Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 7

Cheng Hui nodded and bowed, then scrambled away as fast as he could.

Zhao Zhiyi clicked his tongue. “A dog acts high and mighty based on its master, and people are just as snobbish. I wore my lips out talking to him and he wouldn’t listen, you say one word, ‘scram,’ and he rolls away perfectly.”

Meng Ze offered another sharp critique: “Your taste in men is truly subpar.”

Zhao Zhiyi blew a bubble with his gum expressionlessly, then let it “pop” right in front of Meng Ze’s face. Ignoring him, he started walking toward the park exit.

Meng Ze followed two or three paces behind. “Are you angry?”

Zhao Zhiyi replied, “You should save that question for your sister. As for me, I’ve already seen the light. Your sister is the one still obsessed.”

“That is Yu Shu’en’s business to manage,” Meng Ze said indifferently.

Zhao Zhiyi turned to look at him. “If you really didn’t care about her, she wouldn’t be so terrified to bring Dong Zhengfan home to meet the family even now.”

“You’re overthinking it,” Meng Ze said. “If she dared to bring him home, Yu Shu’en would be the first to disagree.”

Zhao Zhiyi pondered this for a moment.

Meng Ze hadn’t interfered with Yu Tao and Dong Zhengfan perhaps because, in his mind, it was impossible for Yu Shu’en to allow Yu Tao to be with a poor kid like Dong Zhengfan. Due to her family background, Yu Tao was insecure, sensitive, and timid. Likely, neither Meng Ze nor Yu Shu’en expected her to actually have the guts to elope with him.

But since this wasn’t Meng Ze’s responsibility, Zhao Zhiyi didn’t pursue the topic.

According to the original plan, he was going to the supermarket. However, Su Jiyu hadn’t replied to his messages yet, he wasn’t sure if Su Jiyu was tied down by something. If he let Meng Ze leave now, who knew where the man would go to secretly mope? Zhao Zhiyi racked his “impoverished” brain and said, “I have a lot of things to buy and might not be able to carry them all. Could you help me?”

Meng Ze was about to head home, but hearing this, his gaze landed on Zhao Zhiyi’s thin arms. “You are indeed too thin. Don’t go on a diet.”

I don’t know if the original owner was dieting, Zhao Zhiyi thought, but I’m thin purely because of a ‘steamed buns and pickles’ budget.

If he could, he’d love to be like Meng Ze, able to kick a grown man over with one move. But considering the innate genetic gap between Alphas and Omegas, that probably wasn’t happening.

Zhao Zhiyi always believed that grocery shopping was a very stress relieving activity. In his past life, whenever he had time, he would wander around large supermarkets. Of course, he couldn’t afford a single thing inside back then, but he enjoyed the process, not the result. He hoped Meng Ze was also a person of taste who could release some pressure this way.

The apartment Meng Qiao gave Zhao Zhiyi was in a prime location, surrounded mostly by import supermarkets. In his previous life, he had died suddenly from malnutrition and overwork, in this life, Zhao Zhiyi was absolutely not going to mistreat himself when it came to food. So, even though the items here were expensive, he bit the bullet and bought them.

The shelves were full of a dazzling array of goods. Zhao Zhiyi pushed the cart, picking and choosing carefully, while Meng Ze stood with his hands in his pockets, observing with a sense of novelty.

The number of times he had been to a place like this could be counted on one hand. He’d forgotten when the last time was, let alone picking through a pile of carrots just to find the ones that looked particularly nice.

Standing behind Zhao Zhiyi, Meng Ze said, “I don’t eat carrots.”

Zhao Zhiyi looked up in surprise. “What does you not eating them have to do with me? I want to eat them.”

Meng Ze: “…”

Realizing he might have offended his “boss,” Zhao Zhiyi put the carrots back. “True, carrots don’t taste that great. I won’t buy them.”

As he started to push the cart away, Meng Ze reached out and pressed down on the handle, looking down at him. “If you want to eat them, why aren’t you buying them?”

Zhao Zhiyi thought the man was being a bit neurotic. “Didn’t you say you don’t eat them?”

Meng Ze: “Are you inviting me to your place for dinner tonight?”

Zhao Zhiyi: “??”

How on earth did he reach that conclusion?

“I wouldn’t want to impose, but I accept.” Meng Ze picked out the particularly handsome carrots Zhao Zhiyi had selected earlier, put them in the cart, and then naturally took over pushing. “What else do we need?”

Dazed, Zhao Zhiyi said, “Maybe some shrimp? For garlic vermicelli shrimp.”

“Mm.” Meng Ze nodded. “The seafood section is over there.”

After getting a few ingredients, Zhao Zhiyi was ready to check out. Meng Ze asked, “Aren’t you getting snacks? I recall you Omegas usually like them. Yu Tao has a huge snack cabinet.”

Zhao Zhiyi usually only bought groceries, not snacks. Once these snacks were labeled as “imported,” the price quadrupled. Even with a monthly salary of 500,000, he still felt like he couldn’t afford them.

But one had to read between the lines with Meng Ze. He said “you Omegas usually like them” and specifically mentioned Yu Tao, did that mean he actually wanted some? Was there a hidden hint of envy toward Yu Tao?

Analyzing it this way, Zhao Zhiyi felt it was highly likely. Since the boss wanted snacks, they’d buy snacks.

As they moved through the aisles, Zhao Zhiyi spotted a brand of chocolate he’d wanted for a long time. He’d never been able to justify the four digit price tag before, but now that he had a “legitimate” reason, he headed straight for it, only to find that the shelves had been rearranged, and the chocolate was on the very top row.

Zhao Zhiyi stood on his tiptoes but couldn’t reach.

He tried jumping and managed to touch it but couldn’t grab it. Just as he was about to try again, the man beside him reached up and effortlessly took down a box. “Strawberry flavor. Do you want it?”

“…Thanks.” Zhao Zhiyi rubbed his nose awkwardly, making an excuse for himself. “With shelves this high, don’t they consider whether the customers can reach?”

A child nearby in denim overalls said, “Big brother is silly! There’s a little ladder here!”

Zhao Zhiyi turned his head, the kid was patting a small yellow step ladder with his chubby hand.

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

Meng Ze seemed to let out a small laugh as he put the chocolate in the cart. “Anything else you want?”

Zhao Zhiyi, losing his spirit, said, “You decide.”

He immediately regretted saying that.

Meng Ze was like someone stocking up for a warehouse. Anything that caught his eye went into the cart. Before long, the cart was overflowing. Zhao Zhiyi’s heart bled, how much was this going to cost?!

At the checkout, Zhao Zhiyi looked like a defeated rooster. He gloomily unlocked his phone to pay, but a hand reached out next to him holding a card. “Swipe this.”

Zhao Zhiyi thought the card-wielding Meng Ze looked absolutely dashing, but he still had to feign a polite refusal. “These are my things, how can I let you pay?”

“Then forget it?”

Zhao Zhiyi grabbed the hand that was about to withdraw the card and said seriously, “But it would be rude to decline such kindness. Thank you.”

Meng Ze laughed.

On the way home, Meng Ze carried the heavy bags while Zhao Zhiyi walked beside him empty-handed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “How about I carry half?”

Meng Ze said, “No need. It’s not very heavy.”

Oh, Zhao Zhiyi thought, you Alphas really love to show off.

Zhao Zhiyi prepared a home-cooked meal of three dishes and a soup. When he called Meng Ze to eat, Meng Ze was on the sofa taking a call.

“I got a message from Zhao Zhiyi saying you weren’t in a good state,” Su Jiyu’s voice sounded lazy. “What’s up with you? Moping again?”

Meng Ze said, “He messaged you?”

“Sent it a few hours ago. I was sleeping and didn’t see it,” Su Jiyu said. “Did Yu Shu’en give you trouble?”

“It’s fine now,” Meng Ze said calmly. “Someone’s calling me for dinner. Hanging up.”

Su Jiyu: “?”

Zhao Zhiyi’s cooking was quite good. To accommodate the boss’s mood, he didn’t actually cook the carrots, feeling he was being very considerate and fully deserving of his high salary. Meng Ze suddenly said, “Next Saturday, there’s a charity gala. You’re coming with me.”

“Huh?” Alarm bells rang in Zhao Zhiyi’s head as he caught the keyword.

“Charity gala” isn’t that the scene where the original leads first start acting crazy!

The gala was hosted by a highly respected elder. Every guest would provide an item for auction, and the proceeds would go to a children’s foundation. However, compared to charity, these events were usually more about social networking.

In the original novel, Meng Ze also took his “cannon fodder ex-wife” to this gala. During the event, someone tried to introduce an Omega to Su Jiyu. Su Jiyu couldn’t easily refuse, so he exchanged contact info and shared a dance. Meng Ze happened to witness this and flew into a rage. He and Su Jiyu had a massive argument, digging up every old grudge to attack each other, creating a hideous scene.

As Meng Ze’s titular wife, the cannon fodder could only stand by and watch her husband get entangled with another Alpha, becoming a laughingstock for being unable to hold her husband’s heart and suffering immense humiliation.

And on the leads’ side, after the gala, Su Jiyu felt so wronged that he actually attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital in time and saved, but he vowed to break ties with Meng Ze and refused to see him. Meng Ze then knelt outside the Su family home in the pouring rain, begging for forgiveness…

Just thinking about it made Zhao Zhiyi’s scalp tingle.

What a malicious plot! What crazy leads! What a miserable cannon fodder wife!

Looking at the Meng Ze sitting across from him now and comparing him to the one in the book, it was hard to link him to that “lunatic.”

He seemed like a normal person usually, why did he go so insane the moment Su Jiyu was involved?

Zhao Zhiyi didn’t want to be pointed at by strangers at a party, nor did he want to see Meng Ze and Su Jiyu screaming “You’re heartless, you’re shameless, you’re unreasonable!” at each other. He refused decisively: “I have a shift that day, I can’t go.”

“I just asked Su Jiyu,” Meng Ze said. “You’re off that day.”

“Well, actually, it’s because I haven’t seen much of the world. I’ll get stage fright and embarrass you.”

Meng Ze cleared the plates and said, “Don’t worry. You don’t need to do anything.”

Yeah, I just need to stand there and take the insults, Zhao Zhiyi thought miserably.

Meng Ze added, “The host of this charity gala is my mother’s godfather. It was his idea to bring you, the old gentleman wants to meet you.”

No wonder Meng Ze suddenly suggested bringing him to such a public event.

Seeing that refusal was no longer an option, Zhao Zhiyi sighed. “Fine.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Meng Ze said softly. “Just treat it like going out to have fun.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…” I’m about to witness two lunatics tearing each other apart. How could I not be nervous?

In the meantime, Meng Ze had already cleared the table. Zhao Zhiyi followed him to the kitchen door, leaning against the frame. “Do you know how to wash dishes?”

Meng Ze said, “Put them in the dishwasher, turn the switch on, take them out?”

Zhao Zhiyi usually ate alone and had never used the dishwasher. He nudged closer to Meng Ze. “I actually don’t know how to use this thing. Why don’t you demonstrate for me?”

After two seconds, Zhao Zhiyi poked Meng Ze’s arm. “Well? Go on.”

Meng Ze said calmly, “I’m reading the manual.”

Five minutes later, the two of them followed the manual step by step to start the dishwasher.

“I’ve never used one either,” Meng Ze explained.

Zhao Zhiyi said, “It’s okay. Being able to understand the manual is already very impressive.”

Meng Ze: “.”

Once the dishes were done, Meng Ze took his leave. Late at night, there was no reason for an Alpha and an Omega to stay in the same room. Zhao Zhiyi saw him out and then collapsed on the sofa in despair.

If I jumped off the balcony right now and broke my leg, could I escape the gala next Saturday?

Thinking this, Zhao Zhiyi actually opened the window to measure the distance. Eventually, deciding the survival rate from the ninth floor wasn’t high enough, he gave up with regret. As he was about to close the window, he noticed Meng Ze’s car still parked by the road. The man, dressed in black, was leaning against the car smoking.

The original novel mentioned that Meng Ze only smoked when he was relatively relaxed.

It seemed Meng Ze really was a man of taste, he had grasped the profound relaxation of grocery shopping. Zhao Zhiyi was quite satisfied with that.

That morning, Zhao Zhiyi’s left eyelid had been twitching since he woke up.

He went back to school to hand in some coursework materials and happened to treat Zhan Yue to the meal he owed him from last time. Zhan Yue saw him rubbing his eye. “What’s wrong with your eye? If it’s uncomfortable, should you see a doctor?”

Zhao Zhiyi said profoundly, “Haven’t you heard? Left eye twitching brings wealth, right eye brings disaster. I’m about to have some good luck.”

Zhan Yue couldn’t stop laughing. “I grew up with you, don’t I know? The biggest stroke of luck in your life was marrying Meng Ze… oh…” He stopped in his tracks. “Not only do you have no good luck, but there’s bad luck waiting for you.”

Zhao Zhiyi was speechless when he saw Cheng Hui squatting by the gate.

Really, one shouldn’t be superstitious. It’s all a lie.

“Zhiyi!” Cheng Hui also spotted Zhao Zhiyi and rushed over. “You’re finally out! I’ve been waiting for you forever!”

Zhan Yue stepped in front of Zhao Zhiyi. “Say what you need to say and beat it. We’re in a hurry.”

Cheng Hui hauled over a large bag. He usually took great care of his appearance, he couldn’t snag a sugar mommy if he didn’t look the part but right now he looked as disheveled as a vagrant. He said to Zhao Zhiyi flatteringly, “Zhiyi, all the things you gave me are in here. Not a single one missing. Count them!”

Zhao Zhiyi: “?”

So straightforward? That doesn’t seem like Cheng Hui.

“As for the bags you gave my girlfriend… my ex-girlfriend… I really couldn’t get those back,” Cheng Hui said with a bitter smile.

Zhao Zhiyi took a casual look and said, “I told you, I won’t chase those. Consider them her ‘mental anguish’ fees.”

Cheng Hui didn’t even get angry. Instead, he kept smiling. “Zhiyi, look… I’ve returned everything. Could you ask Mr. Meng… to stop messing with me? I really can’t lose this job. Please, say a few good words to Mr. Meng…”

Zhao Zhiyi paused.

So Cheng Hui returned the things so quickly because of Meng Ze.

“You know my relationship with Mr. Meng,” Zhao Zhiyi said, satisfied as he zipped the bag shut, putting on a troubled expression. “If I tried to speak up for you, I’m afraid it would only hurt you more.”

Cheng Hui said anxiously, “If it wasn’t for you, why would Mr. Meng have the gym fire me?”

Zhao Zhiyi: “Why do you always look for reasons in others when things go wrong?”

“Think about it yourself. What did you used to say about Meng Ze behind his back? It’s no wonder he’s giving you trouble now that he knows.”

Cheng Hui’s face went pale. He remembered the things he had said and done.

Zhao Zhiyi sighed. “As much as I’d like to help, I clearly don’t have the power. Why don’t you go find Su Jiyu? Meng Ze definitely listens to him.”

Cheng Hui’s expression changed instantly.

Find that ‘smiling tiger’ Su Jiyu?? He had personally seen that delicate looking young master beat someone until they coughed up blood in the ring and refuse to stop!

“No, no, no need!” Cheng Hui’s face twitched as he said quickly, “I… I’ll find another way!”

With that, he bolted as if a ghost were chasing him.

Zhan Yue wondered, “What did Mr. Meng do to him to scare him like that? I almost miss the old Cheng Hui, arrogant and annoying.”

“No idea.” Zhao Zhiyi shrugged. “Is there a second-hand luxury shop nearby? Let’s get rid of this pile of stuff first, then I’ll treat you to a seafood feast.”

Going from fifteen yuan braised chicken near the school gate to a seafood feast made Zhan Yue very happy. He checked the map on his phone as they headed toward the second hand shop. Zhan Yue was still pondering: “Could Mr. Meng really be doing this to stand up for you?”