Aanya and Zain were walking through the hustle and bustle of the vegetable market. Amid the crowd, their eyes fell on a fish stall. A staff member, around fifty years old, who seemed skilled at her work, was sitting with a pile of fresh fish.
"All of these are fresh, absolutely fresh, and also cheap!" she said loudly, her voice skilled at attracting customers.
Aanya looked at Zain. There was a mischievous smile hidden in his eyes. "Which fish do you want to eat, Zain?" she asked.
Zain replied carelessly, "The one you don't know how to cook."
Aanya first carefully looked at all the fish, as if solving a puzzle. A slight crease appeared on her forehead. Then she thought for a moment and confidently said to the woman, "Give me this tuna fish, please."
The woman wrapped the fish in a plastic bag and handed it to Aanya. Aanya was about to pay, but Zain suddenly stopped her hand.
"I'll pay," Zain said, asserting himself, his voice carrying unexpected firmness. "I am your husband, so paying is my right."
Aanya's eyes widened for a moment, then a sharp glint of mockery appeared in them. She muttered to herself, "First, he used to say I'm not your husband, we are just husband and wife in name… and now he says 'my husband'! Is this man a human or a chameleon?"
She pressed her lips together, then took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Fine, you pay," she said, though annoyance was clear in her voice.
After paying, they began buying the remaining vegetables. Then Aanya asked curiously, "Since we are already here, can I go to the nearby market to buy my snacks and ice cream? Can we go there?"
Zain nodded his head, a slight smile on his face. "Why not! Take whatever you want. Treat from my side!"
Aanya smiled, but the smile was limited to her lips. "Thank you, Zain! You are so good," she said.
But inside her mind, a fierce storm was raging. "Inside my mind? First, he made my scooter disappear, and now a 'treat'? Still, I won't forgive you, you wolf!" She looked at him with a sly, angry glance.
They reached the nearby market. Aanya bought her favorite snacks one by one. Zain kept looking at those colorful packets. A question arose in his mind, "What's so special in these that she likes them so much? They're just… unhealthy."
Aanya sensed his discomfort. "Zain, don't you like snacks?"
Zain raised an eyebrow. "I like snacks, but they are unhealthy."
Aanya rolled her eyes. She whispered, "You yourself are unhealthy for me!"
"Did you say something?" Zain immediately asked, thinking he had heard something.
Aanya put on an innocent mask. "No, I didn't say anything! I just looked at these packets and wondered how their taste would be."
"Oh," Zain breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought something wrong."
Then Aanya bought ice cream, taking mostly vanilla and chocolate flavors. Zain noted, "She likes these the most."
With all the items, they went to the staff to pay. Zain carried all the goods but handed the bag with the fish to Aanya and said, "You hold this."
Aanya looked at the fish for a moment, then wrinkled her nose. "Fine," she said reluctantly. They both got into the car.
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2. Huan Jing at Home
Meanwhile, Huan Jing opened the door to her house and collapsed straight onto the sofa. She let out a deep groan. "Today has been such a tiring day!"
After a while, she got up. Her phone rang. A funny, overly cheerful voice came through the speaker: "Aunt! How are you?"
Huan Jing's face immediately scrunched with anger. "I was a little fine just now, but now I'm not!" she said irritably. "Whenever your call comes, you bother me." Then, with a fake smile pasted on her face, she added, "Yes, I'm fine. By the way, why did you call me, Zhao Jing?"
Zhao Jing excitedly said, "I'm going to give you good news!"
"What?" Huan Jing asked curiously.
"No! Tomorrow I am coming to Shenzhen to meet you! Isn't that something to be happy about?" Zhao Jing's voice carried joy.
Huan Jing suddenly stood up in shock, her eyes wide. "What! You're coming tomorrow? But… what is your business here?"
Zhao Jing innocently said, "I missed you."
Huan Jing held her forehead. "Fine." She hung up the phone.
She became completely sad. "Now what should I do?" She thought, pulling at her hair. "If Mom finds out about my breakup with Kiyam, she will call me back to Beijing… and if she finds out that Aanya and Kaiya got married, she will force me to get married! What should I do so that I don't have to go there?"
She paced back and forth in anxiety. Then the doorbell rang. She went to open the door and saw Tiang standing there.
Tiang was holding a large delivery box in his hands. "This is your parcel," he said, smiling.
"Ah yes, I forgot about it," Huan Jing nodded.
"Fine, where should I keep this parcel?"
"Keep it inside," Huan Jing said.
He placed it in the living room and was about to leave. "I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself."
At that moment, Huan Jing had a bright idea. "I found my savior!"
She quickly moved in front of Tiang and folded her hands, almost begging: "Will you be my boyfriend?"
Tiang thought for a moment. "Is… is she directly proposing to me?" His eyes widened, and he immediately found himself in a dream: Huan Jing and he getting married, then their children… a happy family!
Huan Jing waved his hand. "Where did you disappear, Tiang?"
Tiang came out of his dream. "What?"
Huan Jing quickly said, "Will you be my fake boyfriend? Only after my niece leaves, I will give you the money I promised."
All of Tiang's dreams shattered in a moment. "Fake boyfriend? Why should I be your fake boyfriend? Are you joking with me?" His face clearly showed disappointment.
Huan Jing seriously said, "It's nothing like that. My niece is coming tomorrow. If she finds out that my breakup with Kiyam happened, she will tell my mom. My mom must have sent her here deliberately to find out whether Kiyam and I are together or not. If she finds out we are not together, she will marry me off to my sister-in-law's brother, whom I do not like at all. Will you help me?"
Tiang thought. He looked at Huan Jing, who was so worried. "If I refuse to be the fake boyfriend, her marriage will happen with someone else. Better I say yes."
He nodded his head. "Fine, I'll be."
Huan Jing's eyes sparkled with happiness. She immediately hugged Tiang. "Thanks! You're really a good friend!"
Tiang's heart pounded. He slowly moved away.
"Sorry, I got too happy," Huan Jing said shyly.
Tiang nodded his head and moved toward the door. Going outside, he placed his hand on his chest and smiled faintly; he was happy.
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3. Aanya and Zain at Home
Aanya was chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Zain sat on the sofa watching TV. He was watching a drama in which a husband and wife were cooking together and laughing happily.
Zain thought to himself, "If I help Mrs. Yan in the kitchen, will we also be this happy?"
He immediately turned off the TV and went toward the kitchen.
Aanya was putting ice cream into the fridge and then placing all her snacks, packed in polythene, on top of the shelf. At that moment, Zain came from behind and said, "Here, I'll put it." He took the packets from Aanya's hands and placed them up.
"Did you need something? Do you want water?" Aanya asked.
"Yes, I came to drink water." Zain opened a bottle from the fridge and drank.
Aanya was washing the fish in water. Zain finished drinking and went outside. A while later, he came inside again.
Aanya was ignoring him. Zain looked at her and thought, "Maybe she is angry with me, that's why she's cutting the poor fish like this." He had read somewhere that when a wife is angry with her husband, she makes more noise with utensils and chops vegetables quickly. "That's why I feel she is angry with me."
Then Aanya raised her eyes. "Do you need anything, Zain?"
Zain got nervous. "No… I, I came to take an apple from the fridge." He took the apple, pasted a fake smile on his face, and went away.
A while later, he came again. This time Aanya was cooking fish. As Zain entered, Aanya picked up a knife and pointed it toward him, asking, "Why do you keep coming to the kitchen, Zain?"
Zain stepped back, scared, his voice trembling. "Uh… put your knife down! I just want to help you."
Aanya put the knife down, but her eyes still showed anger. "But you don't like cooking!"