The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 8

“The noodles are here! One bowl of plain noodles, one bowl of Six Delicacies Family Feast.” The noodle shop owner’s wife approached with a beaming smile, placing two steaming bowls of noodles in front of Shi Nuocen and Ru Xi Cheng.

“Boss Lady, what about the extra chicken drumstick, beef, duck leg, pork chop, and spare ribs I ordered?” Shi Nuocen called out to her.

“Coming right up! I’ll bring them over on separate plates,” the boss lady replied cheerfully.

“Also, pack two more bowls of the Family Feast with all the extras. Remember to keep the noodles and broth separate! No rush, though I’ll take them when I leave.”

“Got it, got it! For all takeout orders, the noodles and broth are always separated. Don’t you worry!”

Ru Xi Cheng, however, nudged Shi Nuocen’s arm and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Why are you packing these to go?”

Shi Nuocen crossed her long legs elegantly, exuding an air of sophistication, yet her words were down-to-earth: “Of course, to take home and eat tomorrow! In this weather, it won’t spoil overnight. Oh, and that’s actually something you used to say.”

Ru Xi Cheng smiled, her eyes deepening slightly. “So, you still remember that.”

Shi Nuocen spread her hands in a gesture of feigned helplessness. “Having too good a memory can be a nuisance sometimes.” The implication was clear. She hadn’t intentionally meant to remember.

Once the boss lady brought over the extra dishes on several plates, the meal was complete.

Shi Nuocen looked at her ex-wife and sincerely suggested, “You can take off that disguise now. It looks really awkward. I already told the boss lady you’re shy, so they won’t bother us until we leave.”

Thanks to their extravagant meal costing a whopping 500 yuan! The boss lady, swayed by the money and Shi Nuocen’s special request, had readily set up a makeshift private booth in the corner using cardboard, wooden boards, and a curtain. Though crude in appearance, it effectively blocked outside views.

Ru Xi Cheng glanced around, confirmed it was safe, and removed her sun hat and mask, revealing her delicate, charming, and radiant face.

Shi Nuocen first used her chopsticks to pick a few slices of dried-cut beef for her ex-wife, casually remarking, “These are low in calories. You should be able to eat them.”

Then, she selected a chicken drumstick for herself, chewing thoughtfully while mentally calculating her housing situation.

She only had 15 yuan to her name. When she moved out of the European-style villa, Xiao Linrui had tearfully stuffed money into her pocket, but she hadn’t taken a single cent. The phone she had borrowed was returned the day after she received her bonus, and she had sold the clothes she brought from the Shi family to buy a new one.

But her earlier pride in refusing help now meant facing the reality of being strapped for cash.

Just as she was considering whether to ask her ex-wife for a loan, she heard a “beep,” and her phone vibrated. Swiping the screen open, she saw a payment notification:

[Your account received a transfer at xx:xx, amount: 3000 yuan]

[Remitter: Ru Xi Cheng]

Shi Nuocen looked up in surprise, meeting her ex-wife’s gaze across the table. Their eyes locked, each seeing a tiny reflection of themselves in the other’s pupils.

It was Ru Xi Cheng who broke the silence first, speaking slowly, “No need to thank me. Consider this money a loan, out of past affection. Use it to rent a place.”

“But how did you know I needed to rent a place?” Shi Nuocen eyed her suspiciously, wondering if this person had some kind of supernatural ability like mind-reading?!

Ru Xi Cheng let out a light, almost annoyed laugh and shot her a look. “You said it yourself.”

Shi Nuocen: “Huh?” Since when?!

Seeing her reaction, Ru Xi Cheng added impatiently, “It’s true, just now!”

“Oh, I didn’t even notice.” Shi Nuocen bit her chopsticks thoughtfully, realizing she did have that habit. When she was extremely troubled, she’d unconsciously voice her thoughts. But having been pampered since childhood, always getting whatever she wanted, she rarely faced disappointments, and over time, she’d forgotten about this quirk.

Still, the rental issue was temporarily resolved!

“You’re the best, sis! Love you, mwah~” Shi Nuocen set down her chopsticks, puckered her red lips, spread her palms, and blew her ex-wife a flying kiss! With a playful blink and a wink, she radiated energy and youthfulness. Her long eyelashes, plump lips, and the bewitching smile on her face would have made most people’s hearts race and cheeks flush.

But Ru Xi Cheng was momentarily stunned, quickly averting her gaze as if to hide it. She crossed her arms, lifted her chin slightly, and did her best to look disdainful. Yet, the abrupt shift in her demeanor made it seem like an act put on at the last moment.

Shi Nuocen parted her red lips and pointed accusingly at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means rejection,” Ru Xi Cheng replied, glancing over and enunciating each word deliberately. “Too fake. Not sincere at all.”

“But you’re even faker right now! You were clearly delighted at first. You were totally stunned,” Shi Nuocen muttered under her breath. But considering her ex-wife had just lent her money, provoking her further seemed ungrateful, so she changed the subject. “By the way, I heard you have a three-year-old niece.”

At those words, Ru Xi Cheng’s expression shifted into something complex and hard to decipher; surprise, wariness, delight, bewilderment, nostalgia. So many emotions, and it even seemed like she felt a sense of relief?

Shi Nuocen was curious about these changes but instinctively wanted to avoid trouble, so she didn’t ask about the expression and instead continued with the topic. “I ran into that child in the game.”

“You, what do you think of her?” Ru Xi Cheng’s beautiful, captivating eyes fixed intently on her, a hint of caution hidden deep within their glass-like hue.

“What do I think?” Shi Nuocen repeated lightly, then smiled. “She’s quite cute.”

“Hmm, that’s good.” A genuine smile gradually spread across Ru Xi Cheng’s face, replacing the earlier tension with ease.

“Good how?” Shi Nuocen furrowed her delicate brows impatiently. “If the game’s claims are true and many of the settings are based on reality, then that child doesn’t seem well at all; thin, pale, timid, and withdrawn. What’s so good about that?”

“She was born premature,” Ru Xi Cheng blurted out, her voice growing heavier. “She was only in the womb for six and a half months before she was born.”

Shi Nuocen was taken aback, thinking, what does this have to do with me? Why go into such detail? But deep down, she admitted she did care about the child and asked, “Besides being premature and withdrawn, does that child also suffer from parental pheromone deficiency syndrome?”

Ru Xi Cheng glanced up at her, the knuckles gripping her phone turning pale: “Yes, that’s the main issue. In comparison, the autism after treatment, it’s become mild. She just can’t handle too much external stimulation.”

Shi Nuocen found it increasingly strange that Ru Xi Cheng would share such detailed information with her ex-wife. But then it occurred to her perhaps Ru Xi Cheng cared so deeply for her little niece that anxiety clouded her judgment, and she had bottled up too many emotions, finally seizing this chance to pour them out.

Thinking she had figured it out, Shi Nuocen suggested, “Since you mentioned the child mainly suffers from Parental Information Deficiency Syndrome, you should talk to your siblings. The child’s biological parents and urge them to spend more time with her. Strictly speaking, it’s not a severe condition and is quite treatable, but it shouldn’t be delayed. The longer it’s put off, the worse it gets.”

Upon hearing this, Ru Xi Cheng looked at her distractedly, her eyes misty as if concealing countless unspoken words. Her pink lips parted several times, as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent, holding back.

Seeing her like this, Shi Nuocen automatically assumed the child’s parents were stubborn and refused to change, willfully letting the child’s condition deteriorate. She slapped the table, her pretty face stern with anger, and declared, “If you ask me, such parents are utterly irresponsible! They only care about giving birth but not raising the child. It’s infuriating!”

But Ru Xi Cheng stared at her in disbelief, her face turning deathly pale: “What do you know? Shi Nuocen, you know nothing. How dare you say that?”

Shi Nuocen was taken aback by her ex-wife’s sudden outburst and asked, puzzled, “Isn’t that the case? Is there some hidden reason?”

Ru Xi Cheng was already furious, her chest heaving and breath uneven, her eyes blazing like fire. Catching sight of the phone on the opposite table out of the corner of her eye, she reached out to grab it, angrily demanding, “Give me back the 3,000 yuan! I’m not lending it to you anymore!”

“Don’t be like that,” Shi Nuocen quickly tried to stop her, but the strength of a top-tier Omega was not to be underestimated. Left with no choice, she wrapped her arms around her ex-wife’s waist, pinning her upper body tightly against her chest, her chin resting on Ru Xi Cheng’s shoulder. The soft, delicate fragrance of the young woman filled her nostrils, while her own breath brushed against Ru Xi Cheng’s tender earlobe.

“Calm down, don’t get so worked up. It wouldn’t look good if people outside saw. You don’t want to end up trending online, do you?”

Ru Xi Cheng quieted for a moment, but upon hearing this, she turned to glare at her, her eyes round like grapes: “Shi Nuocen, are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m not,” Shi Nuocen pinched her flushed ear. “Don’t be so sensitive. I’m just stating the facts.”

Just then, the shop owner’s curious voice interrupted them. Ru Xi Cheng let out a soft sigh and didn’t escalate further.

After dealing with the shop owner, Shi Nuocen turned back to find her ex-wife had already put on her disguise again. Without a word, Ru Xi Cheng lifted the curtain and walked out without looking back.

Well, another unpleasant parting. Shi Nuocen shrugged helplessly, thinking indifferently.

She sat back down and slowly continued eating her noodles. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ru Xi Cheng’s bowl of plain noodles was still more than half full.

When Shi Nuocen left the noodle shop, she was carrying two large bags of takeout noodles and side dishes. She had intended to pay, but the owner smiled and said the bill had already been settled. At that moment, a strange feeling washed over her. A mix of sourness and warmth, something quite peculiar.

Shi Nuocen didn’t dwell on it, simply attributing the emotion to, “Great! My ex-wife is so generous. She didn’t let my balance become 2500!”

But perhaps joy can turn to sorrow. As she passed under an overpass, the aroma of the food attracted a pack of hungry dogs, who chased her for half a mile!

“Alright, alright, here you go! I give up. Hey, stop biting the hem of my clothes, okay?” While others might spend money to ward off disaster, Shi Nuocen decided to sacrifice her food. She immediately offered the two portions of side dishes to the dogs.

To her surprise, the dogs lowered their heads, sniffed the food, then abruptly lifted their heads again, fixing their intense gazes on her still staring!

“That’s all, really, there’s no more!” Shi Nuocen quickly hid the remaining two portions of noodles behind her back and earnestly advised, “Even dogs should learn to be content, you know.”

Whether the dogs understood or not, they wagged their tails and cast what seemed like a rather haughty glance at her before slowly wandering off.

That look left Shi Nuocen utterly exasperated. She couldn’t help but yell at the retreating dog shadows, “Hah! Looking down on me? If you’ve got the guts, give those two side dishes back!”