Picked Up a White Cut Black Wife - Chapter 17

I don’t understand. I really don’t understand.

Before leaving, You Shu had bought her a lot of snacks. Shen Zhao opened her suitcase and invited Shen Qiao to choose some.

“Wife won’t let me get close to you,” Shen Qiao said, lowering her head and staring at her toes.

“Have you even considered what you’ve done?” Shen Zhao snapped, her anger finally erupting after holding it in all year.

Hearing this, Shen Qiao stiffened her neck, adopting a defiant stance. “What’s wrong with kissing my own wife? Is that not allowed?”

“You! You can just—” Shen Zhao nearly fainted from anger. She stood up, momentarily dizzy and unsteady, almost losing her balance.

Seeing this, Shen Qiao quickly steadied her, her face filled with concern. “Wife, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’d be fine if you stopped making me so angry,” Shen Zhao retorted, recovering slightly.

Shen Qiao’s eyes immediately reddened. Fearing she might cry, Shen Zhao quickly reassured her, “It’s okay, I’m fine. Just a bit low on bl00d sugar.”

“Then Wife should sit down. I’ll cook something for you.”

“What?” Shen Zhao wondered if the low bl00d sugar was causing her to hallucinate. What had Shen Qiao just said?

Shen Qiao lifted her chin proudly. “I can cook so many dishes now!”

“Hmm? Didn’t I tell you not to mess around in the kitchen…?” Shen Zhao frowned, her gaze sweeping over Shen Qiao. “Are you hurt?”

Shen Qiao slowly extended her hand. Shen Zhao took both of her hands to examine them. Her fingers were slender, fair, and perfectly proportioned, with no visible wounds.

Suddenly, Shen Qiao spoke up, “I accidentally cut myself a few times at first.”

“It healed this quickly?” Shen Zhao examined her hands again, incredulous. “Where?”

“Here, here, and here, but they’re all healed now.”

Shen Zhao looked where Shen Qiao pointed, but the spots were smooth and flawless, showing no signs of injury whatsoever.

Even counting from the day she left, it had only been three or four days. How could they have healed so quickly? Shen Zhao held her hand, puzzled. After a moment, she reasoned it must have been minor cuts.

“Wife?” Sensing the subtle shift in Shen Zhao’s expression, Shen Qiao asked anxiously, instinctively trying to pull her hand away.

Shen Zhao released her. “Don’t go into the kitchen again.”

“But I can really cook so many dishes now!”

Shen Zhao didn’t believe the pampered heiress could have mastered cooking in such a short time. In the end, she took Shen Qiao out to eat.

The New Year holiday wasn’t over yet, but Shen Zhao couldn’t stay idle. She went to the museum early the next morning.

With the holiday still in full swing, the museum was deserted. She made her way to the painting and calligraphy restoration studio, where the other half of the artwork had already arrived. It was even more dilapidated than the first half.

Shen Zhao carefully retrieved the other half of the painting and slowly pieced it together with the first half. After about half an hour, though still somewhat fragmented, the painting was largely complete.

The man in the painting wore flowing robes, half her face obscured by dust and mold, yet her otherworldly grace remained unmistakable.

Shen Zhao closed her eyes, imagining the man’s appearance and speculating about her identity.

After studying the painting for a long while, she began cleaning the fragments.

By midday, Shen Zhao’s back ached from sitting for so long, forcing her to stop. She decided to eat lunch and rest before continuing.

Just then, her phone rang.

“Wife, have you eaten?” Shen Qiao asked cautiously.

“I’m about to.”

“Great!” Shen Qiao exclaimed with delight, then stammered, “So, Wife, would you… I was thinking…”

“What is it?” Shen Zhao immediately grew wary. “What have you done now?”

Suddenly, a crackling static filled the line, and Shen Qiao’s voice came through in fits and starts.

Shen Zhao froze, straining to hear. “Where are you?”

After a moment, the connection cleared. “I wanted to bring you lunch, Wife! I tried it—it’s delicious!”

Shen Zhao’s head began to throb. “Are you out of the house right now?”

“Mm, but I don’t know where my wife is,” Shen Qiao said, sounding slightly dejected.

If you can’t find me, hurry back. I won’t starve, Shen Zhao thought. If she knew where I worked, I’d never have any peace.

But Shen Qiao refused to back down, insisting, “I’ve already memorized the map of Y City. I can find my way.”

Hearing this, Shen Zhao was surprised. She hadn’t realized Shen Qiao had been learning so much while alone at home these past few days.

“No, I have to go back to work as soon as I finish eating.”

“I’ll be quick, I won’t keep my wife waiting,” Shen Qiao pleaded, her voice pitiful. “I spent so long making this today, and I even accidentally splashed hot oil on my hand. It hurts so much.”

“You…” Shen Zhao’s heart softened. She opened her mouth to refuse, but the words wouldn’t come. Finally, she relented, “Fine, I’ll send you the address.”

Upon receiving the location, Shen Qiao’s voice brightened instantly. “Wife, I’ll be there soon!”

Just then, snow began to fall, growing heavier by the minute. Shen Zhao wanted to tell her not to come, but she heard the sound of a car engine starting on the other end of the line.

Left with no choice, she said, “I have some things to take care of first. There’s no rush, take your time.”

“Okay, Wife,” Shen Qiao replied.

Inside the car, after hanging up, Shen Qiao stared out at the swirling snow. In a daze, she recalled a similar snowy day when she had hidden somewhere, secretly watching a figure melt into the white landscape until they vanished without a trace.

A sudden chill pierced her to the bone.

As the car reached a desolate stretch of road, she asked the driver to stop.

“We’re not there yet, young lady,” the driver said.

“It’s fine,” Shen Qiao replied calmly.

“Ah?” The driver couldn’t help but warn her, “This isn’t a good place to get a taxi, and the snow’s coming down hard.”

“It’s fine,” Shen Qiao repeated. “A friend will be here to pick me up soon.”

“Oh, well then, alright.”

Shen Qiao stepped out of the car and watched it disappear into the distance. She caught a few snowflakes in her palm until a thin layer had accumulated. Judging the time was right, she curved her lips into a smile, thinking it was time to go find her wife.

“You’re here already?” Shen Zhao glanced at the clock when she answered the call. “That was fast!”

“Mmhmm, of course! I practically flew here.”

Shen Zhao chuckled and hurried to the main entrance to greet her. Even before she got close, Shen Qiao’s long hair was the first thing to catch her eye.

As if sensing her arrival, Shen Qiao slowly turned her head, her hair billowing in the wind, partially obscuring her face in a hazy blur.

Shen Zhao froze, the only sound the wind whistling past her ears. Everything around her seemed to fade into a dreamlike backdrop, the scene frozen in time. Her heart clenched, a sharp pain radiating from her chest to her limbs, as if her soul were tearing free, rushing toward some distant point.

In the next moment, the girl fluttered into her arms. Shen Zhao instinctively returned the embrace, the warmth of her palms melting the snow in Shen Qiao’s hair, which felt icy cold.

“Wife, so this is where you work?”

Shen Zhao caught her breath, nodding with a soft “Mm.” Her gaze fell to the girl’s snow-dusted hands, the knuckles flushed red.

“Let’s go inside,” Shen Zhao said, releasing her.

“Okay.” Shen Qiao took her other hand, and together they stepped forward, their footprints stretching across the soft snow, two trails extending endlessly.

Shen Zhao glanced sideways at the person beside her, an unfamiliar warmth blooming in her chest. In the freezing snow, her palm burned with heat.