After finishing packing, it was nearly 2 PM, and Xu Zhen hadn't had lunch yet.She walked into the kitchen to see what she could make, just something to fill her stomach, but the fridge only had eggs and milk.She had no choice but to go downstairs and buy a pack of instant noodles at the supermarket in the neighborhood.After she got into college, her stepfather refused to pay for her tuition, so she had to work part-time to make money. To save money, she got used to eating instant noodles.
While eating her noodles, her friend Lin Jing sent a WeChat message: [I'm at the Blue Sky Branch. Why aren't you at work?]Xu Zhen: [I'm getting married today, took the day off.]Lin Jing sent a shocked emoji.[Is it today? Why did you decide so quickly?][Don't you think you should have thought it through more carefully?]
A few days ago, Xu Zhen had told Lin Jing that she was getting married, and her partner was someone she met through a colleague's introduction. She hadn't planned to go public yet and intended to try the marriage for a while, asking Lin Jing to help her keep it a secret from her family.Lin Jing understood her family situation.Her stepfather ran a tea house, which was involved in drinking, gambling, and dealings with shady people, even keeping a mistress. Her half-brother was on the same wavelength as him and often caused trouble. Her mother was weak and constantly tolerated the bad behavior of the men in the family, doting on her troublesome son.After Xu Zhen started working, she gave half of her salary to her mother for household expenses because the money her stepfather earned from the tea house was all squandered by him and his son. Not only did they not give her mother any money, but they even sometimes asked her for money.Her mother worked as a cashier in a pharmacy, earning just over 3,000 yuan a month. With the 4,000 yuan Xu Zhen gave her, they still couldn't make ends meet.
Lin Jing thought Xu Zhen was marrying someone she didn't know well to alleviate the burden of her family.Xu Zhen: [I've thought it through.]She didn't need to think it over. Old Master Shen had helped her family out so much, and she would likely never be able to repay him, so she had no choice but to fulfill his wish and marry Shen Lingfeng.
[If my mom asks you, you must remember to tell her I'm living in the bank's dormitory.]Xu Zhen's bank did have employee dormitories, but since she hadn't been officially confirmed as a permanent employee, she wasn't eligible to apply for dormitory housing.Lin Jing: [I remember, don't worry.][This weekend, I'll treat you to hotpot to celebrate.]Xu Zhen replied with a simple "Okay."She felt guilty lying to her best friend, and couldn't imagine how Lin Jing would react when she found out the truth one day.
After finishing her noodles, she went to bed to catch up on sleep. She had been so nervous about getting her marriage certificate today that she hadn't slept well the previous night.At 5 PM, the alarm clock woke her up, and she noticed two messages.One was from her bank account, showing a deposit of 100,000 yuan, and the other was from Shen Lingfeng's assistant, telling her that the family allowance for the month had been transferred to her account.She looked at the messages and raised an eyebrow.The agreement had said that Shen Lingfeng would transfer 50,000 yuan to her monthly for household expenses, not 100,000 yuan.Where did the extra 50,000 yuan come from?She decided to ask him about it when they had dinner at the old mansion tonight.He had given her his business card with his phone number, but since he had everything relayed through his assistant, it was clear he didn't want her to call him. She decided not to make a fool of herself.
After taking a shower, she put on a modest dress and a coat, then left.As she stepped out of Tianhua Garden, her ride had just arrived.She asked the driver to wait a moment while she went into a nearby supermarket to buy bananas and peaches.She couldn't afford expensive things, so she bought the fruits Old Master Shen liked to bring them with her.
Once in the car, her mother sent a message: [Zhen Zhen, is everything arranged? Come home for dinner tonight.]Xu Zhen replied: [Everything is arranged. I won't be coming home for dinner tonight. I'm planning to eat with my colleagues from the dorm.]Her mother: [That's fine, it's good to get along with your colleagues on your first day there.]Xu Zhen: [I'll come visit you when I have time.]Her mother: [Don't worry about me, as long as you're doing well, I'll be at ease.]Xu Zhen sighed.She knew her mother genuinely wanted her to be happy, but as soon as her brother got into trouble, her mother would turn to her for help, because her stepfather didn't care about anything. Her mother's only source of support was her.
When they arrived at Nanshuo Lane, since it was hard to park inside the alley, Xu Zhen got out of the car at the entrance and carried the fruits inside.Old Master Shen had called, knowing she was close, so he asked the butler, Zhang Bo, to wait for her at the door.Zhang Bo took the fruits with a smile and led her inside.Old Master Shen, seeing that she had brought his favorite fruits, was very pleased. "You're so thoughtful, my dear granddaughter-in-law. That boy, Lingfeng, doesn't even know what I like to eat.""He must know, but he's just too busy with work to pay attention."Since she was already married to Shen Lingfeng, Xu Zhen tried to defend him a little. It would make Old Master Shen happy.Old Master Shen had high blood pressure and needed to stay in a good mood.He grinned, pointing at Xu Zhen, and said to Zhang Bo, "See, she's already protecting that boy on the first day of marriage. I knew I picked the right granddaughter-in-law."Xu Zhen, though partially acting, still blushed at speaking like this with Old Master Shen.Old Master Shen pulled her to sit beside him. "Your parents are still abroad and will be back in about half a month. Tonight, let's just have a simple dinner to celebrate. When your parents come back, we'll have a banquet and introduce you to the other relatives."Xu Zhen didn't mind. It was better not to meet the Shen family's relatives, because with Shen Lingfeng's passive attitude, she really couldn't take this marriage seriously.But she still smiled appropriately and nodded.
At exactly 7 PM, Shen Lingfeng hadn't arrived yet. Old Master Shen's face darkened, and he asked Zhang Bo to call him.Just as Zhang Bo was about to call, Shen Lingfeng called him, saying he had an important dinner and wouldn't be able to make it to the old mansion.Old Master Shen was furious, puffing out his cheeks. "Tell him to come back right now. No dinner is more important than having dinner with his wife on the first day of marriage."Xu Zhen felt disappointed in Shen Lingfeng.Since he had chosen to marry, no matter how willing or unwilling he was, he should at least pretend to be happy to make Old Master Shen happy.Maybe there really was an important dinner, but today was supposed to be the day they registered for marriage. He should have made time for it.Wasn't giving her some respect more important than making Old Master Shen happy?But as the granddaughter-in-law, she had a responsibility to ease Old Master Shen's mind."Grandfather Shen, don't be angry. It must be a very important dinner. That's why Mr. Shen couldn't decline. Once he's free, we'll come back to accompany you."Old Master Shen looked helpless. "I'm an old man, I don't need you to accompany me. I'll find something to do. I just want you two to have a happy life. Zhen Zhen, don't spoil that boy too much, he'll take advantage of you."Xu Zhen smiled and nodded.
At that moment, Shen Lingfeng was in a Chinese restaurant at a hotel under the Shen family, hosting a welcome dinner for Zhang Wenxing, who had just returned to the country.Their mutual friend, Wang Yue, was also with them.Shen Lingfeng called Zhang Bo but didn't hide it from them, so they both knew he was supposed to have dinner with Old Master Shen tonight.