Picked Up a White Cut Black Wife - Chapter 1

Late at night, the studio remained brightly lit. After days of relentless work, even someone in their prime would be exhausted. Finishing the final restoration, Yu Xiaoxiao set down her tools and glanced through the transparent glass window at the woman inside, yawning. “Xiao Zhao, that’s enough for tonight. Go get some rest.”

The woman at the desk murmured a faint acknowledgment but continued working, carefully piecing together fragments of ancient scrolls.

As Shen Zhao’s senior colleague and coworker for the past two or three years, Yu Xiaoxiao had grown accustomed to this. She shook her head helplessly and left the studio.

The vast studio now felt even more desolate with only Shen Zhao remaining. By the time she finished her tasks, it was already two in the morning. Normally, she would simply sleep here at this hour.

However, knowing that the cultural relics restoration project was nearing completion, Shen Zhao’s lips curved into a faint smile. She decided to go home and rest for a day.

It was the dead of winter, and the world was blanketed in pristine white, adorned in silver and snow. Large, feathery snowflakes drifted down in a swirling dance.

The car glided along the empty road, neon lights flickering through the windows in shifting hues. Shen Zhao blinked her dry eyes, focusing intently on the road ahead.

At that moment, the garish lights suddenly flared, flashing into Shen Zhao’s eyes. She reflexively closed her eyes, and the steering wheel jerked uncontrollably to one side, sending the car skidding in an arc.

This was a bridge, and if the car lost control and crashed into the railing, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Panic surged through Shen Zhao. She forced her eyes open, ignoring the discomfort, and frantically wrestled with the steering wheel. The tires screeched against the snow-covered road as she fought to regain control.

Fortunately, the car swerved back onto the road.

But before Shen Zhao could breathe a sigh of relief, a dull thud echoed from ahead.

The car braked sharply, Shen Zhao’s heart pounding. She leaned against the steering wheel, taking a moment to calm herself before looking up.

For some reason, the night had suddenly grown darker, the light hazy. An inexplicable unease settled over Shen Zhao. She opened the car door and slowly stepped out.

The first thing she saw was a pair of bare, snow-white feet, followed by a flowing, crimson gauze skirt. The rest of the figure was obscured by the car, its full form hidden for now.

I’ve actually hit someone! But I didn’t see anyone just now! Could it be I’m just too tired lately, so…

Daring not to dwell on the thought, she hurried her pace. As she reached the car, the sight before her made her gasp.

A girl, around seventeen or eighteen, lay sprawled on the ground. Her red gauze dress was torn and tattered, its original form unrecognizable, yet it possessed a strange, disheveled, and desolate beauty. The half of her face that was visible was pristine, like a bright moon in the sky—pure and radiant.

In the dead of winter, the scene felt eerily surreal. Shen Zhao paused for a moment, about to approach the girl, when the girl suddenly opened her eyes. Her cold, starlike gaze was sharper than the icy wind. Yet, in the instant their eyes met, a flicker of confusion crossed the girl’s face, her eyes gradually misting over until they glistened with tears.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” Shen Zhao asked, her breath forming a white cloud that momentarily blurred the scene.

The girl remained silent, staring blankly at her, her eyes filled with complex emotions that defied easy interpretation.

A sudden blizzard descended, and Shen Zhao hurried out to check on the girl, wearing only a high-necked sweater. In mere moments, the wind and snow had stolen the warmth from her body, leaving her chilled to the bone.

The girl, dressed in nothing but a fiery red gauze dress offering no protection against the cold, quickly developed a pink tinge on the tip of her nose. A gust of wind made her shiver violently.

Seeing this, Shen Zhao rushed back to the car to retrieve her coat.

Unbeknownst to her, the girl’s nostrils flared rapidly as Shen Zhao turned away, her pupils darkening to inky black. She opened her mouth, as if desperate to say something, but only calmed slightly when Shen Zhao returned.

“Can you stand?” Shen Zhao knelt in the snow, carefully draping the coat over the girl’s shoulders. “Does anything hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.”

The girl lowered her gaze, her eyes lingering on Shen Zhao’s hand resting on her shoulder before she burrowed into Shen Zhao’s arms.

The sudden chill, combined with the girl’s unexpected softness, made Shen Zhao stiffen instantly. Unaccustomed to such physical closeness, her first instinct was to push the girl away. But then she noticed the fine, trembling shivers running through the girl’s body.

She must be freezing, Shen Zhao thought, and remained still.

Silence, stillness, a moment stretched into eternity. Only the swirling snow continued to fall relentlessly.

Why isn’t she saying anything? Shen Zhao wondered, puzzled. Is she mute?

Suddenly, her gaze froze. A splash of crimson stained the snow. Upon closer inspection, she realized the girl’s knee was torn and bleeding profusely.

Gently pushing the girl away, Shen Zhao gestured wildly, pointing to the car, then to the girl’s wound, and finally making a house shape with her hands.

I’ll take you to the hospital to get your wound treated.

The girl blinked, then nodded.

Seeing she understood, Shen Zhao stood up and helped the girl to her feet. They shook off the snow clinging to their clothes.

Driving to the hospital, neither spoke a word. Yet Shen Zhao felt deeply uneasy, unnerved by the girl’s intense, burning gaze.

Finally reaching their destination, Shen Zhao released the steering wheel and let out a sigh of relief.

Queuing, registering, seeing the doctor—everything went smoothly until…

“The X-rays show no internal injuries. Just get the wound bandaged, change the dressing a few times at home, and you’ll be fine.”

Hearing the doctor’s words, Shen Zhao’s anxiety finally eased. “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s my duty,” the doctor said, retrieving the medication. As she prepared, she casually remarked, “With the New Year approaching, everyone’s rushing home in a frenzy. Just in those few days, the car accident victims flooded in—we barely had room for them in the corridors.”

Shen Zhao listened, responding with a faint smile.

“All done,” the doctor said, picking up a cotton ball with tweezers, dipping it in iodine, and turning to the girl. “This might sting a little, young lady. If it’s too much, just hold onto your sister.”

Hearing this, Shen Zhao opened her mouth to correct him, but seeing she was about to apply the medicine, she closed it again.

“She’s not my sister, she’s my wife,” the girl suddenly declared, her tone earnest.

“Ah?” The doctor’s hand paused mid-motion, her gaze involuntarily sweeping over the two women. “Oh, right, okay.”

Shen Zhao’s pupils widened, her shock clearly surpassing the doctor’s.

She’s not mute? Wait! When did she become… my wife?

Shen Zhao opened her mouth to explain, but the doctor had already finished bandaging the wound and handed her a prescription. “Get the medication. Remember to change your wife’s dressing regularly.”

“No, um, fine,” Shen Zhao reluctantly agreed. The next moment, she felt someone take her hand. Looking down, she saw the girl gazing up at her with a radiant smile.

After leaving the consultation room, Shen Zhao seized the opportunity while waiting in line for the prescription to ask, “You can talk? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

The girl opened her mouth, and after a long pause, finally said, “I forgot.”

“Oh,” Shen Zhao thought. Maybe she was too scared earlier and temporarily lost her voice.

Wait a minute! If she’s so timid, how did she dare call me her wife in public? How did she dare snuggle into my arms? How did she dare take my hand first?

The more Shen Zhao pondered, the more confused she became, especially when the girl leaned against her shoulder as if they were old friends.

Finally, after retrieving the medication, Shen Zhao dragged her stiff, half-numb body to a corner and pulled the girl down. Maintaining a half-person’s distance, she said, not coldly but certainly not warmly, “Since you’re fine now, you should go home.”

“And,” Shen Zhao continued, pulling out her wallet and taking out all the cash, “this is for the trouble. Consider it compensation for my carelessness tonight.”

“No,” the girl shook her head, refusing the money. She spoke slowly, enunciating each word, “The doctor said my wife needs to change my bandages.”

Shen Zhao lowered her gaze, subtly assessing the young woman before her. The girl had waist-length, jet-black hair, delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes. A faint blush tinted the tip of her petite, upturned nose, lending her a charming, lively air tinged with vulnerability.

She didn’t seem like a con artist, but her sudden appearance at this late hour felt far from coincidental.

Fortunately, she appeared unharmed. Eager to get home, Shen Zhao dismissed her suspicions and assumed the girl simply wanted more money. She pulled out a bank card. “This should cover your medical expenses and recovery.”

Any sensible person would know when to quit while they were ahead.

But the woman before her was clearly not sensible.

Without even glancing at the card, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Shen Zhao’s waist. Her voice trembled slightly as she pleaded, “I don’t want money, Wife! I just want my Wife!”

“Let go! Please show some self-respect!” Shen Zhao’s brow furrowed as she gripped the girl’s arms, trying to push her away. To her surprise, the seemingly frail young woman possessed surprising strength, clinging to her with a tenacious grip.

Irritated, Shen Zhao thought, This woman must think I’m an easy target and is trying to extort me! How could anyone be so shameless?!

“Don’t push your luck! I’ll call the police if you don’t let go!” Shen Zhao’s voice was sharp and threatening, but her struggles looked increasingly desperate.

“No, I won’t,” the girl murmured, her voice suddenly rising. “I don’t want to leave my wife! I don’t!”

By now, the commotion had drawn the attention of passersby, who lingered at a safe distance. The spectacle of two beautiful women embroiled in a conflict, especially one that sparked such speculation, drew murmurs of gossip.

“Good heavens, they’re fighting in the hospital! Must be catching a mistress! Tsk tsk tsk…”

“That’s a brutal fight! Her clothes are torn!”

“If you ask me, why are these two beauties fighting over some stinky man? Ah, let’s move on.”

“Fighting? I just heard that girl call the other one ‘wife’!”

Shen Zhao, born into a scholarly family that valued propriety above all else, had never experienced such public humiliation. Her face flushed slightly as she snapped, “Let go immediately! Or you won’t see a single penny!”

“Money? I don’t want money.” The girl shook her head, nuzzling against Shen Zhao’s chest. After a moment, she choked out, “Wife, are you going to abandon me?”

The declaration sent shockwaves through the crowd.

“Ah? So they weren’t fighting after all.”

“Holy sh1t! They’re actually wives! I thought my gaydar was just acting up! This is so exciting!”

“That girl looks so pitiful. The New Year’s just around the corner. Couldn’t they have talked things over properly?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Who’s your wife?” Shen Zhao snapped, trembling with fury. I’m calling the police! Right now! I won’t let this con artist get away with this!

“I’m not lying,” the girl retorted softly. “You said you’d take me home.”

This is getting more ridiculous by the second! Shen Zhao suddenly felt like she could jump into the Yellow River and still never clear her name.

“When did I ever say that?” Shen Zhao scoffed coldly.

“Earlier.” The girl mimicked Shen Zhao’s earlier gestures, copying them perfectly.

“I…” Shen Zhao was momentarily speechless. “I meant I’d take you to the hospital, not home! Little sister, we’re complete strangers. Why would I take you home?”

“How could that be? You’re my wife! A wife follows her husband—or in this case, her wife—wherever she goes! I’ll follow you anywhere!”

After several exchanges, Shen Zhao was caught off guard by the woman’s relentless assault. The onlookers, however, had pieced together the story, their faces lighting up with sudden understanding: A devoted woman had been abandoned by a heartless lover, forced to abandon her pride and beg for reconciliation.

Naturally, Shen Zhao was cast as the heartless lover.

Shen Zhao realized this woman was determined to cling to her at all costs.

Deeply devoted? Heartless? Once the police arrived, everything would be clear!

But right now, she was trapped in the woman’s embrace, unable to reach her phone. Helpless, she resorted to temporary appeasement: “Let go first. Didn’t you want me to take you home?”

“Really?!” The girl suddenly looked up, their eyes locking, emotions swirling between them, deeply moving.

Shen Zhao was stunned by the woman’s intense reaction. She found herself inexplicably touched by the joy in the woman’s eyes, as if she truly were the lover the girl had searched for across vast distances. Beneath that joy lay an unspoken sorrow, and Shen Zhao’s heart clenched with a sudden, involuntary pang of sympathy.

Crazy! She was actually feeling sorry for a con artist!

Absolutely insane!

The girl whispered, as if seeking confirmation, “Wife.”

What a performance! Shen Zhao scoffed inwardly. But do you really think I’ll fall for this?