

Mo Yingxue’s heart warmed, and she smiled sweetly: “Alright then, thank you to our big streamer for treating me to dinner.”

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Ms. Mo Shu had finished her teaching and met all the people she needed to see. Her trip back home was drawing to a close. Yue Lei drove Mo Yingxue to the airport to see her off.

This was the first time all three of them had been in a confined space together in the past two weeks. Apart from a very relaxed Mo Yingxue, the other two were each experiencing their own tension. Yue Lei was afraid she would do something wrong and leave a bad impression on Mo Shu, so she drove very smoothly and cautiously, aiming to provide the best possible passenger experience.

Meanwhile, Mo Shu kept recalling her daughter’s words that she was pursuing Yue Lei, who had not yet agreed. Seeing that they were approaching the airport, Mo Shu spoke: “Xiao Lei, I don’t know when I’ll be back next. Xiao Xue is close to you now, so I’m entrusting her care to you.”

Yue Lei’s heart skipped a beat at these words. She quickly replied: “Auntie, I’ll take good care of her without you having to ask. We live together, so we’ll see each other constantly.”

Mo Shu felt that Yue Lei was genuinely good to her daughter, but this might also be due to their cohabitation. If Yue Lei moved out later, her daughter, with her cold personality, would likely be too shy to seek her out. If Yue Lei was the one constantly seeking out her daughter, it would become a one-sided affair, and they would have no chance of success.

After thinking, she offered her support: “Exactly. Our house is big and usually very quiet. I don’t think you need to find a new place to live. Just stay with us.”

This was completely different from the Mo Shu Yue Lei knew. Mo Shu was very territorial, which was why she never allowed them to stay overnight in the previous life. It must be because Mo Shu saw how good I am to Xiao Xue!

Yue Lei winked triumphantly at Mo Yingxue and happily replied: “Then thank you, Auntie. I’ll shamelessly stay in your house until I save up for a down payment.”

“You may. Taking care of Xiao Xue, tending to the garden, and looking after the kittens—you have quite a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders,” Mo Shu felt she had done well, neither revealing her daughter’s feelings nor appearing too distant. She looked at the busy departure platform ahead: “Just drop me off at the platform. I’ll go to the gate myself. You two head back.”

Yue Lei: “Okay, Auntie. I’ll help you with your suitcase in a moment.”

Support