Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 6

Shortly after Yu Shu’en entered, Meng Qiao, who had been screaming hysterically just moments before, fell silent. Meng Ze stood at the door, expressionless.

Zhao Zhiyi tilted his head to look inside.

Yu Shuen, who had been so arrogant in front of Meng Ze, seemed like a completely different person before Meng Qiao. He cooperated with the doctors to soothe her with immense patience. Meng Qiao gripped his hand tightly, like a drowning person clutching at a final straw.

She had no idea that this straw was a greedy venomous snake. Far from saving her life, he would lead her soul into hell.

Zhao Zhiyi, of course, didn’t believe Yu Shu’en acted this way out of any lingering affection for Meng Qiao. She was his greatest trump card, naturally, he had to keep a firm grip on her. In fact, from the very beginning, the “mutual love” Meng Qiao believed in was nothing more than Yu Shu’en’s calculated steps.

Yu Tao peeked her head in, wanting to see as well, but Zhao Zhiyi pushed her head back. “Just stand still.”

“…Fine, I won’t look,” Yu Tao muttered gloomily, then quickly snapped, “By what right are you ordering me around?!”

Zhao Zhiyi: “Should I have your brother order you instead?”

At the sight of her brother’s cold face, Yu Tao shut her mouth.

“She’s quieted down now. Do you want to go in?” Zhao Zhiyi asked.

“No need,” Meng Ze said hoarsely. “I have things to attend to at the office. I’m leaving.”

Yu Tao chased after him for a couple of steps. “Brother…”

Zhao Zhiyi grabbed her. “What are you doing?”

Yu Tao said, “My brother must be so sad. I have to go comfort him!”

Zhao Zhiyi said bluntly, “Seeing you will only make him sadder.”

Yu Tao froze in place.

Zhao Zhiyi added, “Did you forget what I told you before?”

Yu Tao hung her head dejectedly. “Dad told me to come.”

Zhao Zhiyi frowned. “What did he want you to do here?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Tao said, bewildered.

Sending Yu Tao here, other than to disgust Meng Ze, what possible use could it have?

That Yu Shu’en really is a piece of work…

However, it was impossible for Zhao Zhiyi to chase after Meng Ze to comfort him. Remembering he had added Su Jiyu’s contact info yesterday, he hesitated before sending him a message, telling him that Meng Ze wasn’t in a good state.

Su Jiyu did not reply.

Zhao Zhiyi felt he had done his good deed for the day, feeling quite satisfied as if his “merit points” had increased by one. He prepared to go to the supermarket to buy groceries and fill the fridge at home. When he reached the elevator, he realized Yu Tao was still following him.

“Why are you following me?”

“I’m not following you. Can’t I go downstairs too?”

Zhao Zhiyi made a “please” gesture. “After you.”

Yu Tao curled her lip and entered the elevator.

At the entrance of the nursing home, Zhao Zhiyi prepared to hail a taxi. Yu Tao called out, “Hey, I’ll give you a lift.”

Zhao Zhiyi looked at her suspiciously. Yu Tao said breathlessly, “What’s with that look? Just… consider it thanks for that half-sheet of paper you gave me earlier.”

Zhao Zhiyi wasn’t one to refuse a chance to save money. He had actually been feeling somewhat sympathetic toward this young girl’s fate, but when he saw Yu Tao drive out in an icy-pink supercar, he instantly felt that he was the only one truly deserving of pity.

Once in the car, Yu Tao didn’t ask for Zhao Zhiyi’s address. Zhao Zhiyi assumed she knew where he lived, but the further they drove, the more he felt something was wrong. Looking at the completely unfamiliar scenery outside, he asked, “This isn’t the way to my house, is it?”

Yu Tao: “Huh?”

She looked at Zhao Zhiyi in surprise. “Aren’t you going to comfort my brother?”

Zhao Zhiyi: “??”

Yu Tao stopped the car and pointed to a riverside park embankment not far away. “When my brother is in a bad mood, he comes here. When he was little, Auntie Meng would bring him here to walk the dog.”

“Meng Ze kept a dog?”

At the mention of this, Yu Tao’s expression darkened. “…He did. A German Shepherd. My dad never liked that dog. After Auntie Meng was hospitalized, he sold it.”

“Sold it?” Zhao Zhiyi had a bad feeling. After all, Yu Shu’en wasn’t short on money; there was no need to sell a dog.

“Yeah… sold it to a dog meat restaurant.” Yu Tao’s voice was very soft. “That day was my brother’s birthday. Dad took him to that restaurant to eat, and only told him after they finished that the meat he ate was from that dog… My brother threw up until he had to be hospitalized. Since then, he never celebrates his birthday again. Yesterday was his birthday, and I didn’t even dare mention it.”

Zhao Zhiyi recalled Meng Ze’s cold expression from the night before when he said he didn’t celebrate birthdays.

At that moment, was he thinking of that dog his mother had raised, the one that grew up with him?

“Although… although I don’t really like you, I think you’re actually a pretty good person…” Yu Tao’s eyes flickered. “Hurry up and find my brother. Don’t be fooled by how powerful he seems, like he can hold up the sky even if it falls, he’s actually quite fragile.”

Ten minutes later, Zhao Zhiyi found the “fragile” Meng Ze by the river.

He was currently kicking someone flying and then pinning them to the ground. The surrounding crowd was cheering and clapping enthusiastically.

Zhao Zhiyi: “??”

Zhao Zhiyi stood in the crowd, looking bewildered.

A trembling old lady stepped forward, repeatedly thanking Meng Ze: “Thank you so much, young man! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten my bag back!”

The riverside was a popular spot for walks, so petty theft was common, and robberies often occurred. The old lady had come out to walk her dog after lunch while it was warm, and in a moment of inattention, someone snatched her bag. Fortunately, a hero had intervened and recovered it for her.

“Check if anything is missing,” Meng Ze said succinctly.

“Oh, right, right.” The old lady hurriedly opened the bag to check. She pulled out several dog toys and, after counting them, said happily, “Not a single thing missing. They’re all here!”

Seeing that pile of dog toys, the bag snatcher felt like coughing up blood, just for this junk, he had taken a devastating kick to the chest!

Nearby patrol officers soon arrived to take the thief away. The old lady was endlessly grateful to Meng Ze, insisting on introducing her granddaughter, who had just finished grad school this year, to him as a potential partner. Meng Ze looked up and saw Zhao Zhiyi standing in the crowd.

At twenty-one, Zhao Zhiyi still possessed a certain youthful air. His skin was fair, and his hair was slightly wavy, making him look clean and harmless. Despite his youth, he carried a heavy “office worker” exhaustion, often looking like he lacked energy and preferring to look at people with half-drooped eyelids.

He didn’t realize that such a gaze appeared both cold and pitying.

“…I’m already married,” Meng Ze said.

“How is that possible? Look, you don’t even have a wedding ring,” the old lady said.

Meng Ze tilted his chin slightly toward Zhao Zhiyi. “Right there. My wife.”

The old lady looked over and exclaimed, “This young lad is truly handsome.”

“Then how about I treat you two to a meal?”

“No need.” Meng Ze wanted to leave, but Zhao Zhiyi walked through the thinning crowd with a curved smile. “Grandma, why don’t we help you walk the dog for a bit? You look exhausted.”

The old lady had just chased after her bag and was indeed sweating and too tired to walk. She handed the leash to Zhao Zhiyi. “Alright, alright. You truly are two kind-hearted young people.”

Zhao Zhiyi took the dog and leaned down to pat its head. Meng Ze asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I actually didn’t want to come,” Zhao Zhiyi sighed. “Your sister dragged me here. She said you were about to break.”

At the mention of Yu Tao, Meng Ze also felt a headache. “You don’t need to mind her. She acts on whims; next time, just refuse her directly.”

“Lesson learned.” Zhao Zhiyi nodded. “But since I’m here anyway, shall we walk together?”

The wind blew the stray hairs on Zhao Zhiyi’s forehead, revealing his smooth, fair brow. His tone was flat and casual as if he didn’t care about Meng Ze’s answer.

The Samoyed was still young and very lively. When the old lady walked it, it restrained itself to accommodate her, but now that Zhao Zhiyi was holding the leash, it broke into a frantic run. Zhao Zhiyi was out of breath: “Hey, hey, hey, hey!! Brakes! I really can’t run anymore, my lord!!”

The dog ignored him and kept sprinting. Meng Ze instinctively said, “Stop.”

The Samoyed braked hard and began spinning in place.

It was clearly trained, it understood commands and looked at Meng Ze pitifully, whimpering.

“? Why are you discriminating?” Zhao Zhiyi laughed in frustration. “Truly, the kind are bullied by dogs. I tell it to stop and it ignores me, you speak and it listens?”

Meng Ze said, “You have to give it a command.”

He crouched down halfway and raised his hand: “Hand.”

The Samoyed lifted a paw.

Meng Ze shook the paw and said, “Right hand.”

The Samoyed switched paws.

Zhao Zhiyi: “…I feel like it could go to university in my place. I’m not joking.”

A very faint hint of a smile flashed in Meng Ze’s eyes. “I think so too. I heard from Yu Tao that you failed nine out of ten subjects and still have one make-up exam to take.”

Zhao Zhiyi was speechless. “Does she spend all her time talking bad about me behind my back?”

Meng Ze patted the dog’s head. “It only understands simple commands. By comparison, you are a bit smarter.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “You don’t actually think you’re complimenting me, do you?”

Once Meng Ze took the leash, the puppy behaved much better. Zhao Zhiyi was finally able to enjoy the riverside breeze and the scenery. He said casually, “When you caught that bag snatcher just now, you didn’t tear your stitches, did you?”

Meng Ze: “I’ll go buy some water.”

Zhao Zhiyi watched his back.

Clearly, Meng Ze was more intimidating, yet the Samoyed liked him more, following him faithfully. Zhao Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he imagined how it might have looked many years ago, when a young Meng Ze was brought here by Meng Qiao to walk their dog.

About half an hour later, Zhao Zhiyi returned the dog to the old lady. Meng Ze washed his hands, and when he came out, he saw Zhao Zhiyi with his hands in his pockets, blowing bubbles. His soft hair was tinged with a golden edge by the sun, looking like it would feel very nice to the touch.

Just as he was about to head over, Zhao Zhiyi suddenly frowned.

Meng Ze followed his gaze and saw Cheng Hui.

Meng Ze stood at the corner, lowering his eyes to light a cigarette, not stepping out immediately.

Zhao Zhiyi thought to himself that he must have forgotten to check the horoscopes before leaving today, otherwise, how could he have run into this plague, Cheng Hui? Unfortunately, Cheng Hui looked excited to see him and immediately abandoned the female companion by his side, running to Zhao Zhiyi: “Zhiyi, don’t misunderstand, she’s just my student!”

“Mhm, mhm.” Zhao Zhiyi nodded. “I haven’t misunderstood. I wish you a long and happy life together.”

Cheng Hui said urgently, “It’s really not what you think. Zhiyi, I thought about it for a long time after I went back. I have indeed dated many people, but the only one who ever moved my heart is you. Everyone else was just for show! Let’s get back together, please, I really love you.”

Zhao Zhiyi said slowly, “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?”

Zhao Zhiyi said painfully, “Do you know why I had to break up with you and make you return all those things?”

“It’s because Meng Ze found out he was being cheated on. In a fit of rage, he not only wanted a divorce but demanded I pay back all his money. The Meng family is powerful, how could I afford to offend them? I had to take out a loan to pay him back. If you really love me, why don’t we go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and register our marriage right now? In the face of great love, joint marital debt is nothing, right?”

It took Cheng Hui a while to digest this. “…How, how much do you owe?”

“Five million.” Zhao Zhiyi said, looking heartbroken.

Cheng Hui almost fainted.

Zhao Zhiyi said, “The Civil Affairs Bureau hasn’t closed yet. Shall we go now?”

“…No rush. Marriage is no trifling matter; we should pick an auspicious day.” Cheng Hui wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “So, uh, you really took out a five million loan?”

“It’s true.” Zhao Zhiyi didn’t have to speak, another, colder voice provided the answer. Meng Ze stepped out from the shadows. Standing before the muscular Cheng Hui, it was actually Meng Ze who exerted more pressure. His thin, narrow eyelids made him look very unapproachable, and when he looked directly into Cheng Hui’s eyes, Cheng Hui’s heart skipped a beat.

“M-Mr. Meng.” Cheng Hui swallowed hard.

“Are you going to pay it back with him?” Meng Ze asked.

Cheng Hui, who had been so silver-tongued before, couldn’t even speak clearly in front of Meng Ze: “I… I…”

“Haven’t thought of an answer?” Meng Ze spoke as if dismissing a stray dog, his tone devoid of emotion: “Then get lost and think about it properly.”