Your Wife? Mine! - Chapter 9

The driveway gates opened, and Meng Xiyao drove inside. Shen Xi followed close behind, lugging the giant package as she trotted toward the front door and rang the bell.

The door swung open, and a massive Alaskan Malamute lunged out with terrifying enthusiasm, nearly knocking Shen Xi over. The Alpha gasped, scrambling back several paces. The giant dog chased after her, tongue lolling and tail wagging, circling Shen Xi multiple times. It acted like the family’s most loyal bodyguard, suspiciously inspecting the newcomer.

Shen Xi’s “fear of dogs” gene was fully activated. She clutched the package to her chest, her entire body rigid as a board, trying to make herself as small as possible.

“Hey… hey now…”

Shen Xi cautiously extended a foot a few centimeters, tapping the ground in a weak attempt to drive the beast away. But the dog ignored the “threat,” looking up with its long tongue out and wagging its tail furiously at her.

Compared to other Alphas, Shen Xi’s sense of smell was far more acute. The moment she caught the pungent, aggressive scent of the large dog, her skin began to crawl.

Not good, not good… This beast hadn’t been around this morning. Why was it out now? Was it going to lunge and take a chunk out of her?

Shen Xi was on the verge of a total meltdown when a voice, sounding like music from heaven, drifted from behind: “Occidens…”

Shen Xi whipped her head around. Little Wutong had let go of her mother’s hand and was running toward them with open arms. Simultaneously, the large dog bounded away from Shen Xi as if celebrating, throwing itself into the child’s embrace and licking her face enthusiastically.

“Hahahaha!” The child hugged the dog, stroking its head while letting out a peal of silvery laughter.

Shen Xi clutched her package, watching the interaction with a complicated expression. Dogs love eating… well, things from the ground. Is it really safe to let it lick a kid like that?

Her thoughts wandered for a second until Meng Xiyao walked up to the pair. She patted the dog’s head and said softly, “Occidens, go home.”

With that single command, the dog immediately sat by Wutong’s legs, respectfully waiting for her to mount. Wutong didn’t hesitate, climbing onto the dog’s back and grabbing its collar. Once she was steady, the dog took off at a gallop, carrying the girl through the open front door in a flash.

As it passed Shen Xi, the dog’s tail whipped against her leg, nearly knocking her over. Shen Xi’s eyes widened. Unbelievable. Is this dog a spirit or something? How is it this obedient?

Just then, a faint scent of laurel approached. Shen Xi turned to see Meng Xiyao standing close. “Let’s go,” she said calmly. “Inside first.”

As she spoke, the laurel scent drifted away with the breeze as she walked ahead. Shen Xi froze for a heartbeat before following the fragrance into the house.

In the foyer, Meng Xiyao produced a pair of temporary guest slippers and dropped them in front of Shen Xi. “Change.”

Shen Xi kicked off her shoes, slipped into the clean slippers, and followed Meng Xiyao toward the dining room on the first floor, still clutching the massive package. Wutong and Occidens were already there, circling the room with noisy, joyful laughter. The heavy atmosphere from earlier had been replaced by a lively cheer.

After a few steps, Meng Xiyao suddenly looked back. “Are you really planning to carry that package into the dining room?”

Shen Xi went still. Standing in the middle of the spacious living room holding a giant parcel, she looked utterly ridiculous.

Watching that easy-to-read expression so like the girl she used to know Meng Xiyao felt a burgeoning headache. She must have been mad to let this person back into her home. She took a deep breath and pointed to a corner. “Put it there.”

“Oh, right… okay.” Shen Xi hurried to the corner to drop it off. When she ran back to Meng Xiyao’s side, she looked like she was seeking a gold star. “I put it away, Sister Xiyao.”

Sister Xiyao… Sister Xiyao… She always called her that, like a repetitive mantra.

Looking at the tall, slender Alpha, Meng Xiyao was momentarily haunted by the image of a teenage girl’s face. For a split second, it felt as though they had never been apart. Otherwise, why would a single meeting feel so startlingly familiar?

Pushing down her messy thoughts, Meng Xiyao said, “Your jacket is dirty. Take it off, then wash your hands for dinner.”

Shen Xi’s eyes widened. “Now?”

Meng Xiyao didn’t explain; she just gave a quiet “Mm.” She turned to the playing pair in the dining room and called out, “Tongtong, wash your hands. It’s time to eat.”

“Okay, Mommy!” The child and the dog charged toward the bathroom.

Shen Xi hung her jacket in the foyer closet and followed. By the time she reached the bathroom, the child had finished washing her face and hands and was darting out like a whirlwind. As the dog brushed past Shen Xi, it shook its head vigorously, spraying water droplets all over her pant legs.

Shen Xi: “…”

The Shen family generally shared a genetic fear of dogs; few in the estate kept them. Except for Gu Hai! That bastard had moved into her own courtyard after starting work and kept the first dog in the entire estate.

Dammit, I hate this dog.

Shen Xi’s fist clenched. The wound on her right hand, hidden under a bandage, pulled tight, sending a jolt of tearing pain through her. She winced, immediately loosening her grip and blowing on her hand before entering the bathroom. After carefully rinsing her fingers, she headed to the dining room.

Meng Xiyao and the child were already seated. The housekeeper had brought out a simple dinner: sweet and sour pork, braised mandarin fish, Wensi tofu, and “cabbage in consommé,” along with a winter melon soup crock. The light, sweet-and-sour flavors were exactly what Meng Xiyao liked and what Shen Xi happened to love.

Realizing this, Shen Xi felt a spark of secret joy. She sat in the chair to Meng Xiyao’s left and nodded to the little girl. “Hi, little Wutong.”

The big dog was circling under the table, rubbing against Wutong’s chair. “Hi, Auntie,” Wutong chirped, her round eyes studying Shen Xi. “Auntie, what’s your name?”

Shen Xi reached out a hand. “My name is Shen Xi… I have the same last name as your Great-Grandmother.”

Wutong touched Shen Xi’s fingers and gasped. “Whoa! Is it the ‘Xi’ from ‘West’? Just like Occidens!”

Wait… Occidens? Latin for ‘West’?

Shen Xi looked down at the dog under the table. You have got to be kidding me. Is Gu Hai so petty she named the dog after me?

Meng Xiyao cleared her throat, ladled a bowl of soup, and set it in front of Shen Xi. “Alright, let’s eat.”

Shen Xi took a sip of the soup and then asked, trying to sound casual, “Aren’t we waiting for Big Cousin?”

Meng Xiyao’s tone was flat. “It’s a workday. She doesn’t come home.”

“What?” Shen Xi’s eyes shot up. “The headquarters is only two hours away, and it’s not like she’s the one driving. Why wouldn’t she come back?”

To a normal person, a two-hour commute was a chore. To a family with their level of wealth, it was nothing. Her eldest sister, Shen Zhao, worked at a branch even further away and still made it home every day to have dinner with their grandmother.

Shen Xi felt a flare of indignation. “Has it always been like this since you got married? Even when you were pregnant, she didn’t come home on workdays?”

Meng Xiyao caught the frown on Shen Xi’s face and was secretly surprised. Impressive. Twelve years away and she’s picked up some ‘green tea’ skills. She’s quite good at these passive-aggressive jabs.

“She has a busy job,” Meng Xiyao said nonchalantly, stirring her soup. “Having those extra two hours of rest is good for her. Besides, the staff here handles everything perfectly. There’s nothing for her to worry about.”

Shen Xi snapped. “If she doesn’t have to worry about anything, then why the hell did you marry her?”

The words tumbled out before she could stop them. The dining room fell into a bizarre silence. Fortunately, Wutong broke the tension.

“That’s not true,” the little girl said, sipping her soup. “Mommy comes back on weekends. She flies kites with me, helps with homework, and takes me out to play. She’s very, very busy, but she loves me and Mami very much.”

Wutong looked up at Meng Xiyao with a beaming smile. “Right, Mami?”

“Right.” Meng Xiyao stroked the child’s hair, her gaze tender. “Good girl.”

The smile on the child’s face was blinding like a solar flare that burned to look at. Seeing the two of them together, jealousy churned in Shen Xi’s chest.

What luck you have, Gu Hai.

She was dying of bitterness. They both came from nothing, both lost their parents so why did Gu Hai get a wife as perfect as Meng Xiyao and a daughter as sweet as Wutong? Where did Shen Xi lose? Was it her age? Was she too well-behaved? Or was she just too loyal, like a dog?

Why?

Why did a person who cheats, slanders her wife, and never comes home get to be the partner of someone like Meng Xiyao?

Living with someone like that, can you really be happy?

She was fuming! Absolutely fuming!

Shen Xi gripped her spoon tight and began shoveling soup into her mouth, gulping it down like a thirsty ox.

She drank so fast she ended up choking. A bit of liquid went down the wrong pipe; her throat tickled, and her whole body went rigid. The next second, her eyes went wide, and—pfft! she sprayed a mouthful of soup and burst into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.

She’s dying of jealousy. A literal lemon spirit. A vinegar jar come to life, crawling around in the dark.

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