Picked Up a White Cut Black Wife - Chapter 16

“Still, your mother promised them, dear. Why don’t you go tomorrow? Think of it as making a new friend. I heard she’s an auctioneer—you two should have plenty to talk about.”

With her mother’s words leaving no room for argument, Shen Zhao reluctantly agreed, planning to make a quick visit and leave.

The next day, Shen Zhao arrived at the agreed-upon location precisely on time.

“Hello, Situ Yue. Here’s my business card.” The woman wore a casual suit, exuding a relaxed yet slightly rebellious air.

Shen Zhao nodded curtly. “Hello, Shen Zhao.”

The two women settled into their seats politely, sipping their coffee to ease the awkwardness.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Situ Yue said. “Your excavation team’s work back then caused a sensation in the entire cultural heritage community. And then there’s the recent Feng’an Mausoleum project. It’s finally an honor to meet you in person.”

Shen Zhao, who disliked small talk with strangers, merely smiled faintly. “You flatter me. It wasn’t my accomplishment alone.”

“But you played a crucial role. I’m not just being polite,” Situ Yue insisted.

Shen Zhao didn’t respond, considering how to cut to the chase and end the meeting amicably.

Just then, her phone rang, the screen displaying three words: Troublemaker.

Shen Zhao’s brow furrowed involuntarily at the sight of the name. After a moment’s hesitation, she hung up.

The air fell silent, thick with awkwardness.

Situ Yue opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter more than a single word, Shen Zhao’s phone rang again. “Maybe you should…”

“I’m sorry,” Shen Zhao said, gritting her teeth. She apologized again and rose to leave the café.

She ended the video call and switched to a voice call. “What’s wrong?”

“Wife,” a woman’s gloomy voice came through the receiver. “Where are you? Why won’t you let me see you?”

“I’m out on business. What’s really wrong?” Shen Zhao asked, her patience wearing thin.

Shen Qiao huffed in aggrieved protest, then suddenly muttered, “Wife is doing something bad behind my back.”

“It’s none of your business. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m hanging up,” Shen Zhao said hurriedly, not wanting to keep Situ Yue waiting. “I’ll call you back later.”

With that, Shen Zhao hung up and hurried back into the café. “Sorry for the wait.”

Situ Yue smiled knowingly. “No problem. But the person on the phone didn’t sound like a colleague. More like someone checking up on you.”

Shen Zhao sat down, glanced at her, and felt a flicker of annoyance.

Situ Yue shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

The person before her remained as polite and proper as ever, yet Shen Zhao felt as if they had donned a mask of hypocrisy, and she desperately wanted to end the conversation.

Ding-a-ling—

Her phone rang again, like a soul-snatching rope.

Shen Zhao cursed inwardly and quickly hung up.

When she looked up, she saw Situ Yue wearing an “I knew it” expression. Suddenly, Situ Yue leaned in close. “So? Is it a girlfriend or a boyfriend? I bet it’s the former, right?”

Shen Zhao’s expression turned slightly cold. Just as she was about to speak, messages flooded in, one after another.

Troublemaker: Wife, are you seeing someone else? 😭

Troublemaker: I can smell it! Who is that woman? 😡

Troublemaker: Wife, please talk to me! All those women out there are bad news! Wife, don’t get tricked! 😭

Troublemaker: …

At the first message, Shen Zhao felt a strange pang of alarm. Are all women this sensitive?

The second message was even more absurd. Smell it? Is she a dog in disguise?

Situ Yue glanced at the phone, then shifted her gaze to Shen Zhao’s face. Annoyed, Shen Zhao pocketed her phone and silently widened the distance between them.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Situ Yue said, settling into a more comfortable posture and giving Shen Zhao a suggestive look.

“I think you’ve misunderstood,” Shen Zhao said, picking up her bag and leaving the café. “I wasn’t aware of this meeting beforehand. Our paths diverge, so let’s not waste each other’s time.”

Her phone buzzed incessantly with messages. Shen Zhao hurried back to her car and returned the call.

“Wife, is that awful woman still with you? What did she do to you?!” Shen Qiao stared anxiously at the screen, carefully scanning for other people.

If Shen Zhao hadn’t seen her at home, she would have suspected Shen Qiao of following her.

“How did you know?” Shen Zhao asked, curious.

“I knew it!” Shen Qiao exclaimed indignantly. After a moment, she added mournfully, “Wife, you’re already married. Why are you seeing other women? This is cheating.”

Suddenly accused of infidelity, Shen Zhao scoffed. “I don’t recall ever getting married,” she said coolly.

“We’ve been married for ages!” Shen Qiao insisted stubbornly.

Huh? This was strange. The woman seemed to have forgotten everything else, yet she still remembered having a wife. Was her memory scrambled? Had she mistaken Shen Zhao for her wife?

That explanation seemed to make sense of everything.

Whatever. Once I send her away, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.

Four days later, Shen Zhao returned to Y City.

Shen Zhao didn’t tell Shen Qiao she was coming back, so when Shen Qiao suddenly saw her, she froze for a second before darting forward like a butterfly. Shen Zhao pushed her suitcase aside and found herself nearly suffocated by Shen Qiao’s embrace. “Let go a little,” she gasped, “you’re going to strangle me.”

Shen Qiao released her grip, instead hooking her arms around Shen Zhao’s neck and tilting her head to gaze at her. Her bright eyes clearly reflected Shen Zhao’s image. “Wife, I missed you so much.”

Shen Zhao felt flustered under that intense gaze, her entire body stiffening. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t remember what to say.

In the next moment, Shen Qiao stood on tiptoe and pressed a soft, slightly cool kiss to the corner of her lips.

Shen Zhao’s pupils dilated instantly. The unique, cool fragrance still lingered around her nose, yet half her cheek burned with heat.

Noticing Shen Zhao’s dazed expression, Shen Qiao pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, maintaining a hair’s breadth of distance between their lips, poised to strike.

Realizing Shen Qiao’s mischievous intentions, Shen Zhao snapped back to her senses and shoved her away. Frowning, she snapped, “You… stay away from me! Over there! Don’t come any closer!”

Shen Qiao immediately adopted a harmless demeanor. “Alright, no more kisses.”

“You!” Shen Zhao nearly lost her mind. She suspected that Shen Qiao had offended her in a past life, or even the one before that, and was now seeking revenge in this life.

“Wife, I really miss you,” Shen Qiao pouted, her voice filled with grievance.

Shen Zhao remained unmoved, settling onto the sofa and replying with a dismissive, “Oh.”

Silence fell, and the air grew heavy. Sharing the same space, Shen Zhao suddenly felt deeply uncomfortable. She suppressed the urge to wipe her mouth, only to realize Shen Qiao was staring at her with a gaze that was anything but innocent.

An inexplicable tension filled the room, as if the oxygen itself had thinned. Desperate to ignore the strange sensation, Shen Zhao forced herself to speak, “Have you eaten?”

Shen Qiao shook her head, looking like a wronged little wife.

At this sight, Shen Zhao choked. This troublemaker is the one acting up, yet every time she makes it seem like I’m the one bullying her!